Lets Build a Bubble Bucket *Step by Step*

[SoY]

when you say that you decided to manually recirculate your plants what does that mean?
everytime you test the ph and add water back you pump water out of the drain and right back into the top of the bucket?

and in the lucas formula he says 24/0 for veg cycle
is 18/6 better tho?


I think my main problem is gonna be heat, can I just store however much water I plan to top off the plant with in the freezer for a bit to handle the problem?

or is getting 2 separate coolers the only solution

another question, when your topping off with water, do you pour the water over the hydroton into the bucket or pump it in through the fill pipe?

ill be growin in a pretty small closet with a 400w HPS

[Rumpleforeskin]

You should see how small my grow-closet is.

I messed with water chillers for a few cycles. I did not get an aquarium chiller due to space constraints, but opted for an ice-probe. Total waste of money. If you need to chill your water, do the right thing and get a real aquarium chiller. Don't mess with the dorm fridge or "Uncle Joes" home made water cooler. I gave up on trying to get my nutrients cold. The plants are doing just fine in that 80*F nutrient bath. Never know, someday I might try again.

I mix my nutrients by pulling from the bottom of one bucket and filling another from the top. I fill using the top fill fitting.

[frankwest]

Ive been reading up on hydroponics but one area that has me kind of confused is nutrients. Reading up on it I found the "Lucas Formula" but then I see it says use 0-5-10

so 5 Micro and 10 Bloom, but when i look on the micro and bloom formulas they have their own numbers like 1-3-8 or whatever (random numbers out of my head) what is that?

also I hear for hydroponics you use 50% the strength of soil, so would it be something like

0-3-8?



Also how often do you add nutrients? from what I hear you just use the formula to know how much more to add when you water is that true? or can you just kinnda wing it?


next is when using a "bubble bucket" how often do you totally drain the water and add new mixture? I know you change it before you go to flowering, but do you do it any other time? and how do you drain it when your using a Scrog? seems to me it would be hard to get the bucket out.


also how would you go about taking a plant from soil and swapping it to a bubble bucket?


thanks in advance

[Rumpleforeskin]

Your questions are very popular ones. I have been asked the same set of questions about twenty times throughout this thread. If you plan on growing in this type of bucket or you think DWC is right for you, then read all the question and answers here. It will help you a great deal and may save me from repeating the same stuff over.

General hydroponics nutrients can be mixed several ways.
The instructions on the package are one general approach. Lucas has made one of many other mixing formulas you can find for this product. Even his formula gives you choices of mixing techniques.
The Lucas formula does not use all three parts of the three part Flora series. It leaves out Flora Grow.

You can maintain your nutrient strength by attempting to hold a set value of total desolved solids, commonly measured in parts per million (PPM). Lucas gives you this value in his complet formula. To do this you will need a TDS meter.
Or.........
You can do it the easy way (easy on the brain, hard on the back).
This is how I use the Lucas Formula:

General Hydroponics Flora Series Feeding Strategy - Lucas Formula

G-M-B (Grow-Micro-Bloom)
0-5-10 - For Vegetative cycle (24/0)
0-8-16 - For Flowering cycle (12/12)

The numbers above indicate the number of milliliters (ml/cc) of Flora Grow, Flora Micro or Flora Bloom formulas that I use in one gallon (US Liquid) of nutrients.

You will notice I dont use any of the "Flora Grow” formula, do not need to, the "Flora Micro" provides plenty of Nitrogen.

1. Top off the reservoir daily using a pH corrected water solution as required to maintain full reservoir level. After adding back an amount of water equal to the amount of your reservoir capacity you should change the reservoir and put in fresh solution.


This is not the whole formula. He gives you a few other ways to execute his formula. Like adding nutrients back insted of draining and making a fresh batch. I like it simple, so I do it the way I put it here in this message.

Real easy.

You ask

"how do you drain it when your using a Scrog? seems to me it would be hard to get the bucket out?"

I have to ask, did you look at any of the pictures of the buckets? The buckets have a drain and a fill connection. I don't mean to sound like a smart-ass or a dick.



Connect a hose to the "drain valve" (the one on the bottom) and open the valve to drain your bucket. Fill through the top fill plug or right through the hydroton. I have relocated the fill connection on newer versions of the buckets (just put an elbow in the lid). A small pond pump helps a ton.

