# what is the best hydroponic system?



## totalnoobie15 (Oct 21, 2006)

i have a general understanding of how all the hydroponic systems work. However i was curious out of these 3 which one is the best and will they all work? water culture, drip system, wick system. would a water culture work for mj?


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## rockydog (Oct 21, 2006)

Frrom what i read water culture is more suitable for lettuce. Drip and wick systems both work great. I like drip and ebb&flow systems myself.


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## totalnoobie15 (Oct 21, 2006)

the ebb n flow is too complicated for me


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## Elephant Man (Oct 21, 2006)

I'm new but it all depends on your goals, basically the more advanced, more parts - the smaller the window for error, but supposedly, the greater the gains.

From what I understand, aeration is the key to hydroponics legendary gains - some systems are so oxygenated that the roots actually never contact water, only mist.  Trouble is, with a system like this, many things can go wrong, and your whole crop could die in a few hours.

On the other end of the spectrum, dirt has a very large window for mistakes.

I think you could look at it like this:

From largest window at top - to largest gain

Soil
Drip
DWC
NFT, and Ebb and Flood maybe tied for this spot
Aeroponic

Like I say, I am new and hope most will agree I am close'

Check out the DIY section and Stoney's Ebb and Flow setup.  For 10% of the cost of a storebought product you can build a system that works, probably has just as much or more research behind it, and get GREAT tech support right here .


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## totalnoobie15 (Oct 21, 2006)

does anyone know of tutorials that are free that you can build an entire drip system or another system that is easy to build


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## Elephant Man (Oct 21, 2006)

I think you are going to need the same parts to build an ebb and flow, I don't think the drip will do nearly as well, MJ likes to almost dry up between waterings.  I hope Stoney or one of the other big hydro guys will jump in and talk you thru whatever you decide to go with, pretty sure there are drip guys on here.


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## rockydog (Oct 21, 2006)

Look at some of Monkeys posts, He has an awesome drip system and has steered me in the right direction with mine.


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## rockydog (Oct 21, 2006)

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5225

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5548

Absolutely amazing setup By Monkey


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## Elephant Man (Oct 21, 2006)

rockydog said:
			
		

> Look at some of Monkeys posts, He has an awesome drip system and has steered me in the right direction with mine.


 
I am going to do the same, I hope I explained this well enough, not trying to put any method down - remember, you are not going to beat an outdoor in good organics for quality, just might be faster.

Go with what you feel comfortable trying, I think a couple months after starting everyone thinks they are in over their head so maybe something simple at first is the way to go.

Good Luck


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## Mutt (Oct 21, 2006)

Cheap and Easy DWC. Check out Weeddog's grow journals. 
I have set up a DWC for maters for under 30 bucks.


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## Wes (Oct 27, 2006)

My name is Wes. I live in one of the eleven states that allows medpot patients to use and grow our own. I started using medpot when I needed it to offset the effects of cancer chemo.

I set up a small grow room next to my basement home office. I researched hydro systems and came to the conclusion that the ebb and flow (or flood and drain) system is by far the best. I found one with six large buckets and a deep reservoir. Its important to have a deep reservoir as opposed to a shallow one, since the number of times you need to flood your roots depends on the size.

I considered drip irrigation and NFT. The first one gets clogged up too often, while the latter prohibits aeration to the rootballs of your plants. Theyre constantly submerged in a film of nutrients and water.

Also with the NFT system you can be sure that your pump is going to fail sooner or later. Unless you have a backup system, this could be disastrous. Especially if youve gone away for a long weekend.

As far as Im concerned, the ebb and flow is the Rolls Royce of hydro systems. The bigger the reservoir, the less maintenance it will require and the more pH stability you have. 

The more important question iswhat do you put in your reservoir? This makes the difference between an ordinary harvest and a totally awesome, mind blowing one. I use Advanced Nutrients Medical products exclusively, because Ive tried their competitors, and found them to be inferior.

My present fertilizer of choice is EPN Sensi Pro, which is the easiest and most powerful plant feeding system ever devised by a horticulturalist. All you need is a pair of scissors to slit open the foil pouch each week, empty into your mixing bucket, add whatever else you need to add (B-52 for vitamins and hormones, Big Bud to maximize your bud size, etc.) and wait for the mixture to settle.

No need to measure and pour liquids any more. I used to pour the liquid fert all over my jeans. It was a mess. Also, synthetics are better in a hydro grow, they dont clog up your pumps as often. 

Once your pH stabilizes, you can pour the mixture into your reservoir, sit back, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.


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## can of ownage (Oct 30, 2006)

i dont understand how ebb and flow is complicated and out of all the hydro systems i do agree its the best and makes the most sense.. all it is is basically a big tote container, a big decent sized garbage can ( clean of course ) and a air pump....connect the pump to the tote container so that when the pump goes off the tote container floods from the bottom up to get to yout plant roots and,BOOM. thats it. of course im skipping out on alot of stuff but if u realy have any hydroing question aim them at stoney. he should be able to help u. or at least point you in the right direction​


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