# ebb & flow setup advice needed



## fleshstain (Apr 26, 2006)

my buddy had an extra 3' x 3' tray that he wasn't using so he let me have it....it's already got ebb & flow fittings on it....i want to grow 4 plants in 3ga grow bags full of botanicare ready-gro or fox farm light warrior....i've got a 30ga rubbermaid container that i'm gonna use for a reservoir and a 396gph pump....

my main questions are:
1.  does this sound like a decent setup?
2.  would you recommend ready-gro or light warrior?
3.  will flooding the tray for 15-30 minutes a couple times a day with the bags sitting in it be sufficient for watering or should i just use rockwool or growrox like a normal ebb & flow?

i'm normally a soil guy and have been experimenting with hydro....i've been using a homemade flood and drain with growrox and 2 liters and haven't had any problems with that system....i'm just not sure about the watering ready-gro or light warrior from the bottom....any advice would be greatly appreciated....


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## Useless (Apr 26, 2006)

1) yes, sounds fine.  However I would run 5 gallon grow bags, but that's just me. I like knowing the roots have plenty of room to grow, plus it's better for larger plants which it sounds like you will going for since you're only running 4 in the tray. 

2) I have no experience with either of these products so I can't give you a factual answer based on experience. You would have to just develop a feel for best watering times. There is a company called Supernatural Brand (fert co.) who coined the term "Terraponics". Using soil for a medium in containers on an ebb n flow table. They had a good write up on it, might want to check that out. A friend used to grow that too, so maybe I can help you if go that route. Feeding schedule was only 3 times a week I believe. My opinion however, would be to use RW or Hydroton. 

3) Should be, but as stated above, you may need to tweak your feeding schedule. 

Hope that helps ya...


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## Stoney Bud (Apr 26, 2006)

fleshstain said:
			
		

> my buddy had an extra 3' x 3' tray that he wasn't using so he let me have it....it's already got ebb & flow fittings on it....i want to grow 4 plants in 3ga grow bags full of botanicare ready-gro or fox farm light warrior....i've got a 30ga rubbermaid container that i'm gonna use for a reservoir and a 396gph pump....
> 
> my main questions are:
> 1. does this sound like a decent setup?
> ...


The best system you could use for your choice of medium is a drip system. Same tray, just drip.

I've been using eb and flow hydro systems now for many, many years. The water retention of your media will be much to much for a proper root system to thrive on.

If you wish to keep your chosen media, then use drip.

If you wish to go eb and flow, go with rockwool and hydro nutes. If you decide to got with rockwool, I can give you some guidance in feeding schedules. Let me know man.

Good luck.


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## fleshstain (Apr 27, 2006)

hey guys thanks for the advice....i'm more at home in soil so i really appreciate the help....i've heard of issues with drip systems and large plants....mainly dry spots in the root systems....either of you ever have issues with this?....i've also got a couple friends who have had issues with rockwool....either being oversaturated or hard to control nutrient levels evenly....any issues with this one?....i've also heard that you have to prep rockwool....how?....still not 100% on what media to use so any more help/advice is also appreciated....


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## Useless (Apr 29, 2006)

You could use drip rings, pretty much eliminates any chance of a dry spot. Or just use 3-4 drip emitters per plant site. 

Rockwool can get a bit "smooshy" (***??lol ) when it's consistently watered with out allowing to dry a bit in between feedings. General rule of thumb I use for any medium in an ebb n flow system is to flood and drain the table in the least amount of time as possible. I like a 1-2 min fill and 2-3min drain. I feed 2-3 times a day until the roots pop through the cubes nicely. Then I feed 6-10 times daily based on where they are in the life cycle. 
Preparation of rockwool is easy. Just have some PH balanced water and soak the cube for a couple hours. I use a PH of 6.0. 

Hydroton is really nice, just rinse the dust off and use them. They are inert, so they can't cause ph fluctuations. 
For an ebb n flow table my preffered media is Hydroton simply because you only have to buy it once. It is completely resuable. Rockwool is a close 2nd, it definetely has it's benefits.


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