Help with new HYDRO setup...suggestions

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Just like everyone else here I want to maximize my yield. I dont want to be always flowering a plant so the bigger the yield the more time i have where my room is running just mothers...Saves me money..
This is what i have. Please let me know what you would do if you were in my shoes.

I have a 3.5x3.5 x 7 tall grow tebt. Aircooled 300cfm hood, and a 3x3 table with 40 gal rez. Carbon filter and circ fan. Using latewoods recipe.

I have both a 1000w ballast and 600w ballast and hotilux bulbs for both of them. Which one do you think? when I run the 1000w my temps are 80-82 during the day and 70 at night. (plants dont seem to mind the heat) Havent run the 600 in this set up

How many plants? I was thinking of packing 18 in. I dont have alot of veg space because of my mothers. so all veg time will be done in the ez clone(about 1 week). I want to stay with hydroton as a grow medium.

Or ditch all that and pack my 4 waterfarms in.


I would like to get as close to a pound as possiable. That would last me 6months +!

Thank you all for you advice in advance. I have learned so much from reading this forum. Thanks again.

[elskeetro]

I'm no pro, but here's what i'd have to say to you based on my experiences:

18 plants in a 3.5 x 3.5 space is going to be WAY too over crowded unless it's a SOG. You say you are using latewood's recipe which i believe is meant for growing only a few plants, but growing them large and full. I know a guy who uses latewood's recipe (better than i do...) and his last harvest, he got 1/4 pound off each plant. He was only growing 4 plants, but he had plenty of space (roughly 8x8). I am currently growing 10 plants in a 3 x 5 area and it is incredibly frustrating trying to maneuver through the jungle. My top colas are nice, but there is very little light penetration down below.

Everything else sounds great to me. I would just suggest thinking about 2 or 3 flowering plants and giving them plenty of room.

just my twin Lincolns.

Skeet.

[the image reaper]

you need more airflow than what a 300cfm can handle ... my 250cfm duct fan (vented outside) doesn't even handle my little 400HPS ... seems like you can never have enough ventilation ... and, you are way off on your plant count ... with a good hydro grow, you can fill your cabinet with one plant ... my 2x4x8 has 2 hydrofarms, and that's too much plant, really ... :smokin:

[stinkyattic]

1 week veg time tops. 6" pots. SOG. Whichever light you can get in there and air-cool. 600 should be ample for that space; if you go higher, consider adding CO2. I recommend a 4x4 table if you can get one in there- the 40gal res will do it fine and it's a better size for a large light. Add ventilation- use one fan to cool the light and the other to vent the room. Or try venting the room THROUGH the air cooled hood. If it still runs hot, add CO2 (read the 'sealed room' thread) or another exhaust.

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Stinky: How many plants do you think. Should i just pack as many as i can in 6" pots? I have both a 4 in inline and 6 inch inline. After reading all this im going to switch the 6in to exhuast my hood out of the room. the 4in will pull through the filter for room exhaust. I know the 600 is good but would notice a yield increase with the 1000?

I have a hydrofarm co2 kit new in the box from a couple years ago. How do i set the flow rating on it for my tent?

I tried for the biggest table i could fit. I went with the botanicare 3x3 because its 3x3 on the inside of the table. I have to squeez that baby in there. And ya i went 40 because ...well....you cant have to much water but you can have to little. and yes they will only have a week veg time. What do you think about single cola plants or just letting them go?

Thanks everyone so far, this is becoming clearer

[Weedhound]

Well I'm glad its clearer for you cause i'm clueless. Thank god folks like the Stinkster and IR are putting their two cents in. :thumbsup:

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Basically i am asking this, If you had my tent, both a 600 and 1000, 4in inline and 6in inline. 3x3 table or 5 waterfarms what would you do . 600 or 1000, waterfarms or table, if table how many plants, some say 5-8 some say 13-20 some say 25....just looking for some positive feedback from experienced people. I have had to many trial and error grows, and i understand this will be one as well but i would love to get started on the right foot.

