Choosing a hydro system

B

bmiquet

Member
I am a relative newbie who is currently growing in soilless mix using a waste of my time watering can.

I would like to scale out my op and add some automation so I may take a weekend off with the Mrs. if I choose. As a result of this direction I have decided undoubtedly that I am going hydro. Any insight you can share is helpful with regard to my decision making....

I have investigated various hydro systems and have narrowed to the wick system and the flood and drain (recirculate and non-recirculate versions). In choosing and implementing the best new system I am aiming to achieve the following objectives:

(in this order)
1. automation (I would like to be away for up to 4 days if possible with some web monitoring)
2. good yield (I would like to produce above average product)
3. inexpensive (my budget is tighter than I would like it to be but I have to work with it)
4. simplicity (I don't want something too complicated or cumbersome to build/develop)

Any insight into the wick, flood and drain and other related systems would be appreciated. Also please feel free to ask me questions pertaining to my situation if that will enable you to offer further suggestion to me.

I appreciate your wisdom oh great growers....

BM
 
stumps

stumps

Well-Known Member
I'm heading into the deep water hydro. a res, airstone,a pump and a couple net pots. I'm going to take pic's of the build and grow. I just fraged my lid with a shity hole saw. I'm going to try a 30-30-30 grow. thats clone and veg 30 days into flower. Do it again, into flower and so on. After 120 days harvest every month. The hydro guy says 1-2 oz per plant with the deep water hydro. "bubbler"
 
wyteberrywidow

wyteberrywidow

Global
bmiquet said:
I am a relative newbie who is currently growing in soilless mix using a waste of my time watering can.

I would like to scale out my op and add some automation so I may take a weekend off with the Mrs. if I choose. As a result of this direction I have decided undoubtedly that I am going hydro. Any insight you can share is helpful with regard to my decision making....

I have investigated various hydro systems and have narrowed to the wick system and the flood and drain (recirculate and non-recirculate versions). In choosing and implementing the best new system I am aiming to achieve the following objectives:

(in this order)
1. automation (I would like to be away for up to 4 days if possible with some web monitoring)
2. good yield (I would like to produce above average product)
3. inexpensive (my budget is tighter than I would like it to be but I have to work with it)
4. simplicity (I don't want something too complicated or cumbersome to build/develop)

Any insight into the wick, flood and drain and other related systems would be appreciated. Also please feel free to ask me questions pertaining to my situation if that will enable you to offer further suggestion to me.

I appreciate your wisdom oh great growers....

BM
Click to expand...
I would go with the flood n drain it is the easiest to build and to deal with other than a dwc like mentioned all u need is airstones,pumps and rubbermaid bins.
 
stumps

stumps

Well-Known Member
I'm not being an ass. I was wanting to know why you like it beter then the deep water. I'm very open to opins of the ez hydro. I don't understand the flood and drain system as ez I guess.
 
B

bmiquet

Member
I agree the flood and drain seems to be where I am gravitating two.

Here is specifically how I see it rolling out:

1. I get a big tray (say 2x4x0.5 ft) or similar
2. I take clones in rockwool and transplant them into bigger rockwool (4 inch) cubes and place them in the tray (12-20 or so little guys)
3. The tray is full of clay pellets that I use to hold the rockwool cubes in place.
4. The tray is attached to a resevoir that pumps water up a few times a day on a timer thus soaking the rockwool and supplying plants with nutrients
5. When plants reach a certain size they are put into a flowering room with similar set up, just less plants per tray.

Am I missing anything here?
 
GoRealA

GoRealA

Active Member
I think both DWC and flood and drain are both great ways too grow. Its more of a matter of your grow situation. .....I live in a very warm city, You will have issues keeping your res below ambient temp invites root rot more with dwc with the roots in the water all the time. I have to put frozen water bottles in there twice a day!! Or buy an expensive chiller! Not so much with flood and drain. Also with dwc your plants are not moveable. So if you are growing from seed, you will have to cut the tangled root mass to cull males. Not good.
 
stumps

stumps

Well-Known Member
I have no problems with males. I will be using clones myself.
As for heat it is an issue. I'm going to try a 5 gal res on a cement floor in a basement with an ac vent duct to the bucket. form the bucket it will pump up to the plant res and drain back to the bucket.
 
wyteberrywidow

wyteberrywidow

Global
bmiquet said:
I agree the flood and drain seems to be where I am gravitating two.

Here is specifically how I see it rolling out:

1. I get a big tray (say 2x4x0.5 ft) or similar
2. I take clones in rockwool and transplant them into bigger rockwool (4 inch) cubes and place them in the tray (12-20 or so little guys)
3. The tray is full of clay pellets that I use to hold the rockwool cubes in place.
4. The tray is attached to a resevoir that pumps water up a few times a day on a timer thus soaking the rockwool and supplying plants with nutrients
5. When plants reach a certain size they are put into a flowering room with similar set up, just less plants per tray.

Am I missing anything here?
Click to expand...
You got everything just about covered.good luck with your system
 
Y

YaK

just some guy
orzz said:
No they stay in the trays. I have coco mats under the Grodan cubes.
Click to expand...
the roots grow into the coco mats? pretty cool.

another suggestion for flood and drain, is to use pots. I use 5"X5" pots that are about six inches deep. this way you can move the plants around easily. the entire root structure of each plant stays in the pot. The pots have holes in the bottom, and water floods into the rock wool through that.

You can take your rockwool cubes and put them in the pot with clay pebbles. I use loose granulated rockwool and clay pebbles in a 60/40 mix (because rockwool is cheaper)

If you get a PH doser, and a seperate res of water with a float valve, to keep your res topped off with water, you could leave your op for 4 days no prob.
 

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stumps

stumps

Well-Known Member
Thanks guys. That pic brought it togather for me. thats alot more plants then I could get the way I was planning the deepwater in the same space give or take. Any way I like your set up.
 
Quickee

Quickee

Well-Known Member
well a good way of looking at it is..DWC is one of the oldest methods around..aero and flood are some of the best techniques used now..
 
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