Flush confusion

[NorcalSMKR]

Just picked up some FF Sledgehammer flush because I noticed salt buildup on my drip emitters and the FF feed schedule from their website calls for it.

Question stems from the feeding schedule and directions on the bottle itself. I have a recirculating system that i change the reservoir (~.75 gal capacity) about 2-3 times a week. on the bottle it says for recirculating systems use 2 drops for every gallon of fresh water and just run the system normally

the bottle also says its possible to flush with 1/2 tsp per gallon once every 2-3 weeks

1)does the flush counteract the nutrients when adding drops to reservoir?
2)which method (2 drops in rez with water change or 1/2 tsp per gallon flush over the pots every 2-3 weeks) is better/more effective?
3)when using the premixed 1/2 tsp per gallon method should i run it through my circulation system as well or just pour it through the pots, catch the runoff and dump it down the drain?

thanks in advance

 

[Hushpuppy]

I haven't used that flush myself but I suspect that it has a bonding agent that attaches itself to the salt molecules and drags them out of the medium and into the rez where the weight of it settles to the bottom of the rez. Using a little bit at a time would continually work to pull out any loose salts. I personally wouldn't use it that way. I would do the flush every 3-4weeks with the 1/2tsp. Drain the rez then add back fresh water with the additive and let it run constantly for about 6hrs then dump it(you could even do it a second time for another 6hrs if you have a lot of medium to go through) and refill with fresh nuted water.

 

[NorcalSMKR]

Here is some more info for the grow- the veg area has baskets that are about 2 cups each (6 baskets with hydroton 24 hour cycle) and the flowering has (3) 4 gallon buckets with hydroton (12 hour cycle). the pump in the veg area runs for 30 mins every 1.5 hours and the pump in the flowering for one hour on one hour off while the lights are active.

Should i leave the pump on for 6 hours straight for the flush? im worried about over watering since they have been on the above mentioned watering intervals, or is this naive because they are in hydroton which supposedly is impossible to overwater?

 

[NorcalSMKR]

and thanks for the quick response btw

 

[Hushpuppy]

If you are aerating your water in the rez well enough then you could leave the water running constantly. My bro runs his nonstop without any overwatering issues. But the key is aeration. I personally don't think running the water constantly is neccessary. Your watering timing is fine. You could fine tune it to save a little on electricity but it probably wouldn't be enough savings to worry about.

For the flushing, If you are aerating the water then running 6hrs straight will be fine. I run mine for 24hrs straight but I am in coco. I don't think you have to worry too much about the buildup that you are seeing, as it will happen regardless of what you do. Its because of the heavy minerals that are being run through the system and getting deposited in places. Its not just salt, it is other heavy minerals that precipitate out over time like potassium and calcium. It certainly doesn't hurt to flush out the system periodically to remove some of the build up and prevent any toxicity from occuring as that will harm yield. But don't worry if you don't get all the buildup out of the system. doing a mild flush every 3-4weeks will be fine for detoxifying the system.

 

[NorcalSMKR]

thanks again for the info, one last question for now: should i be watering at all when the lights are off in the flowering area? Currently the pump cycles are off when the lights are off bu ive noticed the girls are a bit droopy after the light kicks on again (after 12 hour break)

 

[Old_SSSC_Guy]

Just looked that up a couple of weeks ago when I was using Sledgehammer. I've used it in soil grows for a couple of crops and like it.

Sledgehammer is just a wetting agent, not a cleaner. Its based a a yucca plant derivative called saponin which is like a bubble agent. Makes foam/bubbles and breaks surface tension. So it won't really dissolve anything or change the chemistry, it will make it easier to rinse away sludge and build up in hydro, or help to rinse clean salts buildup in soil. I'm also using it to rinse & recycle soil so I can use it again.

Some folks might say that a drop or two of Dawn dish washing liquid or Dr Bronner's would work too. I can see it preventing build up and not hurting anything.

 

[Hushpuppy]

thanks again for the info, one last question for now: should i be watering at all when the lights are off in the flowering area? Currently the pump cycles are off when the lights are off bu ive noticed the girls are a bit droopy after the light kicks on again (after 12 hour break)

I would say yes, water them some at least. As I said, my Bro runs his 24/7 in his plants, They never shut off. I have mine cycling so that that they water for 15min every 3hrs around the clock. That way they don't dry out over night. That is probably why they are drooping after not getting any water all night. If they were in a soil type medium it probably wouldn't be as big a deal but in the hydroton there is more air available to dry them out.