First Ebb & Grow system, seeking knowledge

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guff6387

Member
Been using soil, just bought a used C.A.P. Ebb & Flow system on craigs list. Plan on doing 20 pots. New to hydroponics. Have lots of questions, some basic and some complitcated. Any good links that tell me everything I need to know about the system and how to use it?

Ps: I will be glad to +rep for you in exchange for good advice. Thank you!
 
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guff6387

Member
Thankx for the link, now I have instructions for the system just in case I need them. Seen a youtube video on that link that was promoting STG, is this better than hydroton or is it just easier to use? Anyone have experience with both? I have not done hydro yet so I have no clue.
 
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guff6387

Member
blueybong said:
This may help you out:

http://www.aquahub.com/store/media/EbbandFlowControlInstruxCompressed.pdf

I just built a DIY controller bucket and I'm currently using the system as a recirculating DWC grow. Next grow will be a true E&G.

I'm new to this system, but I'll help as much as possible!
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WOW thats a great link, wish I would of just built the system myself now. I did only spend 300 though and got 36 pots one res and the controller and pumps and was all like new.
 
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guff6387

Member
I understand how the system works now I just need to decide on what media to use. Have been told Hydroton is very good but the STG looks much easier to use. Is it more effective though? any advice?
 
Someguy15

Someguy15

Well-Known Member
guff6387 said:
I understand how the system works now I just need to decide on what media to use. Have been told Hydroton is very good but the STG looks much easier to use. Is it more effective though? any advice?
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I'm using rockwool + hydroton, the old school way. STG dries out faster (maybe a good thing for hydro) and floats. Rockwool has a higher chance to over water, because it won't dry out for days. Yes you have to soak rockwool overnight and yes you have to wash hydroton like 10 times. The other thing to consider is a malfunction. If your in STG you probably have a day or less to fix it before you loose it all. With rockwool I bet that number is about two days. Not incredibly experienced, but I've seen some side by side comparisons. +Rep if I helped

Oh yea. Rockwool & STG are not reusable (old root matter will poison), but hydroton is. Just another cost consideration. Only you can decide what is best/right for your application.
 
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guff6387

Member
Someguy15 said:
I'm using rockwool + hydroton, the old school way. STG dries out faster (maybe a good thing for hydro) and floats. Rockwool has a higher chance to over water, because it won't dry out for days. Yes you have to soak rockwool overnight and yes you have to wash hydroton like 10 times. The other thing to consider is a malfunction. If your in STG you probably have a day or less to fix it before you loose it all. With rockwool I bet that number is about two days. Not incredibly experienced, but I've seen some side by side comparisons. +Rep if I helped

Oh yea. Rockwool & STG are not reusable (old root matter will poison), but hydroton is. Just another cost consideration. Only you can decide what is best/right for your application.
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STG floats? So when the buckets flood wouldn't that cause problems such as potential for the plants to tip if they are top heavy( like when they are palmed during flower stage). There will be someone checking the system 3-4 times daily so if a problem occurs it should be addressed somewhat soon. Leaning towards hydroton because i can reuse it. What is rockwool and how do you mix it with hydroton? What benefits do you get from combining the two? Thank you very much (i love this site!!!!!)
 
Stink Finger

Stink Finger

Member
Dont use the STG inserts from what i've read on other forums the STG doesnt work well in the Ebb & Grow system

Stick with hydroton or higromite
 
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blueybong

Well-Known Member
Rockwool comes in different sizes. I use the 1.5" cubes. The STG seems to hold water longer than RW.

I too use hydroton(clay pebbles) and will reuse after cleaning out the old roots.

Washing the hydroton is really important because you don't want the dust to clog your lines.

 
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guff6387

Member
So you put your clones in one of those rockwool cubes and then into the hydroton in the pot? I use soil now so I dip my cuttings in olivia's gel then into a peat pellet and then into a humidome until it roots well then into dirt (obviously lol). Is it the same for hydro? I'm curious as to how the clone gets water when you put it in the hydroton cuz the buckets don't fill all the way. Will the water even reach a clone? Thanks
 
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guff6387

Member
Okay so I talked to my buddy that owns a hydro shop so I'm clear on how the rockwool works, as I thought it's used to house the clone then is transplanted into the hydroton, now that thats clear heres my next question(going to keep all my question on the ebb n grow system here rather than vomitting 20 new threads like most newbies do)....

