Help with first time hydro setup (flood n drain)

alienascii

alienascii

Member
This is my first time growing hydroponically and I was planning on making my own flood and drain system.
I understand how the system works bacisally but I had a few technical questions. I want this system to hold 6-12 plants all the way from veg to harvest.

1. Do all pumps drain to the res when off, or do I need a certain one?

2. what size of net pots do I need?

3. how tall should the 2 rubber containers be?

4. What substrate is best to use?

:weed:
any help would really be appreciated, thanks!
 
420hydro

420hydro

Well-Known Member
alienascii said:
This is my first time growing hydroponically and I was planning on making my own flood and drain system.
I understand how the system works bacisally but I had a few technical questions. I want this system to hold 6-12 plants all the way from veg to harvest.

1. Do all pumps drain to the res when off, or do I need a certain one?

2. what size of net pots do I need?

3. how tall should the 2 rubber containers be?

4. What substrate is best to use?

:weed:
any help would really be appreciated, thanks!
Click to expand...
Please study on ebb and flow basics a little more. What is great about RIU, is that every question has already been answered.

Do a google search:

site:rollitup.org ebb flow

and find a grow journal with a setup like you want. Then imitate it.

Now as to your questions:

1. Any pump you are likely to use is loose enough to allow the nutrient in the flood tray to drain back into the reservoir.

2. You don't use net pots. You don't want your roots outside the container. Use regular nursery pots or plastic grow bags. 1 or 2 gallon size will probably do well for you.

3. You mean what size should your single reservoir be? The larger the better. It depends on the size of your flood table. I think I figured about 75 gallons for a 3 foot by 3 foot table filled to 6 inches.

4. Since you are a first-timer, I would recommend a coir/perlite blend. It has good draining properties and is inexpensive. Beginners tend to over-water.

While you might have done well with soil, hydroponics is a totally different animal. I would suggest starting small - only one or two plants. When I started in hydro years ago, I killed the first couple of batches until the plants could survive my mistakes.

I've been reading RIU for close to a year and finally have studied and learned enough to attempt my first mj grow. I have a big outdoor hydro vegetable garden, but that doesn't mean I know what to do in a closet...

Good luck.

OverGrow
 
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