in a hydro Rubbermaid setup would it be worth it to have air pumps pumping air into the water and water pumping into the net pots? or would that be overkill?
running both is over kill . IMHO.... pick one, master it .. move on to next challenge. DWC is where lots of growers start .... Bubble Buckets are easy to make and pretty much anyone can find the materials to make em, with little effort. Hardest part is deciding what nutrient line you are gonna run. I'm an EnF guy with an advanced degree in drip buckets Good luck Wharf
EnF= Ebb and Flow .. sorry TMI look, just worry about making some Bubble buckets .. or better yet, get some dirt grows under your belt, then graduate to hydro.. dirt may not yield quite as much hydro ( and that is debatable), but it is MUCH more forgiving... if you really want my advice continue reading... but be warned you may not like it. growing great grass is not easy, Your "greenthumb" will take time to mature. and having your fist couple crops nute burn, dry out cause of pump failures, or even more likely, lock out from a Ph imbalance, sucks major ass. So you really want to have as many buffers as possible, and soil is, well...... the longest running successful angiosperm growing medium on Earth. Go slow , pick up a 400 watt switchable ( with matching bulbs) ..or a 600 watt( only runs HPS, but conversion are available 4 veg if you want). the 150 will just not cut it ( yeah, went looking at your posts.. ) .. unless you are growing fem'd Autos ,IMHO... the extra 30-50 bucks in ballast costs and the added 25 bucks in power will cover itself.. within the fist 4-6 months ( by veg cycle number 3 ...) and the heat problems will be just the same... 4 to 6 pots somewhere in the 4-6 gallon range ( 5 gallon buckets, or milk crates lined with 2 garbage bags.. add holes for drainage ). and matching number of say... 1-2 gallon pots for seedlings Some good organic soil ( stay away from Miracle Gro products if you can) call around, now is that time for nurseries to have LOTS of potting soil around.. just ask for some organic soil for your roses, and grab a small bag of lime just in case it is too acidic. Also you will get about a one 5 gallon pot of soil, per cubic foot of bagged soil, or more if you add amendments obviously ( I like to add 1/4-1/5th perlite to make sure the soil drains well ) add a quart of Tiger Bloom and maybe a quart of Gro Big by Fox farms ( Google Fox Farms,and filter "shopping" only ) and you can have results like this used 2 400s. 4 pots @ 5 gallons. very basic soil recipe . nutrients Fox Farms ( Bloom: full watering schedule , Gro : 1/2 time watering ) vegged from seed 60 days,and flowering time 54-60 more days. harvest = 1/2 pound + ( I was disappointed actually) this way, by the time you are ready to enjoy the speed of hydroponics you will of found 1-2 mothers that are worth cycling though .... good luck Wharf P.S. the stickies are a great thing.