Is There A Chance I'm Drowning My Ebb&Gro Plants?

[Roots]

Net Pots and air pumps.....but there’s nothing wrong with your style, you just need to figure it out.

You never told me what nutes you were using.

[WhiteHotAfterburner]

Net Pots and air pumps.....but there’s nothing wrong with your style, you just need to figure it out.

You never told me what nutes you were using.

Mega Crop Parts A & B... (1/2 nutes right now. Will increase next redo)
https://greenleafnutrients.com/product/ ... fessional/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Then will finish off with Mega Crop Bud Explosion...
https://greenleafnutrients.com/product/bud-explosion/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I really am hoping by the time I need the Bud Explosion they get their smaller quantities back in stock!

Yes, I am also hoping to figure this method out. It is doable. But, I have been looking around a lot and I am seeing the great results growers are getting with DWC/RDWC etc... it's undeniable. And, with what looks to be from the outside a lot less setup and operations!

That's why I bought the barbs. I'm still leaning towards a Recirculating system of some sort. I'm still hitting in both fields!

Thanks, Roots! ,
WHAB

[Oldjoints]

.

[WhiteHotAfterburner]

...but there’s nothing wrong with your style, you just need to figure it out.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. All of these methods work well for growing our plant. In the late 80’s early 90’s I was using flood and drain tables with great success BUT since I was out in the country I was a lot more susceptible to power outages. Any type of hydroponics
is not overly forgiving in that situation. Any type of user error is a lot more rapid and working a full time job I couldn’t afford that situation and why I returned to growing in soil.
Having a lot of experience with soil because of my profession it was a no brainer for me and I have stayed with it over the years.
But hydro does produce a faster growing plant with great yields in the right setup with someone that has their system dialed in. Getting that system dialed in doesn’t happen over night regardless of the method used.
With soil there is a lot more pest problems so you also have to know how to deal with different pests and know their life cycles in order to control them.
No matter the medium knowing the in’s and out’s of your system and the plant it self is a true key to success.
I am truly not a great grower, what I am good at is the method I use. If I were to change back to hydro I probably would struggle until I got it down.

So WHAB my suggestion is to pick a medium you feel is best for your situation and stick with it.
You will make mistakes and hopefully learn from them and make that system better. You can get advise/read until the cows come home but the best lesson is first hand.......

Hello friend!

I get'cha!

Serious question, brother...does "stick with it" include changing out a 2 gallon light susceptible Ebb&Gro for a 5 gallon light-proofed DWC/RDWC or Ebb&Gro system?

Or, are you meaning just to stick with the wet-world (hydro) in general and work it out?

I do like the idea of hydro. I am making corrections BUT those translucent white buckets (and it translucent controller) need to be addressed and I think changed out.

With the algae I had (and have again - I just added H020 to the Res) and after light-proofing the buckets I never once thought about the white controller until just a couple of days ago. Although, I look in it pretty often and as of last night it's clear, I know in my head it is susceptible.

I did have a thought last night that I can use that battery powered transfer pump to suck up the floaters as I see them in each bucket. Remove them from the system individually, possibly.

,
WHAB

[Prawn Connery]

If you're getting algae, then your reservoir and/or root zone are not light-proof – which they need to be.

I take it you are growing in hydroton (clay pebbles)?

I've done flood and drain in the past and there are a few tings to watch out for:

If using a fairly dense media such as coco, rockwool or even perlite (ie: media with smaller air gaps), you need to flush the pots with fresh water on a regular basis as evaporation at the media surface will leave salt deposits and build-up as the pots flood and drain.

Flood and drain doesn't rely on dissovled oxygen in the water – the roots get nearly all their oxygen from the air after draining – so it is important not to submerge them for a long time nor let the roots and media dry out.

The roots actually draw their water and nutrient from the wetted surface of the media: when you flood the media, some nutrient solution remains and the roots draw on this reserve. Once the media dries out, it needs to be wetted again to prevent the roots drying out.

So the idea is to flood for only a few minutes, then drain, but repeat often enough so that the media and roots do not dry out. F&D is not the same as shallow or deep-water culture that both supply oxygen to the roots via DO through aeration or movement of water, which breaks the surface tension of the water to allow oxygen exchange.

Get a digital timer, flood more often but for shorter periods. You can also flood during lights off, but less frequently – do it only to prevent the roots from drying out. You can get away with less frequent floods during lights out because the temperature is lower and the plant is not drinking as much. For the same reason, do not flood for extended periods during lights out.

IMO, you should aim for the amount of time it takes to fill the flood tray and then add another 5-7 minutes before the pump turns off and the tray is allowed to drain back to the res. The movement of water does add a small amount of DO to the root zone, but not enough to prevent the roots from suffocating if they are flooded for extended periods.

