best medium to use for the Al b. fuct technique?

whats up everyone, im goin to be startin a grow in the next few months and im doin research on what to use. im def. gonna be a fuct head but the only real question i have is what would the best medium be? fytocelll seems to be the best but i cant find anywhere to buy it in the u.s.a. also i dont want to have to jam the pots with rw floc to keep the fytocell in the pot. so the next option is hydroton buit there is no way im buying new hydroton for every harvest and ive read lots of people saying how much of a bitch it is to clean it after grows so help me out n let me know what u all think my best bet would be. thanks in advance

bump, nobody has any opinions on this?

how about no medium at all

Just use grorox. Cleaning them isn't bad in SOG. They don't get that tall (no veg) therefore not nearly as much roots to clean out. You'll lose some of them every harvest because they'll be attached in the rootball so bad that you won't want to take the time to cut them out.

Your only other options (quite familiar with Al B.) are 100% rockwool floc or floc in the bottom inch of a pot, and chunky perlite for the rest. Pros of only rockwool is only feeding once per day in flower (thus protecting a day or two in case of pump failure). Cons of rockwool are having to dispose of it. I wouldn't want to throw that shit away in my trash. Pros of using mostly perlite are more oxygen to the roots (much more) and heaps less weight when you have to discard. Cons to it are not much protection in case of pump failure.

Personally I'd use either the rockwool/perlite mix or grorox. I'll be doing a side by side test this year of both at the same time in separate trays but it'll be a while.

He uses this new stuff.. Can't find his post right now, the search isn't working...

but it's rockwool flock on the bottom for weight and this flytocell stuff from australia I think onto... It's like perlite but better I guess..

man i tried a few things. I ebb and flow and planned to drip. But I am no in the position to be a sogger yet. However I cant imagine using anything else but rockwool ever. I tried some stuff but I just love the shit out of rockwool. I did just order some sure to grow. It is a fast drain medium. I thought it was slower but it needs floods like hydroton just maybe less frequent. Might hold a lot of air.

Rockwool forever for me. I am growing trees for my med garden with 6 inch blocks and either a slab or 8 inch blocks underneath.

I've used the rockwool floc, both the absorbant and repellant mixed together worked pretty good. Now I'm using the mini-cubes, seems to be no performance difference between them and the floc. Little easier to work with too, just fill the pot and go. Here is a link: http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=3789

thanks for the help guys, i dont like the idea of leaving a trail behind me so i dont want to be throwing away that much rw or perlite so ill probably go with the grorox, i just heard horror stories about how tough it can be to clean but apparently not.

hydroton is pretty easy to wash... if you have the right stuff. Get a 15 gal tub and drill small holes all over in one end. Have another tub with no holes. Put hydroton, water and 35% h2o2 in tub without holes. Use about 30-100ml depending on how much water you have. Stir this frequently for about an hour. Then dump this into your tub with holes in the bathtub, running plenty of fresh water through your homemade strainer. Rinse well, drain, and your good to go for round 2!

Post 420! I'll smoke one to that

I do Fuct style SOG... 48 lollies per 3x3 tray...

And I LOVE using Hydroton...

damn GB u have got it down!!! what size pots do u use? after seeing pics of ur op that is exactly what i want mine to look like so any and all help is is appreciated heavily!!

I use 5" pots... maybe it's 5.5"... and 2.6 liter I believe...

nice, would u mind sharing with me your nutrient selection, flood times and how often, and any other info u think might be useful?

sparks662 said:

nice, would u mind sharing with me your nutrient selection,

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I keep it simple... this is what I use in the flower room... nothing else...

flood times and how often,

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15 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day...

and any other info u think might be useful?

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Take big clones...

GypsyBush -

Have you used rockwool before? If so, why do you prefer hydroton? What size light do you prefer for a 3x3 tray? Was just going to try an SOG in a 3x3 so thanx for putting the thread right where I was reading. What PPM do you run? Why do you prefer that specific brand of Nutes? I take it you don't add any addatives (nor do I - they're a hustle in my opinion), do oyu flush last 4 days?

TIA

ifixbax said:

GypsyBush -

Have you used rockwool before?

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No but I have seen it (with my own eyeballs) done...

If so, why do you prefer hydroton?

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I prefer Hydroton because I like to flood multiple times a day... bringing fresh nutes at flood AND oxygen on the drain cycles, to the rootzone...

What size light do you prefer for a 3x3 tray?

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I believe a 600 HPS is about perfect for a 3x3 area...

Was just going to try an SOG in a 3x3 so thanx for putting the thread right where I was reading. What PPM do you run?

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My op is perpetual.. I have plants going in and coming out all the time... so the res is at a CONSTANT 1400 ppm... forever... 1400 ppm.. doesn't change ever...

Why do you prefer that specific brand of Nutes? I take it you don't add any addatives (nor do I - they're a hustle in my opinion),

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No, that is just the cheapest I can get...

I believe growing is 75% environmental control... 15% DNA and 10% nutes... I truly believe you need nothing more than a complete hydro fertilizer to finish a successful grow...

Not saying don't work... I just do not see the cost benefit to work out...

do oyu flush last 4 days?

TIA

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No.. I flush every 2 weeks when I change/clean res... no big flush at the end...

Thank you for info. I also have the same size little black containers. I was going to use a 1,000 watt light (because I have it). May I be so bold as to ask what amount of yield you average per plant with a 600 watt lamp? Thank you.

ifixbax said:

May I be so bold as to ask what amount of yield you average per plant with a 600 watt lamp? Thank you.

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AVERAGE is 12.5 per plant...

GypsyBush said:

No but I have seen it (with my own eyeballs) done...


I prefer Hydroton because I like to flood multiple times a day... bringing fresh nutes at flood AND oxygen on the drain cycles, to the rootzone...



I believe a 600 HPS is about perfect for a 3x3 area...


My op is perpetual.. I have plants going in and coming out all the time... so the res is at a CONSTANT 1400 ppm... forever... 1400 ppm.. doesn't change ever...


No, that is just the cheapest I can get...

I believe growing is 75% environmental control... 15% DNA and 10% nutes... I truly believe you need nothing more than a complete hydro fertilizer to finish a successful grow...

Not saying don't work... I just do not see the cost benefit to work out...



No.. I flush every 2 weeks when I change/clean res... no big flush at the end...

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You sir have earned a place in my heart. Thank you.