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

[Caber1]

The hydroton in the tray serves two purposes.
Because it retains moisture so well it gives the roots of the plants a buffer against drying out between feedings and it also gives them the darkness that roots need.
Because I don't pack my pots in tight and allow them a longer growing time the roots need some type of covering/protection.
You'll have to check the bottom of your pots when you harvest to see how the roots are behaving.
With my longer growing time I had a problem where the root mass choked off the holes in the bottom of my pots and the plants suffered . So I drilled the holes in the sides and now everything is fine.
The main part of the root mass in your pots will be the stabilizer for your plant and then you may have to build some sort of net/stake support once the buds get heavy. This is in answer to your question on the roots out of the pots "grabbing".
So as long as no significant amount of light is getting to the bottom of the tray your roots will be fine in the grooves.

Have fun and enjoy the learning curve.

 

[THConnoisseur]

thanks Caber, i was wondering how long you vegged for in the grow where you experienced the roots clogging the bottom holes? i have 3wks veg time in mind but then i again im new to hydro, and very used to soil, so i could just be beside myself with the growth rates i experience and go into flower after 15 days or something lol im essentially looking for the plants to be about 12"-14" when i top em and flip em, im gonna do a trial run wit a master bubba strain ive grown twice in soil just cuz i know they got a high tolerance for nutes and im used to their feeding habits so it should at least make all of this a tiny bit easier on the first go. do you think ill have any issues with roots comin out/clogging the bottom of a 2gal pot if the finished product is about 18 inches??? how big were yours when done (include strain! )?? thanks dude

 

[Caber1]

To tell you the truth I didn't really time them. I vegged until I was sure of the sex and then started flowering.
I'm going to say at least 4 weeks and maybe more.
I'm going to say that you probably won't have root issues if you have such a fast turn over.
My last grow was White Widow and Mango and they were all around 3 or 4 feet tall when I harvested.
My flowering time was close to 9 weeks, and the buds were very impressive.

 

[THConnoisseur]

right on Caber thanks for the specifics, i take it you grew from seed if you had to worry about sexing them?? ill be startin with well rooted clones so about 3wks i think will be right to get that indica kush to about 12"-14", and they flower in the 8-9wk range so compared to your grow i shouldnt have much, if any, of an issue with the roots getting outta control? if the roots do grow out the bottom tho, and i dont have any hydrotron in the table is that ok as long as i have the table covered for a dark rootzone? i mean thats seems to be how dwc work so i assume it will be ok if the last 2 week or so of flowering they creep out into the table. also, i was under the impression that flooding a fast draining medium many times a day is better than flooding a slow draining medium once or twice a day?? you said you only flood once a day with all that hydrotron right? do you think theres a difference between the two methods? thanks again dude!

 

[Caber1]

Yes I grew from seed. Nowhere to buy clones around here and I haven't setup another room for clones yet.

if the roots do grow out the bottom tho, and i dont have any hydrotron in the table is that ok as long as i have the table covered for a dark rootzone?

The roots need darkness of some type. Whether by a table cover or something. I guess it depends how tight the containers are packed and how much root mass you have. If your turn around is a quick as you say your root mass may hardly even show itself out the bottom.

i was under the impression that flooding a fast draining medium many times a day is better than flooding a slow draining medium once or twice a day?? you said you only flood once a day with all that hydrotron right? do you think theres a difference between the two methods? thanks again dude!

If I was just using hydroton I would probably water more than once a day, but because I have the rockwool puck in between the layers of hydroton in each pot I only have to flood once a day. For me this has simplified things nicely.
We'll see what the future brings. Let me know what you do and how it works out.
Just remember that there is no perfect method. Only what works for you. Differences in water, light, atmosphere/location, genetics etc will always mean that you have to do what works for you.

