Hey GC, Got a quick question from someone who is very new to hydroponics. I got a bubble bucket setup from Rumples sticky and I was wondering how you would flush/clean a system like that without taking the lids off and exposing and possibly damaging your root system? I read that most hydroponic systems need to be cleaned every 7-10 days. Is a flush necessary if your replenishing nutes and keeping an close eye on the pH? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! -Kyung Yi
you can expose the roots in the bubble buckets to the environment for short amounts of time with no problem. you just dont want direct light exposure for extended periods and NO light in the rez when the lid is on tight. not sure you have to flush until right before harvest, just as long as you replace the nutes. I have some bubble buckets, stand alone units. I have 1 extra bucket so when changing out nutes, all I have to do is mix in the extra bucket, then just move the lid/plant to the new bucket. I change out my nutes every week, but you could probably go 2 weeks as long as you keep topping off, and keep an eye on pH and PPM
Dangerous, Thanks for the reply man, you're the only one I GC that knows apparently or that is willing to help out. I appreciate it. I don't know if switching buckets is an option for me becuz of my airtones and everything in the buckets, wouldn't that all become tangles in the root mass making it difficult to switch buckets completely? Again thanks for the help! -Kyung Yi
well, my plants were from clones that I took and put directly in hydroton in a net pot. once they vegged for about 5 weeks, I put them in the bubble buckets (they were on a drip emitter system) and they've been in flower for about 2 weeks, and the roots are pretty plentiful. I expect that the airstones will eventually get tangled in the roots, so during a rez change I just pull it all up, and flop it into the new bucket/nutes. all my stuff is hanging down into the nutes, nothing is connected to the bucket.
Okay thanks man I get it. Yeah I got airlines running through my bucket so a complete transfer would be tricky but not imppssible I guess. Thanks again for the advice. cheers, Kyung Yi