Ebb & Flow

[sopappy]

Now that I've modified my RDWC to ebb and flow, I'm reading that RDWC is considerably better for growth and yields, where E&F is only slightly better than earth. (youtube video)

The only difference (to the plant) that I can see, is that the roots do better sitting in nuted, oxygenated water than they do in air.

So, I could modify my systems again. Add a drain pump instead of gravity and re-circulate the water say 2 inches below the net pots and then every 2 or 3 hours, flood up the rest of the way and pump down to 2" below again.

Is this a form of insanity?

 

[Hushpuppy]

I wouldn't do too much adjusting and changing. Do a run like you have it and try to get it dialed in. Most of these different methods are good solid methods that just have to take the time to get the particulars correct. If they weren't good methods, you wouldn't see anyone here using them.

Don't put too much faith in what you see others doing on yutube or even in books. try to remember what they are doing and wait to see if that becomes a trend. There are multiple ways to grow MJ very successfully, it just takes time to find the method that works best in your situation and fits your personal likes. If you make too many changes too fast, you will get all your parameters and knowledge of growing confused, and you will end up chasing your tail.

My bro did that. He wouldn't settle on one method and try to dial that one method in, and it cost him in yields and problems, and frustrations. Regardless of the methods you use, you have to dial them in before you can truly decide if they are the right methods for you.

I love my hybridized RDWC in coco coir, in smartpots with top feed, using a special blend of synthetic and organic nutes but it has taken me 5 years to truly dial it in to get the yields(and flavors) that I get. I have never tried E&F but only because I dialed in my method and am very happy with it. Don't get in a hurry or jump from method to method.

At the same time, don't be afraid to modify your methods to dial in what you have..... I know that sounds a bit like I am contradicting myself but eventually you will see it dial in and recognize that it takes little changes, not big, to dial in a grow method. I hope this helps more than confuses:doh:

 

[WeedHopper]

I love DWC grows. Very simple and very effective. THG and Andy52 got me hooked on DWC. The only problem i ran into was solution temps because i lived in Florida. Lol. But frozen water bottles fixed that problem. Other then that DWC was easy to me. I made all of my own out of 5 gallon buckets and or Trash Cans. My medium was Neoprene inserts. Very clean.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showpost.php?p=958981&postcount=1

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=195270&d=1347798704

 

[sopappy]

I love DWC grows. Very simple and very effective. THG and Andy52 got me hooked on DWC. The only problem i ran into was solution temps because i lived in Florida. Lol. But frozen water bottles fixed that problem. Other then that DWC was easy to me. I made all of my own out of 5 gallon buckets and or Trash Cans. My medium was Neoprene inserts. Very clean.
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showpost.php?p=958981&postcount=1

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=195270&d=1347798704

I love that 3rd level, I was staring at that one awhile, figured it was some elaborate heat handling thing, pretty neat.

Amazing colas for T5s... I use 6500K for veg, do you switch for flower?
No dirt, no hydroton, very clean alright, I can't grow anything without those rapid rooters

 

[sopappy]

I wouldn't do too much adjusting and changing. Do a run like you have it and try to get it dialed in. Most of these different methods are good solid methods that just have to take the time to get the particulars correct. If they weren't good methods, you wouldn't see anyone here using them.

Don't put too much faith in what you see others doing on yutube or even in books. try to remember what they are doing and wait to see if that becomes a trend. There are multiple ways to grow MJ very successfully, it just takes time to find the method that works best in your situation and fits your personal likes. If you make too many changes too fast, you will get all your parameters and knowledge of growing confused, and you will end up chasing your tail.

My bro did that. He wouldn't settle on one method and try to dial that one method in, and it cost him in yields and problems, and frustrations. Regardless of the methods you use, you have to dial them in before you can truly decide if they are the right methods for you.

I love my hybridized RDWC in coco coir, in smartpots with top feed, using a special blend of synthetic and organic nutes but it has taken me 5 years to truly dial it in to get the yields(and flavors) that I get. I have never tried E&F but only because I dialed in my method and am very happy with it. Don't get in a hurry or jump from method to method.

At the same time, don't be afraid to modify your methods to dial in what you have..... I know that sounds a bit like I am contradicting myself but eventually you will see it dial in and recognize that it takes little changes, not big, to dial in a grow method. I hope this helps more than confuses:doh:

I'm like your brother... I don't think we get that "dial in" thing.
I'm finding I'll have ****** yield or some problem that prods me to try another method. Looking back, my best yields were HPS and a watering blanket but yields fell as the light weakened and i didn't know to change it.
As simple as that and I charge off fixing problems that didn't exist.

Now that I can sprout seeds in rapid rooters no problemo, I'll likely switch to those things ZEM uses, they drain better and I want to fill up the pots when i flood when the rooters get soggy. But you see my point, master a technique then change hahaha

The people that take to this are the ones that can bob and weave
I am stuck in looking for the quick fix and my routines and it does not make for a good farmer I'm afraid.

