LabRat's Bubbler Tub Grow Method How-To

[DroJo]

Probably the simplest How-to-Hydro I've ever seen. Easy to follow, no over the head hydro jargon. Short and sweet.

 

[Flurple]

DROJO nailed it, great job dude. simplicity is one thing that was not considered when constructing my setup.

 

[stevemc1979]

I see that you used 2cc of 35% H2O2. Would it be possible to use 25cc/1 oz. of 3%? Would this have the same effect? Thanks. I love this setup. I am going to be gathering all of my materials here over the weekend.

 

[OldMedUser]

I see that you used 2cc of 35% H2O2. Would it be possible to use 25cc/1 oz. of 3%? Would this have the same effect? Thanks. I love this setup. I am going to be gathering all of my materials here over the weekend.

That should work fine. I prefer the 35% food grade which can be found at hydro stores, health food outlets and some pharmacies.

The 3% has a stabilizer added, not sure what, but I would use it in a pinch if I ran out of food grade. That won't be for a while as I bought a gal a few months ago. I dose my tubs every week with it and at the end of the grow the nutes are clear as fresh water.

I believe it to be cheap insurance against root rot and invasions from other nasties and have never seen any ill effects from using it. Only good stuff.

If you use any organic supplements in your hydro nutes wait a couple of days after using H2O2, add your goodies then wait a few days for the plants to absorb it then dose with H2O2 as usual. That's what I do when I add Big Bud supplement. Seems to work.

 

[Flurple]

im glad you said something about that... you are saying i can add my beneficial bacteria, wait a few days, and the H2O2 wont kill the ones that have colonized on the roots?

 

[OldMedUser]

im glad you said something about that... you are saying i can add my beneficial bacteria, wait a few days, and the H2O2 wont kill the ones that have colonized on the roots?

H2O2 will oxidize any organic material good or bad. I don't use any bacteria or that in my bubblers so I couldn't tell you one way or the other.

I have read reports that lower doses can be used to water plants in soil to control algae and other unwanted growths without ill effects but I have no first hand knowledge of this.

AFAIK, beneficial bacteria are used to help break down organic material to a form the plant can use and to prevent nasty bacteria from taking hold. As hydro nutes are already in a form the plant can use and the H2O2 kills the bad bugs I fail to see the benefit of using beneficial bacteria in hydroponics.

I know a lot of stuff, but I don't know everything. At least some people have told me that. :0)

 

[stevemc1979]

How big of a plant can you grow with the 3" pots? I am thinking about using only 6 pots. Should I go with the 5.5" pot? Thanks again.

 

[OldMedUser]

How big of a plant can you grow with the 3" pots? I am thinking about using only 6 pots. Should I go with the 5.5" pot? Thanks again.

You could grow a large plant in a 3" but the larger pot is more stable. If you're going for big plants I'd use 4 pots per tub as it'll get pretty crowded. If you wanted to grow like a BIG fat bushy plant you could use just one or two pots per tub. Six large plants in a tub will fill the tub with roots and you'll lose a lot of water capacity. That makes it hard to keep pH and TDS in the optimum range without a lot of fiddling around and more stress for the plants.

Hope that helps.

 

[stevemc1979]

Thanks for the info. I think i'll do 4 plants in 5.5 pots. Thanks ag

 

[KiwiKing]

How far below the bottom of the net pots is the water line?

 

[OldMedUser]

How far below the bottom of the net pots is the water line?

Good question. That should be in the How-To I guess.

I start with the nutes just at the bottom of the pots then as the roots get into the sol'n let the level go down a couple of inches. Once the plants get rockin' each tub can use a gallon or more a day.

 

[KiwiKing]

So initially you have the water level at the bottom of the pot, then move it down 2 inches as the roots grow? Is this just to save on nutes or is there a specific reason why you lower the water level?

also, how tall are you roughnecks?

 

[OldMedUser]

I don't move it down, the plants do as they drink the sol'n. I just allow it to stay down so the pots aren't sitting in the sol'n. The bubbles pop at the surface and keep everything wet under the lid. There's no saving on nutes if you want your plants to stay healthy.

Some hand watering may be needed for the first few days until the roots grow down into the nutes. I use a syringe to suck up a bit of the nutes and squirt it around the root ball to keep it wet. Especially for plants on the edges or corners of the lid as the lid sags a bit and pots in the center are lower than the ones on the edge.

The tubs I'm using now are the 18 Gallon ones 16" tall.

 

[KiwiKing]

Ok thanks, i think i understand what you are saying. So do you refill the tub to the bottom of the pot every so often?

edit: let me rephrase that. to what level do you refill the tub?

 

[OldMedUser]

An inch or so below the bottom of the pots is the upper level to aim at. I usually let the level go down to about 4" them add water back up to an inch or so under the pots.

Gotta run. I'm finally getting the slate for my pool table today and have to tidy up the shop.

 

[KiwiKing]

Hope everything went well with the pool table. So, what is you typical yield off one of the tubs?

 

[OldMedUser]

We're doing the slate today now. More bodies available today. The sucker weighs about 650 lbs and you don't wanna drop it. lol

Last batch, with six KalMist and seven Kush I got 11.6 oz. 3/4 of that was Kush. This time it's all Kush and I'm hoping to have at least twenty females so . . .

They're just starting to show sex now and I haven't found any males yet. Fingers crossed as I only got one male out of nine seeds last time. Thirty-one plants going at the moment. Day seventeen since they went in the tubs. Six days since 12/12 started. They are just ROCKIN' now!

I'll post a new pic or two later.

 

[KiwiKing]

sweet man. Was the 3/4 from one tub or from both?

 

[OldMedUser]

75% of all I got from both tubs was Kush. 11.6 oz total.

Pool table is working fine.

 

[Dowg]

Very nice... Thank you. Cant wait to get started on one.
One question.. In step 4, lower left hand corner of first tub. Was that a heater I saw ?