Going hydro?

[Wargul]

Many of you know my first (since 1978) indoor grow was a disaster - crap potting mix full of woodchips, legions of gnats, too much moisture, and so on. For the next grow I was thinking of growing in course river sand with powerfeed in the water; but perhaps I should just go hydroponics. I know nothing about hydroponics (I am leading up to my question).

I only want to grow a few plants at a time. I would want something that I can leave for a day or two on occasions and it would have to be self contained, that is, there is no water tap I can permanently connect to. I have a budget of up to $500.

I work at the local tip so plastic drums and the like are easy to come by. So, what would work? Pencil diagrams welcome.

Cheers, Bill

 

[frankreynolds]

I setup this top fed recirculating system in a 2 x 4 tent this past run. Very simple, very effective. No timers needed, no air pump.

Using some old nutrifield pot pro systems not sure if they still sell em. But can do the same thing with 2 bunnings green buckets, one with holes one without.

Drippers are on 24/7 through the hydroton media, there is a t piece and a valve mixing the res constantly and providing o2 through waterfall action.
Only thing I am gonna change is to try and find a wider and shallower res to get some extra height next time.

Res management super simple I just top up with water every day as its a fairly small res and a big ass plant. Then when the EC drops to a certain point generally around 0.5 - 0.6 EC less than what I started with I topped up with base nutrients back to my base EC level. which for this plant is 2.0 EC.

Also I opted to run this res sterile (using pythoff) product.

Anyway bro this setup is simple and effective and can be done dirt cheap.

 

[Billygoat]

yep, good advice, simple recirc system would be the go.

Did the new medi seeds germinate for ya?

 

[Porky]

yep, good advice, simple recirc system would be the go.

Did the new medi seeds germinate for ya?

Either that or soil.

 

[Wargul]

yep, good advice, simple recirc system would be the go.

Did the new medi seeds germinate for ya?

I'm waiting for replacements BG. They offered me any of the seeds they have in stock but I will wait till they get an expected delivery of high CBD seeds. Apparently they are better medicinally.

 

[Wargul]

I setup this top fed recirculating system in a 2 x 4 tent this past run. Very simple, very effective. No timers needed, no air pump.

Using some old nutrifield pot pro systems not sure if they still sell em. But can do the same thing with 2 bunnings green buckets, one with holes one without.

Drippers are on 24/7 through the hydroton media, there is a t piece and a valve mixing the res constantly and providing o2 through waterfall action.
Only thing I am gonna change is to try and find a wider and shallower res to get some extra height next time.

Res management super simple I just top up with water every day as its a fairly small res and a big ass plant. Then when the EC drops to a certain point generally around 0.5 - 0.6 EC less than what I started with I topped up with base nutrients back to my base EC level. which for this plant is 2.0 EC.

Also I opted to run this res sterile (using pythoff) product.

Anyway bro this setup is simple and effective and can be done dirt cheap.

Thanks Frank. What's a hydroton media (clay balls?) Also what's EC? I am pretty clueless.

I assume there is a pump in the reservoir.

 

[frankreynolds]

Yeh hydroton is clay balls. Will need to get through the seedling stage in rockwool though hehe.

EC is electrical conductivity, tells you the concentration of salts (nutrients) in the water. So as it drops I top it up. You will need an ec/ph meter though. There is a small aquarium pump in the res running 24/7.

The larger res you can get the easier it will be and less maintenance required.

 

[Aye Shroomer]

I’ve jumped into hempy buckets this grow and I’m loving how easy they are.
I water/feed every 3 days or so.

I’m using perlite and coco.
Greenplanet nutes but any coco based product should work.
Square buckets were like $5 or something each from reject shop.
Bag of perlite
Coco
Pvc pipe
Drill

It has the quick growth of coco drain to waste. But not the tedious daily feeding

And if you ran it with entirely perlite it would hopefully reduce any soil based pests like gnats

@elsooto would have more info on them too.

 

[Wargul]

I’ve jumped into hempy buckets this grow and I’m loving how easy they are.
I water/feed every 3 days or so.

