How to Set up a Capn-Style Flowering machine

I've seen TheCapn's setup many times but now I have a video to go by for when I want to build mine.

Thanks GT, Awesome!!!!!!!!!

What happend to TheCapn?

outdoormaster;bt10984 said:

What happend to TheCapn?

Click to expand...

He left 420mag for a variety of reasons.

Sweet video I'm doing this for sure !!

Nice setup man! Also, the blue tote with the smooth lid surface can be cut with a utility knife, though hole saws do make for cleaner circle holes.

I just want to ask one thing (please don't mind because i am comparing capn style with yours again and again)

1) I saw the capn video v2 i guess and he used black tubes/pipes for irrigation which will be easy to operate i guess.
2) Is there a hole below the AIR pot (on the tote lid) ? what is the size of it ?
3) (OPTIONAL) what is the diameter of the AIR POT ?
4) (OPTIONAL) what is the size of the tote (15 gal ) width x length x height ?

Please understand that i do not have access to the material you are using. so locally i have to look for alternative so i am asking so much questions. Please understand.

LOL i forgot i asked 4 thing and mentioned 1. Sorry

1) black (as opposed to clear) prevents algae, though The Capn rarely worries about algae.
2) Capn has like a 6" hole, but this is completely optional and is just a convenience for runoff to drain back while providing a large hole for a power cord and feed line to get out of, all while having an easy access point to get your meter pens inside.
3)Whatever size airpot you have, make a corresponding hole. Keep in mind you may need to one day stick your hand in there with your meter pen.\
4)Tote size is completely immaterial and usually it is the grow space that determines this, but when it comes to the tuff totes, the first priority is structural integrity. In other words, if I have 5 gallons worth of wet rock wool sitting on the lid, will the tote hold to it's form?

Hi skybound,
Thx for answering
Some misunderstanding here

1) My question was over the fexible tubing (not abt colour). Does that make any different than the hard pvc structure. I guess the pipe is adjustable. please see the capn video and check 04:31 time of the video you will understand what i am asking.
2) He have 6" hole ? dude that's heavy but i think it is only on the tuff tote because i can't image it on the normal tote that will be disaster for the air pot (it might sink in the tote). So i guess it is unnecessary to have hole below the pot.
3) Here i was actually asking the size of the air pot i mean the DIAMETER of airpot it will provide me rough idea on what exactly to substitude it with
4) Agreed!

Thanks Sky!

I will add to the discussion..

>>> He have 6" hole ? dude that's heavy but i think it is only on the tuff tote because i can't image it on the normal tote that will be disaster for the air pot (it might sink in the tote). So i guess it is unnecessary to have hole below the pot.



TheCapn uses a 6" hole below the netpot and a 6" hole for access to the reservoir to pump out water, add water or take water readings (he uses a Nutra dip tri meter, not a pen) and a 1" hole for his irrigation line from the water pump to drip ring.

Look at the "Capn-style" picture i posted above.. Thats a rubbermaid Brute Tote TheCapn is using. Its sturdy for sure, but not like the super strong tough totes i use for my RDWC like this.

I painted the lid (as does TheCapn when he uses these totes) black then white to reflect the light and heat. These containers are super strong. I can sit on them easily and the lids hardly even sag, and i'm 185lbs.

But if you look at my video i made.. i'm using even cheaper totes, the weakest Rubbermaid roughneck totes that i could get from Walmart. I paid like $7 for the tote and lid and it works like a charm!

The hole below the airpot is required. It allows the water to return into the reservoir.
The size of the holes is irrelevant.. For example, all my set ups have FIVE 2" holes for drainage, and a 3.5" hole to insert my pump to drain the system, as well as take my pH and PPM readings. I also have a hole for my PVC head to come of the water pump.

Black tubing does reduce light-born algae, but algae can still form on black and non-transparent tubing and PVC piping, So a regular flush and cleaning is suggested, although Capn doesn't do regular flushings, he does keep all his totes and containers very clean.

The air pot is a 20L equivalent which works out to be about 5.2gal.. the dimensions of the air pot is...uh.. one second. here copied and pasted from the page that i bought my air pots from:

Litres - 20
Diameter (mm) - 312
Wall Length (mm) - 1050
Wall Height (mm) - 315

Those blue Rubbermaid roughneck totes i have in the video are more than sturdy enough to hold 5gals worth of soaking wet rockwool with a fully mature plant in it. I currently have Lady GT's OG kush on a similar drip system on the same totes and theres no sagging from the weight of the plant. The plant will easily pull in 12zips, its a beast!

The PVC i think provides a much stronger and safer way to deliver your nutrients from reservoir up to the drip ring. That black tubing can get punctured, or you could step on it and crack it if it was lying on the floor for example. Or you could simply drop something on it and damage it. The PVC is very sturdy, is very easily attainable (i couldn't find any of that black tubing anywhere i looked actually!!) and easily adjustable.. plus PVC is always good to have lying around in case you want to build a SCrog to sit over your plants.

