If You Could Start Over. What Would you Buy?

Hello, new to forum i appreciate all your responses that pertain to my grow.
I am a new legal grower here
I have some past experience with hydro.

NOW the thread is just as said, im going to drop around $1500 u.s. on supplies
Cant decide weather to do AEROFLO or EBB and FLOW.
GROW room is 10ft x 9ft. (keep in mind to stay legal im eligible for only 12 plants)
so this makes me want to go with EBB and GROW to munipulate that aspect. lol they say legal is 12 plants, but they never said how big.
~by the way closet space is already made up for seedling/veg with T-5 fluorescent and DIY aeroponic misting system, then going to make a seperate flower section in the room. I WILL HAVE A Divider for light reasons. and section off with PVC

SO please give me your thoughts and supply lists!
Lighting/hydro setup/climate control, nutrients, etc. THANK YOU!
i will get this all set up soon with your guy/girls? help and post pics and start a journal.
 

tommyo3000

Well-Known Member
Hey there,

I would put together a DIY Ebb Monster. I have a diary in progress where I build a second system next to my first one.

It is easy and the results are incredible! Oh, and you can replicate the CAP Ebb Monster for a fraction of the cost.

It is ebb and flow in buckets.

I would also get on eBay and get a really really good pH meter and probe.
Take this for example http://cgi.ebay.com/Omega-pH-ORP-Controller-PHCN36-PHCN-36-New-/360309822817?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e4239561#ht_500wt_950

It will be pinpoint accurate with pH AND you can have it control a pump or two for pH up and/or pH down.
You just have to get a probe for it, which is another expense.. But then you will never have a pH worry again. These are industrial grade controllers and will never ever let you down like the crap pens and everything else out there.

I can help with any of that.

your veg room sounds good. PVC is being phased out of agricultural use. You may want to divide your room with black and white panda film (some other plastic) or plywood or something.


tommy
 

drgreentm

Well-Known Member
Hey there,

I would put together a DIY Ebb Monster. I have a diary in progress where I build a second system next to my first one.

It is easy and the results are incredible! Oh, and you can replicate the CAP Ebb Monster for a fraction of the cost.

It is ebb and flow in buckets.

I would also get on eBay and get a really really good pH meter and probe.
Take this for example http://cgi.ebay.com/Omega-pH-ORP-Controller-PHCN36-PHCN-36-New-/360309822817?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e4239561#ht_500wt_950

It will be pinpoint accurate with pH AND you can have it control a pump or two for pH up and/or pH down.
You just have to get a probe for it, which is another expense.. But then you will never have a pH worry again. These are industrial grade controllers and will never ever let you down like the crap pens and everything else out there.

I can help with any of that.

your veg room sounds good. PVC is being phased out of agricultural use. You may want to divide your room with black and white panda film (some other plastic) or plywood or something.


tommy
i agree with tommy i just bought the ebb and grow system and am kicking myself for not doing it sooner now i have a bunch of flood trays and dont know what to do with them lol (actually keeping them lol) but you get the point.
 
anyone ever heard of STG (sure to grow) to grow with as a better version of hydroton? sounds efficient. also the water consumption with ebb and grow seems very large? 55 gal versus ebb and flow trays which i would only use around a 20gal for 12 large plants? right.
get back to me guys i will be buying the goods soon heres what i have in mind

DIY grow tent forming around my ac unit in the window =]
600w hps w inline fans for exhaust/carbonfilter you know the deal. sticky icky.
im going to have both my rez's outside the closet (veg room) and outside flower tent for temp control.
Reverse osmosis system for good water with no chlorine =]
humidifier conected to temp/humidity control unit "love this" ~ac unit will be connected to this also.
and now its ebb and flow or DIY ebb and grow but the idea of aeroflo seems like it would fail if i make it myself considering clogged misters but i will counter that with an addition filter bag around my submersible pump,
by the way any new thing out like that ph control unit? ...its been 5 years give me a break :p im been studying since i was 12 in borders and messing around at 13 growing with drip and bubbleponics but thats little shit. heres the real deal.
ALSO give me advice on awsome strains to grow??? sorry i write alot when im excited
 

SlimDigital

Active Member
If I knew what i knew now id forget about all of those magic additives and just get a bigger reflector. Also I would have been tossed my DIY crap and just paid for an Aeroflo because all the money I spent on putting crap together that I had no idea about i could have just made the purchase. Yeah my Big Kuhana reflector rocks out!

