DWC germinating?
- Thread starter dank daisy
- Start date
I tried spray painting the outside of a tote and after a while the paint has a tendency to flake off making a mess out of the grow area and I even used the good paint! LOL The tape seems to do better and one can always put more tape on to the tote in mid grow where as its a little tough to touch up the paint with plants growing in the containers.
Yes, the totes give more room for the roots to grow. Im using a 10 gallon tote which takes about 5 gallons or so to get the water to the bottom of the 6" netpots. Not saying that this is the best, its just the way that works for me.
midasone
Active Member
Will you plant eventually cover the second hole?
With the first grow I did this way I only had trouble with a very few of the lower leaves getting in the way, it was well worth the trouble to be able to have the bigger access to the inside, no need to move the plant around risking harm to the roots when I change the water in the tote, makes it easy to check the ph and to add the proper nutes and water when needed...I actually found all this out because on one of my first plants being a male and getting rid of it out of the tote which left me a open spot...just made it too easy! LOL
1 main reason many people are using totes is space. Especially if you want to do a SOG. I am using it for space and convenience (1 thing to monitor).
I am using an expensive tote I got from Home Depot. There are a few reasons for it. 1 is it is very thick and opaque so no need to tape it up. Secondly the top is actually not flat rather it is a few inches above the top of the Tote. So I can fill more water into the tote before I hit the pots. A good rule of thumb is not less than 5 gallons per plant. You can make it work but it needs more attention and adjusting. so for 2 plants if you are not going to fill all the way to the top you want like a 12-15 gallon tote. You can make it work just fine with a 10 but it may change PH and nute concentration much faster on you. I am an engineer so I over build out of habit. I can fit around 30-35 gallons in my tote before I hit the pots. So there is a ton of space for roots, the PH is more stable, and I can easily put my 4 plants in there without any worries even if the water drops fast (4 is the legal limit in my state). Basically if you have a 10 gallon tote you will never have 10 gallons in there. I try to keep mine around 30 gallons in the beginning which is significant over build so my plants stay happy. Another point to make is you can always drop the water level but you can increase beyond max. After the roots hit the res I can go down and have many inches of roots in the air just getting bubbler water and still have 5 gallons per plant in my res.
I am using an expensive tote I got from Home Depot. There are a few reasons for it. 1 is it is very thick and opaque so no need to tape it up. Secondly the top is actually not flat rather it is a few inches above the top of the Tote. So I can fill more water into the tote before I hit the pots. A good rule of thumb is not less than 5 gallons per plant. You can make it work but it needs more attention and adjusting. so for 2 plants if you are not going to fill all the way to the top you want like a 12-15 gallon tote. You can make it work just fine with a 10 but it may change PH and nute concentration much faster on you. I am an engineer so I over build out of habit. I can fit around 30-35 gallons in my tote before I hit the pots. So there is a ton of space for roots, the PH is more stable, and I can easily put my 4 plants in there without any worries even if the water drops fast (4 is the legal limit in my state). Basically if you have a 10 gallon tote you will never have 10 gallons in there. I try to keep mine around 30 gallons in the beginning which is significant over build so my plants stay happy. Another point to make is you can always drop the water level but you can increase beyond max. After the roots hit the res I can go down and have many inches of roots in the air just getting bubbler water and still have 5 gallons per plant in my res.
midasone
Active Member
I fill my 10 gallon up past my net pot. Not sure how many gallons exacly but its more than the 5 gallon buckets I once used. I also use net pots designed for 5 gallon buckets. So instead of taking the entire lid off, I simply pull the net pot out of the tote.
- Thread starter
- #30
dank daisy
New Member
How do you move the plant to clean out the tote? What about when the plant is fully mature? I would be scared it would shift too much. Even in you tied it to the net pot it sounds like it would be difficult to move. Had that issue with a mini ebb and flow table last time. Was eventually not able to lift the plant off the bottom rez which made everything a pain in the ass.
I equip my totes with a 1/2 PVC drain valve so they are very easy to maintain....the plants need never be taken from the tote...
- Thread starter
- #32
dank daisy
New Member
Nice man. You got it going your way it looks like. Preciate the help
The wood pallet under the tub allows for airflow around the bottom of the tub and with the cool of the concrete floor underneath works really well at keeping the resv temps down....I have a 6 qt. tupperwear container that fits below the drain spout that I drain the water into, it takes a few times to get the whole tub empty but its not that much trouble considering on how hard it could be! LOL
- Thread starter
- #34
dank daisy
New Member
I was wondering how you drained. I think I'm gonna use your same setup. I think I might use a water pump and some hoses from my old ebb and flow table to assist I'm draining. Nice work man. And good looking plants btw
Thanks! Just let me know if I can help out in any way, Im still learning but always willing to pass knowledge along when I get it... LOL
Like they say, really important to tape the outside of the tub so the light doesn't get in through the sides. When I first taped mine I could still see light coming through so it got another layer and Im on my third and forth layer in some places! The better quality duct tape works better than the cheap stuff at blocking light...
midasone
Active Member
Its been about a week since I changed from buckets to totes. I plan on adding a water level/drain to my totes, similar to the ones most buckets use. I also plan on adding a second access point to the top of the totes just like Paint has done. I really like his setup and may just copy it. Until then I simply pull the netpot out of the top of the totes for ph and ppm testing.
I used 1/2 PVC to fashion the drain, the only part that is glued is where it goes in the tub, the cap on the outside is just hand tight which works good and can easily be removed for draining. I glue the PVC going into the tub and then a little silicone around the edge to make sure the drain is sealed good into the tub...
Mighty nice lady you have there Midasone, looks like you have a very good idea on what you are doing! 
Here is mine as of day 16...just starting to see little preflowers!
Here is mine as of day 16...just starting to see little preflowers!
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