# Whats your favorite grow method and why?



## trichnut (Feb 24, 2009)

I am going to redo my grow room this next time around and wanted to try 3-4 different methods and compare; ease of use, frequency of maintenance, reliability, quality of end product, and yield.  Grow space is 2 table measuring 4x16 each table has four 1000 watt lights. I would like to have 72 plant sites (9 sites per light) but im open to try something different as long as my plant count does not go over 90.


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## NewbieG (Feb 24, 2009)

If you want to try different methods, I would go with the most common

1. DWC bucket system
2. Ebb and flow
3. NFT
4. and aero.

If I had space like you I would do larger plants, longer grows from clones.
If you want many plants but smaller, Ebb and flow.
I've heard great things about NFT but seems complicated.
I've heard aero has some problems with sprayers clogging, but I'm sure its a very easy fix.

GL. btw unless they are very very large plants a 1000 watt can handle quite a large number, way over 9 plants per light.


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## jb247 (Feb 24, 2009)

My tried and true method is using dirt as my grow medium. I like it because it is forgiving. If the Ph is off, or you over fertilize, you have some time to make corrections before the whole thing goes belly up. I have never tried any water based grow method, but have smoked hydro. I find it to be tasteless when compared to soil grown, organic cannabis. JMHO

Peace...j.b.


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## umbra (Feb 24, 2009)

I grow organic in soil as well. Not because I have any problems with hydro...I've grown in hydro for years. But I also prefer the smell and taste of my cannabis grown organically. Additionally, I have not had too many nute problems since going organic. Since I grow for myself, the only person I'm trying to please is me. Although I'm not at a gram/watt yield, this strain dependent. I prefer quality over quanity anyday. The strains I grow are elite uber potent plants, their yields are only average to below average. But the quality is there.


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## GrowinGreen (Feb 26, 2009)

hempy buckets all the way. 

skipped soil and went right to them with no problem at all. i'm not saying soil is inferior, just that hydro is more appealing to me. 

as hempy said, its a bucket with a hole in it... and the thread still went to 30+ pages haha... oh, how people tend to make things more complicated than they are.

i am tempted to try a homemade dwc soon, though.


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## greenfriend (Feb 26, 2009)

my favorite method of growing is organically in soil but it gets messy so i keep just a few plants in plain soil while the rest will be in hydro.

I prefer simplicity and stonerproofness in my hydro system.  I have 4x8 grow trays with 2-3 gallon pots.  the medium is either straight coco coir with some rockwool mini cubes for added drainage with clones in 4'' cubes, or with 100% shredded rockwool with the clones in hugo cubes


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## trichnut (Feb 26, 2009)

GrowinGreen said:
			
		

> hempy buckets all the way.
> as hempy said, its a bucket with a hole in it... and the thread still went to 30+ pages haha... oh, how people tend to make things more complicated than they are.


who is hempy? and what was complicated? and whats up with the bucket and a hole in it?


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## NewbieG (Feb 26, 2009)

ebb and flow because it is the most space efficient and I think easiest to grow because of how little time your plants spend in the water. Only issue is over flooding and hydroton dust messing with your res.

Second favorite is DWC. I think you get the most explosive growth per plant but it also uses the most space. You see daily growth in roots which is really cool and is always a nice perk for growers lol. You also supposedly get higher quality bud, but I think you can acquire the same quality using clones in ebb and flow.


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## Budders Keeper (Feb 26, 2009)

I've had good luck with ebb&flo, DWC, and coco w/organics added.  Didn't care for soil. 
  With that said, favorite for entertainment purposes(fun ;}  ) was E&F. Favorite for results was coco but not much to do once the mix is done.
  By your description I would definately go with Edd&flo.  You won't believe your harvest and IMO it would be the easiest for that size area.


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## GrowinGreen (Feb 26, 2009)

trichnut said:
			
		

> who is hempy? and what was complicated? and whats up with the bucket and a hole in it?


hempy is/was an old timer over at hg420 and everyone just called his grow style "hempy buckets." i'd post his exact link which he explains everything himself, but that site is no longer up for some reason... dissapointing. it used to be dr chronics site, but he gave it up.

anyway, nothing was complicated... people just asked a lot of stooopid, repetitive questions... that is all.

the hempy bucket is, well, a bucket with one drainage hole cut about 2" from the bottom of the bucket. then that creates a 2" resivour for the plants roots. you may thing the water would get stagnant, but it doesn't.

here are some other links:
greenpassion .org/f20/hempy-bucket-method-3010/
rollitup .org/general-marijuana-growing/59705-hempy-collective.html
rollitup .org/hydroponics-aeroponics/83736-cheap-hydro-growers.html

why can't i post links... that is dumb


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## trichnut (Feb 26, 2009)

Budders Keeper said:
			
		

> By your description I would definately go with Edd&flo. You won't believe your harvest and IMO it would be the easiest for that size area.


ebb and flo with coco pots on a flood table or ebb and flo buckets with hydroton type medium?