 

[THConnoisseur]

Just remember that there is no perfect method. Only what works for you. Differences in water, light, atmosphere/location, genetics etc will always mean that you have to do what works for you.

i couldnt agree more with that dude! right on... in fact i think thats the biggest mistake of all novice growers, the focus on gettin everything "perfect" according to a book or video vs. just using common knowledge and considering the environment your in to grow YOUR version of dank weed oh the endless possibilities... ok, back to the topic!

in the 4x4 tray im gonna have nine, 2 gallon square pots (8.5"x8.5"x7.5") arranged in 3 rows of 3 filled wit hydrotron. the clones are gonna go directly into hydrotron after rooting well in a rapid rooter grow plug and the rest of the table will remain empty but covered from all light; the tops of each square pot will be left uncovered tho considering ill use enough hydrotron to blackout the top of the plug to avoid any mold or algae issues. what do you recommend for a flood cycle to start with? i still dont know how long it will take to flood and drain cuz i dont have the shit setup or the medium yet lol 2 more weeks... let me know what you think, thanks dude!

 

[PitViper]

Uhhhhh.....you guys are really overthinking this. 1st I use Hydroton.....alot
Ive been using the net pots and hydroton for 1.5 years straight. I dont have algae,nor do I have root rot. If your flood table is tilted slightly all the water runs off. No water ,no problem.
Maybe Im missing what your all saying but I dont think so. The legs should be shorter by 1" causing the slope. Yes there can be some residual water in the channels, its going to be flooded alot. I run mine 15 mins on/15 min off with hydroton.... You dont need to cover anything due to light issues. The canopy will fill out very quickly. If you use rockwool you will water 1-3 times a day.
This is my new table, but the principle is the same as any flood table. Dont make this harder than it needs to be. Start flooding.....

 

[THConnoisseur]

thanks for the pic and info PitViper! ive pretty much got everything figured out at this point, assuming it will require some trial and error regardless of whatever preplanning i do, but your pic is a perfect example of why i started this thread in the first place! your drain height is as tall as your net pots, or at least it seems that way in the picture, so this means the water is coming all the way up and submerging whatever medium you used to clone in (rw, plugs, etc.). i cant do that, i can only flood my table about 3.5-4 inches (its a pretty shallow table), and with pots 7 inches tall i will only be able to reach the bottom 1/4 inch or so of the grow plug when the rooted clone is potted in the hydrotron, IS THAT OK!? and also, say my table takes 10 minutes to fill and 15 to drain (hypothetically) how do you run that on a standard 15 minute timer? do you allow the table to remain at its "full" level for 5 minutes or so until the timer shuts off the pump and it drains for 15 then you start to fill it as soon as its empty again? lol sorry for so many questions but i have a shit load of em regarding flood cycle times/techniques that i havent even begun to bother people wit yet thanks again dude!

 

[Caber1]

I like the depth of that table. Looks like it gives good stability to it and would be nigh on impossible to overflow.
Looks clean too.

 

[McBudz]

thanks for the pic and info PitViper! ive pretty much got everything figured out at this point, assuming it will require some trial and error regardless of whatever preplanning i do, but your pic is a perfect example of why i started this thread in the first place! your drain height is as tall as your net pots, or at least it seems that way in the picture, so this means the water is coming all the way up and submerging whatever medium you used to clone in (rw, plugs, etc.). i cant do that, i can only flood my table about 3.5-4 inches (its a pretty shallow table), and with pots 7 inches tall i will only be able to reach the bottom 1/4 inch or so of the grow plug when the rooted clone is potted in the hydrotron, IS THAT OK!? and also, say my table takes 10 minutes to fill and 15 to drain (hypothetically) how do you run that on a standard 15 minute timer? do you allow the table to remain at its "full" level for 5 minutes or so until the timer shuts off the pump and it drains for 15 then you start to fill it as soon as its empty again? lol sorry for so many questions but i have a shit load of em regarding flood cycle times/techniques that i havent even begun to bother people wit yet thanks again dude!

As long as the water hits the grow plugs they should suck up moisture the rest of the way.

Flood for 30 minutes of you can only do 15 minute increments. For ebb/flood you should really get a variable timer that allows you to stay on from 1-60 minutes and off 1-8 hours or something similar. Offers more granular settings. Dont get to caught up in the times. if it takes 10 minutes to fill then set fill time to 30 minutes. lets the roots sit and soak for a bit. Then set off for 1-2 hours. I go less of time when they are younger and have smaller root structures. I go to 3-4 hours off when they have denser roots structure which would basically be through bloom. You should set yours different ways and see whats best for your setup.

