Dusted
Well-Known Member
I bought an 8 pot system 40 years ago and it has been in use ever since. 15 L pots nestled in 20 L pots, drip feed, recirculating. It was down to 3 pots for a few years when I had to grow in a closet. I’m now back up to 5 pots since I have the room again. I’ve only replaced the clay pellets once in all that time.
Yes, getting the system set and leak free can be a trial. Just make sure you have a waterbed liner as a containment system and leaks don’t matter as much. Yes, you do have to learn water chemistry and adjust pH religiously. Yes, you do have to add up to 5 L of water daily during flowering. Don’t add excessive organics to the system. I add 2 different brands of bacterial/fungal spores, hydrated, weekly to the pellets, so any organic carbon in the system is rapidly biodegraded. I feed the bugs daily with a dose of vinegar. Bacteria and fungi prefer to grow on surfaces and form a biofilm. The free floating bugs just recolonize system surfaces. Think about the huge surface area of all the clay pellets plus all the rootlets that beneficial bugs can colonize.
It seems most people are now using DWC and bubble pots. Any other traditionalists out there?
Yes, getting the system set and leak free can be a trial. Just make sure you have a waterbed liner as a containment system and leaks don’t matter as much. Yes, you do have to learn water chemistry and adjust pH religiously. Yes, you do have to add up to 5 L of water daily during flowering. Don’t add excessive organics to the system. I add 2 different brands of bacterial/fungal spores, hydrated, weekly to the pellets, so any organic carbon in the system is rapidly biodegraded. I feed the bugs daily with a dose of vinegar. Bacteria and fungi prefer to grow on surfaces and form a biofilm. The free floating bugs just recolonize system surfaces. Think about the huge surface area of all the clay pellets plus all the rootlets that beneficial bugs can colonize.
It seems most people are now using DWC and bubble pots. Any other traditionalists out there?