Want to try hydroponics, need some guidance.

P

PinPin

Active Member
I have been growing indoor in soil harvesting from 1 to 3.5 ounces per plant under QBs. Now I want to try to grow hydroponically(if that's even a word? :-))
I have a budget under $300 AUD to purchase a system and I even got a scientist who developed good nutrients for hydroponic and is going to supply it for my grow.


He had a look at what available on ebay and we have found this one
Hydroponics 6 Pots Watering Dripping System Water Air Pumps Completed Setup Kits

This seems to fit my budget and provides a system with for growing 6 plants. That's ideal amount for me. However after reading description we can see it uses only 1.9L pots and they look small to me. I understand that roots will have the whole 50L container under pots for them to grow inside the container.

Do you think it will be ok and still going to beat growing in soil in 20L bags?

There are similar systems with 18L pots but 6 pot system is out of my budget and 4 seems to be quite a small grow.

I have a lockable room unders stairs in my garage that is about 0.9m deep and about 1.5m wide. The height there varies from 2m to 1.2m. There is a spot 90x90cm there with the height not being lower than 1.6-1.7m.
 
Bushbaby11

Bushbaby11

Well-Known Member
PinPin said:
I have been growing indoor in soil harvesting from 1 to 3.5 ounces per plant under QBs. Now I want to try to grow hydroponically(if that's even a word? :-))
I have a budget under $300 AUD to purchase a system and I even got a scientist who developed good nutrients for hydroponic and is going to supply it for my grow.


He had a look at what available on ebay and we have found this one
Hydroponics 6 Pots Watering Dripping System Water Air Pumps Completed Setup Kits

This seems to fit my budget and provides a system with for growing 6 plants. That's ideal amount for me. However after reading description we can see it uses only 1.9L pots and they look small to me. I understand that roots will have the whole 50L container under pots for them to grow inside the container.

Do you think it will be ok and still going to beat growing in soil in 20L bags?

There are similar systems with 18L pots but 6 pot system is out of my budget and 4 seems to be quite a small grow.

I have a lockable room unders stairs in my garage that is about 0.9m deep and about 1.5m wide. The height there varies from 2m to 1.2m. There is a spot 90x90cm there with the height not being lower than 1.6-1.7m.
Click to expand...
i make my own, buy a 20L bucket with lid, cut a hole in the lid for a net pot to sit in nice and tight, drill a small hole in the side at the top of bucket to fit air line into.

saves you £££

with the right light and training (topping, supercropping and even scrog) you will see 5oz per plant upwards easily, you only get out what you put in, 600w dual spectrum lights MINIMUM i use and i pull 7oz per plant upwards have been known to pull 10oz per plant on other runs
 
P

PinPin

Active Member
Bushbaby11 said:
i make my own, buy a 20L bucket with lid, cut a hole in the lid for a net pot to sit in nice and tight, drill a small hole in the side at the top of bucket to fit air line into.

saves you £££
Click to expand...
So are you saying that 1.9L pots even with a mesh bottom that will let roots to go through into a main container won't get me any decent harvest?
I have buckets already I just do not have time to go and buy all components and build it myself. I assume I may save $50 over $200 system sold but I will spend days to get everything. That was my original question asking about the system with less than 2l pots.

with the right light and training (topping, supercropping and even scrog) you will see 5oz per plant upwards easily, you only get out what you put in, 600w dual spectrum lights MINIMUM i use and i pull 7oz per plant upwards have been known to pull 10oz per plant on other runs
Click to expand...
The light I have are samsung qb boards, about 512-520W total real draw from both together. I guess your 5oz is from a 20L pot. I am just questioning 2L pots as in width they are quite small 15x15cm. Can roots just fill in the whole width and have problems to grow?

I do not usually grow non-stop. Once I am close to have very little weed left I plant another 6-8. I usually do one grow per year.
 
ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

Well-Known Member
PinPin said:
So are you saying that 1.9L pots even with a mesh bottom that will let roots to go through into a main container won't get me any decent harvest?
I have buckets already I just do not have time to go and buy all components and build it myself. I assume I may save $50 over $200 system sold but I will spend days to get everything. That was my original question asking about the system with less than 2l pots.


The light I have are samsung qb boards, about 512-520W total real draw from both together. I guess your 5oz is from a 20L pot. I am just questioning 2L pots as in width they are quite small 15x15cm. Can roots just fill in the whole width and have problems to grow?

I do not usually grow non-stop. Once I am close to have very little weed left I plant another 6-8. I usually do one grow per year.
Click to expand...
For budget cannabis hydro, you might be best off going with coco. You get the best of both hydro and soil.

I personally use a variation of DWC, called RDWC.
This method has some of the most explosive growth, but can be the most challenging to set up.
RDWC is favorable to me because I can control the water for all my plants in one spot, and I also can SCROG or use a trellis. Two things you cannot do in regular dwc
 
Bushbaby11

Bushbaby11

Well-Known Member
PinPin said:
So are you saying that 1.9L pots even with a mesh bottom that will let roots to go through into a main container won't get me any decent harvest?
I have buckets already I just do not have time to go and buy all components and build it myself. I assume I may save $50 over $200 system sold but I will spend days to get everything. That was my original question asking about the system with less than 2l pots.


The light I have are samsung qb boards, about 512-520W total real draw from both together. I guess your 5oz is from a 20L pot. I am just questioning 2L pots as in width they are quite small 15x15cm. Can roots just fill in the whole width and have problems to grow?

I do not usually grow non-stop. Once I am close to have very little weed left I plant another 6-8. I usually do one grow per year.
Click to expand...
im saying scrap the little pots and go to 20L pots, you dont need components, its as simple as cutting 1 hole in the lid and a hole in the side of the bucket
buy a netpot to sit in the hole and some clay pebbles.
air pump air line and stones and you are good to go, they sell the buckets for £5 here with the lid, air pump roughly around £40 for the cheaper ones 4/8 outlet models, airline is about 0.50p per metre and air balls are about £1 for one, clay pebbles about £10 for a big bag, the rest is basically DIY

so depending on how many plants you are growing you can set up the dwc for less then £100
it doesnt even take 1 hour to make the buckets either
you save time and money and get massive results....whats not to love lol

1.9L i have never grown in that size and never would, the smallest ive ever grown is 11L fabric pots when i done a coco grow, any other time its 20Litre pots as a minimum
note that i veg for 6 weeks with topping and supercropping
 
JOO©E

JOO©E

Member
PinPin said:
I have been growing indoor in soil harvesting from 1 to 3.5 ounces per plant under QBs. Now I want to try to grow hydroponically(if that's even a word? :-))
I have a budget under $300 AUD to purchase a system and I even got a scientist who developed good nutrients for hydroponic and is going to supply it for my grow.


He had a look at what available on ebay and we have found this one
Hydroponics 6 Pots Watering Dripping System Water Air Pumps Completed Setup Kits

This seems to fit my budget and provides a system with for growing 6 plants. That's ideal amount for me. However after reading description we can see it uses only 1.9L pots and they look small to me. I understand that roots will have the whole 50L container under pots for them to grow inside the container.

Do you think it will be ok and still going to beat growing in soil in 20L bags?

There are similar systems with 18L pots but 6 pot system is out of my budget and 4 seems to be quite a small grow.

I have a lockable room unders stairs in my garage that is about 0.9m deep and about 1.5m wide. The height there varies from 2m to 1.2m. There is a spot 90x90cm there with the height not being lower than 1.6-1.7m.
Click to expand...
Na that's not what you want. Too crowded. By the time the plants get to bloom they'll be drowning each other out.

You need at least 0.37m2 of area per plant. As far as your net pot size, its not such a big deal, its job is only to suspend and hold the plant upright, holds all the weight, while the roots are drinking from the reservoir below which has lots more room for them to grow and expand. Your net pot size is less important but your net pot is the thing the plant will attach itself too, so its more for support and retaining a bit of water when the plant is young before the roots have grown long enough to drop into the water below.

