drip watering , Hydro question

[BILL THICK]

could someone tell me the difference , advantages , disadvantages to drip watering in hydo on a continuous watering and drip watering for 15 minutes every couple hours 4 or five times a day ? Zandor do you recommend keeping a drip watering system on 24/7 ( when the lights are on that is) ? ( you don't water with lights out do you ? or do you?) Any responses appreciated.
Thanks Bill

BILL THICK Reviewed by BILL THICK on 07-15-2005. drip watering , Hydro question could someone tell me the difference , advantages , disadvantages to drip watering in hydo on a continuous watering and drip watering for 15 minutes every couple hours 4 or five times a day ? Zandor do you recommend keeping a drip watering system on 24/7 ( when the lights are on that is) ? ( you don't water with lights out do you ? or do you?) Any responses appreciated. Thanks Bill :p Rating: 5

[Zandor]

My drips are full open and run 24/7. Lava rock or grow rocks don't hold enough water to last more then 4 or 5 hours. It will dry out quickly and then the plants will start to use up stored energy in the leaves. Ebb & flow type of system are different. 15 on 90 off is not bad, but it depends on the temperature and how fast the grow rocks dry out on the bottom.

[BILL THICK]

I have learned(the hard way , lol) and determined there are just too many advantages to watering using drippers, so I reset the flowering room and raised the buckets off the floor about 14"s. giving up a foot of my overhead but I think I can work with that. If it becomes a major factor I can always drop the buckets back down if I need the extra foot of height towards the end of flowering stage but I don't forsee having to do that. Any advice on setting the flow on the drippers? do you gravity feed them or are they pump fed?
Am I correct in the approximate length of stages ? Three weeks seedling under flouro, three week veg under 400 mh, then flower 6-8 weeks?? Top between 4th and 5th full leaf node and at least a week before going into flower? just kind of double checking the basics. Cleaned out my resevoir , control res and all the buckets. Flushed inner grow rock buckets with just ph adjusted water. put fan venting into main resevoir rfor cooling water + keeping frozen 2 liter botlles rotating into resevoir.
Made a light mover has to be moved manually but 12 hours in one side of flowering then I slide the lights along conduit pipes fastened a couple inches from ceiling to the other side of flowering room for that sides 12 hours of lights. that way I have(2) 1000 watt hps for (2)-6' x 6' flowering rooms, Like having (4) 1000 watt hps for 6'x 12' . Have double curtain of dark (light proof black plastic)plastic dividing the two areas so while half my flowering stage is sleeping in the dark the other half is getting its 12 hours light . So using the 24/7 drip irrigation will make it a hell of alot easier to water than setting timers for both sides and switch watering everyday . This may just work out after all .
Its now about time for starting flowering and my indoctrination into the world of nutes for the first time. found a great nutrient conversion chart and calculator if anyone is interested in a good one to use here is the link http://www.overgrow.com/edge/showthr...5?pagenumber=3
Just copy and paste.
Hey Zandor, Thanks again my friend, always with great info I appreciate it.
have a good one,
Bill