I use Fox Farm with soil now, so how do I incorperate that with the ebb N grow system? I have a 50 gal resivior with 20 pots. The schedule says feed the soulble nutrients(grow big, tiger bloom, big bloom) every other day and the micro nutrients(open sesame, beastie blooms, cha-ching) every other week. If I put the nutrients in the res then the plants will get the nutrients every watering. So can someone explain how you incorporate the fox farm schedule with the ebb n grow, thank you. Again I will gladly award +rep for good advice.
 
morrisgreenberg

morrisgreenberg

Well-Known Member
perlite is a no go in this system, you dont want those loose pieces floating around in your lines and it holds water, Guff, fox farms has a soil and hydro formula, make sure you have the right one first, when running hydro systems its important you get a meter to measure nutrient strenght, at first your gonna want to start at 1/4 label strength no matter what brand you use, get a ppm/tds or ec meter (check out ebay for $20), ph should be from 5.5-6.0, forget those STG inserts, even on a youtube STG promo video they had to put PVC inside the buckets to raise the STG so it wont sit in water, but i have read a few forums where not one user of this stuff has even finished a grow let alone had success, use the clay pellets, they are built for the constant flooding and draining, no matter what medium you use it will cost about 7-9 bucks per bucket, go with the clay its easiest and safest, as for the position of your clones, if using rockwool, let your system flood and find the highest flood line, then place/bury your rockwool or whatever you use for cloning 1/2inch above this water line, this will allow the roots to search out for water rather than your clone's media getting soaked, thats not good
 
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guff6387

Member
morrisgreenberg said:
perlite is a no go in this system, you dont want those loose pieces floating around in your lines and it holds water, Guff, fox farms has a soil and hydro formula, make sure you have the right one first, when running hydro systems its important you get a meter to measure nutrient strenght, at first your gonna want to start at 1/4 label strength no matter what brand you use, get a ppm/tds or ec meter (check out ebay for $20), ph should be from 5.5-6.0, forget those STG inserts, even on a youtube STG promo video they had to put PVC inside the buckets to raise the STG so it wont sit in water, but i have read a few forums where not one user of this stuff has even finished a grow let alone had success, use the clay pellets, they are built for the constant flooding and draining, no matter what medium you use it will cost about 7-9 bucks per bucket, go with the clay its easiest and safest, as for the position of your clones, if using rockwool, let your system flood and find the highest flood line, then place/bury your rockwool or whatever you use for cloning 1/2inch above this water line, this will allow the roots to search out for water rather than your clone's media getting soaked, thats not good
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Thanks, well i'm going to go with the hydroton and rockwool.

I was considering just buying a 5 gallon bucket drilling some holes in the bottom and rinsing the hydroton in the bucket in my basement tub sink until the water is clear coming out. Sound good?

Also I understand to get the fox farm hydro rather than soil, but when I mix the solution for fox farm after a while the solution settles in the bottom after a while. What I am concerned about is when the Ebb & Flow system floods the bucket is only going to use about half the water in the res. So won't this be too concentrated? Is there a bubbler to use to keep the solution mixed or something? Or do you only fill the res for how much water is goin to be used by the flood for the amount of pots? Thank you very much!
 
morrisgreenberg

morrisgreenberg

Well-Known Member
your gonna want to aerate your rez, and air pump is needed, unfortunatly one does not come with the system, thicker nutrients like fox farms (i use pure plend pro) does accumulate at the bottoms, i use an additive called liquid karma and its thick and heavy and stay down low, dont worry about mixing as each flood cycle will mix your nutes up good, as for water level, your clay pellets will displace around a gallon of water,so if running 20 pots, around 20 gallons will be used, but if you want to avoid violent ph swings and nutrient strength concentrations, the plants will use water daily, making your water numbers change, using a larger amount of water will keep things stable for longer. as for cleaning the clay i use a rubbermaid tub with holes in the bottom to clean clay, this is the only hard labor about these systems. this system in order to have trouble free grow cycles will need a good flush once a month, theres too many pots and tubing for nutrient salts to hang onto, this will mess with your plants health causing lockout and such, i also prefer to raise each pot exactly 1 inch higher than the controller, doing this i have much much less water at the bottom of the pots and less build up
 
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