Id try 1-3 to start out and get the hang of it. If you're set on 6 that's ok, but it'll just take more time and money to setup. The main thing though is that the system you found on eBay is too small of an area and too small of a root basin for 6 mature plants. Be great for veg, but too spread out for SOG and too close together for normal full cycle growing.

If it were me I'd suggest 1 DWC bucket to try it out and see what its like.

A cheap ($6) aquarium air pump, a ($6) 5gal bucket, a ($9) net pot for 5gal bucket. ($9) Clay balls or coco coir. Done.

Sure, you can plumb in sight tubes or reservoirs or buy bigger air pumps, try different air stones, upgrade in any way, ect ect, but a 5gal bucket with an air pump and net pot will work. Push/slide netpot to the side to check the water level and add as needed. Air pump runs 24/7. Hand water first week or so till roots drop down.

If you start with 1 it'll be cheap and you won't buy a bunch of stuff you don't need or buy too much wrong stuff. When you decide to up it to 6 or whatever then you'll know what you like or didn't like and you can ammend it and expand it with greater success.

One thing I learned is that having a big reservoir is nice. Sucks to have to top off several DWC buckets each day, and individually check pH and ppm ect. I plumbed in a reservoir for myself so I don't have to mess with moving netpots/plants and having to do repetitive work/checks. Its more expensive because you need to buy bulkhead for your buckets ect, but that's why I'm suggesting trying 1 bucket out first alongside your soil stuff and then jump up in numbers. Idk how many times I think I want to do things a certain way so I buy all the stuff for an entire room and find out I bought the wrong fitting or part ect due to inexperience and instead of it being a small mistake its amplified throughout the entire room and the $$ and time adds up.

Edit- wrap your buckets in aluminum foil to keep out the light and algae growth.
 
Last edited:
ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

ҖҗlegilizeitҗҖ

Well-Known Member
Here is a great 4 bucket DWC starter system you can try, see how it works for you and decide if you want to build a RDWC system maybe

Amazon.com : Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponic Bubbler Bucket Kit by PowerGrow Systems (4) 5 Gallon - 6" Buckets : Plant Germination Kits : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponic Bubbler Bucket Kit by PowerGrow Systems (4) 5 Gallon - 6" Buckets : Plant Germination Kits : Patio, Lawn & Garden
www.amazon.com

There is also single buckets you can buy if you wanted to do just one

Amazon.com : Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponic Bucket Kit 5 Gallon, 6 inch : Agriculture Plant Germination Equipment : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponic Bucket Kit 5 Gallon, 6 inch : Agriculture Plant Germination Equipment : Garden & Outdoor
www.amazon.com
 
Renfro

Renfro

Well-Known Member
PinPin said:
Do you think it will be ok and still going to beat growing in soil in 20L bags?
Click to expand...
Decreasing the root mass by 10x will have a big effect on yield so IMO going from 20L soil to 1.9L hydro is no bueno.

If you want to try a hydro method that is more forgiving (less prone to root rot) look into flood and drain. Thats my preferred hydro style.
 
J

Josh Richards

Member
ÒÒlegilizeitÒÒ said:
For budget cannabis hydro, you might be best off going with coco. You get the best of both hydro and soil.

I personally use a variation of DWC, called RDWC.
This method has some of the most explosive growth, but can be the most challenging to set up.
RDWC is favorable to me because I can control the water for all my plants in one spot, and I also can SCROG or use a trellis. Two things you cannot do in regular dwc
Click to expand...
DWC IS TRULY the best set up for GROWING BIG NUGS in my opinion....the most important part is lighting...starting out small is ok though and then as I continue to grow ,u can upgrade ...spider farmer makes a really good light for around 400$ .as far a the bucket size...it's totally up to u and ur ladies ...find what works best and then improve on it over time
 
graying.geek

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
JOO©E said:
Na that's not what you want. Too crowded. By the time the plants get to bloom they'll be drowning each other out.

