Hey all, can I start by saying for the record that I am a COMPOST grower- HAHAHA- just in case there was any confusion... :jointsmile:

I'm setting up another room in my house to run hydro for the winter because I really don't have a good place to store soil that doesn't freeze, and disposing of used dirt in a place that gets SNOWFALL is just ASKING for trouble...

So this is going to be set up as an example of what I consider to be a very VERY basic beginner hydro system, one which anyone can run without too much hassle.

I have always run a perpetual crop, and despite the insistence of my favorite Cannabis Consultant (you know who you are!) that SOG 2-month cycles are far more efficient, I'm going to continue.

It's not that I disagree, but I personally have amassed a collection of 35 different strains and do not want to limit myself to a single strain per cycle, and I will need to be able to move plants around anyway, so there's no reason why I should not run multiple trays and reservoirs, and simply move plants along as they get closer to harvest.

Plants are not going to be embedded in a substrate of anything; rather, they'll be put in quart pots full of hydroton- not net- pots, regular ones, and moved to keep the canopy as even as possible, and get teh proper food mix.

I will have 3 trays:

2x4 for early flower- plain bloom nutes
2x4 for mid flower- this one will get any bloom boosters I decide to use
1x4 for pre-harvest- this will contain all plants within 2 weeks of harvest and be on a constant leaching solution

Plants will be put into the room as well-rooted clones, and grown in the bud-on-a-stick fashion.

Lighting will be a single air-cooled HPS1000. Also in the room will be my spare HPS400 for retired mothers, but that is not part of this log.

The room is about 6x6 ish.

Reservoirs will be 5 gallon pails with covers. Pumps will be the cheap 'Eco' pumps from National Garden Wholesale- the local shop stocks them and they are supposed to be pretty damn indestructible for a $15 pump.

I'll be no doubt having to add additional climate control, as my attic is unheated. I may also add CO2 if my friend EVER decides to give me back my damn tank, grr, but I haven't decided yet, since I sleep in the same area and am not exactly comfortable with trusting the regulator! If I can find a high-CO2 alarm, I'd be more willing to consider it. Plus I'd have to go sealed-room. We will see.

Most likely the strains I will choose out of my collection for these hydro tables will all be squat indicas, and I will be relying heavily on the classic Power Plant and the BOG lines, along with a couple of my own lines that I feel are well suited to SOG.

For ferts, I've got 5 gallons of Botanicare Power Plant/Power Flower that I need to use up, then I'm switching to Cornucopia quite likely- it's cheap, it's local, I'm impressed by it so far, the local shop keeps it stocked.

I run city water and do not forsee problems. I've dabbled in flood n drain before and my main issues were nothing more than temps and getting the cycles right.

So as soon as I get some plastic at the house, I'll start posting up pictures.
stinkyattic Reviewed by stinkyattic on . Stinky's Crash Course in "nOOb Hydro"... Welcome to the Darkside Hey all, can I start by saying for the record that I am a COMPOST grower- HAHAHA- just in case there was any confusion... :jointsmile: I'm setting up another room in my house to run hydro for the winter because I really don't have a good place to store soil that doesn't freeze, and disposing of used dirt in a place that gets SNOWFALL is just ASKING for trouble... So this is going to be set up as an example of what I consider to be a very VERY basic beginner hydro system, one which anyone Rating: 5