new here looking for advice on a wheel grow

J

johnny12r

New Member
i was hoping to find some one that grows on a wheel like WheeloFortune or maxximus..i am building a 7ft tall 3ft wide wheel from 3 inch pvc i have most of the stuff and will be building it this week or next.i would like some tips so my first grow is a good one?
i have a 1000w cool tube,no reservoir yet,i was going to have all the pvc full of perlite and just let the roots grow inside it? i was not sure on how fast it should spin or how ofter i should water it.it will hold 48 plants that can get about 3ft tall.i was thinking i would have a screen about 6 inches from the light so they can't touch it. i can go into more detail if it needed.
 
wheel_2.jpg


wheel2.jpg


got it thank you so much
 
its 2 7ft octagons made from 3in pvc connected together by 3in pcv it needs 16 T's 16 45 degree elbows 24 3ft pieces of pvc ,16 3.5ft, 1/2 inch threaded rod as spokes.i'm going to fill the whole thing with perlite and put the clones in 1.5 inch rookwool or get 1 inch neoprene inserts that will fit into the holes i make every foot in the pvc. here i added a few arrows so you can see better where the elbows and T's go ..i'm not very good at drawing,sorry please let me know what you think.will it work?
wheel_21.jpg
 
sup johnny. . . im wondering how your going to make it spin first off. with flat sides and corners, you cant sit it on some wheels to make it spin. are you going to suspend it somehow.

want some really good advice right now, before you start this project? it takes an open mind ok? i think you should trust me on this one.

if you want to DIY, one little step down in ambition level, but not necessarily in design level, is to take that wheel you want to build, lay it on its side, and not spin it.

trust me, you are going to get all of the light distribution advantages with none of the problems of the spin or medium, no moving parts, no noise, and a much greater forgiveness in the system.

While your at it, as long as you just saved yourself the huge headache of figuring out how to spin it, fit a light in the middle of the spinning wheel, feeding it, preventing dripping, etc. etc. etc, the list goes on. might as well upgrade to aero, that will make your life way easier to design the cylinder, install the feeding system. and will save you a ton of money on medium, because you won't have any!!

anyways that type of system is also called a coliseum style grow. . . and IMO, would be way easier, not to mention probably better, than a rotating wheel.

If you still have your heart set on building a wheel, I'll still help you for sure, but I just want to give you the best advice I think I can. . . and I think a coliseum style grow is way more feasible for a DIY project, and has more benefits for the cost and effort.

i can give you some good references if you want to see this type of grow, and which systems you should try to emulate in your design.

good luck bro, I'll be around.
 
i have a way to spin this.the rim in the middle is like a car rim but has no spot for the lugs its just open.each rim will sit on a roller skate and a belt will spin it.i have a motor that is very strong and spins slow,it used to turn an auger that crushed ice.i think i'm not going to fill it with perlite i am just going to let the roots grow into the pvc.how often do the roots need to get wet? if it does not work could i just lay it sideways and put a vertical light in the middle?
 
WheeloFortune said:
sup johnny. . . im wondering how your going to make it spin first off. with flat sides and corners, you cant sit it on some wheels to make it spin. are you going to suspend it somehow.

want some really good advice right now, before you start this project? it takes an open mind ok? i think you should trust me on this one.

if you want to DIY, one little step down in ambition level, but not necessarily in design level, is to take that wheel you want to build, lay it on its side, and not spin it.

trust me, you are going to get all of the light distribution advantages with none of the problems of the spin or medium, no moving parts, no noise, and a much greater forgiveness in the system.

While your at it, as long as you just saved yourself the huge headache of figuring out how to spin it, fit a light in the middle of the spinning wheel, feeding it, preventing dripping, etc. etc. etc, the list goes on. might as well upgrade to aero, that will make your life way easier to design the cylinder, install the feeding system. and will save you a ton of money on medium, because you won't have any!!

anyways that type of system is also called a coliseum style grow. . . and IMO, would be way easier, not to mention probably better, than a rotating wheel.

If you still have your heart set on building a wheel, I'll still help you for sure, but I just want to give you the best advice I think I can. . . and I think a coliseum style grow is way more feasible for a DIY project, and has more benefits for the cost and effort.

i can give you some good references if you want to see this type of grow, and which systems you should try to emulate in your design.

good luck bro, I'll be around.
Click to expand...

the man knows how to do it..been there, done it and has the Tshirt....take his advice
 
i know its a big job but i have most of the details worked out already and i'd realy like to try it.mine is different than any of the other diy's i've seen because i'm making it 7ft tall so i can grow 3ft plants in it.if it just don't work i think i'll lay it sideways and try to make a coliseum out of it.
 
thanks gator, pit. . .

johnny, if you're not using any medium at all, i would say you'd want to water 10-15 on - 30 min off. if you got a cheap cycle timer, id do 10 on and 30 off, or for the sake of cheapness, a standard 15 min increment timer (home depot) could be used 15 on - 30 off.

if you do end up rotating, aim for a 45 min spin, coupled with holes in the bottom of the pvc, a position them at the bottom to dip into a res, would give you about 7-8 dip min and 35-40 min in between.

if you take my advice and go coliseum style, the two systems that i would emulate is
1)the feeding system from 420fieds aero journal which can be found here:
4inch PVC Aero/NFT 4x5 SCROG - 1200 Watts

i would just grade it down in one corner to drain to a res, if you want a good example of an octagonal vert system, by fer the best is by this guy heath robinson.
2)google "heath robinson vertical" then click on the first link.

let me know which direction you decide to go. pictures of materials you have would help along the way too.
 
i was thinking have the bottom of the wheel sit in a reservoir and the wheel would turn 1 time every half hour? would that work or should i go back to the idea of putting perlite in it?
 
that should be fine as far as watering frequency.

so i take it your going with the rotational? thats cool bro, you got moxy!
 
actually i am thinking your trying to steer me in the right direction so i'm going to take your advice and build a coliseum first ,but i'm sure i can make the wheel work so i'll try that for my next grow in my second room in a few months.
 
now i'm thinking run a piece of tubing full of holes threw the pvc so when the pump kicks on water sprays all over the roots? the roots will grow fine with no medium in the pvc? water pump 15 min on 30 min off sound good?
 
yeah, you can run a piece of tubing, or install sprayers from the top like 420fied did in that journal i pointed you to. look at the end of the journal at his root mass, it's quite ridiculous. lol.
 
this is my new idea what do you think
colisium.jpg


the feed line will be some tubing with lots of holes poked in it running threw the pvc so water sprays the roots for 15min on 30min off.will it work,i was not planning to use a medium just let the plants roots grow inside the pvc will that work? thanks
 

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