Nutrient Help

[BlazedMind]

Hello,

I need a little assistance in setting up my nutrients in my new flood and drain. Im using Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Grow and the Bloom(soil formula cause its better im told). I have a 20 gallon reservoir.

How many gallons of water should I add to the reservoir to feed 6 to 8 plants?

The seeds are in day 4 in jiffy pellets at the moment but will be going to 5.5in net pots with hydroton rocks as the medium. My flood tray is 2 x 2 x 5in deep.

I will be adding nutrients based off how many gallons of water I should add to the tank so any help would be nice.

I will throw them under a 400w MH there second week of growth and then under a 400w HPS when flowering.

Thanks in advance.

BlazedMind Reviewed by BlazedMind on 04-05-2007. Nutrient Help Hello, I need a little assistance in setting up my nutrients in my new flood and drain. Im using Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Grow and the Bloom(soil formula cause its better im told). I have a 20 gallon reservoir. How many gallons of water should I add to the reservoir to feed 6 to 8 plants? The seeds are in day 4 in jiffy pellets at the moment but will be going to 5.5in net pots with hydroton rocks as the medium. My flood tray is 2 x 2 x 5in deep. I will be adding nutrients based Rating: 5

[socialistpete]

Well I've never used that system before but I guess you would want it to flood all your medium but not get at the stem. So how ever much that is.

[BlazedMind]

Thanks for the advice. If anyone has experience with this setup please chime in I could use the help.

Also do you know if a 185gph pump will be strong enough. I was told so by the hydroponic dealer but wanted to know what you all think. :stoned:

[LOC NAR on probation]

The pump should be good. I haven't done flood and drain but the nutes you should get a tds pen. There is a chart in the faq's that shows how much nutes for what stage the plants are in. That's not counting additives just nutes then add to that. Seems with flood and drain you will start off with flood every 4 hours or so and work to tune it from there . It will need much more as plants get bigger. Hope I'm helping and not confusing you. Some one come and help a flood and drain newb. We all learn from it.

[BlazedMind]

I went out and bought a hanna ec/tds/temp digital pen today along with some hydroguard and a RO water filter system. Im hoping that will help me quite a bit.

[deftdrummer]

Blazed, your hannah pen will be very useful in your grow. You also need a pH pen though if you didn't already know that. I grow in an ebb and flow system that is 24gal max reservoir capacity and about 20gal tray so this is very similar to what you are working with.

Like someone said, you want to be able to flood your plants' roots (or where they will be) without the pump pumping more water than your drain hole can drain (otherwise you will have overflow of the worst variety). Loc is dead on, start with 4 hours gap between floods and keep the flood for 10 mins at a time. Increase as the plants get bigger and as you get into flowering, but the first sign of the plants sagging you should cut back on watering periods.

Unfortunately for your first time with the system you might just have to get some sort of measuring method and actually measure out how much H20 you are putting into the system. Be it with 5 gallon water tanks or individual gallons.

[latewood]

you need to have enough water/gallons in rez to allow you to fill e&f table to desired capacity with about 5 gallons added for ppm control and evaporation/depletion control. You don't want your plants to drink the solution and run your pump dry.
So:
table capacity +
5 gallons= desired rez solution in gallons.

Use pure blend pro as directed, but monitor ph, because for some reason their accelerated bloom and veg formulas are not ph buffered.

It is kind of a trial and error method when you build your own. Keep a mop and bucket handy. LOL Hope this helps. Peace

[BlazedMind]

Thanks on all the advice.

I actually have a seperate hanna ph champ and a serpate tds/ec pen. I also purchased a complete RO system stage 5 i think. My city water has a ppm of 60 and the ec says 114(if i read EC right). Im debating if I should take the RO system back and just use tap water.

Any suggestions on my water quality?


As far as the flood tray im not sure how much it holds. The hydroponic store i got it from was helpful but not very giving on information specifics. I know its 22" x 22" x 7" and the res is 20 gallons.

I got some 5 in net cups and hydroton rocks im going to put in tonight.

[latewood]

If you have RO...You always know...

[deftdrummer]

yeah, don't take it back I have been growing for only under a year and we are getting a RO system next after we perfect the drip system.