Classic Ebb and Flow: why aren't more people doing it?

Yea I used hydroton and thought it worked well. I also had about a 20 gal reservoir. Only the 2 plants, I was flooding about 7" every 4 hrs for 15 minutes. I changed the veg res at about 3 weeks and then I ran the same res for the entire grow, the flower is good, I just wonder how much better it could have been if I changed nutes every week, live and learn I guess.

if I did ebb n flow id need a 500gal reservoir, drain to waste seems much easier and cleaner.

F_T_P! said:

I love ebb n flow, but with the hops virus going around you are risking full contamination with the shared res.

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You'll get full contamination anyways just by having plants in the same room.

shotcaller21 said:

Yea I used hydroton and thought it worked well. I also had about a 20 gal reservoir. Only the 2 plants, I was flooding about 7" every 4 hrs for 15 minutes. I changed the veg res at about 3 weeks and then I ran the same res for the entire grow, the flower is good, I just wonder how much better it could have been if I changed nutes every week, live and learn I guess.

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Hydroton creates a bit of work between grows ,cleaning it and i was always concerned with salt build up you could never really clean it off very easily and i was concerned about it affecting my flood and drain system . I have a unique style of flood and drain system now its in my journal , and its without hydroton just a 50mm grow wool block . With top results .
Im about to fire it up again

Isnt the whole point of flood and drain to have the roots dry out in the air hydrozon would make it a complicated dwc

amneziaHaze said:

Isnt the whole point of flood and drain to have the roots dry out in the air hydrozon would make it a complicated dwc

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Theres no need for it really

nxsov180db said:

You'll get full contamination anyways just by having plants in the same room.

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There has to be fluid transmission, even though it is bound to happen in the same room. Runoff water, pinching off leaves, etc. can transmit it but just being in the same room does not cause contamination.

F_T_P! said:

There has to be fluid transmission, even though it is bound to happen in the same room. Runoff water, pinching off leaves, etc. can transmit it but just being in the same room does not cause contamination.

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Right but if you have any kind of bug including fungus gnats it’ll spread

I wound up getting tired of roots stopping up the drain hoses……I switched to the Bucket Company I have enjoyed the change. If you do the ebb and flow style, dont veg very long or you will get roots clogging up the drain hoses and then you will fight root rot.

Ive been using the same hydroton for over 17 years. I wash it of course between runs.

Going back to ebb n flow this run, got all clean cuts now so I'm good to go, moms are in soil pots just in case lol.