Flood table question??

So I'm going hydro for the first time. Building a 4by8 flood table. No problems building the table. Just wondering what to sit my pots on so the roots grow out the bottom. Or it ok for them to just grow out the sides? And is it ok to have the table uncovered or should I cover the table as I grow and cut a plastic cover around the stems and table. Anything would be helpful. This is my first post and I'd have to say everything on this forum has been awesome !!

More info needed...r you attempting ebb n flow or ebb n grow? You can just fill the tub with hydroton, no pot necessary, and simply space the plants evenly in that space. As far as covering the table goes...you only do that if the roots will be exposed to light. Roots should NEVER be exposed to light at any time during your grow.

I planned on a flood and drain table with pots. Just don't think it's a good idea to sit pots right on the table so the roots are unable to grow out the bottom or is it ok for roots just to grow out the sides. I appreciate the response

What size pots r u using? Y do u want the roots escaping the pot? Part of the benefit of runnin EnF is being able to move the plants around if needed or remove em from the table 1 by 1 to check em out n such, but if u choose not to utilize that benefit then check into coco mats or a inch or two of hydroton in the base of ur tray.. .02

bazookajoe said:

What size pots r u using? Y do u want the roots escaping the pot? Part of the benefit of runnin EnF is being able to move the plants around if needed or remove em from the table 1 by 1 to check em out n such, but if u choose not to utilize that benefit then check into coco mats or a inch or two of hydroton in the base of ur tray.. .02

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Sorry mate, got to disagree. Bigger and better your roots, bigger and better your bud. Drill holes in your pots, encourage your roots to spread. Keep your roots covered, they dont need pitch darkness but no direct light. It's all about the roots.

Yea, it is pretty well written in stone, the bigger and more robust the root zone, the bigger and more robust the plant and it's flowers
and that is a thought we can all live with.

Peace and Great Grows

Asmallvoice

Yeah you dont want direct light hitting ur roots or they wont come out the pots i use to put my rockwool cube right into the tray with hydroton around them now i put them in pots and put hydroton around the pots if i need to move them out i can with the pots even though i dont.

Disagreements r meant to be had..but what exactly do u disagree with? I concur that bigger the roots the bigger the buds, but also all I had explained to the fella was that its beneficial to be able to move plants around on the table..or off the table if needed(IMO that would be kinda hard to do with a mop head of roots hanging out of it without damaging them)! I'm not sayin expanding ur rootzone is bad and shouldn't be done.

MrMeanGreen said:

Sorry mate, got to disagree. Bigger and better your roots, bigger and better your bud. Drill holes in your pots, encourage your roots to spread. Keep your roots covered, they dont need pitch darkness but no direct light. It's all about the roots.

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bazookajoe said:

Disagreements r meant to be had..but what exactly do u disagree with? I concur that bigger the roots the bigger the buds, but also all I had explained to the fella was that its beneficial to be able to move plants around on the table..or off the table if needed(IMO that would be kinda hard to do with a mop head of roots hanging out of it without damaging them)! I'm not sayin expanding ur rootzone is bad and shouldn't be done.

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Sorry dude, I was wankered last night and the first thing that goes when I had too much to drink is my ability to comprehend the written word. I think i thought you were saying to contain the roots in ya pots, still sounds like that actually.

OP.... don't use coco mats or hydroton outside your pots. Coco retains fluid and you don't want that. Hydroton moves around when you flood / drain and grinds on your roots, you don't want that either. Put some kinda lid on your tank and let the roots float and search freely. The only thing you got to look out for is your roots clogging your drains.

There's only 1 way to do things.. better listen to MeanGreen, and we all want our drains clogged and really flooding our tables! OP there r several ways to do what ur lookin to do.. I'm not sayin MeanGreen doesn't have his points, but u just gotta try it.. wether it be hydroton, coco mats, rw slabs, or just simply covering ur tray.. they're all options..its up to u!

MrMeanGreen said:

OP.... don't use coco mats or hydroton outside your pots. Coco retains fluid and you don't want that. Hydroton moves around when you flood / drain and grinds on your roots, you don't want that either. Put some kinda lid on your tank and let the roots float and search freely. The only thing you got to look out for is your roots clogging your drains.

