Stinky's Crash Course in "nOOb Hydro"... Welcome to the Darkside - Cannabis.com Forums Message Boards - Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Club, Dispensary, News

**stinkyattic** · #1 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:03

Hey all, can I start by saying for the record that I am a COMPOST grower- HAHAHA- just in case there was any confusion...

I'm setting up another room in my house to run hydro for the winter because I really don't have a good place to store soil that doesn't freeze, and disposing of used dirt in a place that gets SNOWFALL is just ASKING for trouble...

So this is going to be set up as an example of what I consider to be a very VERY basic beginner hydro system, one which anyone can run without too much hassle.

I have always run a perpetual crop, and despite the insistence of my favorite Cannabis Consultant (you know who you are!) that SOG 2-month cycles are far more efficient, I'm going to continue.

It's not that I disagree, but I personally have amassed a collection of 35 different strains and do not want to limit myself to a single strain per cycle, and I will need to be able to move plants around anyway, so there's no reason why I should not run multiple trays and reservoirs, and simply move plants along as they get closer to harvest.

Plants are not going to be embedded in a substrate of anything; rather, they'll be put in quart pots full of hydroton- not net- pots, regular ones, and moved to keep the canopy as even as possible, and get teh proper food mix.

I will have 3 trays:

2x4 for early flower- plain bloom nutes
2x4 for mid flower- this one will get any bloom boosters I decide to use
1x4 for pre-harvest- this will contain all plants within 2 weeks of harvest and be on a constant leaching solution

Plants will be put into the room as well-rooted clones, and grown in the bud-on-a-stick fashion.

Lighting will be a single air-cooled HPS1000. Also in the room will be my spare HPS400 for retired mothers, but that is not part of this log.

The room is about 6x6 ish.

Reservoirs will be 5 gallon pails with covers. Pumps will be the cheap 'Eco' pumps from National Garden Wholesale- the local shop stocks them and they are supposed to be pretty damn indestructible for a $15 pump.

I'll be no doubt having to add additional climate control, as my attic is unheated. I may also add CO2 if my friend EVER decides to give me back my damn tank, grr, but I haven't decided yet, since I sleep in the same area and am not exactly comfortable with trusting the regulator! If I can find a high-CO2 alarm, I'd be more willing to consider it. Plus I'd have to go sealed-room. We will see.

Most likely the strains I will choose out of my collection for these hydro tables will all be squat indicas, and I will be relying heavily on the classic Power Plant and the BOG lines, along with a couple of my own lines that I feel are well suited to SOG.

For ferts, I've got 5 gallons of Botanicare Power Plant/Power Flower that I need to use up, then I'm switching to Cornucopia quite likely- it's cheap, it's local, I'm impressed by it so far, the local shop keeps it stocked.

I run city water and do not forsee problems. I've dabbled in flood n drain before and my main issues were nothing more than temps and getting the cycles right.

So as soon as I get some plastic at the house, I'll start posting up pictures.

Weedhound · #2 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:23

I'm already massively confused but I'll figure it out once I get the photos.....now why flood and drain as opposed to DWC or drip?

**stinkyattic** · #3 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:27

My goal here is to post up a very simple system that can be built for short money. It's certainly cheaper than drip for initial investment, and needs less maintenance.

The reason I have decided against DWC is that I'm really just going to be running a single point of light, and I feel that a field of small plants is more efficient under this restraint than fewer but much larger plants.

Another thing to consider is the total 'age' of each harvested plant, from the time the clone roots to the time it is harvested- by minimizing that time, you also reduce the amount of plant energy wasted putting on 'wood', and the risk of anything bad happening to it.

My plant count is already outrageous so hey... here goes!!!

Weedhound · #4 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:31

Ok....here's what I don't understand about clones.....even though they are the genetic age of the mother....you're still looking at one little branch that has to put out some side growth etc before you flower it. The clones take how long to root? So really, how much faster is it from seed? Enquiring minds need to know.....

weedmaster · #5 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:36

i can see this is going to be a very interesting thread, will be following with interest.

**stinkyattic** · #6 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:39

Bud on a stick= side growth is actually kept to a MINIMUM.

I'll allow up to 3 leads per plant in that size pots; all other side growth will be removed after the second week of flower.

Clones take approximately 2 weeks to root at my house, then I pot them up and abuse them for another week to test viability. That's actually sort of a joke, but it's true that I don't really baby my rooted clones very much; I'd rather that they die early rather than waste work on a plant that is sickly or not vigorous enough.

So compared to the same SETUP from seed, whcih wouldn't be practical since I'm flowering clones at a size shorter than they are typically at when they initially show sex, I'm going to assume a month of time saved.