Strains .....Im looking into purchasing Tahoe OG from Cali Cinnection ...im running kushberry currently ...good stuff but need to cure for a bit, my special kush was good right off the tree after a good dry of course!
 

drgreentm

Well-Known Member
anyone ever heard of STG (sure to grow) to grow with as a better version of hydroton? sounds efficient. also the water consumption with ebb and grow seems very large? 55 gal versus ebb and flow trays which i would only use around a 20gal for 12 large plants? right.
get back to me guys i will be buying the goods soon heres what i have in mind

DIY grow tent forming around my ac unit in the window =]
600w hps w inline fans for exhaust/carbonfilter you know the deal. sticky icky.
im going to have both my rez's outside the closet (veg room) and outside flower tent for temp control.
Reverse osmosis system for good water with no chlorine =]
humidifier conected to temp/humidity control unit "love this" ~ac unit will be connected to this also.
and now its ebb and flow or DIY ebb and grow but the idea of aeroflo seems like it would fail if i make it myself considering clogged misters but i will counter that with an addition filter bag around my submersible pump,
by the way any new thing out like that ph control unit? ...its been 5 years give me a break :p im been studying since i was 12 in borders and messing around at 13 growing with drip and bubbleponics but thats little shit. heres the real deal.
ALSO give me advice on awsome strains to grow??? sorry i write alot when im excited
it really depends on your definition of large, flood trays are generally used for the sog method as they are already quite tall (have to be above res). now i ran 4 2x4 trays with 32 'sog' plants in them (never larger than 2' single cola plants) and i scraped by with 40 gallons of solution (each two trays sharing a 20 gal res on alternating watering schedules) and believe me i was topping off daily to keep my pumps from running dry, so imo im using the same amount of water now, i fill 40 gallons not the whole 55 the res is just big enough to run up to 48 plants so if your only running the 12 site you really dont even need that much in there ya know, and remember its the same general concept as flood trays just each plant has its own tray.
 

jojodancer10

Well-Known Member
WOW thats a nice size grow room. i would start with my venting system mybe an 8inch fan and a 12in fan on a filther. next a big dyi ebb and drain system broken down to about 6. 2 in each row so i can walk inbetween them. my pots would be 3gal buckets and let them girls go.
 
thanks dr green im highly considering ebb and flow. tables are expensive ? any deal around online?
also im now approved for 24 plants to start and can pick up another 3 patients for legal grow.
so now i am eligible eventually to have 60 plants :0 but i will start with 24 for sure so ebb and flow it is.

so tables? and im going to buy rez at home depot nice ones with yellow tops heavy duty.
i will also be having a cloning and mother room so i can take clones. i might just buy a ez clone system.
MY BUDGET IS 2000 u.s. so i will buy a 1000w hps (mabee 2) i have a 400w switchable already and T-5 for clones so im hooked up . i love sea of green and good looking plants that are organized with just that big cola not branching out!
 

Clown Baby

Well-Known Member
Assuming you don't might a bit higher plant count, I'd say you should run an ebb& flow table.
It's so simple. One pump in your res hooked up to a timer.... In case of pump failure, your plants can survive a little while since the hydroton retains some water.

The aeroflo's are dope, but its a LOT more maintenance.
Those sprayers WILL get clogged. and pumps can fail.
Since there's no grow media (its aero...) the system is a lot less forgiving in case of pump failure. It's also a PITA to check sprayers all the time.

I don't like DWC so much. CAP controllers can fail on the Ebb&Gro systems.
And for regular DWC, you're SOL if your air stone fails.
But maybe this is the route if you're growing fewer, large plants

My vote is for ebb&flow.
Keep It Simple, Stupid.
 

Big P

Well-Known Member
this is a dual diaphram air pump, when one rubber diaphram rips the other keeps pumping air until you can repair it with the spare parts kit:





$51 online


these are the replacement diaphrams:

 
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