What kind of hydro system do you have and why?

[smknfire]

I've ran all kinds of systems over the years but always come back to RDWC in 4x8 tables. You can really have a lot of plants on a 4x8 but i prefer a little larger ones and only have 8 per table with 2k over each table. Using rockwool and drip stakes this system is almost fail safe for me. Good luck on your journey!

 

[Capulator]

Here's a strange one

This one blows the mind of everyone swho sees it:

It's a top-feed system. We Scrog 4-5 plants to 10"-12" topped at least twice.

We use 8" square pots with the little diced-up rockwool cubes.

Here is where it gets weird: We run nutes 15 minutes on 45 mins off. Run-of into res for the next trip through the pots.

We have to cover the entire table with Hydroton as we end up with a 4' by 4' inch-thick mat of roots.

Everyone says "You're over watering! They're gonna drown! It's all wrong!" but you know what? It's worked like a champ since 1987.

Until quite recently we fed 24/7. Due to high humidity at night we've stopped night feeding to no adverse effects.

It all started back in '87 and that's how the grow shop guy told us to do it so that's how we did it. It's always rocked for us so if it ain't broke why fix it? We've tried bubblers but didn't care ofr it so no more of that noise. Of course we flower the occasional tapped-out mother in soiless mix but otherwise this our go-to technique.

I have a feeling I'm gonna get flamed for this one and someone is gonna tell me the same as above: "You're doing it ALL wrong" but until I see a sign over over-watering, etc, we're not changing a thing.

A $40 plywood table on some milk crates, covered with Vis-queen, 7
gallon res, pump, 6' of 1" tubing and 1/4" feeders. We don't even use drip stakes. Just jam the tube in the up-hill side of the pot, secure with a clothespin, and let her rip. Drains through a screen back into the res causing lots of bubbles, and all is well.

I can scare up a few pics if anyone is interested...

On a side note: I'm sick of buying hydrotom that does nothing but cover our root-mass and due to a new furnace at the bloom room the wide-open table is acting like a big oil' humidifier. Great in the summer when it's hot but not good with our cooler nighttime temps.

I just built a new top feeder out of 5" vinyl square fence post. 2 5' length, 5 3.75" net pots in each total=ten. These sit, at the low end, on top of the res and drain straight down, again splashing to makes lots of bubbles. The far end is a few degrees higher. PVC manifold in the middle between each leg using 1/4 feeder line to a stake in each net pot.

I think, since this sytem is closed, we're only gonna feed for 15 mins maybe 5-6 times a day. Waiting for some clones to pop roots so i can get this thing fired up.

It's a "modular" system as it is easy to add another leg and, when it's time to flip from veg to bloom (at a different location), each leg lifts right up and out and will drop in to an identical system, yet to be built, at the flowering location. No tools- can be up and on the road in two mintutes. Easy to sanitise after each run and is plug-and-play. No transplant shock whatsoever. Clones in rockwool will drop into the net pots full of rockwool and there they will stay until finish. I can transport the plants, in legs of 5, without disturbing them whatsoever.

Can't wait to run it. Looks very similar to the aeroponic jobs you seen in the grow stores except instead of paying $450 I built ours, including pump, for $100.

Pics on request. They won't be good pics as my good phone is doa but they'll get the idea across.

Looking forward to hearing the comments on our "over-watered" table!


Peace and good growing,

-genEric

Pics added to my User Galery

I'd love to see some pics. I water RW 20 seconds on and an hour off. You can run 24/7 as long as you top feed. That's the key. Has to be top feed.

 

[Capulator]

I've ran all kinds of systems over the years but always come back to RDWC in 4x8 tables. You can really have a lot of plants on a 4x8 but i prefer a little larger ones and only have 8 per table with 2k over each table. Using rockwool and drip stakes this system is almost fail safe for me. Good luck on your journey!

RDWC = Recriculating Deep water culture. I think you are just referring to a recirculating system, meaning you are reusing the water and not drain to waste... correct?

 

[smknfire]

RDWC = Recriculating Deep water culture. I think you are just referring to a recirculating system, meaning you are reusing the water and not drain to waste... correct?

