best medium to use for the Al b. fuct technique?

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sparks662

Active Member
whats up everyone, im goin to be startin a grow in the next few months and im doin research on what to use. im def. gonna be a fuct head but the only real question i have is what would the best medium be? fytocelll seems to be the best but i cant find anywhere to buy it in the u.s.a. also i dont want to have to jam the pots with rw floc to keep the fytocell in the pot. so the next option is hydroton buit there is no way im buying new hydroton for every harvest and ive read lots of people saying how much of a bitch it is to clean it after grows so help me out n let me know what u all think my best bet would be. thanks in advance
 
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greenstar

Active Member
Just use grorox. Cleaning them isn't bad in SOG. They don't get that tall (no veg) therefore not nearly as much roots to clean out. You'll lose some of them every harvest because they'll be attached in the rootball so bad that you won't want to take the time to cut them out.

Your only other options (quite familiar with Al B.) are 100% rockwool floc or floc in the bottom inch of a pot, and chunky perlite for the rest. Pros of only rockwool is only feeding once per day in flower (thus protecting a day or two in case of pump failure). Cons of rockwool are having to dispose of it. I wouldn't want to throw that shit away in my trash. Pros of using mostly perlite are more oxygen to the roots (much more) and heaps less weight when you have to discard. Cons to it are not much protection in case of pump failure.

Personally I'd use either the rockwool/perlite mix or grorox. I'll be doing a side by side test this year of both at the same time in separate trays but it'll be a while.
 
Drr

Drr

Well-Known Member
He uses this new stuff.. Can't find his post right now, the search isn't working...

but it's rockwool flock on the bottom for weight and this flytocell stuff from australia I think onto... It's like perlite but better I guess..
 
tea tree

tea tree

Well-Known Member
man i tried a few things. I ebb and flow and planned to drip. But I am no in the position to be a sogger yet. However I cant imagine using anything else but rockwool ever. I tried some stuff but I just love the shit out of rockwool. I did just order some sure to grow. It is a fast drain medium. I thought it was slower but it needs floods like hydroton just maybe less frequent. Might hold a lot of air.

Rockwool forever for me. I am growing trees for my med garden with 6 inch blocks and either a slab or 8 inch blocks underneath.
 
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sparks662

Active Member
thanks for the help guys, i dont like the idea of leaving a trail behind me so i dont want to be throwing away that much rw or perlite so ill probably go with the grorox, i just heard horror stories about how tough it can be to clean but apparently not.
 
Someguy15

Someguy15

Well-Known Member
hydroton is pretty easy to wash... if you have the right stuff. Get a 15 gal tub and drill small holes all over in one end. Have another tub with no holes. Put hydroton, water and 35% h2o2 in tub without holes. Use about 30-100ml depending on how much water you have. Stir this frequently for about an hour. Then dump this into your tub with holes in the bathtub, running plenty of fresh water through your homemade strainer. Rinse well, drain, and your good to go for round 2!

Post 420! I'll smoke one to that
 
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sparks662

Active Member
damn GB u have got it down!!! what size pots do u use? after seeing pics of ur op that is exactly what i want mine to look like so any and all help is is appreciated heavily!!
 
S

sparks662

Active Member
nice, would u mind sharing with me your nutrient selection, flood times and how often, and any other info u think might be useful?
 
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ifixbax

Active Member
GypsyBush -

Have you used rockwool before? If so, why do you prefer hydroton? What size light do you prefer for a 3x3 tray? Was just going to try an SOG in a 3x3 so thanx for putting the thread right where I was reading. What PPM do you run? Why do you prefer that specific brand of Nutes? I take it you don't add any addatives (nor do I - they're a hustle in my opinion), do oyu flush last 4 days?

TIA
 
GypsyBush

GypsyBush

Well-Known Member
ifixbax said:
GypsyBush -

Have you used rockwool before?
Click to expand...
No but I have seen it (with my own eyeballs) done...
If so, why do you prefer hydroton?
Click to expand...
I prefer Hydroton because I like to flood multiple times a day... bringing fresh nutes at flood AND oxygen on the drain cycles, to the rootzone...

What size light do you prefer for a 3x3 tray?
Click to expand...
I believe a 600 HPS is about perfect for a 3x3 area...:weed:
Was just going to try an SOG in a 3x3 so thanx for putting the thread right where I was reading. What PPM do you run?
Click to expand...
My op is perpetual.. I have plants going in and coming out all the time... so the res is at a CONSTANT 1400 ppm... forever... 1400 ppm.. doesn't change ever...
Why do you prefer that specific brand of Nutes? I take it you don't add any addatives (nor do I - they're a hustle in my opinion),
Click to expand...
No, that is just the cheapest I can get...

I believe growing is 75% environmental control... 15% DNA and 10% nutes... I truly believe you need nothing more than a complete hydro fertilizer to finish a successful grow...

Not saying don't work... I just do not see the cost benefit to work out...:o

do oyu flush last 4 days?

TIA
Click to expand...
No.. I flush every 2 weeks when I change/clean res... no big flush at the end...
 
I

ifixbax

Active Member
Thank you for info. I also have the same size little black containers. I was going to use a 1,000 watt light (because I have it). May I be so bold as to ask what amount of yield you average per plant with a 600 watt lamp? Thank you.
 
tems

tems

Well-Known Member
GypsyBush said:
No but I have seen it (with my own eyeballs) done...


I prefer Hydroton because I like to flood multiple times a day... bringing fresh nutes at flood AND oxygen on the drain cycles, to the rootzone...



I believe a 600 HPS is about perfect for a 3x3 area...:weed:


My op is perpetual.. I have plants going in and coming out all the time... so the res is at a CONSTANT 1400 ppm... forever... 1400 ppm.. doesn't change ever...


No, that is just the cheapest I can get...

I believe growing is 75% environmental control... 15% DNA and 10% nutes... I truly believe you need nothing more than a complete hydro fertilizer to finish a successful grow...

Not saying don't work... I just do not see the cost benefit to work out...:o



No.. I flush every 2 weeks when I change/clean res... no big flush at the end...
Click to expand...
:twisted: You sir have earned a place in my heart. Thank you.
 
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