Been growing in soil since I started, just recently me and a buddy setup a ebb and flow system with 6 inch net pots filled with hydroton. I was suggested to do every 4 hours in veg during the day and one more 2 hours after lights off. In flower I was suggested to do every 3 hours during the day and twice after lights off. My first question is should I be watering at night? I’ve read more people saying no then yes. Just wanted some opinions. I have the timer set for 10 minutes so they probably my get flooded for about 15-20 minutes. Another question is I believe we planted them a little low and when we flood I believe the cube is getting soaked all the way. How bad is that? They seem to be growing very vigorously in the first week already. I have 3 stacks now wondering if I should take out a stack now that the roots are to the bottom. One last thing is my buddy noticed some algae on the bottom of one tray not the other. How bad is algae? The one with algae was planted a week behind. Maybe light? I’m also considering putting panda paper on the tray to block the roots from getting light since they are already kind of exposed now. Any input would help thanks guys
Hydroton flood times
- Thread starter Cobrab19
- Start date
My opinion is that it is best to flood for the absolute minimum amount of time. The longer the roots are completely flooded, the less oxygen they get.
The corollary to that is that you should leave them drained as long as possible - but - never let the roots dry out. How long you can leave them will vary with the stage of growth, humidity, temps, how well sealed the table is, etc. The plants will drink faster and more as they grow and/or if temps are hi and humidity is low, so you will have to adjust on the fly.
I personally see no harm in running the same cycle day and night. In fact, I think thats another bit of 'stoner science' that you need to feed less at night.
The plants will only take up as much as they want to take up. Its not like you are forcing nutes into the roots. I think thats pretty much impossible.
If you think about it, plants in soil and DWC, etc, have the exact same nutes touching the roots 24/7 and they sure dont seem to suffer for it.
The corollary to that is that you should leave them drained as long as possible - but - never let the roots dry out. How long you can leave them will vary with the stage of growth, humidity, temps, how well sealed the table is, etc. The plants will drink faster and more as they grow and/or if temps are hi and humidity is low, so you will have to adjust on the fly.
I personally see no harm in running the same cycle day and night. In fact, I think thats another bit of 'stoner science' that you need to feed less at night.
The plants will only take up as much as they want to take up. Its not like you are forcing nutes into the roots. I think thats pretty much impossible.
If you think about it, plants in soil and DWC, etc, have the exact same nutes touching the roots 24/7 and they sure dont seem to suffer for it.
Danielson999
Well-Known Member
Every 4 hours during lights on, never during dark. The last thing you want are plants feeding while they're supposed to be sleeping. This is how I've learned to do it and it works perfectly.
Hydroton doesn't hold a load of water like rockwool... so you can flood a few times an hour
SnoopyDoo
Well-Known Member
Haven't used hydroton in while, but IIRC every 3 hours lights on and then once during lights off worked for me. I used a time that had 15 minute intervals, so the root zone would be flooded for ~20 minutes at a time. I also ran bubbles in the flood tray when the pumps ran. Worked pretty good.