I’m using perlite and coco.
Greenplanet nutes but any coco based product should work.
Square buckets were like $5 or something each from reject shop.
Bag of perlite
Coco
Pvc pipe
Drill

It has the quick growth of coco drain to waste. But not the tedious daily feeding

And if you ran it with entirely perlite it would hopefully reduce any soil based pests like gnats

@elsooto would have more info on them too.

What is a hempy bucket Aye? The pic looks like a small wicking garden bed.

 

[freddie]

Hempy bucket is basically a hydroponic wick system.

Guide to Hempy Buckets

This style of growing is a huge hit in the US and Canada. Hempy buckets are a great option for growers looking to cultivate big plants, they are also cheap to

softsecrets.com

Personally, I would go organic potting mix because you can leave it a few days. I have seen some good wick systems with organics, basically a fabric pot sitting on perlite and you water the perlite only and the plant sucks up what it needs.

 

[Aye Shroomer]

What is a hempy bucket Aye? The pic looks like a small wicking garden bed.

That’s what it is.

It’s easy enough to start and a low maintenance hydro system. I’m still pretty new to growing so read up on them. I feel like trying most grow styles helps get a feel for what suits you. But I’m going to run hempys again after this.

 

[Wargul]

HA. I started thinking about hydro again, searched the posts, and fou d my own thread!. I don't even remember asking this question but I'm glad I did. I have my nutrients, perlite, cocopeat, meters, and containers. I'll get a pump and plumbing stuff soon.

I'm heading to London to see daughter, step son, and grandkids in August. After that I'm back in the game. I notice I didn't thank people that posted here, so, THANKS PEOPLE.

Anyone who wants to add details of their system please do so. I think I'll do something like Frank's system.... but I am keen to see what others are doing.

 

[R3za92]

Many of you know my first (since 1978) indoor grow was a disaster - crap potting mix full of woodchips, legions of gnats, too much moisture, and so on. For the next grow I was thinking of growing in course river sand with powerfeed in the water; but perhaps I should just go hydroponics. I know nothing about hydroponics (I am leading up to my question).

I only want to grow a few plants at a time. I would want something that I can leave for a day or two on occasions and it would have to be self contained, that is, there is no water tap I can permanently connect to. I have a budget of up to $500.

I work at the local tip so plastic drums and the like are easy to come by. So, what would work? Pencil diagrams welcome.

Cheers, Bill

Pots, coco/perlite, basic a/b grow and flower nutrients, ph up/down, ph/ec measuring devices. That’s all the basics anything else is just extra.

 

[Merl1n]

"I think I'll do something like Frank's system...." BIG +1, I run a very similar setup to Frank's.
Now, in that image Frankie shows his reservoir next to the pot in pot setup. Notice beside the reservoir is the lid. You MUST have a lid for your resi. If light can get to your fluids a green slime will develop and that can mess with your pH and EC. Also note the height of the pots vs the height of the fluid in the resi. You need to make sure those pots drain so that the roots are not constantly in water. You have 2 types of roots, fluid roots and air roots. If your fluid roots dry out too much they will shrivel up, turn brown and die, If your roots are constantly in water the air roots will suffocate and rot. so it can be a real balancing act. This is why an airstone in your resi is highly recommended, it provides tiny/minute bubbles to the air roots.

As Frank says EC is 'Electrical Conductivity'. In REALLY basic terms I'll try to explain it. Pure water does not conduct low voltage electricity, it's the salts that allow electricity to be conducted. The more salts, the more electricity will pass through it. So your meter measures how much electricity passes from one electrode to the other.

 

[Wargul]

"I think I'll do something like Frank's system...." BIG +1, I run a very similar setup to Frank's.
Now, in that image Frankie shows his reservoir next to the pot in pot setup. Notice beside the reservoir is the lid. You MUST have a lid for your resi. If light can get to your fluids a green slime will develop and that can mess with your pH and EC. Also note the height of the pots vs the height of the fluid in the resi. You need to make sure those pots drain so that the roots are not constantly in water. You have 2 types of roots, fluid roots and air roots. If your fluid roots dry out too much they will shrivel up, turn brown and die, If your roots are constantly in water the air roots will suffocate and rot. so it can be a real balancing act. This is why an airstone in your resi is highly recommended, it provides tiny/minute bubbles to the air roots.