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## umbra (Feb 26, 2009)

trichnut said:
			
		

> who is hempy? and what was complicated? and whats up with the bucket and a hole in it?



massproducer did an excellent thread on hempy buckets using coco, do a search


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## trichnut (Feb 27, 2009)

umbra said:
			
		

> massproducer did an excellent thread on hempy buckets using coco, do a search


WOW what a rush i read through most of his coco bucket sytem, quite inspiring. not to down play it but the health of his plants where less than steller.  the fish doc had much nicer specamins.  ill definatley be trying somthing like this.  I hope to be able to attach a drip ring to each bucket especialy if over watering is not much of an issue.  thanks for that post


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## NorCalHal (Feb 27, 2009)

DWC is not the way to go with 8000 watts. Big PITA come flip time.

For your application with tables, here is what i would do.

First off, I take it these are "flood tables" and u have a res underneath to catch the drainage, or is it run-to-waste? Either way, it don't matter.

You can use 2 gal pots with shreaded rockwool. If you want to get tricky, you can use half absorbant/half nonabsorbant rockwool. You can buy these in 50 lb bales.

All you need now is a feed system. I use a simple pump with hose from the pump to the end of the tray. Tie off the end of the hose. Now, you just punch holes in the hose and attach 1/4" fittings. Now use 1/4' drip line to each plant site. 
Now, when u feed, the runoff can either recirculate back into your res, or you can toss it. I recirculate mine with no issues.

Actually, I have a thread with this system with pics. Here is the link.

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24853

Very simple and works great. I also do 9-10 plants per 1000.


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## bombbudpuffa (Feb 27, 2009)

if growing hydro i'd say hempys too. I suck at hydro but everything I put in a hempy thrives. It's just passive hydro really.


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## Motor City Madman (Feb 27, 2009)

Dirt poor farmer here. I have been thinking of taking the divider in my cab and buying this and grow three big plants instead of growing 18" plants. My cab is 3' x 4' x 8' I think it would fit. 5-6' plants would be cool. What do you think of this?


Introducing the The Three Bucketeers DWC System. Extending the original system to grow three monstrous plants.

Deep Water Culture systems are an excellent way to grow hydroponically while cutting your costs.

In a DEC system the roots lie in a constantly aerated nutrient solution. It is the perfect system for beginners to learn the art of hydroponics.

The Pro Reservoir II boosts the total reservoir capacity to 28 gallons. Features a main upper supply reservoir and a constant level lower controller reservoir which automatically fills itself as the level drops.


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## WeedHopper (Feb 27, 2009)

DWC.  Best I ever seen.


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## Motor City Madman (Feb 27, 2009)

Do you think so they are selling it for $199 with Included in this kit:


Three Bucketeer DWC Bases
Three heavy duty 90 mil black five gallon bucket reservoirs. Features a grommet hole for airline tube and a Pro Drainage Kit.  

Three sets of Air Pumps, Bubble Disks & Tubing
Three durable air pumps feeds air to the nutrient solution via the huge 4 inch bubble disks, infusing the solution with tiny life giving bubbles. 

Three 10" Bucket Buddy" Net Pot
Heavy Duty 10 inch "Bucket Buddy" net pots are strong and durable. 

Pro Reservoir II
Features a 10 gallon main upper supply reservoir and a 6 gallon lower controller reservoir. This 16 gallon external nutrient supply boosts the total reservoir capacity to approx. 28 gallons. Features three separate flood lines via shut-off connector valves. Has a snap on lid for easy access. 
 Multiple Pro Drainage Kits
Each Bucketeer has a flood line to the main reservoir via these innovative drainage kits. This allows easy and independent operation of the system.

 16mm Water Hose
A five foot roll of 16mm hose. 

Botanicaire Hydro Organic Nutrients
Botanicare liquid nutrient kit includes 8oz tubs of PRO Grow, PRO Bloom and Liquid Karma catalyst.

 pH Control kit
As plants grow they extract nutrients from the reservoir, in doing so, raise the potential hydrogen (pH) of the solution. This is particularly pronounced with large plants. Use the Stealth Hydro pH Control Kit to manage pH levels.

The included 80 pH strips have a dual test indication, delivering super accurate results. These are not the cheap litmus paper style strips most other places try to sell you. 

Six Rockwool Cubes
Rockwool cubes are the ideal medium for starting seedlings or cuttings. 

Hydroton Grow Rocks
Simply one of the best grow mediums on the market. It is clean, pH neutral, pH stable and perfect for DWC systems. 

Kit includes 4.5 liters, enough hydroton to fill the 10 inch Buddy Bucket net pot 

Instructional Manual & Grow Guide CD-ROM
Think we'd leave you hanging with all of this equipment? No way man, we're going to make it as easy as humanly possible to help you through this experience; after all we want you telling you friends how awesome our system works. In the PDF files on the CD-ROM we'll walk you through each growth phase; how and when to apply the nutrient packs. We'll let you in on some of our green thumb tricks and give you a head start with our years of experience. 

