What's the most hands-off method?

[stinkyattic]

I see what you are getting at, and the way to make your life easier is pick a nute system that is simple and stable over time. I love the Canna Aqua for that reason.
Engineering student... lol... you will end up like my dad, who is a mechanical engineer with MIT credentials and has his tomato plants on a self-watering system that turns on when the conductivity between a pair of probes stuck in the pots drops below a set point, and he's got the whole thing hooked up to a chart recorder. lol! I told him though, you've got to compensate for background conductivity of your res solution, and enter that as a constant, or your numbers are useless! I think he should switch over to a photo sensor that turns the system on after a period of sustained high light intensity. But I'm not an engineer... lol!

[DrDichotomy]

Oh, a few more things...
1) I think I've found a relatively cheap pH controller which can trigger a small pump to offset rising pH. Would this help my cause or could it just make things worse?

2) I've read about a thousand different (and often conflicting) opinions with regards to HPS vs. CFLs. I am planning a small/medium sized stealth grow cab where heat is likely to be something I will be fighting with. Can someone tell me if a 150watt HPS will be harder to deal with than a comparable (150-200 watts) amount of CFLs?

3) I fully expected a bit of a flaming by asking my question. Asking the easiest way to do something on ANY forum is kind of a nice way of shitting on those people's hobbies/professions. I should have given more of an explaination and phrased my question differently.

[stinkyattic]

Automatic pH controllers and fert dosers are more intended for a larger size grow that is at the 'away' stadium. In a space you descibe as a stealth cab, your res size will be so small that even at its lowest setting you may have problems overshooting the correct pH mark without prediluting your pH down, etc. As I said, choose a fert that is already buffered at your correct range and you won't have to fidget with it so much, and don't forget t0 pre-soak your hydroton.
If you run HPS in a small space, you need an air-cooled hood. If you have some cash, look into T5 light systems as a third excellent alternative. You need to give you space size and exhaust possibilities before anyone can help you choose a lighting system. Lights and exhaust should be considered a single unit.

[herbie the love bud]

1) I think I've found a relatively cheap pH controller which can trigger a small pump to offset rising pH. Would this help my cause or could it just make things worse?

Stinky of course is right about this. pH isn't really something to worry TOO much over. The nutes are buffered and will mostly stay good. There are a lot of other things to be considered. For instance, I am working with 91 degree temps and 85 degree water temps. Its doable, but I need to be constantly on top of balancing the EC just right with the rate of transpiration so that the plants don't suddenly get overdosed or locked out.

Today I came home and a plant had broken a major branch under its own weight and fallen over. If I didn't catch that today it would have been a gonner (and its gonna yield a quarter pound dry).

2) I've read about a thousand different (and often conflicting) opinions with regards to HPS vs. CFLs. I am planning a small/medium sized stealth grow cab where heat is likely to be something I will be fighting with. Can someone tell me if a 150watt HPS will be harder to deal with than a comparable (150-200 watts) amount of CFLs?

There is a lot of half truths about "alternative" lighting. First lets start with MJ using a maximum of 10K Lux. A 150 HPS doesn't produce that minimum so it won't be optimal, but that is OK. Enough floros can produce 10K Lux however at no penetration. HPS penetrates into the canopy and has a significant advantage. Also and particularly important is that while you can easily find a 3000K "spectrum" floro, it really doesn't provide much in the way of the other parts of the spectrum that flowering still uses like HPS.

I would still look closer at soil then hydro if you don't want to monitor every couple of days at least. But if you insist on hydro probably a single bucket waterfarm or something will work best for you. Or an Emily's garden DWC kit. They are both very affordable, perfect size for 150 HPS and have a little bit of safety net if the power goes out (or timer breaks, etc...).

Remember that is another killer in hydro: electronic timers sometimes don't recover from power outages, analog (motor) timers sometimes get weak over time and can't flip the microswitch. Shit happens in an instant that changes their world.

Change the title of your thread and hit us back as you design your system.

[stickyicky07]

I like me some DWC... DWC ALL THE WAY

[killerm8r]

Most hands-off... hard to say.

You've got soil background so I'm tempted to say that Hempy would be the best way to transition to hydro, and it's a pretty simple and fool-proof system.

Beyond that I'd say DWC. No real moving parts aside from the air pump and maybe the timer, and air pumps run practically forever. If the power goes out or the pump stops for some reason you've got a little while before the lack of aeration becomes a problem, but you definitely don't want to leave it like that for very long.

[GreenLeaf420]

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

Did you put them into flower yet? I had major issues W/ DWC in less then 1 month they developed to much. I have the 16 Pack and I want to try it again. I just am unsure of the ability's of that system. The troubles scared me from DWC. Good Luck W/ Yours:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[elskeetro]

developed too much? i don't see that as a problem necessarily...maybe if you have a space restriction. The link in my previous post are plants that are in DWC and currently 6.5 weeks into flowering. they are quite full and have really big buds (not the biggest i've ever seen, but it's only my 3rd grow.)

You say you have a 16 pack? of what? i'm assuming you are referring to the waterfarms or some other sort of DWC package. I don't mess with any of that stuff. just 5 gallon buckets with an airstone in each. BAM! big plants.

I have scaled down too. i used to think that packing as many plants in as possible was the way to get tons of smoke. I have trimmed it down to 4-6 plants max and i'm seeing much better results and much lower maintenance. Latewood always says grow fewer but bigger/better plants...possibly the best advice i've ever heard.

thanks
Skeet.

[mushaboom]

how come you dont want to use soil? if you used soil and some cfls you could leave them alone for days at a time and theyd thrive. i have to say other than that, i think DWC would be your best bet. i have my main area, and then i have this little experimental side area with a DWC 5gallon bucket, 3 45wcfls, and a 2ft t8 system from wal mart. I seriously barely ever have to do anything with that plant. Its growing incredibly fast compared to its soil clone sisters and also its putting out redonkulous amounts of trichomes. cannabis , especially landrace dominant strains tend to not require as many nutrients so i rarely ever have to add nutrients to the bucket. i have never checked the pH of the bucket except for the first time i put distilled water in. try growing some DWC with just a little bit of nutrients, youll be surprised. ill try to get some pics up of what im talking about soon.

[killerm8r]

So what's the verdict Dr. D? What are you going to go with?