How Do I Use Individual Pots w/ Hydrotron In A Flood Table?

T

THConnoisseur

New Member
Hey dudes, im starting my first hydro grow in a few weeks, its goin to be an ebb & flow setup: 4x4 flood table, 400w mh/hps, wit 9 plants total (3 rows of 3). i want to veg from clones for about 3 weeks, top em, and flower in sort of a SoG setup but with fewer, slightly bigger plants than a typical SoG...

HERES MY PROBLEM... I want to be able to move the plants around, so i need to use some sort of individual pot for each one (either standard or net? not sure thats why im asking!!). SO, HOW DO I USE A FLOOD TABLE WITH INDIVIDUAL POTS? standard 3 gal pots are too tall for my 6" deep flood table, the water would only come 1/3 of the way up at best; and small net pots would have roots growing out the side in no time promoting root rot. how can i use separate pots filled with hydrotron for each plant while still protecting the roots and preventing algae growth in the grooves of the table?

THANKS AGAIN DUDES. :thanks:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

THConnoisseur said:
Hey dudes, im starting my first hydro grow in a few weeks, its goin to be an ebb & flow setup: 4x4 flood table, 400w mh/hps, wit 9 plants total (3 rows of 3). i want to veg from clones for about 3 weeks, top em, and flower in sort of a SoG setup but with fewer, slightly bigger plants than a typical SoG...

HERES MY PROBLEM... I want to be able to move the plants around, so i need to use some sort of individual pot for each one (either standard or net? not sure thats why im asking!!). SO, HOW DO I USE A FLOOD TABLE WITH INDIVIDUAL POTS? standard 3 gal pots are too tall for my 6" deep flood table, the water would only come 1/3 of the way up at best; and small net pots would have roots growing out the side in no time promoting root rot. how can i use separate pots filled with hydrotron for each plant while still protecting the roots and preventing algae growth in the grooves of the table?

THANKS AGAIN DUDES. :thanks:
Click to expand...

High THConnoisseur and :welcome: to 420Mag! :cheer:

I'm looking to start a grow just like you're talking about and haven't worked out the details yet. Two heads are better than one so hows about we give each other a hand with this?

I've been thinking about using a gutter grow method using channels in the grow table. As in, make the table with 1x4? on edge dividing the table lengthwise. Make the channels just wide enough to fit square pots once plastic is laid over the channels. Using that black/white plastic would prolly be best. Use various lengths of the plastic to cover any exposed areas of the gutters. Straight hydroton won't wick up the nutes so mixing in some pro-mix and perlite would help with that. If the channels were tall enough the square pots could be held above the bottom of the channel so the roots could grow out the bottom. A pump running 15-30 min/day would be plenty to feed plants on 4" pots as they would wick up a full load.

The pots could be slid up or down the channels to make room for new additions without disturbing the roots much.

Lots of things to consider and probably plans for something like that in the forums somewhere. The old creative juices are flowing now! :bong:

C'ya soon and +Rep for the thread!

:peace:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

right on man! thanks for the first reply to my first post, definitely stoked to be a part of the community. i dont know if i understand your idea correctly tho, what do you mean by havin channels? you mean use 1x4 pieces of wood (each 4ft long) to make rows for my girls? in this case use 6 pieces (2 for each side of each row) and just fill each pot and the bottom of each row with medium? leave the rest of the flood table empty?

my flood table is 6 inches deep and is the standard black plastic 4x4 tray with the rectangular grooves in the bottom with the standard plastic drain fittings youd get at any hydro shop.... if that helps at all for design ideas lol

thanks again man :peace:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

I was thinking more along the lines of a home made bed divided into channels but a pre-made one could be adapted for the same idea. It's really hard to put it in words so how 'bout I draw up a diagram and post it here. Give me 30-45 min and I'll get 'r done.


OK. I got 'r done.

GutterGrowTable01.gif



Start 5 plants across one end then in a week, 10 days or whatever schedule you can fit with your strains flowering cycle, add another row, repeat until the table is full. Five rows should fit easily, maybe six as each row will be smaller plants. So with a sixty day flowering cycle and five rows, every twelve days you add a row. With six rows, every ten days. So sixty days after you start you're harvesting your first row, then a row every week thereafter.

Gotta go. Daily show is on.


