Love this thread..I started hydro growing in 1981 with a simple top water set up..used very course vermiculite and found it working nicely..it was wet but always let it nearly dry before a rewatering..It grew plants!!...shortly evolved to wick set up, then Hempy...We grew that way but the hempy name came MUCH LATER....definately not a new thing, then drip sys (now called hempy dtw), them ebb and flow table, rockwool, back to drip, and eventually water culture...you name it, I dabbled with them all over the last 36 yrs...NOW, I swapped from water culture BACK to Hempy...each 5gal.bucket (6) has an airstone at the 2 inches of grow rock in the bottom...I am top watering and it is dtw...once roots bottom out, I water down a 2in pvc tube attached vertically inside each bucket..water goes right to the bottom Rez area...the 2in high drain hole plumbed to go to main waste drain tube..I water every 3 days once roots bottom out (every other day and lightly before roots hit bottom)...DWC vegges the fastest but this is a close 2nd....flowering results, as good as dwc, WITH AN AIR STONE...that stone in the base MAKES A DIFFERENCE when ur roots bottom out!!!...we all know how roots love that air..of course a true hempy does not call for it, but its a cheap, easy addition that PAYS OFF...I have not modified to drip, cause I have NP top watering...Once u automate to a drip, it is technically no LONGER Hempy, but is now a dtw drip system...Which is fine and works excellent....That also eliminates the need for an air stone, AND a 2 in high drain hole..if your dripping, no need for that bottom rez...Or, u can keep the 2in hole and set drip to fill every cpl days just long enuf to fill that 2in rez and get a little dtw going...But Hempy allows a lot of modifications to fit anyones need, including keeping it basic Hempy...I highly recommend the air stone addition to a basic hempy for best results...after 36 yrs of growing, Its where I am at!!!...AND NOTHING give better results IMO...pic is 3 strains 15 days into veg...another 3-5 days and I will induce flower..all approx 3x stretchers, and space will fill nicely...I cage them in a cpl more days ....mix is 4:1 perlite to vermiculite..dyna nutes...cant overwater with this...if you do, it just drains off..waste of nutes but dont have to worry if ur new grower...you WILL LEARN how much they use at different stages of growth...regards, YT