You need at least 0.37m2 of area per plant. As far as your net pot size, its not such a big deal, its job is only to suspend and hold the plant upright, holds all the weight, while the roots are drinking from the reservoir below which has lots more room for them to grow and expand. Your net pot size is less important but your net pot is the thing the plant will attach itself too, so its more for support and retaining a bit of water when the plant is young before the roots have grown long enough to drop into the water below.

Id try 1-3 to start out and get the hang of it. If you're set on 6 that's ok, but it'll just take more time and money to setup. The main thing though is that the system you found on eBay is too small of an area and too small of a root basin for 6 mature plants. Be great for veg, but too spread out for SOG and too close together for normal full cycle growing.

If it were me I'd suggest 1 DWC bucket to try it out and see what its like.

A cheap ($6) aquarium air pump, a ($6) 5gal bucket, a ($9) net pot for 5gal bucket. ($9) Clay balls or coco coir. Done.

Sure, you can plumb in sight tubes or reservoirs or buy bigger air pumps, try different air stones, upgrade in any way, ect ect, but a 5gal bucket with an air pump and net pot will work. Push/slide netpot to the side to check the water level and add as needed. Air pump runs 24/7. Hand water first week or so till roots drop down.

If you start with 1 it'll be cheap and you won't buy a bunch of stuff you don't need or buy too much wrong stuff. When you decide to up it to 6 or whatever then you'll know what you like or didn't like and you can ammend it and expand it with greater success.

One thing I learned is that having a big reservoir is nice. Sucks to have to top off several DWC buckets each day, and individually check pH and ppm ect. I plumbed in a reservoir for myself so I don't have to mess with moving netpots/plants and having to do repetitive work/checks. Its more expensive because you need to buy bulkhead for your buckets ect, but that's why I'm suggesting trying 1 bucket out first alongside your soil stuff and then jump up in numbers. Idk how many times I think I want to do things a certain way so I buy all the stuff for an entire room and find out I bought the wrong fitting or part ect due to inexperience and instead of it being a small mistake its amplified throughout the entire room and the $$ and time adds up.

Edit- wrap your buckets in aluminum foil to keep out the light and algae growth.
Click to expand...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^ This is the best advice you're going to get ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
P

PinPin

Active Member
Thank you guys. I have bought a DWC system with 5x 21L buckets so basically it is a 4 plants system. I can always add an extra buckert or two to it but at least I know I won't be packing a lot of plants into a small space with 2L pots.
 
eastcoastmo

eastcoastmo

Well-Known Member
Have you gone and spoken to a hydroponic shop? I know the one I used to go to in ACT was awesome and for $300 would set you up with a wicked setup! Even if you dont buy it from them, you'll at least get a good idea on what you'll need to make you're own!
 
J

jonnynobody

Well-Known Member
Hempy buckets are the simplest and cheapest form of hydro available. 5 gallon bucket full of #4 chunky perlite. 2 inches from the bottom of the bucket you drill a 3/4 inch hole. Feed hydro nutrients @800ppm start to finish. Stellar results. High production. No pumps. No timers. Hand water every other day. 1x day close to flower because they will be monsters.

20210128_153209.jpg20210202_130507.jpg20210104_155357.jpg
 
P

PinPin

Active Member
So far I have no success but it is more likely related to seeds I use. I have 100s of feminised seeds from my first grow about 5 years ago. They worked well 3 years after I got them but now they are not germinating.

I have got only 1 seedling out of 20 I tried to germinate but it is just stuck in a seedling size with just too leaves for about 7 days. The root has grown a bit and even went into pebbles through a foam block but it is not growing up at all while leaves are still green and a stem become visibly thicker. It happened to me with my last grow in soil last year. Back then it was four that germinated and were growing ok in soil but two just stuck for two weeks in a tiny seedling size. I eventually put them outdoor to see what'd happen but they just died after some time outdoor.

Anyway I may need new seeds which is not easy to get in Australia. Most shops pretend they are local but simply send you through an affiliate link to USA or european seed bank.
 
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