First time hydro, going to try Ebb/Flow - is this a reasonable plan?

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Larry3215

Well-Known Member
rkymtnman said:
if you did a 5 gal dwc (as a basic dwc grow), your rootball will be pretty much the size of the bucket. it would never be that big in and E&F for a similar sized plant. . big roots=big fruits
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Thats a good point about the size of the root ball. I was originally thinking that by using 5 gal totes, I would have the same volume for roots as a 5 gal DWC bucket - but - I didnt take into account that the DWC only has a relatively small part of that 5 gal volume taken up with medium. My totes on the other hand will be full to the brim with hydroton.

Thanks for pointing that out. Im going to go with larger totes or use net pots in these totes the same way DWC works. Im assuming that hydroton takes up roughly 50% of the volume of the container. If I dont do smaller net pots in my existing totes, I could fit a single 15 gal tote in my tent and only run two plants of a single strain or two 10 gal totes so I can run two different strains.

I'll need to think about those options for a bit.

Thanks!
 
L

Larry3215

Well-Known Member
I am obviously no expert, but in all the reading I have done, it seems to me that the various systems are ranked more or less in this order - with of course, lots of over lap depending on details and variations.

Hempy bucket
waterfarm
DWC
RDWC
Ebb/Flow
NFT
Aero/mist/fog

So, Im still not sure how DWC would be faster or better than Ebb/Flow - or is it just due to the size of the root ball for similar sized containers?
 
Budley Doright

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
Not sure of ranking other than true hp aero supposedly being the fastest, ive done every thing except the high pressure aero and each had good and bad qualities. My setup now is kind of a hybrid of a few combined but I'm still not satisfied lol.
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Budley Doright said:
Not sure of ranking other than true hp aero supposedly being the fastest, ive done every thing except the high pressure aero and each had good and bad qualities. My setup now is kind of a hybrid of a few combined but I'm still not satisfied lol.
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Bout where i am

I have had succes with dwc , low pressure aero,nft, now rdwc . Along with a few years in coco doing drain to waste

I aslso thought about hp aero but the thought of clogged sprayers was the nail in the coffin.

I want my next system to be a fast but sure and simple with less operating costs


I like my rdwc set up now but will still do a side by side to see what preforms better in my conditions
 
L

Larry3215

Well-Known Member
Cold$moke said:
I like my rdwc set up now but will still do a side by side to see what preforms better in my conditions
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I think that is the only way to know for sure what works best for you. Someone mentioned above about all the other factors that go into success - lighting, water quality, nutes, temps, maintenance, etc etc etc. No two people will get the same results from the same equipment. The green thumb factor (or lack of) will always add a large degree of variation to the outcome - not to mention stoner moments when running a grow :)
 
Budley Doright

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
I had terrible luck with DWC but I contribute that to lack of knowledge (first hydro try) and res temps. My setup now can basically be a RDWC, or FD. Depending on pump cycles. Pretty simple with a bottom tote pumping up to a smaller tray like tote with net pots. The root mass by the end is quite large, taking over the upper tray. As for roots, they are my nemesis, I've finally solved the clogging issues by using silk screen on all my pipe inlets and they work great by blocking roots from entering, just need to clean once or twice a run.
 
rkymtnman

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Budley Doright said:
Are you sure about that re faster growth? I'm thinking of switching up my setup but still not sure which way to go. I'm switching more for plant movement than speed, getting pretty good growth now with my ebb and flow, but hey I'll also take faster lol. I can get through about 24/36 hours with a failure of a pump now, not sure about DWC being that forgiving before it turns to brown root soup, just one consideration among many
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i'd bet a 100 that if you veg 2 clones side by side for say 3 or 4 weeks, one in e&f, one in dwc, the dwc plants is bigger overall, bigger roots, and more weight at harvest.
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
Stuff in nft / low pressure aero pretty fast and i loved it

But its hard to grow big bushes and not run into maintenance problems .
Great for short veg sog though.


Id say there are too many variables unless a lab tests them.
Which nasa said hp was the most efficient.

But for everyones room is another story as no one could "really " reprodyce exact condutons room to room. It might be close

But if you want to shave hairs. They would all have minute differences
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
I have found that all systems will have a pro and a con


With tube style aero and nft. You run into root mass messing with flow and clogged sprayers
And its a bitch to clean

Dwc is great to get your feet wet
But you need a convenient way to fill when the plant gets large and ph will go wild with smaller water volumes.

Rdwc is great because it constantly circulates
Provides high amounts of o2.
The only problems i can think of is root issues which are easily taken care of with a chiller or bennies.

The problems i have with rdwc is that its kinda ridiculous to run so many pumps to grow 4 plants lmao
Plus i hate uniseals as much as i love them!

Drain to waste with coco was great.
But i hate the mess fungas gnats
The mess lol. The fungus gnats

But other then that i loved coco

So my next setup is going to be a meniscus membrane flood and drain/nft.

This will eliminate airstones and massive pump running 24/7
It will be way easier to clean!

Waterborne root pathogens should be reduced since they will be in a dark moist air chamber and not submerged.

I will aslo set up a fresh air delivery for the root system so i can dry them a little to simulate a drought lol get them oils goin:)

Thats all the real world experience with i have with hydro in 15 years
 
Budley Doright

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
I was hoping to get away with one water pump for my RDWC setup and use water fall to add oxygen. Keeping my water chilled has been a great thing as well for DO.
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
You can use one pump with water falls its what im doing

Mine just circulates fast but the water movment isnt violent on the roots if that makes sense

Let me know if you wana see how my set up is
 
Budley Doright

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
Cold$moke said:
You can use one pump with water falls its what im doing

Mine just circulates fast but the water movment isnt violent on the roots if that makes sense

Let me know if you wana see how my set up is
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I will let you know what I decide ...... so many choices lol. I may just stick with what I'm doing as I'm running short of time :(.
 
Cold$moke

Cold$moke

Well-Known Member
No probs its why im constantly trying new set ups

Cuase im constantly finding the downfalls of each.

I have.most all the parts gatherd for my new system.
Im just trying to work a design for the lid as it needs to support weight but i want to easily be able to check roots.


Ill know here after this rdwc run is done im flipping this week sometime
 
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