HYDROPONICS OUTDOORS

[d4twamp]

I was playing around w/ the idea of running a huge recirculating dwc ebb n flow hybrid system outdoor next year maybe use a 30 gal garbage can instead of a bucket... has anyone attempted this I'd love to here some testimonies.

D:S5:

[hydrocannabis]

I wanna see this also.

[Hardy024]

I havnt tried that, but I can almost garentee there will be outdoor hydro next year in my grow area. Thanks for the idea man.:thumbsup:

[d4twamp]

hello.....hello..hello.. hello....is anybody out there......anybody out there... anybody out there... or am I just crazy for thinking this...
D:S5:

[stinkyattic]

Try a drip-to-waste outdoors, or plan on a really excellent filter, and don't forget your calmag if you are running rain water!

[d4twamp]

I'd probably be using tap water, I don't know what the levels of cal or mag is in my tap water. I do have some cal/mag . I have also thought about the algae that will more than likely present itself in a outdoor hydro application.
I'm wanting to build a greenhouse for my outdoor so I can still control the photo periods and the heat in the summer as it gets up to 118 here.
Could you elaborate a lil more on the drip to waste stinky. I heard something about it before but wasn't interested at the time, already too much useless knowledge in my head trying to find find it's purpose. thanx for the reply I thought I was all alone in here.

D

[stinkyattic]

Lol!
Drip to waste is a pretty easy way to avoid clogs that you get in a recirc system from ALGAE!! (and other gunk).
Ebb n flow is fine too.
Either way, you need your res to be lightproof and also have a lid that fits well. And your pump should be kept in a pump bag to keep crap out of the impeller.
If you can get to the parts to clean them with a stiff brush every few days it will be easier- concentrate on the drain and the pump, and if you are using drip emitters, give them a check often as well.

Typical drip-to-waste would be something like coco fibre lightened with perlite, dripping to 10% waste on a timer.

Ebb n flow would be easy using containerized hydroton in a tray that is set up so that you can move the containers and clean debris out regularly.

The greenhouse environment is definitely easier to control, but you will have a fun time with heat, that's for sure...

[d4twamp]

I was thinking of digging out a hole in the ground and building a box to go in the hole the box will have a hinged lid and will accommodate the res. then use maybe a 30 gallon garbage can as the grow cell which will have at least 2 inch drainage out the bottom and cascading back to the res. I already use a filter bag on the pump in the res indoors and am anticipating alot of algae out doors... hoping the res being subterranean will keep the temps down a lil, as a chiller is not in the budget. I think ebb n flow might get a lil to hot in between cycles so i'm contemplating doing a constant recirc. w/ a crap load of o2 bubbling. I'm just curious to see what can be accomplished in hydro with free light, and air

thanks again Stinky

D

[d4twamp]

has anyone tried an outdo' dro' grow
anyone,
anyone,
anyone,

D

[medigrower]

have you looked at Mega Farms(GH)? water farms but 10 time bigger (prob. more) i have seen outdoor hawaii hydro using mega farms

[Hardy024]

So from the outdoor dro youve seen, medigrower, does it make a significant difference in; -potency -yeild -height -bushiness -crystals or anything else of significant value apposed to plain indoor hydro plant?

I would like to experiment with this a little. I may get a little more involved. maybe I could isolate an area of a fuckin brook or somthing. add the nuts in the isolated area, with tiny ass holes to keep it a lil circulated and itd be pretty bubbly. theres a few ways of going about this, but for now im thinkin small scall.

Idk who this guy is if this pic comes out. just somin i found on google. it doesnt say how long theyve been around, and it appears to be a tomato plant, but without knowin the age, I cant quite tell if its any diff then indoor hydro. tell me what you think.

[stinkyattic]

Betcha that's a NFT system almost identical in setup, if not in scale, to one I used to work on at a hydro basil greenhouse. You are limited to plants of a rather small size, before the roots clog up the gutters and take the 'F' right out of it haha. (Flow)

If growing pot in one of those, you MUST start flowering from newly-rooted clones with 2 or fewer weeks veg time.

Another thing that occurred to me is to take VERY good care of your beneficial organisms in the system, because you will be less able to control other pathogens- maintaining a healthy flora in your res and pots is key.

