# Hydroponic Setup



## AssGasOrGrass (Sep 16, 2006)

Awhile back someone asked about the main pieces and instructions on setting up a hydroponic system. I was wondering why the Q was never answered, and would also like to know the cheapest way to make a hydro system with instructions on setting it up.


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## liketowatch (Sep 17, 2006)

i guess the best ones i used was Deep water, it the method of letting the plant soak in the bucket filled with water, nutes and a air stoned being pumped wtih LOTS of air the only problem is keeping light from reaching the nutes and keeping the water cold around 58-60 degs 

I thought this was much better then other methods because its the only one where you can move and treat each plant as there own.

when i have time and money i will make a nice setup and doc all of it on here


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## crickitmd (Sep 17, 2006)

hey how much are you expecting to $pend? like for the whole setup thing


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## potroast (Sep 17, 2006)

Well, the cheapest one I ever made, I hammered together some boards into a long box, and filled it with pea-gravel, and poured nutes in it every day. The plants grew great, and that was under shoplights. That was in '78, before I knew to switch to 12/12. Ed's first book came out the next year.

Here's a set-up for a closet:


https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/714-hydroponic-grow-operation-bedroom-closet.html?highlight=contest

HTH


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## AssGasOrGrass (Sep 17, 2006)

Thanx alot for the help everyone, i really wanna try a hydro setup as opposed to dirt haulers and all that other shit that someone said to whore up the hydro forum. Yeah liketowatch i really wanna see your setup, try to get it up asap!


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## liketowatch (Sep 17, 2006)

will do..


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## SantaCruzBambi (Sep 27, 2006)

AssGasOrGrass said:


> Awhile back someone asked about the main pieces and instructions on setting up a hydroponic system. I was wondering why the Q was never answered, and would also like to know the cheapest way to make a hydro system with instructions on setting it up.


Watch this video, it was great viewing the process from start to finish, it's a bit long (1hr + few min's) and was very enjoyable and educational.

POT-TV: Mr. Green: I Grow Chronic


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## Widow Maker (Sep 27, 2006)

potroast said:


> Well, the cheapest one I ever made, I hammered together some boards into a long box, and filled it with pea-gravel, and poured nutes in it every day. The plants grew great, and that was under shoplights. That was in '78, before I knew to switch to 12/12. Ed's first book came out the next year.
> 
> Here's a set-up for a closet:
> 
> ...


Damn you are old. lol. I was three is 78. For now on your new name is Sir.


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## VictorVIcious (Oct 4, 2006)

I bought one hydro system and used it as a pattern to build my own.


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## OmegaVermelho (Oct 6, 2006)

Here&#180;s another - https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/1393-omega-s-150-bubbler-contest.html


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## littlepuppet2002 (Oct 22, 2006)

hey, liketowatch-Is it true that in a DWC you need to maintain a water temp. of no >60f? I have never read this. How would it be done?


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## potroast (Oct 22, 2006)

I've never heard that. Maybe what you are thinking about is that in a reservoir when the temps get above 75 F then pathogens can grow, and muck things up.

Most passive systems and reservoirs would have to be chilled to keep the temp that low. The main thing is to not let it get too warm, but that's the same for the air in the room.

HTH


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## liketowatch (Oct 22, 2006)

sure is true....

When using the deep water method your water gets HOT sitting under the lights all day. Befor I knew to cool off the water my roots would get nasty looking and grow some slim. After I found out to cool the water my plants grew much better and faster. I used bottles of frozen water everday to cool the water, but a chiller would be best, but your talking 300 claims for them. 

To help fight the heat and light you should paint the buckets black then after they dry paint them white. 

Now I use ebb and flow and my res isnt in the room to help keep it cool and so far so good. 

gooood luck


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## LadyTokin (Oct 23, 2006)

DWC should be 65-75 degrees. Lower you slow plant growth. Higher you risk serious root rot. In veg, under flos, sometimes you do need to heat the water. Use an aquarium heater with a thermostat. Works great.

Ph should be between 5.2-6.3. Start out lower and gradually let ph rise to about six. Feed them well and check ph next day. It should drop back down significantly. 

One day, if I ever get time, I'm gonna do a DWC 'how to on the cheap' thread. It'll be my way of paying it forward for some great teachers.


