can anyone direct me to information, video, books or articles on building an ebb n flow system? I want a top line grow sog, but trying to save costs where I can, by diy.
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can anyone direct me to information, video, books or articles on building an ebb n flow system? I want a top line grow sog, but trying to save costs where I can, by diy.
Download 'I Grow Chronic' by Mr Green [probably for free on a file share site]...He shows you how to make an Ebb n Flow system with all the accessories...Real easy to do. How to harvest 1/4 pound of AK47 bud every 6 weeks with only 4 plants...Only buy the best seeds ..if you clone them u will never buy seeds again.Fill one bucket with nutes....and another with clay pebbles....attach a hose to the bottom of the grow bucket..attach the other end of the hose to a water pump and place the water pump into the nute solution..place the nute bucket on the floor...and the grow bucket on a table...When the pump is turned on..the nutrient solution is pumped up through the hose to the grow bucket and floods the roots...the pump switches off...and water drains out via THE SAME hoseback to the reservoir bucket..SIMPLE. To ensure the water doesn't overflow the grow bucket on the flood cycle..drill a hole on the side of the bucket[at the sam height as the stalk's arse..attach a hose that drains the overflowing liquid back into the res'..TWO BUCKETS , TWO HOSES , ONE PUMP
Check out the thread in the Hydoponics section called FLUORESCENT LIGHT HELP!!!!!
It has a link to the film i mentioned 'I GROW CHRONIC!'
DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm all over it,,,,,,, thanks guys!
Here's mine... works wonderfully... if you wanna know how to make this... just ask... it's also online somewhere... but I modified those plans and made it a lot better... lemme know if you need info.
Where did you get the pots? How is your's better than the one posted on the internet?
The pots are cut from 4" PVC and capped. In my oppinion it's better than the online one because its much stronger and more level. The other version calls for 2 liter bottles cut, which is incredibly weak and they flex out of shape. Also, with mine, the part they never tell u is that once water flows through, the entire PVC frame will flex and create minor cracks at the connections which will leak like crazy, mine compensates for that with no leaking and and even flow of water throughout the PVC. The major modification takes place where the pots are connected... I never took pictures of how I did it, but it's MUCH better than the way the online guide said, (which was to screw in the 2 liter bottles to a threaded connector). Mine doesn't leak, has an even distribution of water flow, and I built that custom stand to perfectly fit the system which makes it all the better. If you're still wondering what exactly I did to modify it, I'll try to take some pics of inside the pots to show you, it's hard to describe because I don't know the names of the pieces I used inside.
What about an overflow ..does it have one...and is that for flowering..the pots look a little small to allow for root growth and are they too close together or do you grow a particular strain that can cope with the tight space ? ..How big is it in 'area'? Looks nice!
Great job, as a DIY afficienado, I applaud you...I have printout of ebb and flow set-up you copied and I never tried it because of the weakness you mentioned...I have kiced aroud using pvc t's/T up for netpot sites allowing drainage/roots into large pvc tube.
I found a drain field pipe at hopot for under 10 dollars and the t"s ther efor under 5...
I would build one, but I am in the middle of perfecting my aero/drip/dwc setup...keep it up, I look forward to what you come up with next...lw
Nice work. I would like to see pictures. Or at least the parts to build the pots. Sometime down the road I would like to make one. Are your pots large enough for the entire veg to flower cycle? Did you glue this all together or use teflon tape?
As for the pots being big enough, I assume so, this is my first grow in this system so we'll see if it works, they're actually a lot bigger than they look because they are pretty deep.
Regarding the connections... my ideal setup had the pots be removable... I tried EVERYTHING to make this happen! I went through at least 100 different pieces to make sure it could unscrew, but no matter what... it was going to leak. Teflon tape just slowed the leaking... so I came up with an alternate solution. Although I did not use this in my current situation, it fits wonderfully... a 4" net pot fits perfectly on the top of the 4" PVC pots... fill em with hydroton, and let it grow. I just filled the pots with Hydroton regardless of the net pot idea because I was too anxious.
And as for the flex when it fills up with water... wow was that a surprise... I felt like I built it perfectly, then the first trial... I nearly gave up on it cuz there were so many leaks and those other plans never mentioned anything about leaking. But a little material called Plumbers Putty fixed that right up! All my connections are sealed with PVC Cement and then re-sealed with plumbers putty on the outside... it's really quick and easy and it stopped all the leaks.
The first pipe in the middle cross piece that has two tiny little air holes, is the over flow. It's set at a decent high where the water level will stop at all the pots, but if your system isn't level, some might flood before your over flow kicks in.
Overall it is a little less than 4 feet long and 3 feet wide... so perfect for a 400w. There's a decent amount of room between the pots, but I figured it would be enough considering you see some setups where the plants are less than a foot away from each other.
I hope this helped and answered any questions, and I'll find a way to take some pics of the inside of the pots. You'll be seeing updates every now and then of the system, I'll try to keep it current. Thanks. Shmoke on.
How did you attach the pots to the system? I assume you drilled a hole in the bottom. Then how did you attach the pots so they would be sturdy enough. Maybe a picture looking underneath one of these pots would answer my questions. Thanks.
Ok, there's 4 main little pieces that put the pot on the PVC. I'll show diagrams of each little piece. The way I do it, makes it possible to make all the pots at one time, and then put them on at one time, so as not to be bogged with constantly maneuvering the PVC frame. I can't make it any easier than this rushed diagram I just drew. If it's not screwable, then cement it, and once all pieces are in place, go over it with plumbers putty. Fill with water, watch for leaks, and repeat with putty. {{The key is jamming the small 1" cap [Part #4] onto the male end [Part #3] that is jammed through the 4" cap. Believe it or not, with all the jamming, there is an incredibly strong seal. Here's also the under shot of the pot, doesn't look like much because of the putty that is coated on it. If I missed anything let me know. Hope this helps Gen.
Damn... that diagram looks pretty shitty once uploaded. Lemme know if you can't read somethin'. Had to make it a JPEG cuz of upload limits.
Dang that is one fine diagram! Thanks Chronic, I get the idea.