:peace:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

Just wanted to throw an idea out... one gallon black nursery pots about .20 each (get the thick ones). Clean & fill with hydroton. Normally clones / seeds start in 3x3 rockwool but others dont do it that way. cover anything that might grow algea with foil. I am told Cocoa can be used as well but havent read much on it. Check out PitVipers, some good stuff to read there. PEACE
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

LR is super good at this kind of stuff, but I have another take.

If you're not opposed to some tubing that's easily moved with the pot, then just use regular pots with drainage holes, and put a tube into or around the top of each one. Then drain back out to the table, then down to the res.

If you want to come up through the table easily, one tip is to use the ebb and flow fitting, add a few risers so its taller than your table and just leave the filter off the top. Then you can run your hose up through it cleanly with no leak. The other fitting would have your regular drain at its lowest level. If you really want to be slick, you can even just put your res under the drain and leave a hole. Then the water will make a little waterfall and oxygenate itself upon return.

I did this for 5 plants in 5G soil on a 3x6 table - was great. Easy cleanup. Easy flush. Could move the plants where you want. And watering involved setting a timer then filling the res 1 time a week.
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

Some good ideas there PG. I'm not sure which way to do it yet, just knocking around some ideas. Whatever I end up using has got to be built on the KISS principle.

I'm definitely wide open to suggestions as I have some time to plan it before I need it. I would probably want something longer and a little narrower with 3 or 4 plants across. I might just build it out of cheap chip-board and fiberglass the whole thing. That would be a lot easier than trying to drape it in plastic.

I would also want the rez separate from the table so I could run it from outside the grow room if it's necessary to keep it cooler. I'm fairly cramped for space in there and can't use the whole room as I need access to the sump pump on one side. The sump pump is under the stairs so if I fixed the stairs so I could get to the pump I could seal that side of the room and use it all then. Hmmm . . .

Lots of stuff to think about. Thanks for the input!


:peace:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

wow! i didnt think so many people would respond overnight, thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and ideas!

LabRat, your idea is definitely a NFT system correct? im sure that i want to do a standard ebb & flow with an even table and the standard in/out drain fittings, so i dont think i cant apply your concept in this grow. im also in an apartment so i dont have the space to be cutting wood and assembling something that original lol and oh yea, what is the KISS priciple you mentioned?? sounds like sweet insider info, dont hold out on me bro! :grinjoint:

PapaGreen, cool concept dude! the waterfall oxygenating the water is legit, do you run dripper systems 24/7 if its just hydrotron in the pot? the few other things you said i got a bit confused by tho lol i think i am opposed to a dripper system at least for now, i really want as few pieces of tubing as possible, just the in and out for the table, it'll make things less complicated till i get the hang of this hydro thang. thank tho man! :grinjoint:

lovethestuff, your answer was actually what i was expecting to get/was looking for with this thread. if i use rockwool cubes (probably 4x4?? what size do you recommend?) and hydrotron in the 6x6x7 sqaure pots wit the holes in the bottom, i can just arrange them wherever on my flood table and just cover the top of the pots, not the whole table, wit panda film?? my table doesnt drain ALL THE WAY tho, there is still the little water spots and whatever chillin in the grooves, wont that promote algae growth very quickly?? Also, if im using 4x4 cubes, the bottom of the cube will be 4 or 5 inches down in the pot, dont i only need to flood up to bottom of the rockwool as it will wick up water quickly then drain? or still flood all the way to the top of the medium?? :grinjoint:

THANKS GUYS!!
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

High THC. KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. Going by the theory that the simpler something is the less likely something will go wrong. lol

I think it's more of an automated watering method than a true NFT system. I have all the space, time and tools to make anything I want within reason. Cash is the limiting factor. I'm still looking for ideas before I commit to a method. Those plans are just one idea I've been knocking around.

C'ya

:peace:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

right on man, i got about 3 weeks or 4 at most before i can move my hydro equipment into the closet ill be using (im currently growing master bubba that will be my last soil crop for a while, or forever... lol) so thats why i figured i have the time to get some input from experienced gardeners like yourself. im going to read the thread on posting pics so i can put a few images up of different medium ideas and we can all sorta discuss the pros and cons of each?? im PRETTY SURE i want to use individual pots that i can rotate and move to different parts of the table because i am goin to top each one and i do prune quite a bit during flowering, but what are your thoughts on just 4x4 rockwool in a full bed of hydrotron? i know it would require less water for one (res size), but any thoughts on the roots getting intertwined and causing problems?

thanks for all your input dude, peace :peace:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

That sounds like it would work fine. In a previous post you were asking about algae growth and that shouldn't be a problem as the left over water will not be exposed to light. If you're using hydro nutes a little hydrogen peroxide will help prevent any algae as well. Usually, most topping and pruning is done during the veg stage to prepare the plants for flowering.