Don't relocate from soil to hydro. finish your soil grow and start hydro fresh.

Best of luck, R.

[frankwest]

Originally Posted by Rumpleforeskin

Your questions are very popular ones. I have been asked the same set of questions about twenty times throughout this thread. If you plan on growing in this type of bucket or you think DWC is right for you, then read all the question and answers here. It will help you a great deal and may save me from repeating the same stuff over.

General hydroponics nutrients can be mixed several ways.
The instructions on the package are one general approach. Lucas has made one of many other mixing formulas you can find for this product. Even his formula gives you choices of mixing techniques.
The Lucas formula does not use all three parts of the three part Flora series. It leaves out Flora Grow.

You can maintain your nutrient strength by attempting to hold a set value of total desolved solids, commonly measured in parts per million (PPM). Lucas gives you this value in his complet formula. To do this you will need a TDS meter.
Or.........
You can do it the easy way (easy on the brain, hard on the back).
This is how I use the Lucas Formula:

General Hydroponics Flora Series Feeding Strategy - Lucas Formula

G-M-B (Grow-Micro-Bloom)
0-5-10 - For Vegetative cycle (24/0)
0-8-16 - For Flowering cycle (12/12)

The numbers above indicate the number of milliliters (ml/cc) of Flora Grow, Flora Micro or Flora Bloom formulas that I use in one gallon (US Liquid) of nutrients.

You will notice I dont use any of the "Flora Grow” formula, do not need to, the "Flora Micro" provides plenty of Nitrogen.

1. Top off the reservoir daily using a pH corrected water solution as required to maintain full reservoir level. After adding back an amount of water equal to the amount of your reservoir capacity you should change the reservoir and put in fresh solution.


This is not the whole formula. He gives you a few other ways to execute his formula. Like adding nutrients back insted of draining and making a fresh batch. I like it simple, so I do it the way I put it here in this message.

Real easy.

You ask I have to ask, did you look at any of the pictures of the buckets? The buckets have a drain and a fill connection. I don't mean to sound like a smart-ass or a dick.



Connect a hose to the "drain valve" (the one on the bottom) and open the valve to drain your bucket. Fill through the top fill plug or right through the hydroton. I have relocated the fill connection on newer versions of the buckets (just put an elbow in the lid). A small pond pump helps a ton.

Don't relocate from soil to hydro. finish your soil grow and start hydro fresh.

Best of luck, R.

thanks for putting up with the questions, I did look at the pictures but connecting a hose to the bottom plug did not cross my mind, I guess I did not think it would have enough pressure to push the water up the hose and into another smaller bucket

again sorry

[ocitown]

Originally Posted by frankwest

Ive been reading up on hydroponics but one area that has me kind of confused is nutrients. Reading up on it I found the "Lucas Formula" but then I see it says use 0-5-10

so 5 Micro and 10 Bloom, but when i look on the micro and bloom formulas they have their own numbers like 1-3-8 or whatever (random numbers out of my head) what is that?

also I hear for hydroponics you use 50% the strength of soil, so would it be something like

0-3-8?



Also how often do you add nutrients? from what I hear you just use the formula to know how much more to add when you water is that true? or can you just kinnda wing it?


next is when using a "bubble bucket" how often do you totally drain the water and add new mixture? I know you change it before you go to flowering, but do you do it any other time? and how do you drain it when your using a Scrog? seems to me it would be hard to get the bucket out.


also how would you go about taking a plant from soil and swapping it to a bubble bucket?


thanks in advance

Mr.West,didnt all those questions get answered exacally like rumple has answered??Like i said there all in his thread said you read but must not have retained.....Thats why i spent so much time explaining it on JCJs thread and now rumple did it again.....SHEESH MAN....READ awhile bro.

[frankwest]

Originally Posted by ocitown

Mr.West,didnt all those questions get answered exacally like rumple has answered??Like i said there all in his thread said you read but must not have retained.....Thats why i spent so much time explaining it on JCJs thread and now rumple did it again.....SHEESH MAN....READ awhile bro.

