Multiple Strains, Single Reservoir

Next grow will be my first in hydro. One of these is on the way to me I bought off eBay:



Six 6" netpots over a 35 gallon reservoir, aeroponics. I'd like to grow a variety of different strains as this is for personal consumption. But I've heard mixing one nutrient solution for different strains can be a problem if the plants respond differently to the nutrient regimen.

Is this a valid concern? Or am I worrying too much? What if I stick to strains of a similar class - short, indoor plants like Nirvana Northern Lights, Aurora Indica and Wonder Woman? Or should I grow one strain at a time in a hydro system for best results?

A penny for your thoughts...

I grow on a 18 site aeroponic table. My first grow consisted of 6 different strains. I DO NOT advise you to try this. Different strains have different flower times so you will have to flush when the first strain is ready when another strain could be as much as 4 weeks out. Also like you said there can only be one nute mix for all strains and some strains react differently to the amount of nutes.

I've grown multi strain systems and things worked out as long as you pick
strains that have similar finishing times and height. Some plants don't like
as high of a nutrient level than others so I'd also recommend going to a very
low/safe PPM for your nutes so none of the strains can get burnt. I would
not start from seeds as the roots can get tangled before you are able to
sex and this can be a huge PITA.

I hate the setups where you have to disturb the plants to change the rez... I would find a way to eliminate the lid being attached to the rez... You will be glad you did this when you have to change the water every week....

I would make a stand for the tray and seperate it from the rez.... So when you change out the water in rez all you need to do is slid the rez out from under the tray and bam done.... But with your current setup you will have to move the plants and likely have another rez just to hold the plants as you change out the water.... Not a good idea and not logical...

Go to your local hardware store and they will have all most everything you would need to make a setup and likely for cheaper than buying one already made...

And as far as the mulipl strain question....

Not a good idea... One strain could grow a little faster and cause lighting problems...

Another issue I can think of is during flowering... One starin might finish at 2feet where as the other strain could finish at 3feet... To many varibles to go wrong... Best advice in the world... K.I.S.S = Keep It Simple Stupid

tdizzle - Thanks. That was the advice I was looking for. I have 5 Wonder Woman's comming from Attitude. I think I'm going to use those and fill the last slot with one of the Attitude freebies as an experiment.

disposition84 - This was my thinking when I made the post. I still might change my mind and try something like 2 Nirvana Indicas, 2 Wonder Woman and the other two some of the numberous Attitude freebies that have accumulated. Might be a mistake, but that's how you learn. And this is all personal stash, so who wouldn't want a variety of differents herbs to smoke?

phxfire - Point about how to handle rez changes well made. I'm totally new to hydro so this is the kind of shit I'm going to have to learn.

four shire

phxfire said:

And as far as the mulipl strain question....

Not a good idea... One strain could grow a little faster and cause lighting problems...

Another issue I can think of is during flowering... One starin might finish at 2feet where as the other strain could finish at 3feet... To many varibles to go wrong... Best advice in the world... K.I.S.S = Keep It Simple Stupid

Click to expand...

Yes I follow the same rule of thumb... Keep it Simple ..

I never mix strains in one res. Like has been said, you can't max out your ec due to different needs for different strains. Asking for complications when you are trying hydro for the first time.

I currently am vegging Purps clones and a cross of Pure Power Plant x Blackjack (both from nirvana seeds) in the same flood tray.
Running an EC of about 0.7, the purps look hungry, while the PPP x BJ looks like it cant take anymore nutes.
The PPPxBJ also grows a lot taller.

It will WORK, but for best results you should definately separate strains.

This will become more and more important as sativas will get a lot taller, and if you are running smaller lights, that can lead to a whole new set of issues.

I understand you want to have multiple strains to smoke. If you're going to grow more than one strain on your table I would go with two strains that match well with flowering time and height. Do your research.