Is there a guide to EBB and Flow?

[Buckcannon]

That is the system I am currently running. Its my first time around and just doing it how the guys down a the hydro store told me...but I feel like I dont know enough about this system outside the basics....

I tried looking at google, youtube and found nothing. I want to read up on how people set up their systems, what nutrients they like to use and things of that nature, can anyone help?

 

[Texas Kid]

I can, ask away...

 

[Buckcannon]

I can, ask away...

Thank you. First off, I am using grow cubes to put my plants in...is this the right method? Also once they start to grow a lot you eventually transplant to the coco mats?

And what nutrients do you use for your veg and grow?
Is there anything I should know about like per-cautions or stuff that might happen like some sort of chemical build up somewhere...? Like i said I only know basics.

 

[Texas Kid]

Cubes to a coco mat will work great, I had great results when I did it that way...I would use 6" cubes though, the 4" are pain in the ass and shit topples over, even after the roots have grown into the mat. If you can get Coco cubes those work even better on the mats. I covered the mat itself with panda and cut in my cubes like you would would on slabs, that really worked well and cut down on surface mold as well as let me cut the frequency of the flood cycles by half

I like Pure blend Pro from Botanicare...PBP Grow, PBP Bloom, Liquid Karma, Cal Mag, Silica Blast, and Hydroplex....I might even toss in that new Vitamino that they came out with recently for shits and grins. For the most part PBP is idiot proof so you should have no issues.

Veg- Pure Blend Pro Grow, Silica Blast, Liquid Karma, Calmag, and Vitamino...start at half strength of what is recommended on the bottle/chart

Flower - Pure Blend Pro Bloom, Liquid Karma, Calmag, Vitamino, and Hydroplex...maybe a little sweet if I get a wild hair

There are 100 different nute options out there and they all pretty much work the same but PBP is fail safe IMO

 

[ttystikk]

You got the word from the man who knows. He gave me a few tips when I started running chow mix, made the transition seamless for me.

 

[Buckcannon]

Cubes to a coco mat will work great, I had great results when I did it that way...I would use 6" cubes though, the 4" are pain in the ass and shit topples over, even after the roots have grown into the mat. If you can get Coco cubes those work even better on the mats. I covered the mat itself with panda and cut in my cubes like you would would on slabs, that really worked well and cut down on surface mold as well as let me cut the frequency of the flood cycles by half

I like Pure blend Pro from Botanicare...PBP Grow, PBP Bloom, Liquid Karma, Cal Mag, Silica Blast, and Hydroplex....I might even toss in that new Vitamino that they came out with recently for shits and grins. For the most part PBP is idiot proof so you should have no issues.

Veg- Pure Blend Pro Grow, Silica Blast, Liquid Karma, Calmag, and Vitamino...start at half strength of what is recommended on the bottle/chart

Flower - Pure Blend Pro Bloom, Liquid Karma, Calmag, Vitamino, and Hydroplex...maybe a little sweet if I get a wild hair

There are 100 different nute options out there and they all pretty much work the same but PBP is fail safe IMO

Nice, what size pump and reservoir do you use?

Also, I have 4 air stones in each reservoir as well as an extra pump to circulate the water in my 100 gallon reservoir, but the some of the chemicals sit at the bottom..is that bad? Also I am getting a lot of algae inside the cubes, is this bad as well?

 

[Texas Kid]

How big an ebb&flow setup?...I like 265's for 3x3 or 4x4 but I 500's or 750's for 3x6 or 4x8 tables..

 

[mayonnaise]

cannot agree more with texas kid. 6 inch blocks work ALOT better especialy with larger plants. You def. need to cover atleast the top of the blocks with squares of panda film. covering the whole table works better but it's a little more of a hassle. Make sure you position your plants exactly how you are gonna want them cuz once your roots take hold you aren't moving them without some serious root tearing. Also make sure your table is at enough of an angle so it drains well. You don't want pools of stagnent water collecting under your mat. Jorge Cervantes growers bible is also a good book to read. it goes over all the basics for most set ups. It can be found in most book stores or online from ebay or amazon. And lastly with most ferts you will get some settling in the bottom of your rez not a huge deal, just make sure you scrub it when you change your water.

 

[MonsterRobot]

I used coco mats a while back and they were great for like a day or two but the roots only seemed to grow down and then stop so I kind of felt like I wasted my money getting a big mat that was hardly used...

I figured that the roots would have grown out but they only grew down... I have since covered my tables with polyfilm and found that I don't need the mats because as long as there is no light the roots will grow out and still get water and nutes.

 

[Buckcannon]

How big an ebb&flow setup?...I like 265's for 3x3 or 4x4 but I 500's or 750's for 3x6 or 4x8 tables..

Thanks.

last question: how do I flush in this system? And how many weeks before harvesting should I flush? and is there any other things I should know about the final 2 weeks in this system?

 

[kushsmoker30]

I used coco mats a while back and they were great for like a day or two but the roots only seemed to grow down and then stop so I kind of felt like I wasted my money getting a big mat that was hardly used...

I figured that the roots would have grown out but they only grew down... I have since covered my tables with polyfilm and found that I don't need the mats because as long as there is no light the roots will grow out and still get water and nutes.

i did hugo's on a 1"coco matt, worked great n produced. once a week i would pour water on top of the block to keep build up in check, n flood a few inches up the block as needed. However i would feed the roots in the coco 1" mat from once (veg) up to 3 times a day (flower) n roots grow outward, but when feeding 3X's a day u have to watch EC so u have to keep a good eye on ur girls n know when to add water to the res.