As Frank says EC is 'Electrical Conductivity'. In REALLY basic terms I'll try to explain it. Pure water does not conduct low voltage electricity, it's the salts that allow electricity to be conducted. The more salts, the more electricity will pass through it. So your meter measures how much electricity passes from one electrode to the other.

Someone dumped an old caravan at my tip. It has a big flat black plastic water tank. I'll use for a reserviourthat if I can get it out. It sould be easy to position that below the pots. Yesterday another guy dumped a few working aquarium, with air and water pump. I'll check those out as well., but the pump might be a bit weak, dunno.

I got an EC and PH meter but haven't tried them out yet. I'm going on a holiday in August so I'll get going when I come back in early September.

 

[Merl1n]

"It has a big flat black plastic water tank."
You NEED to be able to clean it out thoroughly. Hydro nutes, especially if recirced can get slimey. You NEED to be able to clean. This is why a tub with a lid is often mentioned as a resi. A barrel can be used, no worries, but again you need to be able to scrub it clean. Bugs, moulds and pathogens love a dirty environment. Keep it all clean and that's one less hassle.

"Yesterday another guy dumped a few working aquarium, with air and water pump."
Grab them, they can be useful BUT airpumps have a rubber baffle, sometimes that rubber can perforate. The rubbers can be replaced but more often than not its cheaper to buy new. Similar with water pumps, depending on type. Some have an impeller that spins, some have something similar to a waterwheel that spins. Both have a shaft, sometimes that shaft can wear and can lock up and not spin. So test it all out first, you never know it may all work a treat, just be prepared, it can shit itself at any point. The water pump should have a L/hr or litres per hour rating. It may also have a 'Head rating' which is basically how far directly up it will pump. Let us know it's ratings. If you can't find any ratings try and find a brand/model number.

 

[Wargul]

"It has a big flat black plastic water tank."
You NEED to be able to clean it out thoroughly. Hydro nutes, especially if recirced can get slimey. You NEED to be able to clean. This is why a tub with a lid is often mentioned as a resi. A barrel can be used, no worries, but again you need to be able to scrub it clean. Bugs, moulds and pathogens love a dirty environment. Keep it all clean and that's one less hassle.

"Yesterday another guy dumped a few working aquarium, with air and water pump."
Grab them, they can be useful BUT airpumps have a rubber baffle, sometimes that rubber can perforate. The rubbers can be replaced but more often than not its cheaper to buy new. Similar with water pumps, depending on type. Some have an impeller that spins, some have something similar to a waterwheel that spins. Both have a shaft, sometimes that shaft can wear and can lock up and not spin. So test it all out first, you never know it may all work a treat, just be prepared, it can shit itself at any point. The water pump should have a L/hr or litres per hour rating. It may also have a 'Head rating' which is basically how far directly up it will pump. Let us know it's ratings. If you can't find any ratings try and find a brand/model number.

Thanks Merlin, that is all good info. I didn't think about cleaning the tank. I have a black tub, gotta find a lid for it. I'll have a look at the water and air pump today. Given my remote location perhaps it's best to buy new - it takes time to get replacements over the mail.

I'll use the aquariums for propagation.

 

[Kneeko]

Im thinking of going hydro too..
Ive been using organics and my own soil but..... A friend of mine uses coco, salt nutes and 600w HPS and his buds are three times the size of mine.
I only use a SF300w LED.
I like the idea of hydroton balls and a recirc system...

 

[Kee Mao]

Im thinking of going hydro too..
Ive been using organics and my own soil but..... A friend of mine uses coco, salt nutes and 600w HPS and his buds are three times the size of mine.
I only use a SF300w LED.
I like the idea of hydroton balls and a recirc system...

You know the brand of nutes?

 

[Kneeko]

You know the brand of nutes?

He uses Ionic in coco
I have been using Professors organics in soil

Next grow I will setup the ionic nutes in a recirc fashion in hydro balls under my SF 300w led and see how much better they do.
If still not at leasttwice as good I will swap led out for a 600w HPS...
Thatll teach em..!!

How long will salt nutes last in a res..?
And how do I know if they “go bad” ?