Ebb and Flow Vs Passive Subirrigation

[wonderjoint]

I've read the E&F system keeps the medium more completely saturated with nutes and oxygen, but how significant are the benefits over a passive reservoir-like system.

I'm looking for answers from those who have actually have had some practical first/second-hand experience with both methods. Are there any trade-offs worth mentioning? I assume the passive system is somewhat less expensive and possibly easier to implement and maintain. Or is the E&F system so vastly superior to warrant any extra investments?

This is all very new to me BTW, so please excuse any confusion or ignorance on my part.

Thank you. :)

[herbie the love bud]

I think passive is totally underrated. I believe it is better and more fool proof than ebb and flow. In passive the roots uptake more oxygen because they never get drowned.

[IAmKowalski]

You mean passive systems like wick or Hempy buckets, right?

I would say this depends on how many plants and how much space and what style of grow as much as anything. I started with an ebb & flow system. At first, it used plastic flood trays, but this quickly became limiting as the plants grew.... quickly. A few tinkerings later and I had a multi-flow system connected together with 1/2" tubing so that I could position and move plants anywhere in the room and quickly add or remove plants from the setup.

That system was great for a large room with probably 10 to 40 plants... as long as you do a good job in construction and don't wind up with leaks.... many an annoying prototype on that system before I got it all worked out. Use home depot 2 1/2 qt paint mixing buckets and plastic T-fittings, 1/2 inch. Drill through the side of the container as low as you can with a 3/8" drill bit. Press the T-fitting through, the plastic of the container will stretch and almost make a water tight seal... but not quite. Seal the connection up from both sides with a hot glue gun. Now you're in business :)

That was fun, but I don't have any such cool space or any such cool grow going on any more.

Now, I've got a microscopic grow that I want to get the most efficiency from. It's a tiny closet just big enough to support my hobby. I only have 3.75 sqft to play with (3.75 for veg down below, and 3.75 for bloom above), but I've got a $h!t-ton of light on it so I plan to switch back to hydro so that I can allow for fast enough growth and nutrient uptake to really use all those lumens. I don't want the noise of pumps, or bubblers, and I don't really have space to locate tanks. I don't want to use flood trays because my light position is fixed and I want to be able independently raise or lower plants to provide an even canopy. I'll only be growing a few plants, so individually attending to them won't be much of a problem. For all of those reasons, I am planning on doing Hempy Buckets when I switch over from dirt. I think it's about the perfect match for my new space.

I'm planning on doing mini-hempys in Styrofoam coffee cups, then transfer into the same 2 1/2 qt containers that I used to use for ebb & flow for late veg and bloom.

[wonderjoint]

You mean passive systems like wick or Hempy buckets, right?

Yes, a wick type system. I just became aware of hempy buckets, thanks. :thumbsup:

[wonderjoint]

What medium works best with hempy buckets? I see perlite/vermiculite mentioned.
Would hydroton work with this setup? Does hydroton "wick" well (enough) in general?

[wonderjoint]

For clarification, will hydroton draw nutes and oxygen UP against the force of gravity and deliver them sufficiently, and/or what would be the most effective medium in this regard?

[stinkyattic]

If you choose Hempy buckets, follow the instructions precisely. Interstitial space volume in the media must be correct; hydroton has a much greater volume and lower total surface area.
Hydroton was designed for ebb n flow. It does not wick; only pebbles touching water will absorb moisture.