[d4twamp]

Thanx for chiming in , yeah that does look like NFT , "take the F right out of it" you crack me up stinky...the beneficial organisms problems you speak of would probably be due to the warm temps huh? I use some beneficial bacteria etc trichoderma/mychorrizae is this what you mean...

[stinkyattic]

The warm temps and the fact that it is outdoors mean you WILL have bacteria and fungi, so it's important to add BENEFICIALS to balance out the litte ecosystem you have created in favor of green living plants. So yeah, those are the ones you want. Something like 'SubCulture' is a good beneficials package for a hydro system.

[Charles U Farley]

The one concern/question I would have about this setup is temps.You mentioned that it gets very warm where you are at in the summer.Stinky alluded to that in her last post.Developing benefical bacteria will be very important (IMO)but I would postulate that water temps over 90 degrees would create a ton of problems.Its a great idea though,I would really like to see how things work out for you,keep us informed.Take care and be well,most of all be safe.

[stinkyattic]

I think he was planning to sink it into the ground. An awning or shade over it, and a silver tarp to reflect sunlight, will also help keep the res cool. Worst would be a dark-colored res lid in a sunny spot.

[Weedhound]

Charles pinned it for me.......I do hydro for control purposes........along with indoors for the exact same reason. I would absolutely HATE to work like a dog on my hydro stuff only to have the weather.........completely beyond my control........screw my grow.

[d4twamp]

I just wanna see what would happen, I might try it out next year...maybe by then I'll be able to afford a chiller... anybody have any thoughts on a good strain for this...

D

[trinitybound]

Outdoor hydro is great if you prepare correctly. Where I live it gets up to 115 for days at a time. You've got to keep the res cool but you don't want a big difference in temperature when the system cycles. Continuous flow during light hours is good if you use a chiller full time otherwise the pump will heat the water and make things worst.
Pythium (root rot) is the big concern, I tend to deal with it in an aggressive preventive manner, 35% Hydrogen Peroxide in small doses will keep it at bay but will also kill off the beneficial bacteria, so use nutrients that are readily available to the plants.

DWC is a good low cost way to deal with the heat. I grew lettuce and tomatoes in a DWC bucket with styrofoam rafts, all the way through summer. The lettuce stretched because of the heat but it also puts off a natural chemical that helps prevent pythium. The tomatoes where amazing and had roots that where 4 feet long when I lifted the raft out of the water. The res would get up to 80-90 degrees during the day and evaporate the water like crazy, up to 5 gallons a day.

This is the ebb and flow system that I modeled my system after. But in 115 degree weather I've found drain to waste drip setups combined with an absorbent medium to be the better solution and it eliminates the cost of the control bucket.

Complete Multi Flow bucket systems at discount prices (http://www.hydroponicswholesale.com/multi-flow-bucket-systems-packag-c-140.html)

These usually come with 2 gallon containers I wanted 5 gallon buckets so I made my own.
Here is where I got the control kit.
Ebb & Flow Control Kit (http://www.aquahub.com/store/product39.html)

I purchased black 5 gallon premium buckets, the inserts, the fittings and tubing from a local source. I installed the kit in another 5 gallon bucket and purchased a large Brute garbage can for the res. It works very nice when used with expanded clay.

The price is about the same as a prebuilt setup but my DIY allows for much more versatility. You have to supply the pumps, timer and wiring. Check out the instructions before you buy the control kit if you question your ability to wire it yourself.
Hope this post wasn't excessively long, I could go into much greater detail but people would probably fall asleep reading it. :D

Outdoor hydro is the best of both worlds, free high intensity lighting, all the fresh air needed combined with the control and power of full hydroponic solutions. Your moving into the epithelial of plant culture.
Good luck :jointsmile:

[d4twamp]

I'd rather use fill and drain fittings inside each grow cell, alot cheaper than a electrical e n b controller. either drip to waste or recirc. dwc is the way I'll go. completely DIY of course, it's my new found hobby

D

[d4twamp]

no thought's on a strain for outdoor hydro

D

[the image reaper]

I've played with the idea of outdoor hydro, but I suspect trying to keep up with algae control and constant evaporation would be a pain in the butt ... something to consider :jointsmile:

[d4twamp]

My thought's too TIR, btw you on the road yet
D

[d4twamp]

Bump Bump Bubabump

Is there still no thought's on what YA'LL would like to see or do well (strain wise) for D4TWAMP's 2009 outdoor hydro attempt... feel free to leave your $.02...

