Ebb & Flow - How long do you keep plants flooded?

Dantes Monkey

New Member
I'm currently trying to decide if I want to setup an ebb & grow (pump in/pump out), or traditional ebb & flow (pump in/gravity drain out). I'm just wondering how long should you keep your medium flooded during each interval, and how long is TOO long?

I understand that you should flood 3-4 times per day, but I dont know how long the plants stay flooded for. Is it just enough to saturate your medium, or do you let them soak for a few minutes? Is 15 minutes too long to let the medium stay flooded?

FWIW, I will be using 5 gallon buckets as my containers and have the option of putting my reservoir underneath the buckets or level with the buckets. I also have a great digital recycling timer that I'd like to utilize to control my flood schedule, but I could also use it to control lights if thats not possible.

Thanks in advance!
 
I have found that every three hours for five minutes, which is long enough to fill the tray, to be perfect.
 
I know you weren't asking me this question, but I leave my timer on all the time, even when lights off.
 
Back
Top Bottom