Dapper_Dillinger
Well-Known Member
How do i find more info im how to run hempy? Im really interested in transitioning from soil, but dont want to do coca
World Of Hempy
- Thread starter Moebius
- Start date
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
the 487 pages before this one should get you started.
.Smoke
Well-Known Member
Do a search for "Dutch bucket hydroponics" aka Hempy/Bato buckets.
The first few posts in this thread also explain how to build a bucket/media/how to water.
kovidkough
Well-Known Member
these guys are totally correct all info (including soil caps) comes from this thread alone. my ideas are just other people's ideas in motion. I love hempy over soil, never tried DWC, but this is how I am transitioning to hydro but without the pumps and chillers ect
Dapper_Dillinger
Well-Known Member
Exactly what i want to do , gonna spend some time reading this thread it theres a lot of info on soil and coco grows ,not so much on the hempy....or can you apply coco technique to hempy? Just swhich out coco for perlite and vermiculite?
.Smoke
Well-Known Member
Yes, some use coco along with perlite. I read someone say the other day that he ordered a "hydroponics kit" from a magazine back in 81' and got a cat litter box with some lava rocks and and air pump for his "professional hydroponics kit".
In Hempy, the media you use isn't really intended to have any affect on the plant except to keep it standing upright.
You want the plant to pull all its water and nutrients from the 2" shelf you create @ the base.
All the other roots turn into "air roots" that draw directly from the air instead of water.
So basically, if your media holds the plant upright, and has no negative side effects, there's nothing stopping you from using it.
I've even considered trying a "sand bucket" on a plant just to see what would happen.
kovidkough
Well-Known Member
yea I think coco has to have additional calmag as it steals the calcium, im no expert tho
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
A hempy party! I started out with hempy buckets about 8 years ago. Love them! I tried coco with crap results. Switched to #4 chunky perlite and never looked back. Coco seems very hit or miss regarding quality and how it affects the plants. I have never experienced a hit or miss batch with perlite. It is 100% inert the way hydroponic media is supposed to be. Coco is not 100% inert in the way it interacts with calcium and magnesium. I don't know why any hydroponic grower would want their roots and fertilizer interacting in any way with their growing medium. Coco is a poor choice in my opinion as it relates to consistency in performance over a long period of time due to the hit or miss nature of getting a good batch in addition to the fact that the medium is not inert due to how it interacts with magnesium and calcium cations. That's my story and I'm sticking to it
My hempy jungle of love:
#4 perlite was in short supply on my last transplant which is why you see some buckets with hydroton clay pebbles. There is no issue with hydroton, however I prefer #4 perlite, because clay pebbles are very heavy. Buckets are harder to move around, and I can't grab one by both sides with my hands and lift to determine how "dry" they are because they clay pebbles add so much weight you can't tell the difference between a bucket that needs water versus one that can go another day.
My hempy jungle of love:
#4 perlite was in short supply on my last transplant which is why you see some buckets with hydroton clay pebbles. There is no issue with hydroton, however I prefer #4 perlite, because clay pebbles are very heavy. Buckets are harder to move around, and I can't grab one by both sides with my hands and lift to determine how "dry" they are because they clay pebbles add so much weight you can't tell the difference between a bucket that needs water versus one that can go another day.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
A hempy party? I'm in
1) Start with a 4 CU. FT. Bag of #4 chunky perlite. Do not use the cheap shit perlite from Home Depot. #4 chunky. The other shit will create a slurry of residue in the bottom of your containers that causes root issues as well as drainage issues. #4 CHUNKY. Don't fuck it up.
2) Now let's deal with the dust issue. I take the bag down to my basement over my floor drain. Clip a small opening in the bottom corners of the bag. You can even punch a few small holes throughout the bottom if you so choose. Clip off a piece of the bag on top. Insert garden hose. Run a sufficient amount of water through to eliminate the dust. Less than 2 minutes typically for a 4 CU. FT. bag. The goal here is to eliminate the dust so we can move to the next step comfortably. We are not rinsing here.
3) Buy a 32 gallon trash can from Home Depot. I recommend the Brute brand cans. They are indestructible. Use cheap shit at your own peril. Drill 30 or so 1/2" drain holes in the bottom of the trash can spaced out. Why spaced out? So it doesn't ruin the structural integrity of the bottom of the trash can yet excellent drainage still occurs. Now you've got your rinse and holding container.
4) Buy an 18" plant elevator. Not from Amazon though. They're raping people for $20/each presently. See your local hydro shop. I paid $7 each I think. Place your 32 gallon Brute can on top of the plant elevator directly over your floor drain (or in the back yard).
5) Clip the top off your 4 CU. FT. bag. Dump it into your Brute can. Now wasn't that nice? No dust to deal with. Now rinse with your garden hose as much as you'd like. I leave it in the trash can on the plant elevator overnight which drains most of the water from the Brute can. I then move the trash to a more convenient location in my basement out of the way where it can be stored for when it's needed while it continues to be elevated on the plant elevator. I put a bath towel on the floor in case some residual comes out over the next day. No mess and super easy. I'll post pics of the trash can I use. It's just too easy to consider doing it any other way.