D:smokebong:

[Weedhound]

ok sorry for threadjack....

Trinity you may want to consider using something like Canna's Cannazym to prevent root rot vs H202.....it will do just as good a job for you without killing off your beneficial bacteria.

End of threadjack.......sorry d4....

[d4twamp]

no worries Mrs. hound... glad to see ya
D

[trinitybound]

weedhound, Thanks for the recommendation, Right now i'm using only chemical nutes outside. But I've been wanting to switch to a fully organic home brew. I'll have to give the Cannazyme a try.

D4, If your a card holder the bean bank has a new selection out for this year. Otherwise I'd love to see some outdoor grandaddy purple or maybe a 15 foot strawberry cough growing out of a 20 gal container :thumbsup:

[d4twamp]

Hey Trin,
sorry that's what I call my daughter her name is Trinity too. have you checked out ROOTS EXCELURATOR its a great product for developing root structure, and preventative maintenance against root rot, I use it till the 3rd week of bloom. It is pricey but you'll see why after using it.

I am a medicinal patient what bean bank were you speaking of.

D:S5:

[trinitybound]

I just googled that root stuff, any idea what it's made out of? It must really show results to be that pricey.

The California bean bank supplies seed to a lot of dispensaries. You might have to ask for them at your local place. Also some counties have a ban on seed, I found that out at a dispensary in Santa Cruz.

[Weedhound]

Hey Trin,
sorry that's what I call my daughter her name is Trinity too. have you checked out ROOTS EXCELURATOR its a great product for developing root structure, and preventative maintenance against root rot, I use it till the 3rd week of bloom. It is pricey but you'll see why after using it.

I am a medicinal patient what bean bank were you speaking of.

D:S5:

My hydro guy seconds you on the roots exceulator but you can you can also use Rhizotonic is the same thing.......just not as concentrated. Pricewise they work out about the same......like d4 said..it's pricey stuff but works very well.

The way I understand it is that Rhizotonic (or Root Excel....)treats root rot and helps grow good strong roots.

Cannazym takes your dead and dying roots and does something to them that keep them from rotting. The way it was explained to me is that before you get root rot your roots have to rot. Duh. First they have to die. Then they rot. Then it spreads and........Cannazym BREAKS that cycle and that is how it prevents root rot diseases.

[d4twamp]

Yup I use it from the first week of veg thru the first 3 weeks of flowering(per house and gardens schedule). And I've never seen root rot...On the house and garden website you can pull up a PDF data sheet on each one of their products.

With the combination of ROOTS EXCELURATOR and Aurora Innovations ROOTS ORGANICS OREGONISM XL(beneficial bacteria's) I've had clones in the past w/ roots thicker than overcooked spaghetti noodles, under flourescent shop lights no less. imho I think it's a great start for a huge and well developed root structure, which equates to bigger yields...

D:S5:

still nobody has any ideas on a good strain for the outdoor hydro attempt of '09

[d4twamp]

Hey WEEDHOUND check out the dwc club thread if you could bless me w/ some of your precious time and knowledge I got some ?'s on a recirc dwc setup...

later D

[Weedhound]

nice roots on that plant!! Where is that thread....it's pretty old. I can't remember what forum its in. Let me look around.

[d4twamp]

quick reply WH it's in the hydroponics forum

later D

[d4twamp]

Has anyone ever tried Organics Alive... the owner one of the hydro shops gave me a free sample at the beginning of my last soil grow, but I don't remember how well it worked.. never tried it in hydro though

D

[d4twamp]

Figured I'd bump this thread... I think I'll go ahead w/ the outdoor hydro grow... I've since learned how to build my own water chiller on the cheap, and hopefully I'll have one or two ready to go by then...

D:jointsmile:

[justanotherbozo]

i just spotted this thread so here is a video you might find interesting
i've been wanting to try this for some time now but, sadly, my life
has been too fraught with complications to deal with this at this time

i will try to embed it but heres the link just in case
YouTube - Hydroponic recirculating solar powered system (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2hm5o5NjOs)

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J2hm5o5NjOs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J2hm5o5NjOs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

what am i doing wrong with this embedding shit?

anyway, heres another you might find useful
YouTube - Building a Cruising Hydroponic Garden (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL-vvJWcEYU)

[d4twamp]

Bozo I've seen that video on you tube before in my never ending scavenger hunt for hydro info on the web, useful info though, forgot about that one...
D:thumbsup:

[Weezard]

Aloha, D40

Last month you asked if anyone was doing outdoor hydro.

