Best Hydro system to use?
- Thread starter nachoman
- Start date
I would rec a flood table
This should help you choose but I agree with PV.
Determining Which Hydroponic Grow System Best Suits Your Needs
Would you like to jump-start and extend your growing season and have access to fresh produce year-round? If yes, a hydroponic garden may be the answer.
There are hydroponic grow systems on the market to suit any type of gardener. The bottom line is deciding:
- how much time you have to devote to the project
- what your budget is
- how much space you have
- what plants you want or need to grow
Once you have identified how much of a commitment you want to make, you will need to match your needs with a system that meets them. If you are just starting out, the Ebb and Flow and Drip Systems are great for beginners because they are not complicated and not too costly, yet they produce very good results. The first system that I ever tried was an Ebb and Flow (sometimes called Flood and Drain) and I was thrilled with the beautiful tomato plants that I was able to grow one winter in my sunroom.
The advantage of a hydroponically-based system is that it is versatile and can be adapted to any environment. You can easily nurture an indoor garden so that it flourishes with a simple, inexpensive system and expand as your new hobby grows.
Let's start with becoming familiar with how growing systems may be categorized. A hydroponic system can be identified as:
Active: A hydroponic system that actively moves or circulates the nutrient solution (usually through a pump)
Passive: A hydroponic system that relies on capillary action of a wet wick.
Recovery: A hydroponic system that re-circulates nutrients
Non-recovery: A hydroponic system that applies nutrient solution to the growing system, which is not recovered.
Bare Root System: A hydroponic system that does not use a growing medium.
Substrate system: A hydroponic system that uses a growing medium to support the roots, such as rockwool, perlite or vermiculite.
Now that we understand some of the characteristics, let's apply it to some choices types of hydroponic systems on the market today. Here are some variations:
The Wick System
This passive, non-recovery system does not require a pump. A candle wick or thicker oil lantern wick is used to move the nutrient solution from the growing medium to the root system of the plant. Passive systems are the more inexpensive route, but can be too wet for healthy plant growth thus tend to be less productive.
The Ebb and Flow System
Also called Flood and Drain, this is an active, recovery system that uses a pump to move the nutrient solution to the roots of the plant where oxygen depleted air is replaced with oxygen rich air. The pump stays on for about 20 minutes and when the nutrient solution reaches a certain level, the overflow tube drains the water back down into the reservoir. Low maintenace and with a higher margin for error, this is a good choice for beginners.
The Nutrient Film Technique
Characterized as an active, recovery system, an NFT consists of slanted grow tubes where gravity assists the solution back into the reservoir. Solution is pumped into a grow tube where the roots are exposed. This system is higher mainenance and requires more technical knowledge to troubleshoot. It is less forgiving as roots are completely dependent upon the constant flow of pumped nutrients for sustenance.
The Continuous Drip
This is considered an active system that uses a pump to push solution to nutrient lines connected to each plant. It may be reovery or non-recovery depending on whether a tray is used underneath to collect and re-circulate the solution. A growing medium, such as rockwool, is used to stabilize the plant. This is another good beginner system.
Aeroponic
In aeroponic systems, plant roots are constantly misted with nutrient solution (active, recovery). In this bare root system, roots are suspended in midair and eceive air constantly; nutrient mist is 20% oxygen and plant can access maximum amount of oxygen possible resulting in tremendous growth. These are generally suited to the more advanced gardener.
- Thread starter
- #4
One thats the least amount of trouble.
im busy getting the basics down
- Thread starter
- #7
Jasonlee247
New Member
If I were you i'd focus on one type and not mess with making a hybrid just yet. get to know your systems before you mix them, but IMO I would combine A drip system with larger pots into an Ebb and Flow set up. or an aeroponic system with a slant to create an NFT effect in the bottom of the gutters. IDK, just my 'pipedreams' lol
8 square feet. Just one plant with a vegetative period long enough to ensure that you'll be able to fill the screen by the time the stretch is over, multiple plants (clones) of the same mother (or at least same strain/phenotype), or different strains?
