flooding tables...how often?

just wondering how often i should be flooding my tables...im using hydroton...just wondering what is the best schedule to use so i dont over or under water them...thanks!

depends on the size of your table, your medium, your light etc etc


start with 2 cycles a day with 15 mins of flooding

you will tell if they need more water, if so go with 3 cycles of 15 mins during the light hours

dude....if my tables flooded for 15 minutes i could flood my house...i usually flood every 3 hours when the lights are on for 2.5 minutes...than it takes a few minutes to drain back out...any other suggestions from the pros...thanks!

lol wow i forgot some kids have small systems

I flood mine for 15 minutes every 6 hours and a feeding one hour before they go to bed. Don't you have an elevated drain so the table doesn't over flow????

i do have an over flow and its not that small...i wasnt sure how im supposed to do it so please explain your method to me kravyn....i have been having it go off every 3 hours till it fills about 4 inches for 2.5 minutes and than i let it drain...should i let it flood and drain down the over flow for 15 minutes twice during 12 on than? please elaborate...lol...last grow i had it going off every 2 hours 24/7 lol i got a decent yeild but am still learing..thanks a lot!!

I,m currently flooding for 4min. every 3 hrs. using hydroton.Rooted clones under 24hr 1000W MH.They luv it.May have to increase length,or number of floods as they grow.

L8tr

I'm growing in 8 inch rockwool cubes with a bed of hydroton. My flood table (tray) sits directly above the reservoir . When the pump is running, my table fills in 2 minutes, stays full (halfway up the rockwool cubes) for 15 minutes, (the elevated drain preventing overflow) and then drains back thru the pump in about a minute. The tray drains completely..Sounds as tho your table is not draining properly???? I had a kink in my pump hose which was preventing drain-back at one time.
I'm veggin right now and my plants are about 18" tall. This batch is from seed and they were germed on Feb 1. I'm feeding them an hour after they wake up, two more times during their daylight hours and a snack an hour before bed. I'm currently on the 18/6 light period. Soon to be switched to 12/12.

Sounds like your drain hole needs to be a lot bigger if you are going to push water out over the table just running a 15 minute cycle.

You can also add a drain tube in the side to keep the water from getting out the one in your bathroom sink. This is not standard just something I thought of in my head right now.

As you can tell from the answers you've already gotten, everyone does it differently.
I Have a 2x4 table w/netpots full of hydroton under 1000w cooltubed hps, i go right from the cloner to the 'ton, so no rockwool here, and i flood 3 times per lights on for about 11 minutes at a time, table is usually full after 5.
There are so many variables involved here its really something you'll have to figure out for yourself. Play around until you find what works.

Good luck and happy growing.

With my rockwool cubes sitting on top of the Hydroton, I'm able to pick up my plants, flush my tray and reservior, then place them back into the bed of Hydroton, and cover the roots. Also handy for plant rotation with a cramped growing area.
Lots stealthier than dirt, too. And cleaner and lighter.

i used to like hydroton, but i've switched, those damn balls end up everywhere LOL! and they arent inconspicuous either. catch the wrong person spotting those and they are tryna look for the secret tropical garden in the house.

i flood canna coco with grodans coco croutons as my hydroton replacements. roots love it. and i also only flood once a day