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## OmegaVermelho (Oct 23, 2006)

littlepuppet2002 said:


> hey, liketowatch-Is it true that in a DWC you need to maintain a water temp. of no >60f? I have never read this. How would it be done?



Yes many growers keep the water at certain temp..like LadyTokin said fish shops have water heaters with a thermostat..altho i´ve never used one and the plants are looking pretty damm good....Peace


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## littlepuppet2002 (Oct 25, 2006)

How often do you just replace the resevoir with fresh nutes/water instead of just topping off with water every couple of days?


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## potroast (Oct 26, 2006)

As long as you do it regularly. An old general rule is to change it every 2 weeks. Now many nute makers are saying every week, I wonder why?

If you want to be more precise, change the res when you've added back the same amount that the res holds. IOW if you have a 5 gallon res, when you've topped off with 5 gallons, it's time to change.

Even better than that, use a TDS monitor. All I do is look at the wall, and I know the pH and TDS of my res. Ain't life grand!


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## LadyTokin (Oct 26, 2006)

I wouldn't change the res water until the grow is finished. No need to if you are using GH floranova micro and bloom using Lucas formula. I know of some folks that will to 2 or 3 grows without changing the water out but sludge does build up in the bottom so I would say just change between grows.


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## OmegaVermelho (Oct 26, 2006)

I change every ten days or so, keeping the res clean and avoiding to level the pH by adding chems to the water in a constant basis are the main reasons why i do it...nute lockups can be very shitty....


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## potroast (Oct 26, 2006)

Reservoir maintenance: that nute soup changes constantly. 
The plants use more water than anything else, that's why we top off with plain water. If you used a TDS meter, you'd know. 
The plants use all of some nutes in the soup, and others accumulate. 
The plants excrete wastes through the roots that build up in the soup.

After 2 or 3 weeks, that soup is nothing like what you started with. And the plants will grow much better with regular flushing of the medium and new nute mix. Besides, you want to change the nute compostition throughout growth.

HTH


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## littlepuppet2002 (Oct 26, 2006)

Now I've heard that once in a while you should let the res. level drop below the roots a couple of inches for a short period of time. This is called something that I can't remeber at this point. Then fill back up to 1 inch past net pots. What would you guys reccommend as a good starting resvr. I like your idea Omega with the storage bin. I don't want to buy too big a resvr and have wasted nutes/water that aren't getting to the roots. So maybe like a 18gal rsvr. with 2, 5.5inch net pots.? Or should I setup for four plants in 1 resvr?


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## echohype (Nov 1, 2006)

Hey guys. Would this plan for hydroponic be a good one to follow? 11 Plant Start

My friend and I found it and are thinking of putting it together. Would thatbe considered "deep water" like youhave been mentioning?


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## potroast (Nov 1, 2006)

I would say no. I didn't want to sit thru the slide show just to find out how they irrigated, but it looks like they flood the bottles from the bottom, and then drain out. That would be "flood and drain," or so-called ebb&flow.

Maybe they use hoses to drip from above, and drain out, that would be called "drip."

Both of those ways are active hydro systems. The deep water culture is a passive system, the roots just dangle in the nute solution.

HTH


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## echohype (Nov 1, 2006)

potroast said:


> I would say no. I didn't want to sit thru the slide show just to find out how they irrigated, but it looks like they flood the bottles from the bottom, and then drain out. That would be "flood and drain," or so-called ebb&flow.
> 
> Maybe they use hoses to drip from above, and drain out, that would be called "drip."
> 
> ...


ah awesome, thanks for clarifying  Sorry if this next question is somewhat dumb but I'm curious/stumped. I've read that the plants are moved to larger pots(5 gal?) at a certain point, from their smaller containers.

If I use this ebb & flow system, and use the little black plastic basket things, do I still transfer the plants to larger buckets at some point, or do they stay there, in that hydroponic system, for the remainder of their life?

Sorry if that doesn't make sense or is quite dumb haha.


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## potroast (Nov 2, 2006)

Hydro plants are not typically transplanted. The step-up in pot size is done with soil grows, so you don't have to have many small plants in big containers. With hydro, you grow the plants in smaller containers anyway.

HTH


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## yogiera (Feb 5, 2009)

That's what i am talking about can anybody help a sister out.


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