Thank you all

SMOKE ON!

[herbie the love bud]

The water farms will yield more than ebb and flow, and with less waste. That being said, the answer depends on your strategy. If you want a SOG, then tray is the way to go and cram them in there. Alternatively, if you are uncomfortable with that many plants, then use the water farms and grow up to 4 plants. They will be massive and potentially will yield the same as your SOG.

Try your 1000 W. If you can keep the water temp below 80 than you're golden. If not than switch to your 600. That is not really a compromise considering that MJ only needs 10K LUX in flower and at 3X you get that from a 600. (Make sure it's a 95K Lumens 600).

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Just to keep everyone updated. This is what i did.
I put the 600 back in. Air cooling it with the 300cfm. Temps stay and 75 -80 with the lights on. After so many differnet responses and non really have any simularities i decided to do my own experiment. I built a light flip flop for my 600w light. I have two tents sitting next to eachother. Hut 1 will have 4 waterfarms. hut 2 will have a 3x3 table with a 40 gal rez. My plants are about 10 inchs tall. I am going to do 7 in white pots...roughly 10 inches....and 2 in gordon hugo blocks just to see if hydroton is that much better. I'll post pics if intrest is shown.


By the way i am going to veg the plants for the waterfarm for another week to get them bushy.

[elskeetro]

Good solution! get ready to see the waterfarms explode.

I'm assuming a light flip flop allows you to switch the position of the light over both tents.

i might suggest 2.5 things:

1.) get a light mover that will move it for you (i'm lazy) if you are using just the one light.

2.) add the 1000w over the other side so both tents are getting serious light.

2.5.) could this flip flop thing move 2 lights at once to share the 1000 and 600 with both sides? (might be over kill and unnecessary.)

sounds cool, definitely keep us posted.

good luck.
Skeet

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Hmmm. Thanks for your suggestions but let me do some more explaining and then get back to me. Each hut is only 3.5ftx3.5ftx7
I dont think much would come from the light being moved 2 inches each way.

Each hut us in oppisite of itself.
One hut is on from 4 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. At that time a my flop is engaged and the other hut turns on. One Ballast running 24 hours,= 2 rooms at 12/12 and cheaper at least in my area.

[ToKAlot]

Sounds lik you hav a nic setup the light cycle you hav is nice might hav to build another room and do that but just to let you know about the hydroton you hav to flush the hell out of it then soak it in (PH)ed water for awhile it gav me alot of trouble!!!But keep us posted and try and get som pics up!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup::rastasmoke:

[LOC NAR on probation]

Your getting some very good help. Listen to them.

One thing. I always wanted co2 and will get it when I'm clear of the law.
BUT PLEASE don't use it in or near a human living area. Co2 is heavier than air and can fill up a room, push all o2 out and drowned you. Other than death it's great. We had a bad time with a bro of mine. I just did get him before he bit the big one. Try to explain that at a hospital.

[stinkyattic]

Good point LocNar. Same with any DIY ozone generator. Both are deadly in the wrong situation, or if a timer fails, or even if the grower makes a mistake.
I finally set up a CO2 system when I put my grow in the basement. I don't think I'd be comfortable with it in a living space.

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Not going to run co2 this time around. Which is why i decided to drop the 600 back in there to help with any heat. Can someone give me some info on my table set up. With a 40 gal rez do i need to fill it up with all 40. I guess im confused when people say waterfarms are better. THen why do people do tables? I mean you have to yield more otherwise your throwing money down the drain on nutes. I mean with a 40 gal rez i would use a full gallon of sweet in a full grow(if i was using sweet this time...just an example)

And yes thank your all for making this a great discussion. any input is welcome and apperciated..

