About the ebb n grow buckets and lifting them?

[justsmoking]

I have been running my ebb n grow bucket system using hydroton and rockwool as my medium . So far I'm impressed with the growth since I have grown this same strain in soil and didn't see this much growth till later!! What I don't like is how much water is left in the botom of the pots. I don't see roots coming out the botom of the top bucket yet but I know it will be soon. So I thought of a way to lift them and bought this foam mat 1.5 inches thick and raped it in Mylar for reflection and am thinking about putting this under the pots. I know this may lower the water line but will also drain better. can anyone who uses the ebb n grow by C.A.P help me with this by telling me what they've done about this?

 

[bran1981]

You can do that, I have put 2x6's under them and have left them on the floor both. Ether way is fine, I didn't notice any diffrence in raising them. But if it makes you feel better, it won't hurt.

 

[patlpp]

I've noticed no difference either. It's kinda an insurance policy to have the roots sitting in some water in case of a power outage or something

 

[justsmoking]

What do you do about switching from 2 watering times to 3 watering times when do you make the switch?

 

[patlpp]

What do you do about switching from 2 watering times to 3 watering times when do you make the switch?

I go 3 about mid-veg 4 during flower. Depends on the strain.

 

[justsmoking]

I'm using Jack herer and it's a bit sensitive to nutes. Though I've been using what it says on the chart for foxfarm hydro it doesn't tell me how many times to flood and drain daily at what time? So your saying up it to 3 times since I'm half way through veg now. The roots are peaking through the bottom of the inside pot . There shouldn't be a problem with over watering ? It realy seems it would

 

[bran1981]

If your seeing roots out the bottom then you should be fine with bumping up to three times a day. If you see the leaves getting droppy then go back to twice a day, but I thing you would be fine with three. It just depends on the size of the plants and reading how they react to the switch.

 

[morrisgreenberg]

i agree with the other guys, i tried both leaving the buckets on the ground and risen and seen no difference, i prefer raised for drainage

 

[justsmoking]

I did lift them and as for flooding the buckets three times a day this is my first day of that and so far I only have one or two plants that are slower than the others and there on the same side of the light so I think it has somthing to do with the position and loss of light so I turned on the light mover to spread out the light better. Well see and I'll keep this thread posted. Thank you guys!!!

 

[Bic]

Its ok if some of the roots are sitting in water if your replacing that water 2-3 times a day they will be perfectly fine.

 

[justsmoking]

Ok but what if the roots didn't sit in water all day ?wouldn't the growth slow down? It was at least with soil it was letting them dry was important now it's almost like it's the oposite ( were growing aquaponics)

 

[bran1981]

It's fine because there are just a little siting in the water, not the whole root ball. The problem in soil is that the whole root mass is beeing saturated if the soil is keeped to wet all the time.

 

[VictorVIcious]

The difference is the way they get oxygen in soil and hydro. Air stones puts it in hydro. Gravity, air being pulled down to your roots as the water is absorbed, does it in soil. VV