How big of a common DWC contaier do I need to grow 4each stativa dom regular plants?

[DonJones]

I have 4 each stativa dominate cloned plants, MTF, that are outgrowing their current perlite filled pots.

I want to grow them in a single shared DWC container rather than individual buckets, but I don't know how big an area I need for them. I grew the mother in a 3 gallon pot of Black Gold and it got approximately 2' wide by 4' above the BG. If I remember right they pretty much covered about an 4'x 4' areawith open areas where the plants were circular and the floor spoace was square.

I usually veg to at least 2.5' to 3' tall.

I need to know how large of a area the common container/reservoir needs to be to allow them room to grow.

Does my reservoir/bed need to be that big? Also, can the plants/pots sit close to the outside corners of the container/reservoir or do the roots need plenty of room all the way around them? If so, about how much room do I need between the centers of the plants and between the walls of the reservoir and the centers of the plants?

Also, when I get ready to move them into the flower room. can I just drain the reservoir, quickly move the reservoir/container into the other room and refill it with solution?

How much air space do I need between the top of the full reservoir and the lid? I will probably use pots that hang approximately 4" to 5" through the lid.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Great smoking.

 

[DonJones]

Since I posted the question, I thought of some thing, I have several 48quart or larger plastic clad foam coolers lying around. Would one of them handle 4 full grown plants or should I plan on using 2 of them?

That would give 3 gallons per plant, which I realize would require frequent feedings as they near maturity -- probably at least every other day if not every day.

Also, how do I figure the size of air discs needed for a 12 gallon reservoir with probably at the most 10 gallons of nutrients? I'm thinking air discs instead of air stones because I have read that they are more effective at oxygenating the solution.

Thank you.

Great smoking.

 

[RUDEBWOY]

hey don.... i'm running DWC and i use 27 gal. black storage containers with 5 4" pots in each container 1 in each corner and 1 in the center .. i have had plants up to 5' tall in the containers with no problem ...I put my holes about 2" from the sides of the container and it seems to work just fine (the roots are gonna go straight down for water no matter what)... I only put about 5 gal. of water and nutes in my resivours at a time this way i'm not flushing my system to often i just wait til there is about 1/2" of water left and then i just mix up a new batch and pour it right in ... The most important thing you want is a big enough air pump to make your solution look like its got a rolling boil to it ... I actually use a submersable pond pump that i have shooting straight up causing the water to splash back into the resivour and also the pump i'm using has an air inlet that i have running to the lid of each tub ... Hope this helps ya out a lil ...Good Luck...


EZ&SAFE

 

[DonJones]

RUDEBWOY,

So do you think I could grow 4 plants satisfactorily in the 48 Quart (12 gallon) cooler?

I was just informed that all of sudden, the kids wanted the 12 gallon ones back so I've got 10 gallon ones with interior measurements of 11" W x 17"L x13" D.

How many full sized plants do you think I could practically grow in one of those?

I have several of them lying around and the thermocouples have went out in them so I'll never use them, plus they are very well insulated so they should NOT have a problem with reservoir temperatures.

Thanks for your assistance.

I'll try to get some pictures up today after I get rid of the ice in the bottom of them. (The lids are made where water slowly drains down into the cooler and since it was below freezing of rover 3 weeks, it froze solid about 2" to 3" deep.)

Great smoking.

 

[DonJones]

Here is a picture of one of the coolers I have available. Since i go tthe ice out, I remeasured it and the inside dimensions are 11 &7/8"W x17.5"L x 13"D.

I need to clean them up first and remove any metal parts that I find that would contact. the solution.

also, would you recommend using the original thick lid for a deck to hang the posts from on make one out of wood or something like that?

Great smoking.

 

[RUDEBWOY]

i wouldn't use the coolers for flowering ... I use the coolers for veg. and then i transfer into plastic storage totes for my flowering ... the coolers that i use for veg . i just cut a piece of wood to use for the top and cut my holes in them ... you can buy black plastic 27 gallon totes at homedepot for around $12 each ... you can see more of what i'm talking about in my grow...hxxp://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49793 change the xx to tt .... & i applogize i just noticed you posted in my journal/..

EZ&SAFE

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I would never put more than 1 sat dominant plant in a container--especially a small one like that cooler. Sativas can and will get huge. Most of the sat dominant strains that I have grown want about 4 sq ft or more each. And they can each drink up more than a gal a day in hydro.

 

[DonJones]

Why not for flowering but okay for veg?

If I used one of them to start the vegging, how hard would it be to change them out into separate containers when I switch them to flower, i.e. if they are in 6" net pots arranged in a zig zag pattern, would the roots get tangled up too much to separate them into individual buckets or larger tote type beds?

Thanks.

Great smoking.

 

[DonJones]

RUDEBWOY,

I just rechecked your grow. It's looking great! I missed that the containers in the flower room were totes instead of coolers.

Here are some of my questions from last week on the grow page that got overlooked so you don't need to answer them twice.

What kind of "coolers" and what sizes are you using for veg?

Are you using DWC or pumping the drip solution from the bottoms of the coolers, dripping it onto the pots and letting it drain back into the coolers?

Do you have any DIY type info on the pumping system and so on that your using? If not, do you know where I can find some?

What variety/strain are your plants, how many do you flower/tote and how big across do they get?

Thank you for your help. Depending upon what I can find out from you about the drip system, I might switch from the waterfarm system to your type of drip system because it seems simpler in the long run.

Great smoking.

 

[RUDEBWOY]

Hey Don, the coolers i'm using for my veg stage are just igloo coolers i had laying around the house .. 1 is a 48qt cooler which i have 13 4" pots in and the other is a 32qt cooler which i have 11 4" pots in ....it gets really crowded in there when they start to get big so you may want to go with fewer pots ..in the coolers i'm pumping the solution through a feeder hose which i have going to each pot and dripping back into the cooler ... i just use a submersable pond pump in each cooler which i attached 1/2" black tubing to with a zip tie and ran along the top of the pots drilling a hole in the center of where it crosses each pot .... you can get the pump and black tubing at your local hydro spot or even home depot ...my flower room i'm using 27 gal totes i also got at home depot .. i have 5 4" pots in each tote and have had plants up to about 5ft tall in them with no problems ..The strains i have going right now in my flower room are Purple Kush ,Master Kush , White Rhino ,& Lemon Haze ... In my veg room i have some Purple Kush & Master Kush clones , Mango , Super Silver Haze , Skunk #5 , & The Cheese ....I hope this helps you out a lil more ... Good Luck ....

EZ&SAFE

 

[ta2dguy]

:yeahthat: rudebwoy. :48: i have the submersable pumps too and the black tubing i took and drilled rows of small holes into it and using a large rubbermaid container some nets and pellets ran the tubing at a proper height surrounding the nets so that it sprays perfectly into both pots and air.... enough from me. i am sorry to jump into your thread with my own junk. rudeboy sounds right on to me, i use a top feed drip right now but the aero experiment may change that too. how close together i put the pots/plants depends on whether or not i am going to let them grow straight up or train them down and away from eachother. remember please everything i say is always just my opinion and sometimes it is someone elses. im just high and rambling. happy growing.