What's the most hands-off method?

[DrDichotomy]

I'm going to go with fully automated drip-to-waste in coco with a large res and a waste receptacle that either automatically pumps to a drain, or is large enough not to need emptying.
However, drip emitters DO need frequent checking because they can get clogged with slime.

Ebb n Flow is also very low maintenance, but you have to check and clean the pump filter weekly in any recirculating system.

Drip to waste in promix is similar to coco but the pH changes over time and you will need to monitor runoff to avoid problems.

With any system that is intended to be hands-off, the quality of your nute is very important. I'm not saying, "run out and spend $400 on a nute system", I'm saying that you should do some research on nutes that are forgiving, unlikely to burn, and are buffered at the correct pH for your system. I have been VERY pleased with my results using the Canna Aqua line, which is essentially a hydro-organic fertilizer buffered EXACTLY where your plants need it, so you have to check pH less often.

What exactly is Coco? How is it different/better than soil or other grow mediums? Would you suggest using Cana Coco nutes with that or would you stay with the aqua line?

[DrDichotomy]

Also, if I had something like a 20 gal reservoir feeding 3-4 plants, would that keep them happy for at least a week? That much fluid would be hard to alter the pH of it would seem to me.

[stinkyattic]

Coco is the fiber of coconut husks, soaked in brine for 1-2 years, then de-salted (cheap stuff needs more rinsing), shredded or chipped, and compressed for sale.
I'd DEFINITELY go with teh Canna Coco because coco sometimes LEACHES OUT potassium and SCAVENGES Calcium, and it's a soilless medium needing just a touch higher pH than hydro, so the Coco line compensates for that in a way the Aqua stuff wouldn't.

I can't really say about the res; it depends on plant size, %RH in the room, temps, light intensity, and feeding habits of that strain. But I think that sounds adequate. Don't worry about altering the pH; not only is that nutrient line well-buffered in range, but concentrated acids and bases change the pH a LOT with just a few drops per gallon, and it is no more difficult to set it in a large res than in a small bucket; arguably, it's easier in a big res because you are less likely to overshoot your target pH.

[justanotherbozo]

Also, if I had something like a 20 gal reservoir feeding 3-4 plants, would that keep them happy for at least a week? That much fluid would be hard to alter the pH of it would seem to me.

hey Doc, while i don't think it's helpful for someone to tell you to 'go buy weed', your questions shout out loud and clear that you've done very little research.

initially you asked 'What's the most hands-off method?', and you got several responses, and not just from noobs, you got advice from a few of the master growers on this forum.

the thing you have to understand Doc is that people very quickly lose interest in helping someone too lazy to help themselves.

the thing is, these questions have been asked and answered in one form or another at least a thousand times before i joined this board, all you have to do is look, and the answers are there.

here are a few places to go look for some answers for yourself, and don't take offense, a wise man once said 'give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats every day'.

http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...-dankness.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-darkside.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...wood-tree.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/hydroponi...tch-style.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-dwc-grow.html
Hydroponics - Cannabis.com Forums Message Boards - Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Club, Dispensary, News

i know it won't be as easy as it would be if you could just ask for the answers but, if you actually do read some of these threads, you will learn a whole lot that you didn't even know you needed to know.

plus, you will gain some respect as your questions will be much more advanced and they will illustrate the work you did just to be able to formulate the question.

maybe most important of all, you will gain some self-respect, knowing you did all the easy stuff yourself.

[elskeetro]

My vote is for DWC.

I've messed with drip systems which end up in a tangled mess of tubes and leaves and it's really clumsy for me.

I've done ebb and flow and i kept getting root rot and dying plants. also pretty clumsy and hard to keep clean.

I've come back to DWC and it its by far the easiest hydro system to maintain (IMO) i have each plant in a 5 gal bucket with an airstone bubblin away at the roots. they grow fast and huge with very few problems (so far...) it's easy to move them around because they are all self contained and compact. you do have to check the PH and shit...but once you have it stable it's not bad at all.

I used to hem and haw over every little detail in my first 2 grows and the results were less than favorable. this 3rd grow i was worrying over and giving constant attention to it...i was looking for things to go wrong...but really nothing was, they were doing fine, but i couldn't let go of it. Finally Stinky convinced me that they were probably fine and just see what would happen if i let them be. I have pretty much left them alone, aside from res changes and once daily pH checks (more if it's off...but not usually) and they are really doing great. i dunno if i'd be able to leave them for a week...they might not like that...but DWC wins for me.

thanks
Skeet

PS - Here they is: http://boards.cannabis.com/plant-pro...ml#post1873683

[stinkyattic]

i dunno if i'd be able to leave them for a week...they might not like that...but DWC wins for me.

Hahaha! Don't be foisting off your own need for plant companionship as the PLANTS needing your company! :jointsmile: Seriously though, you're doing SOMETHING right!

[NaughtyDreadz]

Hahaha! Don't be foisting off your own need for plant companionship as the PLANTS needing your company! :jointsmile: Seriously though, you're doing SOMETHING right!

ya !!! I've also separation anxiety... I need to go down south for a week or so... but I dunno how my baby's will do...

Would weed cure my weed caused separation ANXIETY???

[herbie the love bud]

@Herbie the love Bud
Dude, he was saying what the rest of us were thinking. Don't try to pass your first comment off as advice. I'd be happy to hear any legitimate advice you might have but you could have kept that one to yourself.

Silly "Dr." A 1000 fools before you and a 1000 fools after you will ask that same question. And if the board were busier, no one would have even answered you. If you had done some reading before hand and had a legitimate question it would have been helpful too.

But here's a tip, in general terms, the longest you can go between maintenance periods (of anything in life) is equal to the frequency at which you have enough time to detect and fix something without it being fatal. That's why the doctor (not you) sticks his finger up your ass once a year.

Now in hydroponics, too much can happen and kill your whole crop in the space of a week. Like root rot for instance. There are plenty of others. And that is why MJ is LITERALLY worth more than gold.

Investigate soil.

--edit-- I just checked the price of gold per ounce and it's more than MJ. Sorry for any confusion.

[stinkyattic]

Grumble away, but Herbie's right.
Remember that even if you don't absolutely HAVE to check your plants a couple times a week, doesn't mean that you SHOULDN'T. So choose a system where the things that CAN go wrong are generally simple to fix.
And time being money, if you can't put effort into it, sometimes it IS easier just to buy a bag. It all depends upon your own personal situation.

[DrDichotomy]

Ok, I think I see what's going on here... I think my question is being interpreted as 'How can I get my MJ plants to grow themselves?'. What I was really asking was more like 'What is the most robust non-soil method of growing?' or, 'Which non-soil method am I lest likely to screw up?'. I've grown twice before (in soil 1 indoor, 1 outdoor) so I know how finicky it can be.

Basically the reason I am asking is because I am an enginerding student so I can occasionally get very busy and forgetting to check the pH for a few days shouldn't be fatal in the method I choose.