All you really want to do is throughly soak the media and then allow the tray to drain as soon as the media is fully saturated. Rinse and repeat once the media has almost dried out. The time it takes to dry will vary with the media, but hydroton can stay wet for 15 minutes or more depending on how warm it is, and how big the plant is (ie: how much it drinks)

[Prawn Connery]

P.S. I assume you are using a flood and drain table and are not referring to recirculating hydro (top feeding), which is similar but not exactly the same. Pictures would certainly help.

[WhiteHotAfterburner]

If you're getting algae, then your reservoir and/or root zone are not light-proof – which they need to be.

I take it you are growing in hydroton (clay pebbles)?

I've done flood and drain in the past and there are a few tings to watch out for:

If using a fairly dense media such as coco, rockwool or even perlite (ie: media with smaller air gaps), you need to flush the pots with fresh water on a regular basis as evaporation at the media surface will leave salt deposits and build-up as the pots flood and drain.

Flood and drain doesn't rely on dissovled oxygen in the water – the roots get nearly all their oxygen from the air after draining – so it is important not to submerge them for a long time nor let the roots and media dry out.

The roots actually draw their water and nutrient from the wetted surface of the media: when you flood the media, some nutrient solution remains and the roots draw on this reserve. Once the media dries out, it needs to be wetted again to prevent the roots drying out.

So the idea is to flood for only a few minutes, then drain, but repeat often enough so that the media and roots do not dry out. F&D is not the same as shallow or deep-water culture that both supply oxygen to the roots via DO through aeration or movement of water, which breaks the surface tension of the water to allow oxygen exchange.

Get a digital timer, flood more often but for shorter periods. You can also flood during lights off, but less frequently – do it only to prevent the roots from drying out. You can get away with less frequent floods during lights out because the temperature is lower and the plant is not drinking as much. For the same reason, do not flood for extended periods during lights out.

IMO, you should aim for the amount of time it takes to fill the flood tray and then add another 5-7 minutes before the pump turns off and the tray is allowed to drain back to the res. The movement of water does add a small amount of DO to the root zone, but not enough to prevent the roots from suffocating if they are flooded for extended periods.

All you really want to do is throughly soak the media and then allow the tray to drain as soon as the media is fully saturated. Rinse and repeat once the media has almost dried out. The time it takes to dry will vary with the media, but hydroton can stay wet for 15 minutes or more depending on how warm it is, and how big the plant is (ie: how much it drinks)

Hey Prawn!

Yes, clay pebbles. Recirculating Ebb&Gro. White 2 gallon buckets and a white controller. The buckets are now light blocked. I am gearing up towards rebuilding the system. By rebuilding I mean remove and replace the existing system; the buckets and controller with opaque ones.

Reservoir is clear. This was taken yesterday.

It looks like the algae is contained within the bottom 3/4 inch of the buckets where the nutrients/water remains after draining.

The reservoir is in a dark part of a room that occasionally is lighted but the barrel itself is in the dark, in the shadows.

IF you would like additional pictures, just let me know.

I just recently (2 days ago(?)) shortened the duration of the flood but kept the same amount of times per day - 4. 4 times a day, 1/2 hour Fill/Drain cycle - 1 time in Lights Out. It takes about 8 minutes to Fill and equalize.

I will double the amount of Fill/Drain cycles during Lights On and increase the Lights Out feeding to twice, 2 Fills and leave the buckets filled for about 12 22 minutes, then Drain in Lights Out.

Edit Add: After re-reading this, I'll reduce all Fill/Drain cycles to 1 15 minute increment on the analog timer. That will be about 8 minutes to fill and equalize, leave it full for 7 minutes and then drain.

I also am preparing to do another system flush. I just bought some General Hydroponics FloraKleen for that task.

Thank you for speaking up, Prawn! I appreciate it!

IF you think of anything else and feel inclined I'd be interested in hearing it!

,
WHAB

[Irwin the Troll]

I've never heard of an Evan flow system that only used Netpots clay pebbles. I've always seen it done with rockwool due to its ability to retain moisture and oxygen for extended periods. I use dwc change my newts about every 2 weeks. Prior to the roots growing down I use a pond pump every few hours to spray water up onto my net pot. Once fruits are dangling I remove the pump and use the air stones.

[Prawn Connery]

Yeah, post pix of the plants and full set-up

[WhiteHotAfterburner]

Yeah, post pix of the plants and full set-up

Setup is this, but in white...

With this controller...

And this reservoir...

The pictures throughout this grow are in this thread, but specifically...the most recent pictures of the plants are there on this page.
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=13478&start=360" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I took some pictures early this morning but I haven't posted them yet...

IF you need more, please holler!

Thank you, Prawn! ,
WHAB