SMOKE ONE :jointsmile:

[stinkyattic]

Waterfarms are ideal for large plants. Growers who have to submit to inspections to check their plant count benefit greatly from flowering fewer, but larger, plants.
More, but smaller, plants make for a higher g/w/month number over ALL your watts, because the time component of that formula relates only to time spent in flower. So if you flower newly-rooted clones, the time spent in veg (not counted towards your ultimate yield) is minimized. Many, if not most, cash croppers run trays of small plants or some other SOG type arrangement, whereas most medical growers would tell you to give enough veg time to make each plant yield a bumper crop on its own.

With a 40 gallon res, fill it up all the way, add your calmag and base nutes, and check the pH and Ec. IF you start with a quality nutrient, that large volume works in your favor in a big way- you will find it to stay very stable over time. Sure, you are using a lot of ferts, but you get it back in yield.

'Better' is all relative to your goals, and to your space/time/startup budget restrictions.

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Stinky,
Thank you for the advice and feedback. your opinion is highly valued.

I am using the GH line grow micro bloom and im going to add some kool bloom at the end with latewoods reciepe. With the 40 gal rez does the rule of thumb of every 7days stay in effect for complete water changes. What would be a good plant number for a sog. I was going to do nine all at one time but isnt sog when you add more plants every week until you start harvesting your first ones?


Yes i do have Cal mag and liquid karma. I also was thinking of adding some sensizym or something of that nature.

[stinkyattic]

I am not familiar enough with Latewood's recipe to give advice on it, sorry.

For a true SOG you start all your plants at the same time and harvest them all at once, keeping them all the same size. They should be all the same strain in each tray/res unit. What you are thinking of is a perpetual crop. Depending on your tray size and how much veg time you want to allow, you just have to decide on your medium and style- so if you do a containerized ebb n flow in 6" pots, in a 3x3 tray, you would fit 36 little rooted clones in your tray. IF you decide on gallon pots, give a couple weeks of veg time but do 16 or 25 in that same tray.

There's a sticky in 'basic' about the continuous canopy, that applies to SOGs of all types.

[elskeetro]

You don't necessarily have to replace the solution every seven days. But do keep track of how long between changes.

here's the rule you should go by (dug out of latewood's recipe thread):

Do a full reservoir change. you have a 40 gal res? lets say you fill it to the top with 40 gallons just for the sake of ease. you'll no doubt be doing top offs along the way. Let's just say every 3 days you have to add 5 gallons of water. Well once you add a total of 40 gallons it's time to change the entire reservoir.

That's not the optimum situation. but it'll work. Just keep track of what week you are on and make sure you are giving them the right dosage of nutes as outlined in latewood's thread.

make sense?

cool.
Skeet

[HyDrO ViSiOnZ]

Stinky: you finally gave me the answer i had been looking for. It just didnt make sense to me to only to do 9 or so when they are that small. I was thinking 18 in 1 gal pots so i think i am going to go that way. I will post pics tonight.
Once again thank you for chiming in and i hope you stay tuned.
Just like the stoner guy in the movie cant hardly wait said about wilma flinstone .." Your a hip............................hip lady"



Skeet: That totally makes sense. But i do have a question that has been on my mind regarding top offs.
On the bottle of Nutes they clearly state not to premix and then add to your rez. In latewoods thread i think he said he was dipping a 5 gal bucket in and then mixing everything and then dumping the 5 gal mix back in. With top offs is it safer to top off the rez then add my cal mag and karma or do it the way latewood is doing it.?

You guys are awsome thanks for all your suggestions i feel intrest has been shown so I will be posting pics tonight:jointsmile::thumbsup::hippy:

[polishpollack]

Just to make a comment here, on the rez thing.
The bottle says don't premix cuz ferts tend to bind together when mixed straight, without water. The company wants you to avoid losing fert strength through the mixing of ferts together, so they say don't premix meaning don't mix ferts without water. The method of dipping a bucket into the rez water is good cuz you're mixing your ferts into water, them dumping them into the rez, which is more water. All you have to do is mix any ferts into a common container that has water in it to avoid binding of nutes. It's the same with other chemistry.