flood and drain questions

hey, seems to be a lot of flood and drain users here. I have a few questions and would be happy to answer a few as well.

1. What is the wicking power of pebbles? aka if i flood to an inch below my starter cubes, should that be ok? I know you are not supposed to hit the cube.

2. I hear 10mins max 5x per day flooding with pebbles. Does this mean the entire flood and drain cycle or just 10 min flood max.

3. is a 15min flood and drain time about right?

nobody ebb & flo?

gvega187 said:

nobody ebb & flo?

Click to expand...

OH we EBB & FLOW all right!!!

I flood my tables for 10 min every 2 hours during lights on only and only 10 min because i don't have a digital timer. You should only flood for as long as it takes to fill your tray and during daylight hours.

thats the same thing i do sparkafire, 10-15 min (no digital timer) every 2 hours works great, im having great results i love the ebb and flow i think its the best method and produces the most and is the FASTEST

later

gvega187 said:

1. What is the wicking power of pebbles? aka if i flood to an inch below my starter cubes, should that be ok? I know you are not supposed to hit the cube.

Click to expand...

Pellets don't wick much or far, but they do wick a bit. Your 1" spacing should be OK. Roots only need a very humid environment to form and will seek down to the wettest area of the medium they can tolerate.

You can test the wicking yourself. Put some new, dry pellets in a pot and sink it halfway in a bowl or bucket of water for a couple of minutes to simulate a flood cycle. Mark the side of the pot at the flood line so you know how deeply you flooded. Let it drain, put it aside for about 5 mins. Dig down into the pot and measure the depth at which you find damp pellets. New pellets which have not been rinsed of clay dust yet are useful for this test because it is easier to spot which pellets are damp.

2. I hear 10mins max 5x per day flooding with pebbles. Does this mean the entire flood and drain cycle or just 10 min flood max.

Click to expand...

Simply raising the flood level to the overflow tube is a sufficient time to flood, however long it takes your pump to do that with your tray. It may only take 3-4 mins to raise the level to the overflow.

3. is a 15min flood and drain time about right?

Click to expand...

It's a bit long, but if you are using pellets, have tank aeration and are using H2O2, should be OK. Get a digital timer so you can program single minute runtime increments.

what exactly does h202 do al b?? and what is the exact name so maybe i can go pick some up

later

brontobrandon1 said:

what exactly does h202 do al b?? and what is the exact name so maybe i can go pick some up

later

Click to expand...

H2O2 kills mould & fungi in the nutrient solution and in the rootmass.When H2O2 encounters pathogens or organic matter, it breaks it down into inorganic elements and releases oxygen in the rootmass in the process.

It is sold under an assortment of brand names. It is available in hydro shops & chemical supply companies. Get 50% strength if you can, but 35% will do.

H2O2 50% is used in nute solutions at 1ml/L, reapplied every 3-4 days. If you can only get 35%, it is applied at 1.7ml/L.

thanks al, good to have you back. I was afraid and confused like a deer in headlights there for a few days.

no worries, GV. I'm around, just busy.

I flooded mine 4 times a day for 5 min. Use h2o2 in hydro i ran out at the end and got white slime in the last week and a half in the res so i hand watered them no problem just annoying.

o ya fast and big veg and big bloom compared to dirt in my case

Damn, so if you dont use H202 then your gonna get slimy shit??

What's good for cannabis plants is also good for simple plants like algae and sorta-plants like fungi. If you provide a big tank of yummy plant food, some spores will get in your tank. If you don't take some measures to stop them, they will multiply fast and cause big problems.

Thanks Al B, much appreciated.

-J

no wucking furries, mate.

If you dont use h2o2 there is always a chance, its better to be safe then sorry.

how did that watering work.. I mean how did yu do it? Stupid question, curious tho. Did yu pour the water over slowly? Did yu dip the pot, did yu try i ean to ask simulate the flood cycle or just water like it was soil?