T.T


the only reason I posted it again was because jcj said he did not know much about hydro and that I should post it here because rumple would know more about it, I went into it with the mindset that it would be another take on the same question, I did not know jcj wanted me to change the question or not ask it again.


thats the only reason I asked again Im sorry


also Im in the process of reading the 51 pages of this thread so might be a wile before Im done with that, did not mean to post prematurely.

[Rumpleforeskin]

It's ok Frank. You are in good company with the questions that you ask. As you read the questions and comments here, you will see them being asked by lots of folks who are now pretty good closet growers.

I understand your drain question now. You might not have explained it clear enough for me.
If you have to drain it to another bucket at the same level, then a pump will be necessary. They are around $15 for a good one. I have used the ViaAqua in the past. It works great. I now have an over-kill pump that makes lots of noise.

Take it easy OC, I am cool with the repeat questions.

[frankwest]

Originally Posted by Rumpleforeskin

It's ok Frank. You are in good company with the questions that you ask. As you read the questions and comments here, you will see them being asked by lots of folks who are now pretty good closet growers.

I understand your drain question now. You might not have explained it clear enough for me.
If you have to drain it to another bucket at the same level, then a pump will be necessary. They are around $15 for a good one. I have used the ViaAqua in the past. It works great. I now have an over-kill pump that makes lots of noise.

Take it easy OC, I am cool with the repeat questions.

I see now why you said what you said, Im on page 21 of this thread so far, (just reading it every now and then) and you did answer alot of this already, the 51 pages just intimidated me lol anyways Im working on it, and that pump is a good idea

thanks for the help

[ocitown]

Originally Posted by frankwest

T.T


the only reason I posted it again was because jcj said he did not know much about hydro and that I should post it here because rumple would know more about it, I went into it with the mindset that it would be another take on the same question, I did not know jcj wanted me to change the question or not ask it again.


thats the only reason I asked again Im sorry


also Im in the process of reading the 51 pages of this thread so might be a wile before Im done with that, did not mean to post prematurely.

I was under the impression you already read his whole thread and i really didnt mean to come off so harsh and i am sorry if did.Most all of us are really interested in doing anything and everything we can to help and not discourage,my post WAS NOT the most incouraging as i now read it.Sorry frankie

[Ghostgrower]

Hey rump did you ever come up with a recirculating system to pull water from the res and dump back into the other buckets? If not I can put together a DIY for the recirc system I made for my 1 res 2 bucket setup. Pretty simple setup and can be done for about $40 or so. I'll get pics together and post it on Tuesday or Wednesday.

I have finally had the time to get my cabinet fully assembled. Now I just need to install electrical, silicone seal the main cab and weather strip it, add mylar, and mount my fan and I'll be ready to start posting pics of the whole thing. Couldn't have done it without you man! Much thanks!

[atlbuds]

New to the forum and have never done anything like this but really want to try. I think I understand the basics. Can anyone post pics of their entire setup showing what connects to what/where..thanks in advance! I was also wondering if instead of the disks or just regular air stones as shown on the first page if I could use these?

Clicky Click

Excuse me for being a newb as I have never had a great knowledge of hydroponics or even growing for that reason but grow time is very important hence why i have chosen hydroponics. All tips welcome for this first timer!

[greeneacres]

greatest idea since slice bread. bubble buckets are the sliced bread of growing indoors i think. everything else is obsolete for harvesting at least. agree/disagree?

carmelicious seedling pictures...
http://forum.grasscity.com/grow-jour...eeneacres.html

[madman6233]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

I guess in theory that could make up for some micro-nutrients that might be missing from your ferts?

Did these guys say why that was a good idea?

i posted a freak thread about this a week or so ago had a water leak and my ro water comes from the store so when im out im out any way was going away for 2-3 days had to fill the bucket with 3.5 gallons tap and i couldn,t believe it when i got back put it back on schedule but it looks a week ahead of her sisters after 3 days of 165 ppm tap water and no nutes was in middle of 5th week veg am going to flush for 2 days with tap every water change half of my next to compare long term effects idk why but its true l8r

[pepperman]

i am considering trying out this system i think i will use a perlite/vermiculite mixture as my medium. my question is do you make your own fertilizer or could you suggest a certain one that will work well?