Hydroponic help

[misterphillips]

I have a 6 slot 5inch net pots basic hydroponic system 18 gallon container... i have a 400watt ballast light system that using HPS and MH bulbs.. my system is one of those corny basic beginner ones and iam wondering if it will be too small for 20-30 inch plants using a sea of green method. i am wondering if i should built a custom system for flowering that would be bigger and more room for roots?

misterphillips Reviewed by misterphillips on 12-03-2008. Hydroponic help I have a 6 slot 5inch net pots basic hydroponic system 18 gallon container... i have a 400watt ballast light system that using HPS and MH bulbs.. my system is one of those corny basic beginner ones and iam wondering if it will be too small for 20-30 inch plants using a sea of green method. i am wondering if i should built a custom system for flowering that would be bigger and more room for roots? Rating: 5

[herbie the love bud]

Congrats on hitting it! So first of all your system is perfect for a veg station to feed a flower station in rotations. You could also use it for flower but the total dimensions of your container is too small to accomodate 20 - 30" plants. Of course it makes a difference whether you mean that height at the beginning of flower or that height at the end, but either way that is too big for that container method.

If you want to get to that size you need to use a bucket system typically.

[misterphillips]

i have attached a system then i would assemble for flowering. it contains 3-5inch net pots in each 20 gallon bucket. with two 20 gallon buckets and a water resourvour. would this system work for flowering 6 plants. 3 in each container? My goal is short bushy plants

[attachment=o210752]

[herbie the love bud]

Use buckets for that few plants.

[misterphillips]

Can you send something on a blueprint or how to on the buckets?

[socialistpete]

Its quite simple. You put one plant in each bucket using net pot lids filled with your choice of stone or whatever. the bucket bottom acts as a res now you can either do a dwc with just an airstone in the bottom or you can do dwc/drip in which case i would suggest purchasing the waterfarm halo kit. You could just do the drip butt adding the stone does wonders. I started with hybrid drip/dwc but after time found the drip to be useless as all the roots can feed from the res. You prob want pics so if I'm not to lazy I'll get some for you.

[socialistpete]

OK so here's how I do it. I take a small plastic tote wrap the bottom in duct tape to keep the light out. Then I create a hole in the lid using a soup can and a propane torch to heat the can and melt through, this makes a perfect fit for most 3" net pots. As you can see in the picture 2 holes have duct tape around them, I was given clones in 3" net pots that were just a tad smaller. I then fill my res so that it is just below the bottom of the net pots and add 1air stone per plant placed directly underneath the plant. The air stones are hooked up to an aquarium pump via air tubing. I will leave the clones in here till there about 8" tall or so, what your really looking for is a good set of roots before you transplant them to 5 gallon buckets.

[socialistpete]

The next step is to transplant them to 5 gallon buckets once you have a good root base to work with. Remove your plant from the tote in its net pot next place the net pot into a net pot lid, I do this by placing a small layer of hydroton down then carefully spread the roots out and place hydroton around the 3" net pot so that the net pot lid is full. *note- in my photos you will see a 10" net pot lid, i believe that the use of a 5" net pot lid is better because you use less stone and there is more room for root growth. the next step is just like before you fill the 5 gallon bucket to just underneath the net pot lid, an easy way of doing this is by placing an empty net pot lid in the bucket when you pour your nute solution in as many buckets actual dimensions vary. then just like before add your air stone or 2 and your all set. In no time the roots will be flowing out. another thing you will notice my buckets are wrapped in duct tape this is essential in stopping algae from forming.

Any questions?

Also credit to my set-up goes to Deftdrummer whose log I followed closely and was the decider for me to get away from a drip system. This can be found at the top of this section as a sticky. I now get 6-8 oz per plant (when I'm on top of my shit like you should be) using 2 1000w hps on 8 buckets at 8 weeks.

[socialistpete]

Sorry Deftdrummers post is a sticky in the grow logs thread here is a link-

http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-dwc-grow.html

[misterphillips]

do the roots just grow into the water in the dwc system?

what will the average size yeild be with this method?