Top feed schedule?

[Big_House26]

How "often" and how "long" should a top feed system go off? Lets say in a hydrofarm type system, using rockwool in hydroton.

[Inspector420]

Set your timer for 3 times a day 30 minutes each and see how that goes.

[Big_House26]

Cool, thanks. I was completely in tha dark about what kinda timer i'd be look'in for...

[JackdaWack]

mine run 24/7

[Big_House26]

24/7 huh, I spose the roots get oxygen through the whole process as it is. So there's no reason for a pause in feeding?

[JackdaWack]

exactly, i have no need to stop the pump because water just drips down and off roots, the roots or base of the plant is at the top of a rubber maid cut a hole put in a netpot with rockwool 1" cubes surrounded by hyrdoton, so i have about a foot 1/2 of roots just out and chillin under the netpots. they key to this is having a drain to a seperate resevior, so your roots have no where to grow into submerged water, they just stay wet 24/7 and can breath aswell.

[Inspector420]

Jack! -.-

I was just trying to help :) I was always curious the sytem you use now I know :)

Ive been tempted like a noob to add another cycle but am afraid of having more issues and problems, like root rot, nute burn and plain old over watering.

Ive heard some intresting water timings.. Such as 1 hour on/ 2 hours off too. Someone told me to do this with the flood and drain technique. Im not sure if this can be modified for drip top feed or not...

cya

[JackdaWack]

well it all depends on what kinda grow material you use, just check your roots and make sure they get oxygen, they want to look fresh and white...ish, im not using rockwool next time, becuase it holds alot of water and when they get big im getting like very litte root rot, dont want that so. Strait up hydroton in the netptos. in rock wool u do want to use a normal setting like 15-30min watering 2wice a day.

[BlueBear]

Like JW said, the medium makes a real difference. If the water is dripping onto the RW then something like the 3 times is allright, but if using hytro ton, or lava rocks without RW then a 24 7 can work great.\
Adieu

[Inspector420]

Like jack said in another post somewhere about not using rockwool no more. Well Ill be doing the same, ill use the smallest size just to get them started and into the hydroton they go. I like the idea of more frequent watering times and would imagine that good results would follow.

Good read