Sho' nuff!

Bought a tiny Centennial Tomato plant from H.D.
Washed off the roots and dropped it in a 5" net pot filled with diced Rockwool n Hydrotron.
Ran about 12 lengths of cotton string through the bottom of the net pot and let them dangle in the bubbling water as wicks to get the roots started.
Attached that to the lid of a Rubbermaid tub.
Threw in 2 airstones and set it on the lanai in full sun.
I call it Bubbaponics.
Using G. H. bloom nutes at about 500ppm PH. around 5.6.
1/2 rainwater w/calmag and half tap water.
As you can see, the tub is a light gray and the lid is dark.
The surface temp of the water is about 78 F.
Ambient averages 81 in the fall, in the tropics.
Algae is not a problem
She goes through a gallon of water per day, but, like Cannabis, thrives on neglect:)
I can ignore it for a few days because of the size of the tub. (24g.)
This looks like a real winner, so I'm about to risk some high priced beans.
Plan to use 55g garbage cans for the next trial.
Won't know if that's overkill until I try it.

Film at 11 !
Weezard.

Well, you did ask.
OK, OK, here's your thread back.:D

[d4twamp]

Beautiful Weezard, don't worry about thread jacks here, if it has to do with outdoor hydro bro this is the spot...please throw any outdoor hydro pix if u got any info you want to share in my thread is welcome and encouraged...hope to see and here more from you thanx

D

[hydrocannabis]

Weezard that is the coolest looking thing I have ever seen.

I am right now planing to do a hydroponic next spring/summer.:D

[Weezard]

Weezard that is the coolest looking thing I have ever seen.
.:D

Don't get out much, do ya, H. C.?:D
But thanks.:o

I've always felt that anything worth doing well,
is too damn hard:).

Jets clog, water pumps fail, timers screw up.
Dirt is heavy and, well, dirty.;)
Most schemes require constant attention and effort.

Not into effort.
And constant attention IS effort.

Any grow that depends on me being dependable is doomed
So, I'm trying to simplify and automate at the same time.
I call it Bubba-ponics.
Lazy man's gardening on the cheap.
Air pump is the only moving part.
Got that on a UPS in case of power failure
Anything I can come up with that takes my "black thumb" out of the mix is a plus.
This way, I can fully enjoy my last harvest without hosing up the next one.:cool:

If you ever see me overworking, you can safely assume that you are hallucinating.:jointsmile:

Looking forward to your project.
Weezard

[SnSstealth]

great idea D and nice non-work there weez:thumbsup:

I know the guys at greenhouse claim the Church to be very mold resistant and its a big bushy plant that would do well outside. I think it was xcrispi who got 16 ozers off one inside (ill have to check that).

good luck,
db:smokin:

[Weedhound]

We got something like 7 oz off our church and she was another like Curly that looked really crappy in veg.....then exploded in flower.

I've never seen such odd looking cannabis plants there Weezard. What strain do they call that? :D Those ARE the most beautiful hydro roots I have ever seen.....even for such a strange strain of ganja. :D

You going to gotry this D4?

[d4twamp]

WH that strain Weezard gots there is the KILLA ISLAND MAYTER ...lol....

Yeah I'm gonna try this next year...but Mine will be a little less Bubba than Weezards and more ponics...I'm gonna go either recirc dwc or a huge ebb n flow/DWC hybrid that's been running thru my head for some time...probably gonna be a 30 -50 gallon grow cell...

D

[Weedhound]

And you are going to remove and bring 30-50 gallons of hydro solution with your garden hose? That and pumps I suppose.

One really nice thing about hydro outdoors is if there is some sort leak or spill you'd most likely be a LOT better off outside.

[Weezard]

[quote=Weedhound]
I've never seen such odd looking cannabis plants there Weezard. What strain do they call that? :D Those ARE the most beautiful hydro roots I have ever seen.....even for such a strange strain of ganja. :D
[quote]

Too bad 'bout dem big nanners though.:D

Aloha Weedy.
Howzit?

