How to grow hydroponically?

cmbajr

cmbajr

Active Member
I'm a complete noob to hydroponics but I would like to try it out and iv done a little bit of research and it just don't make too much sense so I'm hoping you guys could help me out. Like on how to build the 5 gallon bucket system and use it, nutrients, flushing, cloning and all the basics. Sorry I can't be specific on one thing I'm new to all this and need help on it all.
 
Gibb

Gibb

Member
Hmmm, if only there was a sticky thread in this forum about this very thing! :-P

In reality, start reading, and for a first timer, I would suggest trying the Hempy bucket method before trying anything more automated or pump-based. Lots of youtube videos (if you're lazy like me) about it HERE
 
chunkylonin

chunkylonin

Well-Known Member
Trust me when I tell you to read ,read,read and when you have done that do some research and read some more.Iam about to start my first grow and Ive been reading and studying like crazy for the last year and a half.When people tell you on here to read and study they arent being dicks,you need to understand every aspect of it to what your ph should be between and how to use ph up and down,nutes and how to use them,lights what are best ,schedule,cool tube etc,a pen to check your ph-ppm-temp,fans ,filter,water temp,veg-flowering times and tricombs and sooooo much more.If you dont do this YOU WILL FAIL!!!The more you study other stuff will come up that you will pick up,good luck.
 
Moebius

Moebius

Well-Known Member
@cmbajr

If new maybe consider 'Hempy' growing. ... Its cheap to start, easy to maintain and can give great yields.

:leaf:World of Hempy:leaf: is the place to come for all hempy related tips, tricks and info. (see my sig)
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Gibb said:
Hmmm, if only there was a sticky thread in this forum about this very thing! :-P

In reality, start reading, and for a first timer, I would suggest trying the Hempy bucket method before trying anything more automated or pump-based. Lots of youtube videos (if you're lazy like me) about it HERE
Click to expand...
Agree on the hempy. Moebius and friends are helpful as hell.
 
cues

cues

Well-Known Member
Maybe it's just me (I have a background in horticulture) but I found learning hydro easy. Buying a ready-made kit (I use a hydrogarden dual-flow) probably helped. Soil may be easier to learn but I would say hydro is easier to master.
I spent 2 years at college and 2 years at Uni learning soil.
Hydro took me about an hour.
 
SOMEBEECH

SOMEBEECH

Well-Known Member
cues said:
Maybe it's just me (I have a background in horticulture) but I found learning hydro easy. Buying a ready-made kit (I use a hydrogarden dual-flow) probably helped. Soil may be easier to learn but I would say hydro is easier to master.
I spent 2 years at college and 2 years at Uni learning soil.
Hydro took me about an hour.
Click to expand...
How long you been doing soiless?When you say Master i think its a long way from being Mastered.
New methods and nutes are coming along everyday,I think theres still alot we have too learn,But
Yea the Basics are not tht hard.

Still alot left imo for full potental of Soiless.Which i think we all will continue to learn as the times
change.


BEECH
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
I just started up a system and I gotta say its a lot less work than my soil set up. Thats not to say I didnt read and I did spend a bit of money on meters. And a few nights thinking the girls would be dead in the morning....lol. There's a couple of pics in the Super Cropping thread of my tray that will show the benefits of hydro. The growth rate is incredible!!! There are some great articles, posts, etc. out there. Once I got everything going I got alot of advise on keeping it going, now i check once a day sometimes every other day and do what needs doin, very simple if you have good meters. My advise is pick a system and jump in with both feet. Good Luck!!!!
 
cues

cues

Well-Known Member
Very true, but I'm hitting a steady 0.75 gpw without doing anything special in 10 week flowering times. If I was hitting that in soil I would consider myself a master (which I should be but it's so much hassle with all the pests/diseases/drainage problems/inherant lack of aeration or poor cation exchange capacity etc). I spent 4 years studying all the problems of soil and how to solve them. That is the trouble. You end up running rings. Hydro was like a breath of fresh air.
 
hellraizer30

hellraizer30

Rebel From The North
cmbajr said:
I'm a complete noob to hydroponics but I would like to try it out and iv done a little bit of research and it just don't make too much sense so I'm hoping you guys could help me out. Like on how to build the 5 gallon bucket system and use it, nutrients, flushing, cloning and all the basics. Sorry I can't be specific on one thing I'm new to all this and need help on it all.
Click to expand...

