# flood and drain



## bizzy323 (Jan 23, 2010)

what kinda pots should i use on a 4x4 flood and drain table? or should i just use 6"x6 "rock wools? Also when using drip system should the drip stay on at all times?


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## MindzEye (Jan 23, 2010)

I would use square pots with hydroton, either 5in or 6in... And make sure you cover them so they dont grow fungus.. And most drip systems dont stay on all the time they use a timer to wet the medium at regular intervals..


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## DonJones (Jan 24, 2010)

Go to this thread, http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50559, to check on an alternative to rockwool that is a loot easier to use.  It comes in 4" and 6" cubes that would go right into either 4" or 6" square net pots or you could even put them directly in slightly undersized holes if the table/tray was shallow enough to let them sit on the bottom.  It has all of the same growing characteristics without the headaches/inconvenience of rockwool.

On the issue of drip timing, *if you use highly oxygenated solution* (like the Waterfarm system does) then you can just run it 24/7.  At least that is how everyone here on the forum that I have heard from uses the Waterfarm systems and its hybrids.

Great smoking.


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## PUFF MONKEY (Jan 24, 2010)

IMO/E, i'd go for the hydroton in the mesh bottom pots and the super plugs to sprout in...they come in all sizes. i use 6" netpots to veg in and then the netpots go into 10" mesh bottom pots. i run my pumps(veg&flower share a timer) 1hr on and 2hrs off and i set my water level as high as i can without running the res dry.


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## bizzy323 (Jan 24, 2010)

Never flood and drain in the &#8220;lights off&#8221; period. Is this true>?


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## PUFF MONKEY (Jan 24, 2010)

i run my cycle 24hrs a day...you do not need to feed when the lights are off but some do it anyway.


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## MindzEye (Jan 24, 2010)

bizzy323 said:
			
		

> Never flood and drain in the &#8220;lights off&#8221; period. Is this true>?




The plant doesnt feed when lights are off, but depending on you environment the roots can dry out at night and this is bad.. Most people if they do water at night its only once or twice during the dark period.


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## Budders Keeper (Jan 25, 2010)

I flood every 4 hours on or off, no particular reason. I love my rockwool slabs but I've never used Hydroton. Can't stand the thought of cleaning anymore than I have to!


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## zem (Jan 26, 2010)

hydroton is great for your purpose


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## bizzy323 (Jan 28, 2010)

So I Should Flood 1 Hour On 2 Hours Off?


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## LEFTHAND (Jan 28, 2010)

bizzy323 said:
			
		

> So I Should Flood 1 Hour On 2 Hours Off?


 
*if your using hydroton yes.. i flood my tubs 1hr on 2 off*
*LH*


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## nouvellechef (Jan 28, 2010)

So what would be the rule of thumb for Ebb? I know it depends on gentics. Only 1.5" rockwool with rooted clone into hydroton. Start with 2 floods a day, then increase from there?


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## LEFTHAND (Jan 28, 2010)

nouvellechef said:
			
		

> So what would be the rule of thumb for Ebb? I know it depends on gentics. Only 1.5" rockwool with rooted clone into hydroton. Start with 2 floods a day, then increase from there?


 
*i wouldnt even stick em in rockwool.. unless youve rooted them in rockwool.. then you have too of coarse.. if not i would stick em in just like they are leaf stick and roots.. *
*flood 1hr 2 off all day and night... just make sure your nutes are 1/8th
if you dont burn the pee out of them it wont take long for them to burst into growth..*
*LH*


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## nouvellechef (Jan 28, 2010)

Yeah i will try a bubble cloner soon. For me my best survival rate is just, dome, heatpad, 1.5 rockwool, and a light mist once a day. 98% every time, roots in 7 days. I feel they have a little intial more stability with a tiny rockwool. Kool, so on the C.A.P controller the setting would 1hr on, 2 off? Its 30 mintues to flood 36 pots. I was told, start with 2 floods per 24 hours, intially, but that was when i was gonna use the sure to grow inserts. But i would imagine 2 floods every 24 with a 1.5" rockwool and hydroton would dry out, badly.


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## LEFTHAND (Jan 28, 2010)

nouvellechef said:
			
		

> Yeah i will try a bubble cloner soon. For me my best survival rate is just, dome, heatpad, 1.5 rockwool, and a light mist once a day. 98% every time, roots in 7 days. I feel they have a little intial more stability with a tiny rockwool. Kool, so on the C.A.P controller the setting would 1hr on, 2 off? Its 30 mintues to flood 36 pots. I was told, start with 2 floods per 24 hours, intially, but that was when i was gonna use the sure to grow inserts. But i would imagine 2 floods every 24 with a 1.5" rockwool and hydroton would dry out, badly.


 
*i didnt know you werent using the bubbler sorry*
*all depends on the roots when you throw em into the table.. you have ver few there not gonna such up much..if that 1.5" rockwool cube has roots comming out its arse then yeah shes gonna love it.. providing you dont nute burn the hell out of it.. the rockwool will retain more water then the hydroton intially.. but like i said if you start off with a good root base then your laughing.. because you have to cover the tops of the rockwool so they dont mold.. so it wil suck up the water like a sponge..*
*try 2 floods see how you like it.. but the whole idea of the flood and drain is to replace the air and feed the plants.. why take that away?? if your nutes are at 1/8th strength then you shouldnt burn them.. and you will replace the stail air thats trapped in between the hydroton more giving better root growth. for better plant growth..*
*LH*


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## nouvellechef (Jan 28, 2010)

I like the no rockwool and 1 on 2 off though. It makes sense. I like the sure to grow cause I can just toss them after and I don't have to deal with a bunch of hydroton, a bunch. I think that's why they say 2 floods as they retain more solution.


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## LEFTHAND (Jan 28, 2010)

nouvellechef said:
			
		

> I like the no rockwool and 1 on 2 off though. It makes sense. I like the sure to grow cause I can just toss them after and I don't have to deal with a bunch of hydroton, a bunch. I think that's why they say 2 floods as they retain more solution.


 
*yeah i can see that.. but then i can see the loss of fresh air being brought in.. . as the whole point of the flood and drain ilol.. i have 2 36L tubs full of river rocks and lava rock.. i would pick hydroton anyday over that shet lol.. someday.. when the check book allows me to ... *
*so i needed 4 hands placing my ladies in the tubs with the lava rock and no rockwool.. but they didnt seem to have any shock.. *
*considering my next door neibour almost killed em watching them b4 they went into the tubs..  .. they survived though..*
*LH*


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## DonJones (Jan 28, 2010)

I personally prefer Sure To Grow cubes to anything else.  They have a new version called HAIL that should be ready next month that replaces the little 1" cubes and is kind of round shaped, hence the name.


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## MrNorCal (Jan 30, 2010)

I use coco in coco pots. Works nice, you can compost them when your done, and you only flood once a day, sometimes twice during late flower. The owners at my hydro shop and most of their customers swear by it. I have only used it once and I'm on my second run right now.


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## LEFTHAND (Jan 30, 2010)

MrNorCal said:
			
		

> I use coco in coco pots. Works nice, you can compost them when your done, and you only flood once a day, sometimes twice during late flower. The owners at my hydro shop and most of their customers swear by it. I have only used it once and I'm on my second run right now.


 
*what i dont understand here is why you would want to cut back your feedings to once to twice a day.. your defeating the whole purpose of ebb n flow.... and depriving the plants of the nutes and fresh air they can be uptaking all day threw out the grow..*
*LH*


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