ebb and flow, what to put plants in?

hey guys im going to try to do a ebb and flow system on an 8x4 table the is 6 inch deep.
im wondering what to put the plants in i know i can just do rockwool cubes but should i put a sure to grow mat under them to protect the roots or something?

i have a separate room for veg also.

please let me know what you grow in i don't wanna fill the whole tray up with hydroton. maybe pots with coco but will plants be able to grow well in just 6 inch pots?
thank you all im new to ebb and flow

well naturally flood tables are not specifically made to house (massive) plants but i have seen it done. i use 6x6x7 square pots and have had some pretty large plants in them with no issues and it keeps from having to fill the table with anything at all i love them.

I like using rockwool when I'm starting seeds, and just hydroton with rooted clones.

i suggest you change your mind and fill that table with hydroton. some even use river rocks but it will be very heavy and requires more flooding but much less cost. you will have no root-bound and no need to cover up table from algae. just my .02

I use Rookwool with a cocotex mat underneath. I have used hydroton with the mat before, but noticed that the hydroton floated away from the cubes and settled wherever it wanted. The mat gives the roots something to hold on to for stability - the hydroton helps the roots stay moist. As the cocotex dries quicker, I have increased the amount of flooding to keep it moist. I do just a 5 minute flood during non-feeding times and a longer flood during light on cycle. Hopes this helps

You can save some money by filling the table with hydroton. Hydroton displaces water....so you won't need as much water to flood the table. Less water = less nutrients.

If the hydroton is floating then add more. The top layer will stay dry and everything will be stationary.

ya but 2 4x8 tables filled with hydroton is pretty expensive anyone hear anything about the sure to grow mat similar to the coco mat they come in a 4x8 slab for around 30 bucks protects roots.

If you fill your table then you can't move plants around.
Not an option if you want a perpetual grow.

6" pots will grow kick ass bud in hydro.

I would suggest however, that you consider making multiple 4 x 4 tables rather than one large one. Takes a lot smaller res with two smaller tables.

You have to use two pumps, one for each table on separate timers.

Modular like, with one 1000W HPS bulb, shade, pump and one 4 x 4 table being one pod. Even better you can start with one pod and add on as time and funds permit.

Going perpetual with that much real estate you should plan on 25 cuttings going in a week, with 25 coming out for use. If you don't go perpetual you will have a lot of cuttings to produce at one time and a hell of a harvest chore, maybe rot before all is trimmed ha ha.


You could conceivably run (4) 4x4 tables off one 100 gallon res with 4 pumps and timers.

I just use 6" x 6" Rockwool blocks with nothing under them at all. They will grow just fine. You can see in my signature how I grew mine.

dadio161 said:

I just use 6" x 6" Rockwool blocks with nothing under them at all. They will grow just fine. You can see in my signature how I grew mine.

Click to expand...

RW works great.

im looking for some guidance,if somebody out there can help me out i would really appreciate it.............i have a 3x6 table with 15 plants on it and ive been flooding 2x a day for 15minutes.i have my plants in rockwool 6x6 inch blocks,when the table floods the water comes up the block about 3 inches.......my temp stays between 70 and 75,the humidity during veg stays about 60 to 65,and in flower it stays 50 to 55...........my ph is around 5.7 to 6.1........ive been feeding 2x per day in veg and in flower,they are not dying but they could be doing better.............rockwool holds alot of water and ive lost alot of plants trying to do it on my own,does somebody have a schedule that is dummy proof out there........lol please help

ideally you should be flooding more often BUT i really doubt this has anything to do with your problems. i think you might have nutrient solution problems like over or under feeding. i flood 6-8 times per day

Crystal13
In the future, you should really start your own thread for your problems.

I flood 3x a day 15min at a time only while the lights are on. Once when the lights turn on, once a half hour before they turn off and once in between the 2 aforementioned feedings. Make sure NO light is getting to the roots.

What nutrients are you using?
What kind of water are you using?
What kind of lighting are you using?

ive been flooding my veg 2x a day,first flooding when the light comes on and the second one 12 hours later.....i keep my ppms at 600ppms then i work it up to 850ppms right before i turn them........in my flower room i flood 2x a day as well,once when the light comes on and the second feeding 6 hours later.........and i start my ppms at850 and work them all the way up to 1200 when i finish,right before i flush for the last 5 days..............im currently using envy A&B,with tap water(my tap water is at 200ppms),and im using 1000hps............evn with flooding 2x a day the rockwool is staying really heavy.............ive tried 3x a day and my blocks stayed soaked 24x7..............should i try once a day?or is that not enough...........

ive been flooding my veg 2x a day,first flooding when the light comes on and the second one 12 hours later.....i keep my ppms at 600ppms then i work it up to 850ppms right before i turn them........in my flower room i flood 2x a day as well,once when the light comes on and the second feeding 6 hours later.........and i start my ppms at850 and work them all the way up to 1200 when i finish,right before i flush for the last 5 days..............im currently using envy A&B,with tap water(my tap water is at 200ppms),and im using 1000hps............evn with flooding 2x a day the rockwool is staying really heavy.............ive tried 3x a day and my blocks stayed soaked 24x7..............should i try once a day?or is that not enough...........

thanks for the helpful pic drgreentm. i have exact set-up and was wondering what size pot i should use. pictures really helped.

thefr13nd said:

thanks for the helpful pic drgreentm. i have exact set-up and was wondering what size pot i should use. pictures really helped.

Click to expand...

not a problem, welcome to the site.

i have used 4x4 rockwool in hydroton, 4x4 rockwool on coco mats, but my favorite is 3-5 gallon smart pots filled with coco. you can use smaller pots if you want to have more plants, but if you wanna grow them bigger that is the way to go