Who's running coco beds?

[SweetTooth]

So I am toying with the idea of running coco beds with Drip Clean and I am wondering is there really a need for a drain to allow for runoff? We used to run soil beds with no drain with pro mix hp at 1.5 bales per light (4x4) with a feed/water/feed/water schedule and it worked just fine. I see that a lot of guys who are running coco in trays are using the smart pots as a tray liner but I'm thinking that the Drip Clean will eliminate the need to flush through the coco medium. Anyone done this?

 

[true grit]

I never water to run off, and use drip clean with all feedings. I did the same things with teh coco beds, instead of watering til run off (lot of water), I fed less 15g or so 2-3x a week. Things went fine, but I would water heavy at end to flush thoroughly as I like to re-use coco.

 

[DrCALIGREENTHUM]

I want to run them...

 

[true grit]

two words- DO IT. Thank you Obs!

I'm running mostly vert now, but anything overhead is in coco beds. as soon as I get my set up nailed in vert i will be adding beds to the vert set up...cuz its that easy/kickass to rock em.

 

[soaringfast]

I was running beds but having a lot of problems with the watering. I watered too much and had nothing but problems. I always had too much moisture below and it caused me a lot of humidity.

I'm back to pots on the floor.

 

[true grit]

In coco? Hate to say but probably one of a couple things bro

a. not enough plants, or plants not big enough for bed
b. too much water

how much were you watering? Obs said he was dumping what 50g a week in each bed? I could not do that in a single water which is why i water 15g or so couple times a week. When the plants are small, water will sit for too long.

sorry but havent run any pots that are easier than the beds, especially if mono-cropping a bed (ie. dont try to mix strains).

 

[SweetTooth]

Nice!

TG, if you were to use liters as volume, how much coco media were you running per 4x4?

 

[true grit]

Been doing vert runs and recycled coco after first run a while back... but wanna say it was like 6-8 bags of coco per bed. i wasn't using the smart pot 4x4 but 200g smart pot cut down to 10" tall.

 

[soaringfast]

I over watered my beds and that's why I had problems. I know they work great but being new to coco it just is not the time for me at this point.

 

[justsomeguy]

what is the purpose of having no drain or runoff? this method looks interesting but i'm trying to understand it. and why does it take so much water? in smart pots, i run 20 gallons of solution and 10 gallons of water per light/week with 25% runoff on the solution and 50% runoff with the water.

 

[SweetTooth]

Well running beds with no drain to waist is simple for me. There is no need to plumb drains and worry about condensate pumps for run-off, less nutes because I am only watering to achieve an even dampness throughout the medium and I am not pumping extra through it down the drain. Another pro vs con is that I can build my beds from 2x6 and plywood lined with poly rather than having to haul in heat score grow trays to the location of the grow.

 

[true grit]

I just don't find a need to over saturate my plants. I know when I need to water, how much and when to maintain those intervals. Only time I water to run off is if I plan on missing a watering. Frankly I think this helps you learn the attributes and likings of your plant...which for me will make automation of my system when the time comes that much easier, and less guess work

 

[Surfr]

I will be running beds from now on.. I am building custom 3'x4'x7" beds filled with Roots organics coco mix... I think a lot of people run beds that are too deep, hence the reason for watering problems. Plants really only need 6" deep or so of medium. With the beds, you make up for the vertical with the horizontal growth.. I am a firm believer in draint to waste, so there will always be a drain in my designs..

:character0180:

 

[bongorilla]

Well running beds with no drain to waist is simple for me. There is no need to plumb drains and worry about condensate pumps for run-off, less nutes because I am only watering to achieve an even dampness throughout the medium and I am not pumping extra through it down the drain. Another pro vs con is that I can build my beds from 2x6 and plywood lined with poly rather than having to haul in heat score grow trays to the location of the grow.

IDK bro I'd be a little leery about settin up a bed with no drainage at all, I'm sure it could be done and done well, but if anything goes wrong in the grow, that could require a flush, I'd hate to be stuck with no drainage.

Growmaster has a good thread with a tutorial on his beds<<<aka Big Papa from the AN days<<<
he uses plywood and poly, so you wouldn't have to drag in tables as you were sayin, might wanna peep his thread>>

anyways good luck with er, I'm doin a coco grow now, had a little trouble in the beginning but switched it up to a lucas 6/9 and that shits rockin now!

 

[SweetTooth]

Thanks Bongo, Me and BP/GM go way back (on the boards anyways), we were like minded as we had the balls to max out a service running lights. I think Big Pimmpin was always jealous of my beds with no drains though. Thats why he made them 5x8. hahaha lol just kidding, kidding. I know what he does and he does it well. Respect.

We used to roll out pond liner across an entire house to cover the carpet and drop our beds right on the floor running 1.5 bales of pro mix per light. Averaging 1.25-2p's per light with no drains running GH 3 part, monster bloom, vitamax, and carboload 2x strength. Thats packin in and out new medium every grow though. There was salt build up no doubt and we wouldn't reuse the soil for that reason. The shit still burned nice and clean though, nice white ash. That was before Drip Clean came out though so fuck it, I'm doing it. It works, True Grit's got the proof in the puddin.

 

[bongorilla]

good luck with er hommie, be good to see er when shes done, sounds like a plan:cool0041:

 

[bluewaves]

Let's see these rolling that's my plan beds planting........I always wanted to run coco in beds like the ones GM/BP builts....I'm in a wheel chair so the beds help a lots ...let's built!!

 

[JAHGYDI]

i run a 4x4 soiless bed. i set it up with a drain but i never have had water go through it until final flush.

 

[SweetTooth]

Let's see these rolling that's my plan beds planting........I always wanted to run coco in beds like the ones GM/BP builts....I'm in a wheel chair so the beds help a lots ...let's built!!

I'll do a grow show here when I have something to show. Not much to see right now, just SLOW vegging mothers. Its going to take some time before I can take enough clones to bloom. I Have been looking at my space and I might even go with a 3 tier Stadium running coco troughs with bare bulbs (beds still). Only time will tell.

 

[bluewaves]

Nice...my help is builting my room as we speak ..I was running the UC system for a while till my recent surgery gone bad!...so I got to figure a way to grow that not to hard on me.....love growing hydro but lil more work then I can handle..so coco is the next best thing...still in the thinking how to run the beds under 12 lights in a 15x20 room wit rooms for me to stroll around in,,any body have a good idea how big and wide a beD can be for 12 ligths in that size room?