 

[THConnoisseur]

McBudz, is there a specific ebb/flow timer they sell at hydro shops? or is it just a different type of timer that you can get at home depot or wally world? i do need to get 1 or 2 more timers for this setup anyway so which one do you recommend i go with for the water pump? and also you said if i had a 15 min timer to set it 30 min on 1-2 hr off, which means the whole pool will be full for around 20 minutes, is that usually something youd want to achieve? ive heard that you want to drain as soon as the table gets full, and then wait to see when it drys out a little and flood it again and those will be your flood intervals (at least for lights on), is there truth to this? thanks dude!

 

[Cream]

I use a combination of rock wool and hydroton... the rock wool retains water better and you dont have to flood your table as often!

 

[THConnoisseur]

oh yea!! i forgot that i found a youtube video that is pretty damn close to what im gonna have setup and its the only other person ive seen with a shallow flood table like i have so you can see what ive been talking about. notice in the video how the water level BARELY, if at all, makes it up to the bottom of the rw cubes, and tho i wont be using rw, its the same concept ive been trying to grasp. THANKS AGAIN GUYS! oh yea, just ffwd towards the end of the video... YouTube - urban grower mtl 1

 

[THConnoisseur]

Cream, do you recommend rw? ive just heard too many horror stories about root rot and overwatering but OBVIOUSLY a video like the one i posted shows that it can be done very successfully. i know it decreases flood frequency, which as long as theres no negative effects from, im down to do. would you recommend that i use fat 4x4 rw cubes with the hydrotron? especially since i have the shallow table? thats originally why i thought id HAVE TO use rw so i could flood just 2-3 inches or so and the big cube would wick up all the nutes and i could have a smaller res which = less work but then ive been too worried about overwatering issues and would rather have a faster drying medium, what do you say to that? thanks dude!

 

[Cream]

yes i recommend you use 3 gal pots with a lot of holes in them "you may have to drill extra holes if need for extra drainage" put 2-4in of hydroton in the bottom of the pot, then fill it with the RW cruton sized cubes and your plant, then add 2-4in of hydroton on top! My friend has been using this method for years it works great! I also have a shallow flood table, I use 5gal pot with RW and flood twice a day and top feed once a day.... the key is to make sure the pots get dry or are light weight before top feeding again!!Its a safer way to grow because they RW really does retain moisture well,not letting your roots dry out...Check out my grow dude 1st page has some good pics of my setup....

 

[Cream]

this is what my setup looked like in the begining

 

[THConnoisseur]

sweet grow dude! ive never seen those rw "crutons" before, and definitely havent seen anyone do that hydroton sandwich thang with it lol i do have a SLIGHT issue tho, i already ordered those 8.5" square pots that are 2gal... not that i cant return or exchange them but do you think it will fuck up my crop to use what i already ordered? and if your saying i may have to go to town with holes in the sides then shouldnt i just buy the pots that have the bottom 1/3 or so as net and the rest solid? like the ones in the video i posted. thanks again for helpin me out!

 

[Cream]

not that i cant return or exchange them but do you think it will fuck up my crop to use what i already ordered? and if your saying i may have to go to town with holes in the sides then shouldnt i just buy the pots that have the bottom 1/3 or so as net and the rest solid? like the ones in the video i posted. thanks again for helpin me out!

You can use what you bought just fine, just remember that root weight = fruit weight. I used 5gal pots for max root area, i think 3gal pots would have saved more room.... Yes pots that have net around the bottoms are exactly what you want! This is such a good method it works very well for flood tables.....

 

[ACGrow-Brain]

Im gonna have to agree with Pitviper, lets not overthink the concepts of a Flood and drain, or ebb and flow.

Anyways, I have a question, it might be dumb but here goes. I am going to set up a ebb and flow table with 2 400watt HPS and side lighting over a 4x4 table, but the thing is Im going 12/12 from seed just because of time and height reasons.

PitViper or anyone else, How large do my pots need to be to support plant size and healthy root growth, and just remember they are going straight flowering from seed.
And Pit could you possibly make a DIY of your table, or let me know where you got your drains from?

 

[Caber1]

I think they call this hijacking someones thread don't they? lol

For my pots that I buy cheap 8' pots from the local hardware store. Drill a few holes and they work like a charm.
Things are progressing nicely. These are two weeks from seed and in the midst of a feeding/flooding. The level on the pots shows how high the water comes up on my table.