First time hydro... I would go ebb&flow tables.

simple setup

flood table
res tank
pump
some hose

and your off to the races!
Hit me up anytime im always here to help.
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
Yes I agree ebb&flo works great! my system is a hibred between ebb&flo and food&drain. Plants seem happy! It was easier to get stuff I needed to build what I have and really cheap @ $115 for each unit pumps incl.View attachment 2371531
 
cues

cues

Well-Known Member
How can you have a hybrid of flood and drain and ebb@flow?
They are the same thing surely?
 
cues

cues

Well-Known Member
hellraizer30 said:
First time hydro... I would go ebb&flow tables.

simple setup

flood table
res tank
pump
some hose

and your off to the races!
Hit me up anytime im always here to help.
Click to expand...
Too right. Later on they can be modified too.
An air pump is a good first stage.
Most can be DIY modified to NFT if you want to try that.
Or correx sheet and plant into netpots of hydroton for a super light system.
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
How can you have a hybrid of flood and drain and ebb@flow?
They are the same thing surely?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Well thats what I thought also but and I could be way off here but my understanding is that ebb&flo use a material that actually retains water and the roots so pump can be off for a period of time. My roots hang in air and the pump is activated every other 1/2 hr as opposed to 3 or 4 hours (somtimes longer). It is also more like an NFT I guess. Fucked if I know!!!!! lol. What I do know is what I have seems to work as the plants are happy and I don't do much except check PH, cont, TDS, salt, and top up water every now and then. When I first started I was having major issues stabilizing things (mostly PH) but that was due to not reading enough about PH and Nutes. Also some great help from u guys. Also what was a real mystery was I was getting 2 different readings from 2 meters, not realizing one was a .5 conversion and the other was a .71.
 
cues

cues

Well-Known Member
Maybe. I guess its all just what we name things. It's such a new hobby that we're literally naming new techniques ourselves.
This is the first site I have ever seen with a serious attitude towards vertical growing.
The simple fact is that none of us are experts yet.
But a lot of us know we are the edge of a new dawn.
Meters have 2 readings depending upon type. Don't ask me why. It's bloody stupid. The only way is to convert to E.C.

I learnt something this week. I chucked a few handfulls of hydroton in the top of my table to raise the table half an inch. It stopped the salt/moldy problem I had.

It doesn't matter what my rating is.
Still learning.
 
SOMEBEECH

SOMEBEECH

Well-Known Member
cues said:
Maybe. I guess its all just what we name things. It's such a new hobby that we're literally naming new techniques ourselves.
This is the first site I have ever seen with a serious attitude towards vertical growing.
The simple fact is that none of us are experts yet.
But a lot of us know we are the edge of a new dawn.
Meters have 2 readings depending upon type. Don't ask me why. It's bloody stupid. The only way is to convert to E.C.

I learnt something this week. I chucked a few handfulls of hydroton in the top of my table to raise the table half an inch. It stopped the salt/moldy problem I had.

It doesn't matter what my rating is.
Still learning.
Click to expand...
Wow this comin from the Master..........LOL J/K.
Have ya read Heaths vertical very nice guy and
can grow!!!!!!!!!



BEECH
 
waterdawg

waterdawg

Well-Known Member
I learnt something this week. I chucked a few handfulls of hydroton in the top of my table to raise the table half an inch. It stopped the salt/moldy problem I had.
Click to expand...
I have been noticing with my latest tray that there is a thick white sediment on the bottom of my upper res. that was not present with the first setup. I am running the water at around 6-6.2 PH and my nutes are running 750 as the girls have just popped. Is this salt buildup and should I be concerned? I was going to rinse it out today so that it remixes with bottom res but should I just do a refill. Also re: the different readings on my meters is due to 2 different conversion factors, one is .5 and the other has .71, it is my understanding that .71 is the norm, but again I know shit about this and rely on u seasoned hydro guys for all the help I can get..lol. One more question, my one meter has a salt reading that I have not paid much attention to it is I believe around 675, should I be monitoring this as well. I have borrowed the multi tester and will have to return it soon when they get my PH teater in, but may buy it as it does salt, conductivity, TDS, and PH. It is an expensive little thing but is it worth keeping due to its capabilities? Sorry that was 2 questions lol.
 
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