How to flush in grow tent? (scrog)

[Kushfan]

So I have a little problem ahead of me. I'm running a scrog in a 4 x 2 tent. I've been all organic since I started growing last year, so I never needed to flush. Well I just switched to the Heavy 16 lineup, so I will definitely need to flush.

So my question is how will able to flush at the end (or sooner if I have any problems) with my 3 gallon smart pots sitting on the ground and the branches intertwined in the screen? I was thinking my next run, I can put a tray under the pots, elevated on one side and suck it up with a shop vac, but that doesn't help me now.

Am I able to just stop nutes the last 2 weeks, and just use straight water/flushing agent with no runoff? I don't currently have any runoff when I feed now as I know when the pots are full.

 

[Papa Toke]

Can you lift it up even just enough to slide like a baking tray under it? Then with the shopvac you should be able to get it before it floods over..?

You need the run off for a proper flush as its the run off that is taking out the nutes and salt buildup in the medium. Also why you should have a little bit of run off every water to help stop it from building up to badly and causing problems.

 

[LeafGnosis]

Can you lift it up even just enough to slide like a baking tray under it? Then with the shopvac you should be able to get it before it floods over..?

You need the run off for a proper flush as its the run off that is taking out the nutes and salt buildup in the medium. Also why you should have a little bit of run off every water to help stop it from building up to badly and causing problems.

was thinking the same thing. Though I am using nutes myself and will probably not flush.. I do have my smart pots elevated in their own trays and always get run off... and I do not see a salt build up on the fabric at all (not the reason why I am not flushing though). good luck!

 

[Papa Toke]

was thinking the same thing. Though I am using nutes myself and will probably not flush.. I do have my smart pots elevated in their own trays and always get run off... and I do not see a salt build up on the fabric at all (not the reason why I am not flushing though). good luck!

I really dont ever flush flush, like pour all that water thru it. With a proper feeding schedule you shouldnt have to, I give plain water last week to 2 weeks. I always water with a little bit of run off every time. By little bit I mean like 5-10% of what I put in. It really isnt much but seems to work for me.

 

[Kushfan]

Can you lift it up even just enough to slide like a baking tray under it? Then with the shopvac you should be able to get it before it floods over..?

You need the run off for a proper flush as its the run off that is taking out the nutes and salt buildup in the medium. Also why you should have a little bit of run off every water to help stop it from building up to badly and causing problems.

I could probably lift them up a couple inches at this point. I have 7 pots in a 4x2 though so things are pretty cramped. I have to think of what I can put under them for now, and still have room for the frame of my PVC scrog to sit at the edges.

On a long shot, I e-mailed Heavy 16 to get their advice and just got a lengthy response from the owner/brewer himself. He said not to use their base nutes till my current base nutes are gone completely. So that means I will have to flush in about a week :/. He also said once I use the Heavy 16, my waterings will be best with 15-25% runoff to continually flush the nutes through, as you said, and that would cut down on the actual final flush. Also, that more porous medium with more frequent feedings with runoff as suggested would really improve things. So maybe I should switch to coco next grow.

 

[bmeat]

was thinking the same thing. Though I am using nutes myself and will probably not flush.. I do have my smart pots elevated in their own trays and always get run off... and I do not see a salt build up on the fabric at all (not the reason why I am not flushing though). good luck!

lol..synthetic or organic? slide a tarp under, and then surround the rootball with towels..figure something out man you need to flush before harvest

 

[FlightSchool]

too funny.

To the OP,

If you already have a shop vac (not sure if you meant next time you will have a shop vac or if you already have one) I would just have it running and while you start flushing, suck up all the water that pours out.

or, get some clearex or another cleansing agent where you won't have to run so much water to get the same result

 

[Kushfan]

Well, problem solved, after a trip to Lowe's for a $25 shop vac and a $15 mixing tub (and a couple bricks I had laying around to elevate the back of the tray). I did break a top branch while struggling to get the screen off, but nothing a little duct tape won't fix. I'm going screenless for the rest of the grow so I hope I don't have any height issues. Going to try coco next time to try to get the most out of these expensive nutes. Hopefully this will be helpful to some other newb in the same dilemna.

 

[bmeat]

nice grow area

 

[Bakatare666]

Nope.....i still dont know what he was thinking when you posted that. I wouldve lied and said it was my friends before admitting i grew that.

..............

 

[Bakatare666]

Well, problem solved, after a trip to Lowe's for a $25 shop vac and a $15 mixing tub (and a couple bricks I had laying around to elevate the back of the tray). I did break a top branch while struggling to get the screen off, but nothing a little duct tape won't fix. I'm going screenless for the rest of the grow so I hope I don't have any height issues. Going to try coco next time to try to get the most out of these expensive nutes. Hopefully this will be helpful to some other newb in the same dilemna.

If you haven't done it already, electrical tape is easier to wrap around it after you splint the branch with a few toothpicks.

 

[Kushfan]

If you haven't done it already, electrical tape is easier to wrap around it after you splint the branch with a few toothpicks.

Didn't have any toothpicks so I just wrapped it up with duct tape. You can kinda see it in the top right corner of the pic.

 

[FlightSchool]

$25 for a mini shop vac???

I know where I am going tomorrow. I want one for my grow room bad. Right now I have a dirt devil for the grow area... life savers.

 

[Kushfan]

$25 for a mini shop vac???

I know where I am going tomorrow. I want one for my grow room bad. Right now I have a dirt devil for the grow area... life savers.

Yeah this things kicks ass for its size and price. 2.5 horsepower and 2.5 gallon capacity wet and dry.

 

[bmeat]

congrats on the shop vac :
it will always come in handy