My first hydro system!

[Treebeard]

So you're not supposed to use pots in an E+f system? should i fill the entire grow tray with clay pebbles then?? ahh maybe my research wasnt so great after all! i was just thinking it would be easier to move the plants and gain access to the reservoir etc if they were in individual pots, would i loose anything by using pots?? About the air stones i put an Air pump as a 'maybe' on my list of things to get, I wondered if the return flow would airate the nutrient enough?

 

[Stoney Bud]

OK i was planning on a DWC but like this concept. Seems a little more complicated though as if you have a pump burn up your feedings done. I leave for periouds of time and would probably be worring all the time.

My questions,

Would it be worth having 2 pumps working simotaneously? Maybe one would be a much lower flow rate or maybe both would be slightly less. But in the event of failure you have at least some form of backup?

Also, in the great diagram provided there is no mention of bubbler or air stones. Could this system benefit in both the resevior as well as tray?

Am i just complicating things? I want to spend a little more up front on my system to help out not only with the success but also i don't want to have to upgrade for a long time. I just want to focus learning on the basics of growing and have confidence my system is right.

thx

Two pumps wouldn't do anything for you. Air stones are unnecessary with ebb and flow, they wouldn't help anything.

 

[Brouli]

stoney i got everything exept conectors they will arive this thursday

 

[Stoney Bud]

So you're not supposed to use pots in an E+f system? should i fill the entire grow tray with clay pebbles then?? ahh maybe my research wasnt so great after all! i was just thinking it would be easier to move the plants and gain access to the reservoir etc if they were in individual pots, would i loose anything by using pots?? About the air stones i put an Air pump as a 'maybe' on my list of things to get, I wondered if the return flow would airate the nutrient enough?

No pots are necessary. You just fill the grow chamber with the media and put the plants into the media at a level that gets them wet on each fill. I always put my reservoir seperate from the grow chamber so I can fill or work on the nutrients without bothering the grow chamber. I've learned to do this thru trial and error over the years with ebb and flow. The roots grow all thru the media. It makes no difference if you use pots or not. You wont' be moving those plants out of the media. The pots aren't needed. The nutrient solution doesn't need to be aerated. The roots of the plants get all the air they need between fillings.

 

[Treebeard]

Ok i understand now. yea after reading that it does seem pointless to have pots. The only thing is, unless i have my grow tray on my reservoir i loose alot of space and as they seem to sit like it fine i think i'll try it for the moment. I can see what your saying that its gonna be difficult to access the nutrients though. I'll probably end up having to keep the reservoir seperate , Thanks for the help, im gonna try an get all the bits next week so should have it set up soon ill keep ya posted!

 

[Stoney Bud]

I can see what your saying that its gonna be difficult to access the nutrients though. I'll probably end up having to keep the reservoir seperate...

You can offset your grow chamber so that one side of the reservoir is in the open. Enough to fit your arm in if you had to.

 

[Growdude]

You can offset your grow chamber so that one side of the reservoir is in the open. Enough to fit your arm in if you had to.

This is how the Micro E+F is made.
Now what I am doing with mine is just vegging up the clones in it and then move them into the Hydro farm units.

 

[Treebeard]

Ok so i got all the connectors, pipes and media this morning. Ive got 5 big bud seedlings growing in rockwool, about 4 days old now. now im a bit stuck. When should they be moved into the E+F system? When they are moved how many times a day should they be flushed etc?? Im using the General Hydroponics Flora series nutrients, when should i start feeding this to the seedlings? and at what amounts? I know it says on the bottles but that may not apply for MJ?? The hydroton clay pebbles are very dusty, which i presume could clog up the pump so im gonna rinse them off, is that a sensible idea?? Any help is much appreciated:farm:

 

[Stoney Bud]

Ok so i got all the connectors, pipes and media this morning. Ive got 5 big bud seedlings growing in rockwool, about 4 days old now. now im a bit stuck. When should they be moved into the E+F system? When they are moved how many times a day should they be flushed etc?? Im using the General Hydroponics Flora series nutrients, when should i start feeding this to the seedlings? and at what amounts? I know it says on the bottles but that may not apply for MJ?? The hydroton clay pebbles are very dusty, which i presume could clog up the pump so im gonna rinse them off, is that a sensible idea?? Any help is much appreciated:farm:

The dust shouldn't be any problem to you. Your pump won't even see it. You'll notice it collect on the bottom of your reservoir.

The Flora Nutes are great for MJ. I use them exclusively. However, they are strong as hell and shouldn't be used at all on seedlings.

After your seedlings have roots showing on the outside of the rockwool, it's safe to move them into your ebb and flow system. When you do, make sure you bury them so that the rockwool is below the top fill level of your grow chamber. Then, start with 1/4 strength vegging solution until the plants are about 6 inches tall. Then move up to 1/2 strength. When I say move up, I mean only the nutrient solution you add each day or two. Not trying to adjust the entire reservoir.

