For All Cap Ebb and Grow Users

researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
buddwasher said:
only my 2nd grow but i am using ebb and flow ststem (i assume this is what u on about u call it cap ebb and grow ) btw i am in uk and we talk diff :D lol

i used flood and drain in my first grow (about 8 yrs ago) not been settled since so no where to grow - now im back :p

i raised buckets about 1-2 inch abouve res - i do worry about standing water and root mass just sitting in it but so far about 3 weeks into flowering all root nice and healthy - except one mother plant a m8 gave me that is 3 weeks ahead - slight browning of roots - but i tend to ingnore this plant as its out of sinc with rest of my crop

interesting to hear about peoples constant flushing - i should do more except my water pipes have froozen so until we get a thore i am stuck with just topping up res every 3 -4 days :(

pump set to water x4 daily - at lights on then 3 times every 4 hrs till lights off and once in the middle of night - i actualy feel i could water just 3 x daily but following what others say 4 seems the norm

i am using canna hydo nutes - x2 600w MH - rock wool cubes in clay balls
Click to expand...
Discontinue watering at night time. It is of no benefit to the plants. Its not a negative either, just a waste of water nutrients and electricity.

The reason your roots are happy is because of the H2O2 and airstones in your reservoir. They can sit in water all day long if there is oxygen in them!

For flushing, nobody here constantly flushes anything. Hydroton doesnt hold nutrients like soil does, so we dont just feed water for a week or two. You can do no flush, or water the last week if you want to save on nutrient money.

The Ebb & FLOW is for the flood and fill tables/trays.
The Ebb & GRO (GROW) is for bucket systems.

I kept calling them the wrong thing for a year after I grew with them. Its a confusing set of terms. :) They should have called it Bucket Grow and all would be easily explained!
 
shnkrmn

shnkrmn

Well-Known Member
Flood and drain is sufficiently different to avoid the confusion with ebb and gro (which is a commercial product name, not precisely a method; trays or buckets, if you are pumping water to flood medium, and then draining it back to a reservoir, it's all the same thing)
 
mrduke

mrduke

Well-Known Member
yeah many people think that the ebb&gro is the same as trays, which it kinda is at least as far as the plant is concerned just a different name.
 
BiteSizeFreak

BiteSizeFreak

Active Member
So I'm new at this and was talking to a guy about this system but he doesn't like Rockwool. What else could a person use for clones or seedlings that would work well with this system? I'm sure this was probably answered about 50 pages ago but I REALLY don't want to go searching page by page for it, plus this gives someone the opportunity to feel smart! :mrgreen:

Thanks!
 
horsepower850

horsepower850

Member
researchkitty said:
I dont recommend discontinuing Hydroton use. My post suggests the OPPOSITE. :) KEEP the Hydroton, DITCH the Coco.

The different bucket sizes is a real bitch. I have 2 gallon, 2.5 gallon, 3.5 gallon and 5 gallon sizes all scattered around. For 8000 watts of lights I'm sticking with 16 plants per light and 2 gallon buckets and those will be here in a week (Check the grow journal sig, we'll eventually be up to 24,000 watts of light and a few hundred plants plus a mushroom op). Even some of the same capacity buckets dont fit the same size, they fit the original bucket it came with so you just have to keep them together as a pair.
Click to expand...
Do you think it will shock the plants to switch from coco to straight hydroton in week 2?
 
horsepower850

horsepower850

Member
Yeah I will for sure. I have about 75% with coco and the remainder in hydroton. The coco ladies are about 2 weeks ahead of the hydroton ladies. I'm hoping the hydroton ladies will catch up with the coco girls.
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
Errrr, if you have two harvests two weeks apart, are you separating nutrients for them? Hope so. :) Each week is different amounts of different stuff!
 