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i use an "egg crate" style cover used in commercial type light fixtures. They look like a bunch of little white squares tied together. They are plastic, available at Home Depot or Lowes. They are easy to cut and fit into your tray. They raise the pot about 1/2" off of the bottom of the tray and they still allow you to move your pots as much as you want to.

Im on my 9 grow never had any problems with hydroton scraping my roots some of the hydroton floats but not all of it most stay especially when the roots start to take hold, also i have taken my pots out before with hugh roots hanging out the bottom and moved to another tray and never had any problems with them dying. idk trial and error

bigworm6969 said:

Im on my 9 grow never had any problems with hydroton scraping my roots some of the hydroton floats but not all of it most stay especially when the roots start to take hold, also i have taken my pots out before with hugh roots hanging out the bottom and moved to another tray and never had any problems with them dying. idk trial and error

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them

I don't know about your grows but my plants are locked down after about 2 weeks, roots have their hooks in and any attempt to move them does damage to the roots, not kill em. All I can say about the hydroton outside the pots to cover your roots, try it without, treble the root mass. Roots have very fine little hairs coming off the main root, these hairs suffer under the constant movement of hydroton. No dead ,broken roots floating about. Decaying/ dead roots effect your feed properties and can lead to problems.

Yeah im not aruging about when you move them it does damage, but they keep on flowering and i didnt notice any signs of stress, i was so super careful when moveing it, i tried one time without hydroton around pots and the roots wouldnt come out the pots maybe if i could make some kind of cover i would try it again yeah it would be so much easier thanks for the input

bigworm6969 said:

View attachment 2701521Yeah im not aruging about when you move them it does damage, but they keep on flowering and i didnt notice any signs of stress, i was so super careful when moveing it, i tried one time without hydroton around pots and the roots wouldnt come out the pots maybe if i could make some kind of cover i would try it again yeah it would be so much easier thanks for the input

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A lid on yr tanks is a must in my eyes, keeps the humidity high which keeps ya roots happy between floods and direct light away so your roots are happy to come out and play.

As an alternative to net pots you can go to a greengrocers or cafe and get net trays that mushrooms come in. Very strong and free! I cut them into quarters and zip tie them together to get 2 big squares from each basket. They have stubby legs in the corners to keep them just off the bottom. Also square maximises table space. I will need to move mine soon. Was in a hurry to start a short term grow so had no time to sex them. It will not be easy as its a small 90 tent. There is some other stuff I have seen in the greengrocers I may try. Its thin flexible foam cut and pulled into a kind of thick soft net about 3mm thick. It should be stable and cushion the roots when I have to move them. Its used between layers of packed fruit to prevent bruising. Non adsorbant I guess. See if you can find some.

This is what I do. Pretty much take a dwc bucket and cut it in half like an inch lower than where the bottom of the netpot will sit and just set it on the table like that. Done. It allows the netcup to hang just above the surface and also give roots coverage. They will grow out from under the buckets eventually but by then they are pretty much shaded from any direct light. You can remove hermies or sick plants or just move them around but if put closely they will eventually root together. Which isn't a big deal. It works great and I had all those buckets left over from my dwc grows. I reuse as much crap as I can in this hobby.

That's a really good tip. Do you think when I pull the boys and redistribute the ladies I should do it after a soak so roots are wet, or switch off the pump for a few hours and let them dry a bit. I imagine they could fracture easier while fully hydrated. Like its easy to dehydrate a plant a LITTLE to get it slightly floppy for training to scrog and avoid snapping stems.

I only use clones as a rule so not used to sexing in situ in hydro environment

drspastic said:

That's a really good tip. Do you think when I pull the boys and redistribute the ladies I should do it after a soak so roots are wet, or switch off the pump for a few hours and let them dry a bit. I imagine they could fracture easier while fully hydrated. Like its easy to dehydrate a plant a LITTLE to get it slightly floppy for training to scrog and avoid snapping stems.

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I always try to do it while flooding, if possible. I can get my fingers in and move the roots around, almost comb them, while they are somewhat floating. I have to do this with hermies sometimes.