PBP soil in hydro???

bdawgburner

Member
Hey eveyone, i am swithcing to E&F after a few years of soil just to get away from the mess. I was planning on using GH lucas formula for the system and was talking to the owner of the local hydro store and he said that the addbacks werent worth doing because I'd have to change the rez every week due to the salt buildup and also replace the hydroton every cycle for the same reason. So I asked what he would suggest as a base then and he said that he likes humboldt oneness and PBP. I have PBP soil already and he said that that is used for the ripening stage of flowering. So my ? is to you all-knowing hydro experts, is PBP soil ok for hydro use and if it is can I use it the entire time or just during the second half ? Soil is rated 1.5-4-5 and the regular PBP bloom is rated 2.5-2-5 Will that extra phosphorus and lack of nitrogen be a problem? Also, how would the dosing amount change going to E&F, I use 1 Tablespoon per gallon in soil and get about 300ppm. Any thoughts or comments are much appreciated. OR if you have a better base reccomendation please feel free to let me know.
 

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
No soil in any hydro ops, especially not flood systems. Grit will be carried though the system and will destroy the water pump/s.

Seriously, reconsider use of organic nutes. You can't use H2O2 with organics and H2O2 is the most effective method of pathogen control.
 

bdawgburner

Member
Hey al what would you suggest as a base then? I'm way new at this hydro thing so I dont wanna be F*^%in up my system. Botanicare actually recommends the soil formula for the ripening stage though. Like I said, I have the GH nutes to do Lucas formula but the guy at the shop told me I'd have to replace my hydroton every cycle and the whole point of going hydroton instead of rockwool or coco was to save myself from replacing media every run. It could have just been him trying to get more business though.
 

Al B. Fuct

once had a dog named
Hey al what would you suggest as a base then?
Rockwool or fytocell.

Botanicare actually recommends the soil formula for the ripening stage though.
Skip Botanicare stuff. It's mainly organics (if not all). Organics are not compatible with H2O2. I have yet to see a fully effective organic microbial control.

Like I said, I have the GH nutes to do Lucas formula
Yes to GH, not so sure about Lucas formula. I'd use it they way GH mark the package.

but the guy at the shop told me I'd have to replace my hydroton every cycle and the whole point of going hydroton instead of rockwool or coco was to save myself from replacing media every run. It could have just been him trying to get more business though.
Regardless of nutrients used, pellets can only be re-used once or twice but have to be completely cleaned of all old root matter and sterilised before re-use. Cleaning all the root matter off the pellets is a prick of a job. I'd much rather use disposable media. Sterile every time, no possibility of carrying over root disease from crop to crop.
 
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