1st Hello everyone. im an old OG member and for years missed being part of that online communaty. since than i started playing MMORPG's and got involved those communities LOL anyway. i just registered and hopfully can fill the place of good old edge forums on OG.


ok about my past experience. i have done 4 bagseed grows , 2x 150w hps, hardware store potting mixes,and nutes. .. and always had plants that just BARLEY lived untill harvest, got a few OZ's each time.

then i read ALOT

after that, it was on to grow skunk #1 , Kali mist, Bubblgum, and then Durga mata.(1 after the other not all at same time) i used 5 gallon pots with 2 parts b'cuzz coco fiber and 1 part perlite, and nutes were 2 parts GH Bloom to 1 part GH micro (1 tsp bloom 0.5 tsp micro, then double for end veg and tripple it for flower) its and old formula i read about years ago i cant remember were) had to do with GH grow being bad even in veg cuz to much amonia nitrogen, were as the micro has a diff form of nitro that pot likes beter. i used the ferts in EVERY watering and always made shur to get 1 gallon of runoff - yes 1 gallon each time was the only way i could keep salt build up and PH problems away

those crops all did well i used 2x400w hps and average about 600 grams, aside from learning the hard way about spider mites and mold and spending tons of cash on dehumidifier/AC/heater(for winter when lights off) trying to maximize everything.

well its been a lil over a year since. i moved and got rid of all my grow stuff except my 2x400w hps. thats a lil backstory so u kinda geta feel what i know/dont know

tomarow i am going to storage and getting my lights, and scrounging up some bagseeds to do a test run with Hempy buckets. as it seems to be the almost the same as what i was doing with coco only easyer.

i plan on using the same nutes as i used in the coco/perlite medium in the past. and using everytime i water. and getten a few cups of runnoff everytime to ensure no salt builds up in the res, but i want to use 100% perlite and add 1 cup of marbles per gallon of perlite for weight so when i get masive buds it wont tip over, aswell as a layer of marbles on the top serface so when i water it wont erode holes in the perlite

i would like sumthing to add that will hold more water so thay dont dry out in a mater of hours at full bud, but i will not use vermiculite(locks in salts), coco(too unreliable PH), or peat(to fast breakdown)

so i got to thinking, what about those water absorbant crystle things, i forget what there called and i dunno the PH spec of them yet ima look into it. but if thay are just as inert as perlite and all thay do is hold water(no air) than maby there is a perfect mix that will rule out using vermiclute or others stuff

anyway im looking to use perlite only (with weight added) or mixed with sumthing plz let me know what u think. whats the BEST hempy bucket medium for avoiding PH and salt problems. suggest anything even if u think i SHOULD use vermiculite, speak up i like to learn.

whatever i do its a test run in small bukets prolly 1 gallon if not just in styrophome(sp) cups just to compare, i plan on doing 1 of each diff medium so farm i know ima do

100%perlite
20%verm80%perl
some mix of those water crystles amd perlite

again, suggestion and tips are welcome

Sounds like a good start for a journal. Have you seen the Grow Journal Threads? Show us from start to finish. Let us see what you have going on.

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well here is a start im looking into the crystles i mention 1st thing i founs interesting not about growing but its worth reading

The Patent states that the product is made of: 'A superabsorbent polymer is a resin capable of absorbing water up to several thousands times as its own weight. These superabsorbent polymers are prepared from water-soluble polymers, but have cross-linking structures which render the polymers water-insoluble. By taking water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomers which readily undergo vinyl polymerizaton, such as acrylamide , with the use of cross linking agents, a polymer can be produced that is of uniform small size, has a high gel capacity, is highly insoluble, but highly water swellable i.e. a superabsorbent polymer. (Gel capacity refers to the property of the water swollen polymer to resist viscosity changes as a result of mechanical working or milling. The patent says the particles are "less than 4000 microns but greater than 50 microns" in size. )


im thinking maby if thay hold TOO much water thay wont works, like 1000's times there wight just might be overkill for the hempy bucket lol

---EDIT--

ok so got a lil more info

Are there different types of super-absorbent polymers?

There are about 800 to 1000 different recipes for these polymers - but they are divided into two big categories: polyarcylamide and polyacrylate.

Polyacrylate (called in the industry PAC) are used in disposable diapers, sanitary napkins, etc. and are capable of holding a huge amount of water - between 600 and 800 times its weight (purity of the water determines this range - the more dissolved solids in the water, the less liquid the polymers can hold).

Polyacrylates are usually made with sodium and are more environmentally friendly, breaking down first into ammonia salts and then nitrogen and CO2 in about 4 to 6 months. They are often sold with an environmentally friendly green label and retail for around $10 to $12 per pound.

In contrast, polyacrylamides (often known as PAM) absorb only about 300 - 400 times its own weight in water, use a variety of potassium molecules for cross-linking, and take between 5 and 7 years to completely breakdown. Because of the lower absorbency and longer time to breakdown, polyacrylamides usually sell for around $6 to $8 per pound. -




seems like 300-400 times its weight in water and a 5 year breakdown would be ideal for perlite hempy buckets, u wouldnt need to use very much so seems cost effective aswell
has anyone ever used this stuff b4 than can comment on how it works and what its like use it. if its a plastic sounds liek just as inert ass glass, cept for the potasium or sodium it would leak... hmm ima read more il lmost anythign else i find that can shed some light on it


---EDIT----


and some more growing specific info


How much do I use?

Consider that one cup of dried polymers (250 ml) will absorb 100 liters of water (about 24 US gallons). This would likely launch your plant out of its hole in a matter of minutes!

That said, an appropriate amount will be significantly less - between a teaspoon and a quarter cup of crystals. It all depends on your environmental conditions. In drought situations (no rain for more than 28-days), you want a lot of polymer crystals to absorb any water they come in contact with - and it is unlikely that any single polymer will absorb its maximum potential. A couple tablespoons to 1/4 cup of polymers is recommended for this sort of environment. In more "normal" meteorological conditions - a rainfall every seven to ten days - your objective is likely to minimize stress between rainfalls - and one to two teaspoons would be the more than enough. --

looks like alot of real life testing will need to be done to incorprate this into a hempy bucket, but im starting to think 100% perlite or sumthen else might be beter. my goal is to only have to order the nutes and get everything else in a walmart / home depot. but man 1 cup absorbs 25 gallons that prety insane


---EDIT--

well seems i was right these might not be best for hempy, seems there main aplication is for outdoor crops to hold water between rains, thay can be used in soil/soiless mixes for indoor container pots. BUT i found
Important Note – Water absorbing polymers are not appropriate in self-watering containers.
and with hempy bucket being a self watering wick system, it will not work the polymers will stay 100% saterated at all times and hold all that water way way longer than the res at thwe bottom of the bucket. and will suck it dry everytime, so the watering would have to be more like how u water soil plants i think. and the best thign about hempy is the water everyday / replenish the res. even at a small amount i think the polymers are just too potent to work with hempy

well as u see above theres the short on my reserch lol. looks like its back to just tryen 100% perl and 80/20 perl/verm

anyone got any thoughts or suggestions on other things to try