Drip rings - You can either use the Hydro Halo like in the "Capn-Style" picture i posted above, or you can make your own out of PVC, which is actually a cheaper option, plus i'm sure we all have a hardware or home improvement store nearby that sells PVC.. the Hydro Halo would need to be ordered online, or bought from a Hydroponics shop that happens to carry them (not many). They're about $16 each plus shipping and taxes, and for the same price, you could probably build 6 or 7 drip rings and have extra the PVC to run irrigation lines to the drip ring.

>>> 4)Tote size is completely immaterial and usually it is the grow space that determines this.

Sorry Sky i kind of (only kind of tho!) disagree with this.. It really depends on the size of plant you are growing, not the grow space, that determines your reservoir size. cause you can grow a huge plant in a small space, but you need to make sure that you still have an adequate amount of water in your reservoir to water the amount of medium you're using. I like to have almost 2 times the amount of water to medium. So for instance, i'm using 5.2gal air pots, and i have 8gals of water in my single plant drip systems. I have a drip system that feeds 4 plants in a 4x4 tray, that i have 12 gals of water for. Each plant is in a 2gal pot tho, so thats 8gals of medium, and 12gals of water. Mid-way through the week, the plants have consumed at least half the water in the reservoir, if not more, so i top back up with 4gals of pH balanced water, no nutrients. this brings my PPM back to where i want it, and keeps the pH stable in the reservoir, until the end of the week when i replace all the water and nutrients.

So downsize if you're growing small plants, cause you wont need as much water to feed your plants with.

>>> 3) Here i was actually asking the size of the air pot i mean the DIAMETER of airpot it will provide me rough idea on what exactly to substitude it with

I would suggest any container that is 5gals or about 20L in equivalent size, and make sure you have more drainage holes than you think you need.. if you think theres enough.. drill 10 more holes in the container and you'll be good!!

"Capn-Style" Flowering machine concept cleared by "Greenthumb J"
Respect man

And thx for TheCapn who shared this method.

@Greenthumb J if you don't mind i want to ask few more thing. Asking this because you have hands on experience on this machine(Lol).

Why this flowering machine ?
What are the advantage and disadvantage ?
What are its nearest competitor ?
Have you ever encountered slime or pythium in this system (i know it is light sealed but exp is imp)?

I really think that i am pushing the limits here but hope you will understand...
And again i reallly really really can't thank you ENOUGH for the very very very detailed procedure you posted just above.

Looks good guys, I've heard about a few growers here getting really nice results with this way of growing

altainta;bt11057 said:

1) Why this flowering machine ?
2) What are the advantage and disadvantage ?
3) What are its nearest competitor ?
4) Have you ever encountered slime or pythium in this system (i know it is light sealed but exp is imp)?

Click to expand...

1) Why the machine? It's simple. It functions the same as a grower hand feeding, except you use the machine on a timer and all you need to ensure of is stable PH and to have enough nutrient mixture around the pump

2) A/answered above, DA/ I don't think there are any disadvantages

3) Competitor which I assume to mean competitive product would be ebb and flow. African Grower uses E&F for his veg room. E&G is a little more simpler IMO, but if you're going to use E&F for a whole grow, might have to ditch the croutons and use hydroton/clay pebbles. The strength of croutons is their ability to retain nutrient AND air. If you dunk an entire flower pot into a bucket of water, you'd run some added risks of drowning the root zone as the drainage might take longer than the hydroton.

4) Pythium is derived from poorly kept conditions and has nothing to do with the system being used. To my knowledge, none of us Capn Style growers get root rot due to constant use of bennies coupled with the media being used, ie. my roots are not submerged ever.

I liken Capn Style to being very similar to soil growing in that we top feed, the water takes some time to work through the media before draining. The media retains some water nutrient which further feeds the plant. But because we use inert media coupled with nutrient mixes, it is hydroponic growing which then sheds the disadvantage of soil growing as our deficiencies or toxicities set in much quicker, but our remedies likewise also set in much quicker. On that same line, our plants grow quicker. This is why I think The Capn used to say this method is like DWC without the risk. We grow almost as fast and as big as DWC, but we don't carry any of those risks. So we get the safety of soil growing with the results of DWC growing.

It really is a no brainer. If you're not doing it Capn Style, I don't know what the F$%^ you're doing!

First time attempting to grow my own meds. Am doing so with soil and am astonished with my results so far. I have limited space and many neighbors who are probably a bit curious about the non stop deliveries I have endured to access the items needed to set up my grow room. The setup in your video seems like a reliable alternative. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the growing world, especially a novice such as myself, who is attempting to advance towards a thumb that is anywhere close to a shade of green. I will incorporate a small percentage of my next grow to this soil less method and will look to your posts for direction. Thanks again