man let me know how those gavita's work out supposedly with the 1000's you can get 2lbs a plant!
8 months, $10,000 and a whole lotta hard work=this...
- Thread starter ruwtz
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ruwtz
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Nursery has room for around 150, veg can accommodate 30-40, and will be flowering 16, 4 to each light under 4x4 scrogs. Still deciding my watering plan for each of these footprints, but I have low rise grow tables under each one ready for possible ebb&flow. Will be hand watering for a while yet.
I'm making no silly projections about yield at this stage - thats fools' talk - long road ahead with lots to get wrong before I get it right.
ruwtz
Well-Known Member
Veg e&F table with 2 x 200w cob arrays - 8 cobs in total on a pair of 185v/1.4a drivers. I have a 240v circuit on the ceiling running to a Y-splitter to power both bars on the same timer.
Happy barrel lives beneath the table fed by pump and two drain returns.
6" Pargro blocks are sat up to aid drainage on rubber grommets, but I might yet go with a single layer of hydroton for better stability as they grow up.
Still finding the right watering schedule a challenge - they've been flooded twice since moving to veg 5 days ago and these blocks stay wet a long time. This might be too much still.
Happy barrel lives beneath the table fed by pump and two drain returns.
6" Pargro blocks are sat up to aid drainage on rubber grommets, but I might yet go with a single layer of hydroton for better stability as they grow up.
Still finding the right watering schedule a challenge - they've been flooded twice since moving to veg 5 days ago and these blocks stay wet a long time. This might be too much still.
cat of curiosity
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what i used to do is cut the round area like you did and score the back between the two cut points, allowing it to flip up and down (great to keep out dust and light)
ruwtz
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Yeah nice one. I have a spare utility hinge so i'm thinking about putting the cut piece back in as a flap. Hoses and pump cables are fed through the drum openings so the cut piece fit back in snug.
cat of curiosity
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i would def do that, seal the hinge side with duct tape. the more sterile the better, imo
ruwtz
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What i'm finding is when the flood comes on the flow is colored very dark, presumably since it is a richer/denser nute concentration settling at the bottom near the pump. After a few seconds of flow it levels out. Could this be a problem with taller reservoirs? I'd prefer a stable concentration of nutes throughout the flow, and nobody wants pockets of dense nute solutions in their medium.
Res is aerated by those heavy weighted air stones so its always moving in there.
Res is aerated by those heavy weighted air stones so its always moving in there.
cat of curiosity
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you can submerge a small aquarium pump to the bottom (5 or 10 gph) and it will circulate the nutrients keeping it fully mixed at all times.
ruwtz
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Good idea, air stone obviously isn't sufficiently agitating the mix.
I've gone with 40 gallons in the 55gal drum as that is the capacity of my table, but with displacement from the many blocks - and since reducing the drain height by an inch since the first flood - I will need less for the next flush/refill. This is a relief as I was starting to see how much nutes ($$$) i'd be draining to waste on a fortnightly basis.
Also the plan is to flush the blocks with plain ph'd top watering at least once a week and this can be the res top-up. I'm trying to be smart here but please say if you think this is a bad idea!
cat of curiosity
Well-Known Member
sounds good so far, but the only way to get it right is to use it and adjust to fit. once you've got everything running right, it can be completely automated, and the only time you have to use your hands is to transplant, trim, and harvest...
ruwtz
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Hopefully thats where we're headed here!
cat of curiosity
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you're headed there, and will get it. just have to iron out the kinks so it runs like a well-oiled machine
ruwtz
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These Pargro blocks really hold on to water: they remain heavy and the base saturated even after 3 days of no additional watering (flooded twice since transplanting 5 days ago). All are elevated enough to aid drainage. Obviously the girls are so small they're barely drinking anything so i'm watching them very closely. In fact, the res ppm was slightly higher after the second flood so my solution must be slightly too high (around 300ppm in feed after factoring for tap water). No signs of tox or burn though so i'm not worried at this stage.
Very little visible new growth since the transplant 5 days ago either, with some droop persisting which is hopefully just shock. I'm counting on them just laying down roots in this new medium as they exploded real quick in the Root Riot plugs, and they were telling me they wanted to move within 9-10 days but I was waiting on the cobs arriving to kick off veg. All were moved within 12-14 days, and credit to Timber Grow for turning around my order - including special order 5000k lights and 240v cables - as fast as they did. Any longer stuck in plugs and I would've worried about stunting the babies.
Very little visible new growth since the transplant 5 days ago either, with some droop persisting which is hopefully just shock. I'm counting on them just laying down roots in this new medium as they exploded real quick in the Root Riot plugs, and they were telling me they wanted to move within 9-10 days but I was waiting on the cobs arriving to kick off veg. All were moved within 12-14 days, and credit to Timber Grow for turning around my order - including special order 5000k lights and 240v cables - as fast as they did. Any longer stuck in plugs and I would've worried about stunting the babies.
cat of curiosity
Well-Known Member
let the rockwool dry a bit, roots will seek water. i've always had that problem in rw, it's just too absorbent. once roots exit the block you're in business.
ruwtz
Well-Known Member
Yeah, eyes peeled for that moment. Shouldn't be too long - at just 6 days from pop in those RR cubes and I had 3" roots leaping out the bottom seeking water, which is good pace.
These Pargro's are designed as quick draining, and hold more air they say, and since we are bottom feeding the majority of the block should stay well balanced. Once the girls are drinking it will be much easier to tell.
Like I said I might yet go with a layer of hydroton to help them drain better, although I wouldn't want too many roots growing into that. I think slabs are a waste of money and resources but I know some people like them.
Will be transplanting into 7gal coco for flower.
cat of curiosity
Well-Known Member
gotcha. just remember, they have no reason to try for excellence if they are pampered.
in dwc, water line should be below the first roots. the only water they get are the minuscule bubble splashes that sporadically hit them. once the roots grow into the res, they become 'water roots' and take off.
ruwtz
Well-Known Member
I want this on a welcome mat at my grow room door