Can't seem to clone, HP... just started flower, so I'd best be trying seed again, nothing worse than an empty grow room

 

[sopappy]

sopappy i did not read it all but i get the picture very well, your cloning tray is very well designed to keep the pots raised from any water puddles. what i am not sure about is those rapid rooters, as i never used them and don't know how much they wick water, i use the same system using oasis foam cubes that can be flooded indefinitely as long as they drain without sitting in a puddle of water. also i make a bigger box and i places the cfl inside to warm things up, with this i can drop the heating mat save power electric outlets and have less equipment. i flood my plants as high as i can just below the surface to prevent algae. i also do not use any bubbler since my water is being flooded and recirculated every 2 hours in the 12 hours light period, then shuts off for 12 hours when my light shuts off. i find occasional use of h2o2 to clear possible larvae and clean dead roots between grows very useful. Do not over stress or be anal about cleaning and recycling your rocks. i have been trying to get some root disease to grow in that system for years with no success, by cleaning less and letting more root fragments in there, then using h2o2, never gotten any root disease, hell that last run for my veggies i had some growbags that had a lot of root residues that were all over, those veggies are now producing all alike with the bags that are brand new rocks and old root contaminated ones equal, and i only used one h2o2 application in the beginning.
i am not encouraging you to not clean, i still clean for my mj much more than for my veggies just to be safe, and my veggies are more than 100 plants so cleanin all that would be a hassle if i had been more thorough. i am only giving you a good picture of what to expect after years of practice. you might also find it good to cover the growrocks on the top to prevent too much humidity from below the canopy

Hey Zem, as usual, procurement is a bitch

Do you mean these things? (can I cut them into smaller cubes?)
http://tinyurl.com/hy6uf95
and
http://tinyurl.com/hhahrn4

or did you mean these? they look like rapid rooters all over again.
http://tinyurl.com/zm2bt6r

Could I look for those foam cubes at my neighbourhood florist? I only need about 15 - 30 at a time. -thanks

 

[WeedHopper]

I love that 3rd level, I was staring at that one awhile, figured it was some elaborate heat handling thing, pretty neat.

Amazing colas for T5s... I use 6500K for veg, do you switch for flower?
No dirt, no hydroton, very clean alright, I can't grow anything without those rapid rooters

3000k for flowering.

 

[zem]

Sopappy that is the one that i use https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00BXLT574/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 however it is a different brand for much cheaper and yes i just buy a box that has 12 or more cubes for twenty something dollars, then i cut the cube up into little 1x1x1.5", each cube gives me like 40 or so cubes. you can cut them to the size that you want depending on how you water them but mine are on a timer so i make them small. Most importantly, do not buy from these links, they are a complete ripoff jeez

 

[umbra]

pappy, I only know 1 person doing rdwc. He built his own system, but he is the Master of rdwc. Here are a couple of pix of his work. These are not my pix. He's in the UK. He does 2 plants and 3 vertical lights and vegs for 3 months before flowering. I show this so you know what is possible.

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[Hushpuppy]

He must have one serious ventilation system to run those lights vertically. Those are serious beasts.

 

[sopappy]

Sopappy that is the one that i use https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00BXLT574/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 however it is a different brand for much cheaper and yes i just buy a box that has 12 or more cubes for twenty something dollars, then i cut the cube up into little 1x1x1.5", each cube gives me like 40 or so cubes. you can cut them to the size that you want depending on how you water them but mine are on a timer so i make them small. Most importantly, do not buy from these links, they are a complete ripoff jeez

well jeez, welcome to Canada, just multiply by 2, if you can even find it here.
But it's just a polystyrene, .015 density I think I read somewheres hahaha
I'm trying a strip of this
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.air-conditioner-foam-seal.1000118018.html

 

[sopappy]

pappy, I only know 1 person doing rdwc. He built his own system, but he is the Master of rdwc. Here are a couple of pix of his work. These are not my pix. He's in the UK. He does 2 plants and 3 vertical lights and vegs for 3 months before flowering. I show this so you know what is possible.

Can you imagine picking away at that cola?
holeeeeee, it's a cactus plant, not marijuana
the vertical lamp is fascinating, sure looks awfully close to the plant

 

[umbra]

I think 1 plant was 54 oz and the other was 71 oz dried.

 

[WeedHopper]

Wow. Very nice.

 

[sopappy]

3000k for flowering.

pretty stupid question in retrospect but I learn a lot from dumb questions,
I was using 100K aquarium bulbs until I mentioned it in a post here.

 

[sopappy]

I think 1 plant was 54 oz and the other was 71 oz dried.

Almost a FIVE POUND plant, I'm out of expletives,

The vertical bare bulb makes a yuge difference in head room
but HP's on to something, how do we find out about ventilation?

 

[umbra]

Heath Robinson is a regular member over at breedbay. You can go do a search for him and read some of his stuff. He goes into detail about his rdwc as well.

 

[WeedHopper]

Damnt Umbra,,,thats one big *** cola. Very nice. Ill be right over. Yehaaaaaaaaa

 

[sopappy]

Heath Robinson is a regular member over at breedbay. You can go do a search for him and read some of his stuff. He goes into detail about his rdwc as well.

great read, thanks, Umbra,
his take on the air gap and corded roots has me reconsidering my ebb and flo AGAIN, it's re-circulating now, I just have to raise the level and skip the ebbin' part

http://www.breedbay.co.uk/forums/hydro-journals/201350677-heaths-tree-grows-22.html#post670413

6, Yes on the tree grows I use Liquid Silicon to help prevent bud rot, the vertical lighting produces big dense buds which can be prone to mould, Liquid Silicon can help prevent it.

I want to know how this works before I keep them submerged

neat tip re using two exhaust pipes per tank but I don't get why they are not at the bottom of the pots.