Hi! I'm new to hydroponics and putting together a system on my porch to grow some tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, herbs and weed. I've started out with a deep water culture and am now trying to move towards a drip system. I'm intrigued by drain to waste and coco coir because it seems like its much more controllable than a recirculating system. However I'm trying to understand the reservoir size, and nutrients needed for my grow and what cost that might come out to be. I detail below the parts of the system. I make some assumptions. The biggest one being how I calculate my required reservoir size and feeding cycle. Can someone give me feedback on the assumptions below (specifically the feeding section)? My theoretical setup: Goal: Drain to Waste Drip system for 4 tomato plants Container: 5 gallon bucket Medium: 5 gallons coco coir/perlite (75/25) mix Nutrients: Feeding schedule comes from: https://gh.growgh.com/docs/Feedcharts/GH_FloraSeries-DTW_03216am.pdf Flora Micro: Cost: $20/gallon (some deals online) Cost per ml: $20/ (3785.41 gallon/ml) = 0.00528 Avg Feeding: (2+4+5+4+4+4+4+4+4+4+2.5)/11 = average 3.8 ml/gal Flora Gro: Cost: $20/gallon (some deals online) Cost per ml: $20/ (3785.41 gallon/ml) = 0.00528 Avg Feeding: (1+5+5+4+1+1+1+1+0+0+0)/11 = average 1.7 ml/gal Flora Bloom: Cost: $20/gallon (some deals online) Cost per ml: $20/ (3785.41 gallon/ml) = 0.00528 Avg Feeding: (1+1+2.5+4+5+5+6+6+8+8)/11 = average 4.2 ml/gal CaliMAGic: Cost: $30/gallon Cost per ml: $30/ (3785.41 gallon/ml) = 0.008 Avg Feeding: (0+1.5+2.5+2.5+2.5+2.5+2.5+2.5+2.5+2.5+0)/11 = average 2 ml/gal Armor Si: Cost: $30/gallon Cost per ml: $30/ (3785.41 gallon/ml) = 0.008 Avg Feeding: (0+0.5+1+1.5+1.5+1.5+1.5+1.5+1.5+1+0.5+0)/11 = average 1 ml/gal Nutrient Change Cycle: Empty reservoir each week and replace with next weeks nutrients Hydro Method: Drip Irrigation Drain To Waste: Yes Feeding: 3 feeding per plant a day run off 1 quart per feeding (quart estimate from (Watering Coco - How to Water Cannabis Plants in Coco Coir - Coco For Cannabis)) Total nutrients used per day = (4 plants) * (0.75 gallons per plant) = 3 gallons a day Resevoir Size Per Week = 7 days * 2 gallons a day = 21 gallonsResevoir Cost ml per gallon: 0.000264172 Flora Micro: 21 gallons * 3.8 ml/gallon * $0.00528/ml = $0.42 Flora Gro: 21 gallons * 1.7 ml/gallon * $0.00528/ml = $0.19 Flora Bloom: 21 gallons * 4.2 ml/gallon * $0.00528/ml = $0.46 CaliMAGic: 21 gallons * 2 ml/gallon * $0.008/ml = $0.34 Armor Si: 21 gallons * 1 ml/gallon * $0.008/ml = $0.17 Total Cost/Week = $1.58 Cost/Grow Cycle (11 weeks) = $17.38
How did this work out for you ? I'm running a similar set up with 4 gal containers. Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
It costs me 60 bucks a yr in micro and bloom to run drain to waste but I can do 6 weed grows. Compared to buying it nutes are irrelevant and just go by my electric bill which is still cheaper than the dispensary hands down.