horribleherk
home grown
megacrop & gh floranova can get gritty but neither has caused me problems in this setup a fish aquarium pump is a good idea I just use an air pump funny thing is I just threw an aquarium pump away lol
HydroRed's DIY Budget Flood and Drain (approx $40)
- Thread starter HydroRed
- Start date
WillieP
In Bloom
This is very similar to the system I use except I chose to cover the tote with it's lid, and use a remote reservoir.
This is the only system I have ran, although I am about to try a hempy bucket in my veg tent too.
5 gal tote filled with 2 gal fabric pot, fed from 17 gal res.
Pics are from my first grow ever.
This is the only system I have ran, although I am about to try a hempy bucket in my veg tent too.
5 gal tote filled with 2 gal fabric pot, fed from 17 gal res.
Pics are from my first grow ever.
OldG
Elite Hobbyist
Do you recirculate it? Or flood and drain to waste?
WillieP
In Bloom
I recirculate. My timer is set for a flood every 4 hours.
OldG
Elite Hobbyist
I had a bunch of coco and no hydroton....and floraflex im trying to find a groove for so i will do this.
The FloraRed
this IS my flood and drain...i just cut a piece of pipe to fit the head right in the tray...will run recirculating top feed which fixes my flood and drain salt build up problems.
It is equipped with a floraflex bubbler head and a 2 gallon per minute filter (the slowest they have with the head). I have a timer that i can run 10 second feeds 1 to 8 times per day and will find a groove for it but this may be coco perfection.
change out water every 2 weeks...jacks and masterblend tomato.
Lets see what happens. I think i love it and its the perfect tester size. They are 6 x 6 x 6 inch cubes and 1/2 of a canna coco brick (2.5 G) filled all 6.
LOL I just found my bottle of enzymes...i looked for that for 20 minutes !!!
The FloraRed
this IS my flood and drain...i just cut a piece of pipe to fit the head right in the tray...will run recirculating top feed which fixes my flood and drain salt build up problems.
It is equipped with a floraflex bubbler head and a 2 gallon per minute filter (the slowest they have with the head). I have a timer that i can run 10 second feeds 1 to 8 times per day and will find a groove for it but this may be coco perfection.
change out water every 2 weeks...jacks and masterblend tomato.
Lets see what happens. I think i love it and its the perfect tester size. They are 6 x 6 x 6 inch cubes and 1/2 of a canna coco brick (2.5 G) filled all 6.
LOL I just found my bottle of enzymes...i looked for that for 20 minutes !!!
Is this the first time using the floraflex or just in this configuration?
OldG
Elite Hobbyist
I got all floraflex gear to replace everything at the back of the garden and did 1 full run in the 32 x 32 x 62 inch tent...and had 12 on 2 heads in bloom.
The idea is genius. The problem i had was plugged lines so i will run enzymes in the tank (not peroxide or bleach) and see if it fixes it. I had a similar problem with autopots but i had no idea about the world of bad bacteria and pythium. I am becoming a master on what not to do !
I think this 6 cell tote is one of the best applications of the system without needing outside reservoris. I have two autopot tanks i converted to floraflex.
Thrips wiped out my harvest but...i am going there again.
I have 6 x 6 x 6 cubes and the matrix lids and pads for 3 and 5 gallon pots too. I will check it out when i get things more stable.
PIC 1 is the 32 special with the system i made out of 3/4 pipe fittings and a bubbler head.
The other 2 are a system on 3/4 pipe fed with a 1300 GPH pump...this one does not get plugged.
The idea is genius. The problem i had was plugged lines so i will run enzymes in the tank (not peroxide or bleach) and see if it fixes it. I had a similar problem with autopots but i had no idea about the world of bad bacteria and pythium. I am becoming a master on what not to do !
I think this 6 cell tote is one of the best applications of the system without needing outside reservoris. I have two autopot tanks i converted to floraflex.
Thrips wiped out my harvest but...i am going there again.
I have 6 x 6 x 6 cubes and the matrix lids and pads for 3 and 5 gallon pots too. I will check it out when i get things more stable.
PIC 1 is the 32 special with the system i made out of 3/4 pipe fittings and a bubbler head.
The other 2 are a system on 3/4 pipe fed with a 1300 GPH pump...this one does not get plugged.
iwentdoodie
In Bloom
Bringing this up from the grave, hopefully that's not taboo here.
Is there any reason you couldn't do this style of system growing organic (tupur or 70/30 with some added worm castings and perlite, then using dr earth dey nutes) and using the flood/drain with just water and top dressing nutes? Or would the perlite and dry nutes wreak havoc on the system?
I guess almost like a...not shittier but easier Dutch pot style? Or even put an netpot at the bottom of the fabric pot, and just flood the bottom like 2" of the fabric pots, backing it down to just the net pot when they get roots poking?
I'm sure there's something I'm missing as to why these wouldn't be feasible. I know my buddy does the Dutch pot style with the fabric pots and net pots, but he also grows in just coco and synthetic nutes.
Is there any reason you couldn't do this style of system growing organic (tupur or 70/30 with some added worm castings and perlite, then using dr earth dey nutes) and using the flood/drain with just water and top dressing nutes? Or would the perlite and dry nutes wreak havoc on the system?
I guess almost like a...not shittier but easier Dutch pot style? Or even put an netpot at the bottom of the fabric pot, and just flood the bottom like 2" of the fabric pots, backing it down to just the net pot when they get roots poking?
I'm sure there's something I'm missing as to why these wouldn't be feasible. I know my buddy does the Dutch pot style with the fabric pots and net pots, but he also grows in just coco and synthetic nutes.
Mr Jay
In Bloom
Pumps got to stay clean, no way around that.
Depending on frequency of irrigation, and mechanical makeup of the media, there's no reason that you couldn't flood them right near to the top.
Depending on frequency of irrigation, and mechanical makeup of the media, there's no reason that you couldn't flood them right near to the top.
iwentdoodie
In Bloom
Gotcha. I mean I do have the nutes for synthetic, im just overcomplicating shit for no reason. The big lot of shit i got came with 3 basically full gallons of the GH line, a fox farms fert, ph up and down and a bunch more nutes that are of no use to me right now.
Like, I'm gonna grow organic in soil. But dammit I still want to run hydro.
Like, I'm gonna grow organic in soil. But dammit I still want to run hydro.
iwentdoodie
In Bloom
I've always got thoughts
First let me say that I love when folks think outside of the box!
I dont have any experience personally in your ideas for this system, but I feel that organics would be an issue waiting to happen in this setup. As for F&D, the depth of flood probably wouldn't be my concern as much as the same concern that @OldG mentions about recirculating. This is surely why your buddy grows with salts and coco. Its virtually impossible to overwater coco and theres less chance of pythium that you would certainly encounter using organics in this F&D system. It would undoubtedly turn to a septic tank of nastyness very quickly.
