Manual Hydro???

Is there such thing as a Manual hydro set up?

Watts215 said:

Is there such thing as a Manual hydro set up?

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I'm no expert on hydro but from what I've read I guess it could be possible in theory but you would be a slave.

I'll probably go soil for my first grow but hydro seems difficult for a noobie.. Figured maybe I could water 3x a day instead of pump/timer set up..

Passive hydro uses a wick to pull nutrients up into your medium. This is "manual" in the sense it does not require pumps.

You could also set up a passive drip system where you simply regulate flow from an elevated reservoir.

Neither of these methods would require you to lord over the system. You would have to stir your solution daily to keep the nutes even, but that is about it.

i think coco in air pots would prob be a good idea if you don't want to have to worry about watering multiple times a day i'm not sure if it's classed as hydro but it's definitely soilless and follows the same basics from what i can tell i tried for a change from soil with biobzz nutes and didn't like it as much as soil, the plants did well in a side by side with my soil plants but they just didn't look as healthy i'm sure that was me though and not the coco as alot of people prefer it just not me but if i had to change from soil it would defo be an alternative, i watered every other day and fed every other watering the yeild was slightly higher than the soil alternatives but i found the quality to be slightly less not in appearance but taste, i used canadian express at a p.h varying from 5-6 and then changed to ionic nutes which i found to be alot better hope this helps mate

trying to do it 3 times a day wouldn't work in hydro....because the roots are just kinda hanging there so they would dry out...It's not hard or expensive to set up...the nutes are the noob problem...I know because I am a noob...lol. I have only finished one grow and it was soil, but I keep starting hydro and then something goes wrong and I lose interest again...I am going to get it this time...Finally got some nutes I can manage to use without death following...With soil there is just a greater margin for error...but if you get it right it is easier...I don't have to water any plants, or worry about watering too much....dont' have to worry about kittens pooing in my soil...(happened before....) I find it to be more worry free especially now that like I said I found easy nutes...anyway it isnt' that bad and you should look into giving it a try sometime, but it is easier with soil, so maybe not for your first, but something to give a shot...Good Luck!

klmmicro said:

Neither of these methods would require you to lord over the system. You would have to stir your solution daily to keep the nutes even, but that is about it.

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In hydro we use airstones that not only airate the water but keeps the solution well mixed. My first flood and drain system I had a waterpump but I still filled and drained by hand and an alarm clock. Now I can be gone for 21 days before things start going all awry. I am an electronic technician/engineer so electrical is nothing for me. I even make my own pumps.

Thanks for everyones replies.. Any links on passive hydro set up? Or easy to manage set up? My room is close to completion but I'm taking my time trying to do as much research as possible so that I'm ready, and I don't ask questions that have already been answered. My first grow will def be soil but most of what I read seems like hydro is the way to go..

Cannabis Enthusiast said:

you would be a slave.

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this is what i thought.


i was imagining a guy riding a stationary bike that runs the lights. blows into the bubble stones and flicks switches every 12hrs. fanning canopy when it gets too hot...? peeing in rez?

Just type "passive hydro systems" into your search engine and you will get a ton of information of the various types. I use a passive wick system for growing lettuce in my living room. Nothing big and certainly not fancy, but effective. No wires or electricity. That said, an active system will probably allow for quicker growth. Because there is no circulation, as Bird McBride points out, you have to stir your solution. You could add an airstone if you wanted.

I have an ebb and flow system that I use that works great. Started with the basics and then added and modded where necessary. It is not passive, but not hard to set up. I have also used bubble buckets and DWC. These take a little more work than the E&F, but are still fairly simple to work with.

As for nutes, that is the sticking point. Any soil free hydro system is going to take some getting used to. The time between a problem starting and a problem causing damage can be minimal, so you need to understand how to read your plants. This is where you will need to research the most when starting. Don't let that scare you though. Having complete control how the plant eats also brings about the best rewards! Well worth the efforts.

AUTO POTS is what you want. Or you could kidnap a 4 year old, and train them to stand over your plants with a bucket of water all day every day then lock them up in the attic feeding them fish heads durring the dark phase