After the plants are sexually mature, you can move up to 3/4 strength and watch them to see if they handle it good. Any sign of stress from the nutes and you'll need to back it down again. When the plants are well established and growing fast, then try full strength.

Make sure you ALWAYS mix your nutes in a separate container and put the BROWN MICRO nutes in first, then mix and rinse your measuring device before allowing the GREEN OR RED nutes to touch it.

The Micro nutes can cause lockout if you do anything else.

Good luck man!

 

[Treebeard]

Hey SB, Thanks for the reply. only a couple of the seedlings have roots outside the rockwool so far. How often should i pump the nutrients round?? foolishly i havn't got a digital Ph meter yet. I only have Litmus paper which is really hard to get an accurate reading! should i get a digital one?? im guessing its got to be pretty accurate? Ill get some pics on here later! Thanks again SB!

 

[Stoney Bud]

Hey SB, Thanks for the reply. only a couple of the seedlings have roots outside the rockwool so far. How often should i pump the nutrients round?? foolishly i havn't got a digital Ph meter yet. I only have Litmus paper which is really hard to get an accurate reading! should i get a digital one?? im guessing its got to be pretty accurate? Ill get some pics on here later! Thanks again SB!

You're very welcome man. I enjoy helping growers. I wish I could do it full time, but I have this bad habit of needing money to live. hahahahaha

I have my pump set to run one hour on, two off, 24/7.

Lot's of nutrients, lots of oxygen, the plants love it!

Some day, I'll buy a pH tester. I've never used one, but I do love gadgets.

 

[Treebeard]

You can get away with out using a Ph meter because you have years of experience. Will i, a complete novice, get away with just using the Litmus paper you think? Everything ive read says its important to keep it between 5.5 and 6.0, should i measue the PPM aswell?? So many questions so little time!

Unfortunatley i think everyone has that bad habit of yours Stoney

Thanks for your help again

 

[MJ20]

Wow Stoney.So you never monitor your Ph at all??Or do you use strips?

 

[Stoney Bud]

Wow Stoney.So you never monitor your Ph at all??Or do you use strips?

Well I tried it once, but they threw rotten fruit at me instead of money.....Oh, you mean test strips...hahahaaha, nope, I just use experience. You'll gain it more with every grow.

 

[Treebeard]

Heres some pics of the seedlings and the E+F all ready for them. Nothing very interesting but thought id share it , its cost me about £70 ($130??) so far, so not alot.

 

[Stoney Bud]

Heres some pics of the seedlings and the E+F all ready for them. Nothing very interesting but thought id share it , its cost me about £70 ($130??) so far, so not alot.

Nice and clean looking system man. I would suggest covering the containers with something to keep the light out. When light hits nutrients, algae grows like crazy. This will cause you a lot of problems later with nutrient and pH imbalance. Tapeing some black cardboard over it or even spray painting it black would be easy. The ones I use are the thick, dark blue ones you can't even see a bright flashlite thru.

You also need to bury the overflow end or adjust it to keep the water level from rising about the point at which it is two inches below the top of the media. The top two inches of the Hydroton should NEVER get wet. It needs to stay dry to prevent algae growth on it and also to prevent light from penetrating into the wetness where it would cause algae growth. That container needs to be covered or painted all the way to the top.

When lots of roots are showing on the outside of the cubes, you can then put them into the ebb and flow. This will make the root system strong enough to prevent breakage during the insertion of the cubes into the media. You need to be VERY careful when placing them into the system. Root breakage causes transplant shock, the degree of which is determined by the severity of the damage. Bad damage to the roots could get you a "He/She"

Good luck man!

 

[Treebeard]

sorry, another question. so i can just stick them in now? And not feed nutrients, just water still?

 

[Stoney Bud]

sorry, another question. so i can just stick them in now? And not feed nutrients, just water still?

Yes, you could. Be very careful of the roots. Once they are in the ebb and flow, you won't be able to take them out again. That's why I wait until I know they are all ready. If one has problems while in the system, you can't take it out.

 

[BushyKush420]

You're very welcome man. I enjoy helping growers. I wish I could do it full time, but I have this bad habit of needing money to live. hahahahaha

I have my pump set to run one hour on, two off, 24/7.

Lot's of nutrients, lots of oxygen, the plants love it!

Some day, I'll buy a pH tester. I've never used one, but I do love gadgets.

hey so do u still not use a ph meter? and its all good growth or whats up with that and what size pump do u use??

 

[Stoney Bud]

hey so do u still not use a ph meter? and its all good growth or whats up with that and what size pump do u use??

Nope, I've never even seen a ph meter except on the net. I've been growing weed a long, long time man.

I use a 185 gallon/hour Beckett pond pump.