starting over with new system

Hey guys I'm new here and could use some ideas. On my last three crops(which were my first three) I used dutch trays with 1 gallon pots inside them about 4 a tray, which drained into a res and the nuts were pumped from the res to drip stakes. my medium I belive was hydroton(sp). That system was to large and cumbersome, time to start over. I searched around here and seen Latewoods pics of the tote set-up and this is basiclly what I'm going to do. When I see pics of systems this way they still incorporate the covers, is this because there using net pots? I was just going to fill my 18 gal totes with medium and put 2 plants per tote and use the drip stake system with each tote draining into another tote wich will act as the res. If your wondering I'm going to do 5 totes on top for 10 plants under 1000w swithcable. any comments, suggestions or ideas would be very helpfull.

Latewood if you read this I want to say thank you for sharing so much of your knowledge you have allowed mine to grow by 10 fold.:D

clarification: I will only be using one res.

Anyone? ALso wondering what GPH should i use?

I think it would be awsome, but you are going to spend a"chitload" for hydroton. Zandor always talks about a bubbler with a 5g bucket inside another bucket w/million holes and filled with hydroton to grow monster trees.

Good idea. You might consider busted up and rinsed lava rock, and 1/2 way down a coco mat to lure the adventurous roots, and keep them from chasing the stream. It would take probably 30liters (3 small bags) of hydroton...that's 36 bucks.

So you didn't like using the leach trays. I still have four and have been debating using them again. I am now rooting my hydro clones in a modified ebb and flow. Kinda the same as a leach tray set-up, then I am vegging in the tub drip system, I am thinking aobut vegging netpots side by side in the trays and moviing the tubs into the flower room with the 5g bubblers I currently flower in. Jus tfor fast flower clones. I will still grow 3/4lb yielding bushes in buckets. It's just too easy.

Thanks for the advice! I'm gonig to photo document the whole thing so I can share my experience.

Would it be better to use maybe 2 tall, narrow garbage cans (maybe taped together solidly)? That way no root tangle, but 2 drains?

Sounds pretty cool to me really.

Do you think I'll have bad root tangle? And if so what harm if any can that do to the plants?

2 plants per 18 gallon tote...don't worry about root tangle. Roots grow staright down and hang for quite awhile before you would have tangle issue. At least througout veg cycle.

from seed: you can manage the roots gently to keep them from tangling until you "sex" plants.
from clone: No worries. Peace

I'm buying fem seeds so hopefully, as in the past they'll all sprout females. I bought the totes today I ended up getting (5) 15 gallon totes and a 30 gallon res.

Oh from seed...If you get a male...you just chop it off no problem...

Hell I want to see it.

latewood I'm not sure what you meant about the coco mat. I was thinking about putting a coco mat on the bottom to try and stop any roots from trying to go into the drain, or will the roots grow right thru it I don't know shit about coco mats. I buy my drains and plumbing tonight will have some pics up this weekend.;)

as far as I know...coco mats are used alot in ebb and flow to give the roots something to travel in...so to speak. (hell, I wish a coco mat/ebb and flow, experienced grower would chime in) The idea of using a cocmat to help in your situation is purely speculation...the idea here is good, but will be an experiment the entire community can follow. Let me know if you need help, I am watching thread...later lw

The coco mat can help with a few things, one, helps keep a little moisture on the bottom of the table because some of the coco cubes can dry out fairly quickly, also it does give the roots something to grow down into which unlike the hydro rocks, will protect the roots from light and help to stop roots from clogging up any drain pipes. One thing i've notice from another grower is that with the 2 sizes of thickness which the mats usually come in, the thin one is as good as the thicker one and cheeper.
Adieu

Here are my pics.
Totes: $20
Plumbing: $60
Frame: Free, I used galvinized steel we had laying around at work

heres the rest of the pics, the hole you see on the cover is going to be plumbed from a 50 gallon drum so I can pre mix my nutrients in large qauntities.

Wow you are gonna need lots of nutrients...how often do you plan to change that system.

What do you mean "change the system"? If you mean the nutrient solution it will be about once a week.

Wow thats a big rig :D Can't wait to see it progress :)

i like i like.....thats going to produce some monsters if enough wattage is used and spread out ~ garanteed....but i would suggest putting a 2nd nutrient resevoir there, drill a hole in the side but at the bottom of 2 nutrient tubs, then push a hose threw with a rubber seal or sealant (the water will automatically level out to the same level in each of the 2 tubs) so if ones almost full, the other one will be too ;)
This will give you 120-160 litres there to play with instead of just 60-80ltr (depending on the size of your tubs of course)....
mine is a 60ltr tub and i have to top it up every 4-5 days for just 4 plants.

Anyway, keep us updated, and keep the pics commin, i wanna see this grow, its intreaged me. :)
Take care now, Peace!
Bliss.

NOw all you have to do, is keep checking your ph and ppm once you fill the rez...top off with water a couple times before you changeout nutes...I don't follow the regimen in a rez like this as much...I let the plants drink the solution...top-off, top-off...then when solution level is just over the pump...I put in fresh batch of nutes...most of the time, I just mix 5 gallons to 10 gallons at a time. I do not always fill rez. later.

also...from seed , you are going to have space issues, because you have to veg seedlings longer than clones...

You see, we discussed this before...that close together, you need to get cloning program, because you only veg the clones about 2-3 weeks until they are 12-18" tall. I use this system for veg only now...
i ebe and flow clones, then veg in these tubs, then flower in dwc.

good luck bro...looking good. You will like your set-up.

Yeah I used to just refill the res once it was close to the pump thats prob what I'll do this time. What specificly did you mean by space issues? Bushiness or height. the first grow will only be 5 plants then I'll move to 10. The top of the containers is 3 feet from the ground and the ceiling height is 8 feeet. LMK what you think!

bushiness...cool. I think you are on the right track starting with 5...one plant will fill up the entire tub top, in flower. Let me see. I think I have a clone or 2 in veg about ready for flower...these are clones after one week of veg, and the same clones after week 3. ready to flower...but I didn't get them in the flower room for another week and they are getting bigggggggggg:smokin:

See how they are starting to fill out over the top. after flowering, these babies get crazy big. Anyway. Just keeping up the chatter. later peace

So the time to order my seeds is coming soon and I'm getting nervous as to a couple of things. I'm second guessing myself as to wether or not I should fill the entire tub with medium or should I do net pots? And the medium I was using before was not hydoton, although I had used it in the waterfarm I bought several years ago. Diatomite is what I have and I have a shit load of it, more than enough to fill 5 20 gallon totes. Also i was curious as to wether you (Latewood) use a drip sytem on your net pots or bubbler. I was thinking about what you said and I might build a bubbler system to flower in wich case I would have to use net pots. Your input would be greatly appreciated!