What I meant to say was just recirculating...thanks for the correction, you've been a huge inspiration. I'd like to discuss the concept of benes applied directly to the crowns. Shoot me a PM.


smknfire

 

[DrRabbit]

As a medical grower, I'm always plant-count limited. As a result, I run run a perpetual harvest, flowering plants in 5-gallon DWC buckets in a 4 x 8, now under 2 600-watt HPSes. I don't mono-crop, so it's the easiest way to give the plants the nutrients they want appropriate to what their leaves and trichrome development are telling me. I never follow the calendar, but look to the plants to tell me what to do.

I also live in a place (Alaska) where electricity is less than reliable. I keep my air pumps plugged into a battery backup. Because I occasionally experience one-or-two-hour blackouts, this can save my behizzle. Just remember that fixed-site setups take more space than standalone buckets. Also, please plan for power outages. They will happen. As a rule, increased automation requires greater electrical backup systems.

DWC works great with limited space and power. If you have cooling issues, you'll need to get those resolved before moving into any sort of hydro. Good luck, and let us know what you end up doing.

 

[QuarterbackMo]

Im all rdwc everything i run a combo of 2 uc rooms, i custom rdwc setup i built which outperforms everything, and a small rdwc for testing... I also have 2 satellite grows that i dont do the growing at but i am part of that i set up and built custom like my rdwc mentioned above... Imo there is no substitute i pull 2+ per light with 4 plants to every 1000w in the uc, and i get about 2.5+ in my rdwc setup which is 12 13gal buckets setup in 3 rows of 4 under 5000w the 5000w are in a star pattern if that makes sense

 

[QuarterbackMo]

This is the canopy at week 4 with the 8gal buckets in the rdwc before i switched to 13's lol :)

 

[DrRabbit]

Air Pumps - Some Random Notions

Multiple small, inexpensive one-to-four-connector aquarium pumps can be used to harden your system to component failure. Standbys are inexpensive, and dual pumps and air hoses into each bucket means a single pump failure won't kill you plant.

My greater risk is a power outage. I have a small standby generator (2kw) that will keep my tents illuminated. I use the following style of pump and manifold, keeping it plugged into a computer-style battery backup (aka, a UPS).

Also note the use of small stickers used to identify the ends of individual air hoses, mostly colored smiley faces, here. That has saved me from turning off the wrong line more than once. More than I'd probably want to say! ;-)

Note the use of zip-ties to tighten air hose connections. I keep things tightened such that if a hose gets pinched off, it blows off the manifold, making a hissing sound. Test by stepping on each line to get it right.

Also, lots of small aquarium pumps can get pretty dang loud. That's another argument for the larger models. Those get loud when they're in dire need of filter maintenance. Well, if you set one of the larger pumps on an improper surface, it will make a helluva racket. I keep that noise down by suspending the pump with shock or bungee cords.

'Tis all I can think of at the present. Hope this helps someone.

 

[adaptolife]

So I'm pretty new here, and I was wondering why you guys chose the type of systems you have. I am currently running a modified drip system on a 4x8 table with a 15 gallon res mainly cos the ease of it all, besides big tangle of hoses I have, which I am going to try and figure something out with that. I thought about switching to a flood and drain bed but thats way to much water for me to deal with, correct me if Im wrong, something like 80 gallons for a 4x8.

I have been using 3 1/2 gallon Bubble Boy dwc systems for 3 years with much success. Each bucket has a drain valve with 1/2" hose to drain. I have an extra bucket to mix nute water, and I hold the hose of that bucket into the hydroton to refill grow bucket. I run 4-6 systems at a time, and I put the discarded nutes on flowers and veggies in the yard.
I use general hydroponics nutes, per directions, and I change them every 2 weeks. Some plants drink a quart a day, so the buckets need to be topped off every few days. Throw away the POS airstone that comes with it, get 2 aquarium airstones, and use them (the kit has a 2-outlet air pump). Lots of air to keep nute particles in suspension.

 

[NWElite89]

DIY Under-Current 4XL, rubber maid modules, pretty easy to maintain, and a bonus not having to check individual ph in buckets.