Is this a good deal, I know nothing about hydro.


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## WeedHopper (Feb 28, 2009)

I make all my own DWC buckets. Its very easy.:hubba:


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## NorCalHal (Feb 28, 2009)

Fellas, Fellas.....

Now, I agree that DWC is a GREAT way to grow hydroponicaly. I have done it also for a few years. BUT.
This cat is talking about 8000watts and running 72 plant sites.

DWC would be way too much work to maintain. Plus, at the end of the show, the cleanup and flip of the room would be alot of work.
72 buckets?? All the hydroton that goes with it? PITA.

There is much easier ways to grow at a larger scale with comparable results.


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## Mutt (Feb 28, 2009)

8kw....think ebb n flo with large res's be only way to go.
but my favorite is organic. still learning LO but man once you got it chimed in no checking except PH upon nutrient mix. but hell grows its own with little maint. Plus all i have to pay for is elec. my soil and ferts are free  just add water


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## trichnut (Feb 28, 2009)

my concern with ebb and flow with 2 gallon buckets or 2 gal smart pots is that im not sure that the plants will have enough root space to allow 18 of them to fill a 4x8 grow area.  iv seen succesful ebb and flow systems with 32 plants per 4x8 with coco pots.  they flip to flower in nearly half the time (2 weeks) and water once a day.  more smaller plants that get watered more often, and you get a quicker harvest time...    this all sounds great except it would put me over my plant limit.
however i have been thinking about the ebb and flow bucket system.


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## TURKEYNECK (Feb 28, 2009)

NorCalHal said:
			
		

> Fellas, Fellas.....
> 
> Now, I agree that DWC is a GREAT way to grow hydroponicaly. I have done it also for a few years. BUT.
> This cat is talking about 8000watts and running 72 plant sites.
> ...


 
Exactly.. Im using DWC for mothers.. but even 8 or 10 buckets would be too much like work for me.. using tables and E&F or Drip is the way to go IMO..Expecially if you plan on having 72 plants!  can you emagine changing all those buckets in what is sure to be an atleast semi-confined area..not to mention all the extra buckets you'd need...:holysheep:


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## NorCalHal (Mar 1, 2009)

trichnut said:
			
		

> my concern with ebb and flow with 2 gallon buckets or 2 gal smart pots is that im not sure that the plants will have enough root space to allow 18 of them to fill a 4x8 grow area. iv seen succesful ebb and flow systems with 32 plants per 4x8 with coco pots. they flip to flower in nearly half the time (2 weeks) and water once a day. more smaller plants that get watered more often, and you get a quicker harvest time... this all sounds great except it would put me over my plant limit.
> however i have been thinking about the ebb and flow bucket system.


 
I fill a 4x8 with 18 plants and my canopy is FULL.  Veg time and patence man.


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## trichnut (Mar 1, 2009)

NorCalHal said:
			
		

> I fill a 4x8 with 18 plants and my canopy is FULL.  Veg time and patence man.


What pots are you using? And just coco and pearlite for the medium?


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## NorCalHal (Mar 2, 2009)

2 Gal pots with shreaded rockwool for medium. I think you can use another medium and be just fine. I happen to work with rockwool and don't have many issues, so I stick with it.


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## Bleek187 (Mar 2, 2009)

im a fan of DWC for small grows.. i have 2 400w HPS side by side and the plants are in 2 15g tupperware things....  works pretty good...


When i do a big grow such as you are speaking of, i will go with Ebb & Grow

Ebb & Grow is the same as ebb and flow but this setup uses 5 gal buckets with 3 gal buckets inside.. the 3g bucket holds the grow medium and the plants are planted into this... this bucket has holes drilld in the bottom so water can drain into the lower section of the 5 gal bucket.. you can have as many buckets as you want in this setup all hooked up to the same res, which makes keeping PH and nute levels for all the plants the same and where they need to be... ok so you got 10 buckets setup, the buckets have fittings in the bottom that a hose hooks up so they can be all linkd togather.. all of these buckets are then linked to another 5 gal bucket that is a "controler" bucket... this bucket has float switches in the bottom and at the top and the whole thing runs off a timer.. about 4 times a day the timer kicks on, the controler bucket is empty and the float switch is open so it kicks on the water pump.... the water pump pumps water from the main res, a 55gal drum or something like it, into the controler bucket.. this bucket fills slowly and sence they are all linked togather all the buckets with the plants in them fill up also as the water levels off over all 10 buckets and the controler bucket.. while they are filling up with water it pushes the gas that the roots put off up out of the buckets and soaks the grow medium... when the water hits the float switch at the top of the controler bucket the pump is cut off and a small pump inside the controler bucket is cut on... This pumps the water from the controler bucket, and all the other grow buckets, back into the res.. When all the buckets are empty and the float switch drops at the bottom the pump is cut off and the process is over... so you dont have to check ph or ppm 209840932840243 times ... just check the res every now and then and make adjustments... =)

Sorry this was so long google "Ebb & Grow" for more info and pix.. peace


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