Hydro Grow Part 5

[newtoitall]

I started growing hydro with an ebb & flow set up after my first soil grow. I am sure many of you have success with soil grows, but after switching to hydro I know I will never go back to soil again. Some of the cons about hydro grows are not really valid or can be overcome easily. There are several ways to grow using hydro and I chose mine after reading the pros and cons of each kind and selected ebb & flow based on that research along with my grow area available. The cost of the system not counting the lighting was around $250. The system can handle from 6-14 plants in a 4' x 4' grow space. I started out with 14 plants and have dropped that down to 6 with just about the same yield for the same strain. The biggest problem I have is height restriction which forces me to go to bloom earlier than I would if i had more room.

The first few grows I used all the same nutrients (general hydroponics floranova) and had good success with very little issues controlling plant health. I have recently added some later bloom additives from Grow More to increase yield and harden the final product. I have calculated the the total cost for nutrients has been $30 for each grow. I am using 1- 400 watt MH light for grow and 2 - 400 watt hps lights for bloom. I plan on adding CO2 addition to my systems soon and hope to increase the yield with the upgrade. Right now I have a harvest every 4 weeks taking clones before I move plants from grow to bloom.

I check my plants usually only once a day and rarely make any changes outside of feeding or when i drain and start a new batch in my reservoir. Water is added to the reservoir on demand using a mini float installed near the bottom of the reservoir. I have two air stones in each reservoir as well as a fountain pump to help keep things circulating. I have a single larger fountain pump to feed to the plant roots and an overflow back to the reservoir once the required level is met. I am including a list of parts and costs for each item I used. If anyone wants to copy what I have done feel free to ask questions and I will walk you through my process

14 Plant Ebb & Flow
Centrix 26 Gallon Tote $14 Each
Kerick Mini Float $10 Each
Apollo 6 Timer $12 Each
~ 420 GPH Pump $16 Each
~ 160 GPH Pump $7 Each
Hydroton Pebbles $30 10 lbs
3" Net Cups $16 50 pack
Hydrofarm 3/4" Grommets $19 25 pack
5"x5"x8' Vinyl Fence Post $50 2 posts
5"x5" Vinyl End Caps $15 4 caps
1/2" & 3/4" pvc pipe/fittings $30 Complete
5" Round Air Stones & Tubing $10 2 stones
JW Pet Fusion Air Pump 500 Duel Outlet $16 Each

Total cost $245

 

[newtoitall]

Here are a couple pics of the build and parts I used. The extra pipes and fittings are for an aero idea I had to run a hybrid system using ebb & flow plus aeroponics in one system. I never did try out the aero portion but may try it out in the future

 

[Nismo12]

Looks like you it going on bud! I really want to try hydro sometime. We are in soil now, going to organic here soon. I love seeing the growth rate of hydro versus soil. What strains will you be running? I'll be here for the long haul so we may as well get this going around now for your audience. Roorrip Oh and I haven't seen you running around this forum yet, so make yourself at home and to

 

[newtoitall]

My last couple harvests were AK, and the two I have in bloom and one in veg are Kush. The first of the AK I let go too long in veg and they got too tall and were right up against the lights. The last AK harvest yielded about 25% more dry bud than the first. This next harvest (kush) will be about 50% more than the AK with only 5 plants and that's with losing a good portion (15%-20%) for the wasted space that is empty where my 6th plant should have gone.

 

[David Bowman]

Hope all is well in your world.

Is this grow still alive?

We would love to be updated with some pictures and info.

How about posting a 420 Strain Review?

If you need any help with posting photos, please read our Photo Gallery Tutorial.

I am moving this to Abandoned Journals until we get updates.

Sending you lots of love and positive energy.