In a nutshell you're rinsing and storing your perlite in a 32 gallon sturdy trash can with holes in the bottom and then elevating it on a plant elevator to allow excess water to drain out. Simple. Effective.
Good god man. Why are you guys complicating this so much? 4 CU. FT. bag of #4 chunky perlite. Cut a corner off the top. Cut a corner off the bottom. Insert garden hose at top. Turn on the valve and run it through the bag over a floor drain. This completely eliminates the dust issue. Or grab a chemical respirator from harbor freight (presently sold out due to the pandemic) for $20 like I did and a pack of P95 Gerson replacement filters. I think I got 10 years worth of replacement P95 replacement filters for under $20. This is exactly what I do:
1) Start with a 4 CU. FT. Bag of #4 chunky perlite. Do not use the cheap shit perlite from Home Depot. #4 chunky. The other shit will create a slurry of residue in the bottom of your containers that causes root issues as well as drainage issues. #4 CHUNKY. Don't fuck it up.
2) Now let's deal with the dust issue. I take the bag down to my basement over my floor drain. Clip a small opening in the bottom corners of the bag. You can even punch a few small holes throughout the bottom if you so choose. Clip off a piece of the bag on top. Insert garden hose. Run a sufficient amount of water through to eliminate the dust. Less than 2 minutes typically for a 4 CU. FT. bag. The goal here is to eliminate the dust so we can move to the next step comfortably. We are not rinsing here.
3) Buy a 32 gallon trash can from Home Depot. I recommend the Brute brand cans. They are indestructible. Use cheap shit at your own peril. Drill 30 or so 1/2" drain holes in the bottom of the trash can spaced out. Why spaced out? So it doesn't ruin the structural integrity of the bottom of the trash can yet excellent drainage still occurs. Now you've got your rinse and holding container.
4) Buy an 18" plant elevator. Not from Amazon though. They're raping people for $20/each presently. See your local hydro shop. I paid $7 each I think. Place your 32 gallon Brute can on top of the plant elevator directly over your floor drain (or in the back yard).
5) Clip the top off your 4 CU. FT. bag. Dump it into your Brute can. Now wasn't that nice? No dust to deal with. Now rinse with your garden hose as much as you'd like. I leave it in the trash can on the plant elevator overnight which drains most of the water from the Brute can. I then move the trash to a more convenient location in my basement out of the way where it can be stored for when it's needed while it continues to be elevated on the plant elevator. I put a bath towel on the floor in case some residual comes out over the next day. No mess and super easy. I'll post pics of the trash can I use. It's just too easy to consider doing it any other way.
In a nutshell you're rinsing and storing your perlite in a 32 gallon sturdy trash can with holes in the bottom and then elevating it on a plant elevator to allow excess water to drain out. Simple. Effective.
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jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
Your pictures are always a delight to look at .Smoke. Lovely looking ladies and colas you've got there. Is that perlite you're running in the hempy tote? What size is that and how often does she need water? I have to water my 5 gallon buckets every other day. If I could go every 3 days with totes that's something I'd consider switching to. I hate watering every other dayGranddaddy Purple
4 week veg. Cola chop day.
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Hempy
.Smoke
Well-Known Member
Its 10 gallons with a 70/30 perlite/vermiculite mix.Your pictures are always a delight to look at .Smoke. Lovely looking ladies and colas you've got there. Is that perlite you're running in the hempy tote? What size is that and how often does she need water? I have to water my 5 gallon buckets every other day. If I could go every 3 days with totes that's something I'd consider switching to. I hate watering every other day
My system waters them everyday once they hit the flower tent. Even in the 10gal, a plant that size is dry daily.
Some days I just didn't have the time to hand water, which is why I switched to hempy and automated the feed/drainage systems.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
Maybe I need to rethink my setup. That automated watering sounds very nice. If you don't mind my asking what kinda manifold and tubing did you use to plumb the feed lines? I don't mind clearing the catch trays with my siphon pump, but I would love to run a line from my reservoir into a manifold in the flower room. From the manifold I can connect some tubing to each bucket. Even provide a little slack in the tubing so the buckets can be moved a little. Your results are just fantastic. How long do you veg for? I feel like one of my shortcomings I need to address is that I'm not allowing my root systems to get strong enough before they enter the flower room, so some plants could really go 3 days before watering and the rest need it every other day. If your ladies are needing water every day in a 10 gallon tote you have a very robust root system inside of there. I've got to make some changes to achieve the same result. My gears are turning
.Smoke
Well-Known Member
Here's a link on my feed/drain setup..Maybe I need to rethink my setup. That automated watering sounds very nice. If you don't mind my asking what kinda manifold and tubing did you use to plumb the feed lines? I don't mind clearing the catch trays with my siphon pump, but I would love to run a line from my reservoir into a manifold in the flower room. From the manifold I can connect some tubing to each bucket. Even provide a little slack in the tubing so the buckets can be moved a little. Your results are just fantastic. How long do you veg for? I feel like one of my shortcomings I need to address is that I'm not allowing my root systems to get strong enough before they enter the flower room, so some plants could really go 3 days before watering and the rest need it every other day. If your ladies are needing water every day in a 10 gallon tote you have a very robust root system inside of there. I've got to make some changes to achieve the same result. My gears are turning
World Of Hempy
yeah I’m not a fan of the dust. It always makes me sick after breathing it. It mixes better when everything is wet also. I have to do this sorry Use your N-95 mask and you will never have to worry about the dust ever again!
www.rollitup.org
I really believe the reason I get the results I do is because I stopped listening to everything people were suggesting and started testing things for myself.