Dat's my "ainokea" 'speriment.
Always try to test my brainsqualls, (too dumb for storms), on sumthin' expendable.
She was a scraggly, $2, home depot, n'orphan.
Just looked so sad all by her lonesome there.

Got 4 dozen 'maters on 'er now.
Looks like every flower is setting fruit. Yay!

I'm thinkin this is perfect for a Church.
Alas, ainogotta Church.

Got another bucket indoors under LEDs with a W.W. clone.
Took dozens of clones from her but she was still getting too big for my space.
Put her in 12/12 yesterday.
She's twice the size of anything I've ever grown in dirt after only 4 week in veg.
I think we might be on to something here.
Starting some sweet peppers in a garbage can , outdoors, today.
I'll keep you posted, D4.

Thanks for the chuckle, Weedy.

I'm off to be the Lizard.

Wee.

[d4twamp]

Mrs. Hound - Yes I'll use pumps and hoses/tubing to move the water/nutrient solution where I need it, I started doing it indoors too on my last grow, so much easier than carrying buckets...I use tap water & keep a large garbage can just for the purpose of having nonchlorinated water readily accessable for the next res dump and top offs...

Weezard - you can post your outdoor hydro updates w/ the peppers here too, if you wanna...How big of a garbage can r u gonna go for them peppers...

[Weezard]

;)
Mrs. Hound - Yes I'll use pumps and hoses/tubing to move the water/nutrient solution where I need it, I started doing it indoors too on my last grow, so much easier than carrying buckets...I use tap water & keep a large garbage can just for the purpose of having nonchlorinated water readily accessable for the next res dump and top offs...

Weezard - you can post your outdoor hydro updates w/ the peppers here too, if you wanna...How big of a garbage can r u gonna go for them peppers...

Plain old 55g., black plastic, square-ish with wheels, D.

But it looks like I'm gonna need to buy another seedling.
My pepper popped flower buds yesterday.
I was planning on taking clones and putting one in DWC alone, one with DWC and drip, and one in dirt.
Dunno if the clones will take once they start blooming and it's getting late in the season for natural light.
Come December the days start getting longer again.
Drat
Might have to go with Yellow tomatoes instead.
Got some organic seed for large yellow and large Tigerellas.
The Centennial now has over 50 fruits.
Looks like I'll be doing some canning this winter.:cool:

Advice is solicited and appreciated.

Thanks,
Weeze

[Weedhound]

Advice about what? Types of tomatos? I don't have a single clue what to tell you about growing tomatos. :eek:

[Weezard]

Advice about what? Types of tomatos? I don't have a single clue what to tell you about growing tomatos. :eek:

Fair enough.:)

I use Tomatoes because they are much like Cannabis. Except for the level of photoperiodicity that is.

I am financially conservative, (read cheap:)).

Once I can DWC a tomato in outdoor hydro, succesfully, then I'll risk killing one of natures finest gifts with my black thumb.

I am liable to pester you for your experience with DWC.
I know a talented grower when I read one.:cool:

I expect to learn a lot from DW's grow.

I'll try to contain myself and lurk for a while.
I call it "seed reading".:D
Every now and again one of those seeds germinates in the fertilized bed of my head.
On rare occasions, a burst of flowering occurs and I can't stop the joy from bursting out my fingertips.

If it gets too annoying, just tell me to hush.

Aloha

Weeze

[d4twamp]

Fair enough.:)

I use Tomatoes because they are much like Cannabis. Except for the level of photoperiodicity that is.

I am financially conservative, (read cheap:)).

Once I can DWC a tomato in outdoor hydro, succesfully, then I'll risk killing one of natures finest gifts with my black thumb.

I am liable to pester you for your experience with DWC.
I know a talented grower when I read one.:cool:

I expect to learn a lot from DW's grow.

I'll try to contain myself and lurk for a while.
I call it "seed reading".:D
Every now and again one of those seeds germinates in the fertilized bed of my head.
On rare occasions, a burst of flowering occurs and I can't stop the joy from bursting out my fingertips.

If it gets too annoying, just tell me to hush.

Aloha

Weeze

Nonsense Weez, I'm the same way....So no worries my brother, any friend of mine is welcome to say their piece in ANY of my threads...And any of my cannacom friends are welcome to talk to each other, in my threads too for that matter...I don't sweat the small stuff...

So keep on being yourself cuz I embrace diversity, we can all learn so much from each others differences...:thumbsup: