Blazinjones's Hydro - Ebb 'n Flow - Grow Journal - 2016

[Blazinjones]

So how wud i create an ebb n flow table where it dnt hav light exposure bcuz the table i bought as a kit which is the one the plants r in rite nw is an open table top jus instead of bein clear it is like an off white but not c threw so light wud still hit it u wud think or shud i jus buy a tub tht is off white n not clear an as for water refilling i only have 3 plants so thy dnt take tht much i jus dumpd n redid ph'ed water with nutes on sunday n its at about 8 gal. 2day so shud i refill up 2 ten gal. Rite now

 

[Mr. Krip]

So how wud i create an ebb n flow table where it dnt hav light exposure bcuz the table i bought as a kit which is the one the plants r in rite nw is an open table top jus instead of bein clear it is like an off white but not c threw so light wud still hit it u wud think or shud i jus buy a tub tht is off white n not clear an as for water refilling i only have 3 plants so thy dnt take tht much i jus dumpd n redid ph'ed water with nutes on sunday n its at about 8 gal. 2day so shud i refill up 2 ten gal. Rite now

Usually, you would have an opaque and covered reservoir and the flood table would be opaque and filled with hydroton or lava rock. The plants sit in the hydroton/lava rock, either in or out of pots, but the table would fill to a level just below the rock, so top stays dry but just under it's moist in the root zone.

Here are a couple of DIY's:

DIY Ebb and Flow

DIY Ebb and Flow

I hope that help!

 

[Blazinjones]

Ok thanx alot man tht really helps alot so shud i put the netting over the rocks or under the ones i put in the flood tray

 

[Blazinjones]

Ok nvm i seen in the link u put the netting down then the clay pebbles am i right? N i hav the plants sitting INA pot inside the flood tray not jus sitting in the tray outside of pots

 

[Mr. Krip]

Ok nvm i seen in the link u put the netting down then the clay pebbles am i right? N i hav the plants sitting INA pot inside the flood tray not jus sitting in the tray outside of pots

The plants can either be in individual net pots or planted directly in the rocks

 

[Blazinjones]

Does it matter if i use pots or not like is one better then the other and cud i jus spray paint the clear tub black tht will b used as the flood tray so tht way no light gets into it

 

[Mr. Krip]

Does it matter if i use pots or not like is one better then the other and cud i jus spray paint the clear tub black tht will b used as the flood tray so tht way no light gets into it

If you use individual pots (or the larger grow cubes) you'll have an easier time culling one of the plants, if needed, without worrying (as much!) about the root systems being tangled with the healthy plants.

Sure! Anything to make it so light can't get thru will work! You can wrap it in duct tape, paint it, put the clear tub inside of an opaque tub... bury it, if you have to!

 

[Blazinjones]

Im changing the water in my reservoir shud i add the ph balance crystals/salts or watever they are lol b4 i add the nutes or after any1 tht has any info on this i wud greatly appreciate it thank you

 

[415friendly]

Is that what the instructions say to do for the pH up and down? I would consider making solution of some known amount (like 1 tablespoon in a 1 liter container) and then use that as your stock solution to add to your nutrients. That way, when you add your pH up/down to your nutrients, it'll mix faster and give you more accurate reading sooner. If you're dissolving the crystals directly into your nutrients, it's too easy to add to much and you might also end up taking your reading before all of the crystals have dissolved and your reservoir is well mixed.

 

[Blazinjones]

I add the ph down crystals i havnt ever needed the ph up other thn once wen i first got the kit n did 2 much ph down but since thn i learnd hw much to use about but yea i check the ph first n its always in the blue to hi usually in the 9s so i add the ph down crystals n test it again aftr i stird up the res. I usually go for 5.5 to 6.0 rite around there n if its gud thn i add my nutes which r gh brand floramicro i did 5tsp mix into res. First by itself then i did 3 1/2 tsp floragro and then 13tsp florabloom

 

[Mr. Krip]

I add the ph down crystals i havnt ever needed the ph up other thn once wen i first got the kit n did 2 much ph down but since thn i learnd hw much to use about but yea i check the ph first n its always in the blue to hi usually in the 9s so i add the ph down crystals n test it again aftr i stird up the res. I usually go for 5.5 to 6.0 rite around there n if its gud thn i add my nutes which r gh brand floramicro i did 5tsp mix into res. First by itself then i did 3 1/2 tsp floragro and then 13tsp florabloom

You need to adjust PH AFTER adding nutes. Also, 415friendly is correct. Mix some of those crystals in a small bottle of DISTILLED water, then add that solution as your PH down.

 

[Blazinjones]

Ok so shud i do the ph down in a bottle of distilled water again rite nw since i added the nutes even tho i did it b4 the nutes this time idk if it will create a block up or sumthn im jus wondering if its 2much cuz i did it b4 the nutes as well

 

[415friendly]

It should be okay. The reason I do it after adding the nutes is that the nutes can change the pH.

For example, my water has a pH of 7.4 but when I add my nutes it drops to 5.4-5.5

If I had pH'd my water first, then adding the pH down would have just made the pH too low and I would need to add pH up.

It's better to only add pH up/down as needed

 

[Blazinjones]

Right hey question since im building my other ebb n flow setup what size lights shud i get? n what type of reflector hood has a normal plug in so i dnt hav 2 keep buying a digital ballast cuz the hood has an s type plug n wont fit into my wall plus im runing out of plug in spots left available lol

 

[Blazinjones]

K so i did sum pics 2day but im still worried cuz the new foilage is drooping bad n i only did a fraction of the nutes it said 2 use but here they are

u can really c how droopy and sad she is any1 able 2 help me out identifing the problem n hw 2 fix it i wud b greatful

 

[Blazinjones]

this the lil 1 tht had all the leaves bunched 2gether but yesterday she started fanning out n putn alil mre space btween her leaves but still really small

 

[Mr. Krip]

Is that plant growing in hydro? Assuming hydro, what's your PH???

 

[Blazinjones]

Yes hydro its an ebb n flow table n the ph is at around 5.5 to 6.0 but its up near the 9s wen i get up n check it everyday

 

[Mr. Krip]

OK...

What type of grow medium (rocks) are those? How much and what are you feeding?
Are you PH checking your FINAL solution AFTER adding all nutes?

Here's what I recommend:

TEST #1

1) Start with a fresh res change and PH adjust the final solution.

2) Let the system run for an hour.

3) Come back and re-check the solution and adjust back down if necessary.

4) Let run for another hour and re-check the PH.

- If the PH rose in the first check on Test #1 but NOT on second check in Test #1, you're not mixing the nutrients thoroughly before checking
- If the PH rose in the second check on Test #1, there's probably some other issue, so Test #2 would be this:

TEST #2

1) Fill up a jug with a gallon of PLAIN water and PH adjust it.

2) Come back in an hour and check PH again.

- If the PH has risen on the plain water, there may be an issue with your water (high carbonates).
- If the PH rose in the reservoir on Test #1 but not in the water in Test #2, there's an issue with nutes or medium

 

[Blazinjones]

I bought a ebb n flow kit of google n it had wats call i grow rocks lol i think its lava rocks jus smaller rocks thn wat ive normally seen but yea i run the hydro setup every 6 hours for 5 min n im useing general hydroponics brand floramicro bloom and gro n my ph test wulas dun aftr i did the nutes n it was at about 5.t to 6.0