It's going to be difficult if not impossible to move your plants once they get their roots going in hydroton. Every time you move them you'll be doing damage to the roots no matter how careful you are.

Lots to think about.

:peace:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

I don't use rockwool, I use root riot plugs for seeds and clones. Then straight into grow pots with hydrotron "which are made for flood and drain tables". No algae issues that way plus I personally don't like rockwool holds to much water. I flood anywhere between 4 and 6 times a day depending on what stage I am in. Put something small under one side of table so it drains better. Hope thats helps!!!
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

lovethestuff, i also clone in plugs so good news! but i was assuming id have to transport the plug into a fat rockwool cube then put it in the table cuz the plug itself doesnt hold water so well and neither does hydrotron; im glad to hear by just flooding maybe an extra 2 or 3 times a day compared to the rockwool setup my girls will be fine. THANKS! :grinjoint:

also, to LabRat and lovethestuff, regarding the algae, if i only have 9 plants in the setup there will be quite a bit of my flood table exposed to light for a while until my girls grow wider and more dense, possibly for up to a month to get to this point, will this be ok? or will algae grow without a doubt? i thought of something that i believe would work... i could cut a piece of panda film to cover the whole table and just cut out holes in the plastic the size of the pots! :ganjamon: this would allow me to move each pot to a different "slot" in the plastic whenever i need. do you think i should just do this for sure from the start or algae wont be an issue? AND, are 6x6x7 pots really big enough for plants to veg for up to a month before flower?? the roots arnt busting out the drain holes in the pot?

THANKS AGAIN DUDES!
:thanks:
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

Yes 6x6x7 pots can grow big plants. No the roots don't come out the drain holes with the correct pots.
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

cool man, at least for my first grow im gonna run 9 of those pots without any sort of covering for the rest of the table and ill see how it goes, ill definitely make adjustments as needed and you can be sure this site will be my crutch when i hit a wall lol

so just to clarify... clones rooted in plugs should be planted in the pots just as if the hydrotron were soil, and as long as the water level gets to the bottom of the plug/tips of roots ill be good to go right?

THANKS AGAIN!
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

Heres a picture of a 2x4 flood table that is EXACTLY what i have in mind (minus the ScroG netting).

my only concern now is that the water level in MY flood table can only go up about 3 inches, 3 1/2 at the most, so with 6x6x7 pots, the bottom of the grow plug would be around 3-3 1/2 inches down in the pot, so HOW HIGH DOES THE WATER LEVEL NEED TO COME UP TO FEED THE ROOTS? does it physically need to submerge the grow plug or would it be ok if the water only made it to about 1/2 inch from the bottom? do the roots still get nutes this way?

thanks again dudes
 
Re: HOW DO I USE INDIVIDUAL POTS w/ HYDROTRON IN A FLOOD TABLE?

I'd like to see 1.5 - 2 gallon pots if planning to veg for 1 month. Thats more than what I do now in my ebb and grow and the roots are substantial.


THConnoisseur said:
lovethestuff, i also clone in plugs so good news! but i was assuming id have to transport the plug into a fat rockwool cube then put it in the table cuz the plug itself doesnt hold water so well and neither does hydrotron; im glad to hear by just flooding maybe an extra 2 or 3 times a day compared to the rockwool setup my girls will be fine. THANKS! :grinjoint:

also, to LabRat and lovethestuff, regarding the algae, if i only have 9 plants in the setup there will be quite a bit of my flood table exposed to light for a while until my girls grow wider and more dense, possibly for up to a month to get to this point, will this be ok? or will algae grow without a doubt? i thought of something that i believe would work... i could cut a piece of panda film to cover the whole table and just cut out holes in the plastic the size of the pots! :ganjamon: this would allow me to move each pot to a different "slot" in the plastic whenever i need. do you think i should just do this for sure from the start or algae wont be an issue? AND, are 6x6x7 pots really big enough for plants to veg for up to a month before flower?? the roots arnt busting out the drain holes in the pot?

THANKS AGAIN DUDES!
:thanks:
Click to expand...
 

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