horsepower850

horsepower850

Member
researchkitty said:
Errrr, if you have two harvests two weeks apart, are you separating nutrients for them? Hope so. :) Each week is different amounts of different stuff!
Click to expand...
yes I have 3 different resivoirs for different nutes when needed. Now I'm having to figure out the timing of water schedule for the ladies in straight hydroton. What do you suggest? I just transplanted them 3 days ago. I keep having to add water to the mix because the ppm keeps raising even though I'm cutting my solution by half every time with pure water. I'm guessing the hydroton is still settleing in and all the excess dust is washing back into the resivoir. I've been watering for 15 minutes every 3 hours when the lights are on. Is this too much?
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
horsepower850 said:
yes I have 3 different resivoirs for different nutes when needed. Now I'm having to figure out the timing of water schedule for the ladies in straight hydroton. What do you suggest? I just transplanted them 3 days ago. I keep having to add water to the mix because the ppm keeps raising even though I'm cutting my solution by half every time with pure water. I'm guessing the hydroton is still settleing in and all the excess dust is washing back into the resivoir. I've been watering for 15 minutes every 3 hours when the lights are on. Is this too much?
Click to expand...
In veg I water once a day. In flower I water once or twice a day till week 5 then twice a day till they are done.

You M*U*S*T rinse Hydroton before you use it. The dirt and grime will gum up your pumps and make a nasty mess. Also wash/rinse it between harvests, too. Dead roots will cause root rot for you which is also no good ;)

If your ppm keeps rising, by say more than 100, then your plants are drinking more than they are eating per say. Your humidity may be low causing the plants just to transpire constantly (40-60% humidity, please!) or it might just be too high of a ppm or ph off causing nutrient lockout.

Your PPM should be very stable, lowering only really when you top off the reservoir. For every 1 plant you want to have about 2 gallons of reservoir space as a rule of thumb, but depends on your pot size. :)
 
mrduke

mrduke

Well-Known Member
hey kitty you really only water once in veg and twice in flower?????

I've always waterd 4 times a light cycle in veg and flower.

why so little water in veg?
 
boxing119

boxing119

Active Member
I was wondering what every one is yielding out of there system... I always hear about people getting 8-12 ozs a plant with 4 week veg time... I veg all mine 4-5 weeks and am only getting on avarage 3-4 ozs a plant... is this normal or should i be trying something else. I dont trim or or FIM my plants i just let them grow... any tips
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
boxing119 said:
I was wondering what every one is yielding out of there system... I always hear about people getting 8-12 ozs a plant with 4 week veg time... I veg all mine 4-5 weeks and am only getting on avarage 3-4 ozs a plant... is this normal or should i be trying something else. I dont trim or or FIM my plants i just let them grow... any tips
Click to expand...
For me a 4 week veg time yielded 4oz per plant for 32oz per 1000w lamp. I run 16 plants per 1000w with just a week and a half veg now.

BiteSizeFreak said:
So if you use the aero cloner method how do you get them into the hydroton without freaking them out or messing them up or something? Thanks!
Click to expand...
First, fill the bucket with hydroton about half way. Then fill the bucket with water. Dunk other plant right in it and add Hydroton till its full. Minimal shock if any a day or two till they look perfect again. Standard way you transplant from Hydroton to Hydroton too. The whole plants hangin in your hands like you ripped someones skull and spine out of their body.

mrduke said:
hey kitty you really only water once in veg and twice in flower?????

I've always waterd 4 times a light cycle in veg and flower.

why so little water in veg?
Click to expand...
Do they need more? Will they grow more or faster if I let them drink more? I mean we water em once every 3 days in Rockwool, so once a day in Hydroton doesnt seem little... I've just gone by what worked for me, if its wrong let me know!! :) I also take a half hour to flood them rather than 15 minutes, but thats due to plant volume and so many buckets...........
 
mrduke

mrduke

Well-Known Member
ido about the same as you -boxing-. i veg for 2-3 weeks and end up just under 3 zips per site with 8 under a 1000. would be sweet to get 8-12 but i bont know how, thats a lot off a indoor plant
 
researchkitty

researchkitty

Well-Known Member
mrduke said:
ido about the same as you -boxing-. i veg for 2-3 weeks and end up just under 3 zips per site with 8 under a 1000. would be sweet to get 8-12 but i bont know how, thats a lot off a indoor plant
Click to expand...
More plants....................... and a little less veg time................... That'll get you close to 2lbs per light............ (1000watts of course)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top