I had good results with a "deep" water culture with single plants in scrog setups utilizing 8 square foot screens for each plant. Constantly-available nutrient and LOTS of dissolved oxygen (so much so that I once thought about throwing a mouse into the reservoir to see how long it would take to drown but figured it'd die of old age first, lol). And although it's obviously very important to keep the solution constantly aerated, I once had an extended power failure of approximately 72 hours with no noticeable harm to the girls. I'm sure that was really pushing things and sweated the entire time that I'd have a disaster on my hands, but I'm guessing that an ebb & flow, NFT, or drip setup would have suffered far worse.
But that's just a guess.
I had good results with a "deep" water culture with single plants in scrog setups utilizing 8 square foot screens for each plant. Constantly-available nutrient and LOTS of dissolved oxygen (so much so that I once thought about throwing a mouse into the reservoir to see how long it would take to drown but figured it'd die of old age first, lol). And although it's obviously very important to keep the solution constantly aerated, I once had an extended power failure of approximately 72 hours with no noticeable harm to the girls. I'm sure that was really pushing things and sweated the entire time that I'd have a disaster on my hands, but I'm guessing that an ebb & flow, NFT, or drip setup would have suffered far worse.
But that's just a guess.
Greenthumb422
New Member
I think ebb and flow is the best form to Cannabis
Michaelsbuds
New Member
Im a first timer just getting started...I was strongly urged to use the Ebb & Gro system by CAP.
By some very good growers who produce!
So far its been very reliable and easy to set up.
Its also expandable too!
A bit pricey, one would think that you could self make something like this,
but what the hell. Its dialed in and ready to grow 'em.
As with any system you decide on, monitor, check again and again!!!!!!
You've got to be sure that all is dialed in.
Watch the timers, make sure there operating when set to.
Look for hoses to stay put!!!! I had one pop off as it was just beginning to drain back into the reservoir, caught it just in time!
I'd say it would be hard to find a better system for the money and for your
main crop.
Best growing
Michaelsbuds
New Member
Ooops! 2x4x5 closet yea the CAP ebb and flow would be too big. Sorry
Jasonlee247
New Member
be sure to ask the manufacturer if the tray your looking at is measured by inside diameter or outside diameter or you could end up in a bind.
if you not willing to mess w/ fiber glass and make your own flood and drain tray then with that space it would just do a drip system or just hand feed and just use a medium that holds water well like CoCo or rock wool....i use coco mixed w/ perlite and i can go 2 days w/0 flooding if i wanted....
Jasonlee247
New Member
Yummy, I love Coir. Some say it's harder, but oh, the results!!! It's like a hydro/soil orgy. I think I get the best of both worlds using Coir. What ratio do you mix the perlite? Just enough to stop compression right?
nummy yummy nummy!
Plus its GREEN. No problems with disposal. I just mix it into my outdoor veggy patch.
What's the purpose of adding coir to perlite? I know people that grow in straight perlite. Not cannabis, admittedly, but they're happy with their results. Does the mix have better properties, just easier to work with, or is it a personal choice thing?
Not in any way knocking coco-coir or a coir/perlite mix - or advocating perlite - but simply curious and looking for a quick general answer (lol).
Not in any way knocking coco-coir or a coir/perlite mix - or advocating perlite - but simply curious and looking for a quick general answer (lol).
Grim Reefer T
New Member
I suggest a Bubbler set up... Good quality and low maintenance
Jasonlee247
New Member
perlite alone requires alot of watering, coir is like organic rockwool (in a way) as it absorbs water like a sponge, and holds nutrients, so the mix of the two just creates a nice aerated grow medium that also holds water, and the coir also promotes more lateral root growth AND if you purchase coir that has NOT been steamed during the manufacturing process it naturally contains beneficial bacteria bacillus subtilis which will help kill any nasty fungus or bacteria.
I bought a stealth hydro set up, came with everything, air pump, water pump, top drip feed, hosing, net cups and even nutes(not best nutes) spent $250 and realized crap easy to make. Bought bin from wal mart 15 gallon, drilled net cup holders, added several airstones and worked great. Google DIY aeroponics and tons of stuff
