Newbie Q&A, need gas & light advice please

The Hemp Goddess said:

I don't quite understand the system being "passive"? You are going to flood and drain with a timer aren't you?

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captainblast said:

No ma'am, I will leave the pots sitting partially submerged 2-3" in the tray (which acts as a rez too) that holds 2-3" of water/solution (depending on pot size), with the clay (hydroton) using capillary action to feed & water the plant. Nutrients are added to the tray after each 2 week cleaning and then the tray is only topped off with ph water until next two week cleaning of tray and pots. I plan to use a float valve to regulate the water into the trays as it is used. My friend he just fills his up by hand when he returns home from business, but it's never longer than 5 days and more often than not only 3 days/nites. I will also have bubblers and heater (aquarium) in tray to keep it from becoming stagnant. Sort of like a wick but no wick other than the clay and roots via capillary action.

Do I make any sense at all?

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Hushpuppy said:

I have found that I prefer to top feed anyway as the smaller nutrient absorbing roots are concentrated higher in the root mass. Top feeding get more nutrients to them for absorption. It has its drawbacks (as does anything) but I prefer to top feed into coco coir, which is great for holding the nutrients in the medium even as the water passes on through, and the water retention ability of the coco keeps it moist but airy until the next watering which allows the roots more time to absorb what they need.

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Hushpuppy said:

Hi Sopapy, yeah I was speaking to you more or less. I use fish tank air hose as my watering lines. I have special stakes that hold them in place and I try to point them so that the water hits halfway between the stem and the outside of the pot. It is pressurized in that I have a small 100gph submersible pump in the main rez but the pressure works out to be just enough to get the water to the plants at a decent stream that doesn't spray out but is more than just a trickle. I have it on timers. When my plants are in veg, the water runs for about 7 minutes 2x in 24hrs. When they are in flower, the water turns on 4x in 24hrs and runs for about 10minutes.

My flowering plants are sitting in holes cut in the lids of 18gal totes, which holds them suspended above the water in the bottom of the totes. All my totes are connected together with hoses and a small 160gph pump forces the water to flow from the totes into the rez and then back through the totes again in a continuous circle. Some call this a RDWC or a UC but my setup is a hybrid of several methods. I prefer to top feed as it gets the nutes dispersed throughout the coco medium, then the excess water runs through and out the bottom of the pots and back into the rez water. This method works very well for me.

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Hushpuppy said:

This is an older thread so I doubt the OP is concerned about it being hijacked at this point. Yeah I don't have to water that much as the coco holds moisture well while draining and allowing natural aeration. I do aerate my rez and I have another air stone that sits in one of the 3 totes that I use. the combination of the 2 air stones and a good pump keeps it well aerated, plus the circulation pump continues to move the solution and continuously mix it up.

I'm sure that with the clay pebbles that you have to water more often to keep the roots from drying out. You could probably get away with running the pump for 15minutes then go 1-2hrs off. That would allow for more aeration to the root zone, but if you are getting good aeration to your water, you can get away with watering continuously. I have seen it done that way before, but it makes the plants subject to a few dangers. It can make it hard to keep the pH within the proper range, and if you lose your air pump, it wouldn't take long for the roots to begin to drown.
This is just my thinking but I would try to get a cycle worked out so that the water isn't running continuously. I would try 15min on and 1hr off during the daylight hrs then during the dark period, switch to 15 on and 2hrs off. You will probably see some drying on top of the pebbles but moist below.

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Hushpuppy said:

I used to have one of those piston driven air pumps. They are great for pushing some serious air but they are noisy as a small airplane taking off. I now use the big 2 port pumps or the dual diaphragm pumps(are the best to me) as these are quieter and still produce enough air for my setup. For DWC though, you really need the high volume pumps.

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zem said:

imo 4x4 is enough for veg clones mom area but you can space it more if you had the area, however no need to split them in different chambers.
by making passive intake holes in the veg room them placing the exhaust fan in the flowering room, you would be pulling air form the outside in the veg area then flowering area then outside. the heat of the veg chamber is insignificant if you have a proper airflow. it's the flowering chamber heat that you don't want circulating inside

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Hushpuppy said:

Yeah that GH pump is the one that I really like to use when I had my big setup. I haven't tried the active aqua but their stuff is pretty good from what I can tell. Those pumps are a lot quieter for the amount of air that they produce.

Why are you hating GH now?

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