For instance,
50 watts per sq/ft for HID right??? Wrong. I run 78.125w.
Need higher temps for your veg tent and less light for the plants??? Wrong. My veg tent and flower tent both run @ 75F 50RH with the veg tent plants under full "flower power" (50,000+ Lux) lighting from the time they're a week old.
You need 18 bottles of nutes and a chemistry degree to grow weed??? Wrong. I use RO water, Calimagic and the 1 part megacrop for veg @ .8EC. Flower is 3 part GH @ .8-1.0EC.
I defoliate and lollipop less and less nowadays. I don't worry unless I think humidity might be an issue on the thicker plants.
But the most important of them all....consistency.
If you're going to flower under really powerful lights, then veg under really powerful lights.
If you're going to feed heavy, then do it from the start.
Don't change times, temps, light intensity or anything else drastically.
I can guarantee if someone took one of their plants here they vegged under a HLG 135 in a 4x4, or any other "small wattage" lights people are using and tried to put her in my flower tent, they would not....ever...end up with the same end results.
K.I.S.S
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
yes! one of the reasons i went to hempys. my res was big enough to go away for 17 days when we went overseas. the only trick is finding a nute recipe stable that long.
.Smoke
Well-Known Member
rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
3 or 4 plants here. 30 gal trash can is all i need.17 days?
I'd need a 150+ gallon rez just for the flower tent.
jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
Dude you are amazing! Thank you so much for that outstandingly detailed walk through. I love those john guest fittings. I had to get familiar with them when I installed my 6 stage RO due to tap water issues. I have a whole 50' coil of that 1/4" OD line and a crap ton of the various john guest push connect fittings I scored in a sweet variety pack off amazon for cheap. I'm ordering the supplies tonight to automate the watering. You're a lifesaver dude. I'm literally crawling through the floor to water plants right now. It's no bueno. And the condensate pump is the perfect device for addressing the waste water. On a float valve? Really? That's too fucking cool100% Automatic feed/waste system setups
I finally took some pictures of my setup for help on another thread, so I figured I'd go ahead and share here incase it can help anyone else since I've had a few requests for info on it.
30 gallon reservoir with a vivosun 800gph pump feeding an 8-way Flora Flex bubbler with the 20gph insert installed.
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Controlled with a multi programmable timer.
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1/4" feed lines going into 1/4" quick connect by 1/4" male John Guest fittings that I chose to sillicon in place to make the buckets sub-irrigated so I never have the threat of algae growth while the plants are small and the perlite in the opening of the lid is exposed.
View attachment 4635251
Drain lines are 3/8" quick connect by 1/4" male going to a beefy Litte Giant condensate pump
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Which has an internal float switch that automatically pumps everything straight to the sewer. Connected the same way you do a discharge line from a water softener
View attachment 4635258
Anyway, that's how I do mine. 100% sealed/automatic. Please feel free to share how you guys run your feed/drainage. I'm sure folks could use the help and I always love seeing how people engineer the same things in different ways.
I'll admit I was pretty baffled as to how you managed the run off, and your solution is highly effective and elegant. I never would have come up with the condensate pump idea on my own. Thank you for throwing me a life preserver here man. My ship was taking ln water. Now I've got a plan thanks to you jonnynobody
Well-Known Member
Hey .Smoke, What kind of fitting is that you use to plumb the waste water at the drain hole? I'm having trouble figuring out what to call it.
I see these bulkhead elbows that are kind of like what I think that is:
https://www.johnguest.com/speedfit/product/10-15-22-28mm-size-fittings/bulkhead-elbow/
And this:
https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=102889
I'm getting closer. I can feel it.
I see these bulkhead elbows that are kind of like what I think that is:
https://www.johnguest.com/speedfit/product/10-15-22-28mm-size-fittings/bulkhead-elbow/
And this:
https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=102889
I'm getting closer. I can feel it.
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.Smoke
Well-Known Member
John Guest Acetal Copolymer Tube Fitting, Straight Adaptor, 1/4" Tube OD x 1/4" NPTF Male (Pack of 10): Push To Connect Tube Fittings: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
John Guest Acetal Copolymer Tube Fitting, Straight Adaptor, 1/4" Tube OD x 1/4" NPTF Male (Pack of 10): Push To Connect Tube Fittings: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com
I've found a hot glue gun works best to seal the fittings to the buckets, but if I rebuild @ some point I'll use bulkheads.
Edit...I can't get the link to work correctly, but it's the 3/8"od x1/4" npt fittings.