Compared to a DWC from-seed grow allowing a month of veg after the seedling stage, I'd say 6-8 weeks saved, although my per-plant yield is going to be very low of course!

Weedhound · #7 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:50

And then you do a bunch of them at once and that's where your speed and high yield come in.....I get it now. Like what Rhizome was talking about with the 192 plants...hey...you're not doing 192 plants are you???

Weedhound · #8 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 13:51

the flood and drain makes more sense now as well.....less things breaking and less worries.....can take of everyone at once....hey....you ARE a pretty smart Growhead...

**stinkyattic** · #9 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 14:08

Funny you should bring up Rhizome... I'm not running 192 plants, but it's something akin to his basic setup instructions that I'm thinking of actually. I think he was telling dusto about something very similar except just a single-stage grow, not multiples.

And yeah, that's the point- nothing to break. Keep an extra pump on hand, because that's pretty much the only moving part in this system, lol. I will very likely aerate the res's though.

fatsax · #10 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 14:20

Whats wrong with flood and drain its always worked gd for me and there aint much to go wrong with it.also i like the idea of having a large reservoir in the system to keep the water parameters more stable.
chronic was perfect stinky for my tables,short,fast and fat just like my women

Weedhound · #11 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 14:49

Well, my issue with flood and drain would be the timing....I don't want to deal with the possible problems and drip and DWC don't deal with the issue (unless you want them to). But for lack of moving parts, ease of checking and adjusting ph etc as Stinky said...it would be the way to go.

hydrocannabis · #12 (**permalink**) Aug-27-2007, 18:59

stinky quote: I'm setting up another room in my house to run hydro for the winter because I really don't have a good place to store soil that doesn't freeze, and disposing of used dirt in a place that gets SNOWFALL is just ASKING for trouble... :quote

I'v seen some pix of a setup like this one on the web befor.

I am sure that if stinky is doing it than it should work out great.

**stinkyattic** · #13 (**permalink**) Aug-29-2007, 08:45

Oh sheesh I had a long sit-down yesterday with the guy from the shop to talk about possible setups.

My priorities, and the reasoning behind them, are as follows:

-MUST be a re-usable medium- that is why I am SET on hydroton.
The reason is to make this a good setup for an apartment-dweller who can't be disposing of soil, soilless, or rockwool slab every cycle, and doesn't feel like hauling a bale of promix on his bicycle or public transportation, lol!!!

-Should be under $200 for all parts, not including lights and climate control.
This is because I am trying to make this thread a tutorial for someone who already has the dirt experience I recommend for your first couple grows, so already HAS the basic equipment handy.

-Must be very low maintenance and also pretty fool-proof.
I want this to be easy to set-up and maintain for someone who has only limited DIY skills and can't afford a pre-fab hydro kit.

So a second option we discussed was what he calls a 'modular vertical containerized NFT', lol!!!! Or something like that- I was baked off my gourd at the time.

This is a BRILLIANT solution. It's a sort of hybrid NFT/recirculating drip. But rather than dripping, it emits a constant STREAM of highly aerated water over a pot of hydroton pellets.

A system like that has the following advantages over NFT:
-hydroton remains moist for a significant amount of time after pump failure
-hand-watering is possible in emergencies (power outage).
-Cleaning is very simple

And the following advantage, valuable to upper-story apartment dewllers, over flood and drain:
-Volume of reservoir can be much smaller!!!
This is why I am leaning towards this method. I wanted to be able to flood out of 5 gallon pails, but that would have meant multiple pumps on timers set to go on at different times, flooding the trays.
This delivery system's total volume is very small. I am not trying to haul more than 5 gallons of nute solution up my attic stairs, thanks!!!

So when I make up my mind, I'll let y'all know.

Weedhound · #14 (**permalink**) Aug-29-2007, 11:52

Please do because I am LOST.....where is this stream of aererated (sp?) water coming from? There has to be power to a.....(can't spell) right? Now you've got moving parts again......

**stinkyattic** · #15 (**permalink**) Aug-29-2007, 12:02

The stream of aerated water is run from a res with an airstone, by a pump pushing 1/4" flexible tubing. The pump is a given either way.

I'd also like to add the assumption to set this up- You've already completed at least one soil grow and have lights, ventilation, appropriate mother plants, and basic troubleshooting knowledge already in place.

Weedhound · #16 (**permalink**) Aug-29-2007, 12:12

Ummm....no...I haven't completed a soil grow.....am I out?

**stinkyattic** · #17 (**permalink**) Aug-29-2007, 12:14

You were probably born with a green thumb...