I've more or less narrowed down my choices between two systems and I'm wondering if the Fast Farmer setup with the 5 gallon buckets and 6" net pots is overkill. The other option I'm looking at, the Turbogarden by Botanicare, takes up a much smaller footprint, using 5" net pots and grouping the plants much closer together. My grow space is likely going to be a 5x5x6.5 tent, depending on how much room I wind up needing, but that's my limit on height. Faster Farmer 6 plant option (a 12 plant option is available too) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ALOFDGG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=140AZPKES0QLY&coliid=IPZEDXIN6BR0F Botanicare Turbogarden (14 plants though I'd be limiting it to 12) http://www.amazon.com/Botanicare-Turbo-Garden-Aeroponic/dp/B002TRHY7O/ref=pd_sim_sbs_lg_1 The strain I'm planning on using is Heavy Duty Fruity, which from what I've read does well in tight spaces. I'd like to compare/contrast these two systems but I'm not really sure where to begin, so if anyone wants to share some of their hard-earned experience with me I'd be more than grateful.
Thanks for the reply. Overkill in regards to having rather large pots compared to how big the plants will be able to get with my height limitations. I too am a fan of the fast farmer just because the setup is modular and can be arranged in different ways, as well as giving the plants more space between each other.
problem with the fast farmer is that those aero sprayers kind of look like dogshit. I would do turbogarden. if I did aero, I would personally just do either diy or aero/nft. but that's just me
Thank you for your reply. I agree, the fast farmer water delivery system does not look the nicest. My only concern with the Turbogarden setup is that the plants would be too close together. Could that turn into a problem as the plants get larger in size? Other options I have in mind are the "harvestapound.com" setup, as well as the more traditional ebb and flow oxygenpot system. Does anyone have an opinion on either of those? http://www.harvestapound.com http://www.oxygenpotsystems.com/oxygen-pot-systems-6-site-xl-digital-super-flow-system/
totally depends on what you're looking to do. the harvest a pound aero setup along with the turbogarden would be best if youre doing sog. which ive run before in something exactly like the turbogarden and it worked out great. only problem with the Wilma drip systems like the turbogarden is changing out the res. I have a couple different ways of making that process easier. same with the aero setup. think of it like this, the tray holding all the plants and pots full of hydroton is resting on top of the res. so if you have to change out the res you have to lift up all those plants and trays full of hydroton in order to pour out the reservoir. either you can install a drain, use a pump to drain the res, or you build a frame to hold the tray and keep the reservoir underneath. with the aero setup you cant do the last option at all. with the turbogarden you would have to do a little pipework. now with the oxygenpot ebb and flow, the system is a bit easier because you have a separate reservoir, and you can tend to each plant individually, but it does in fact take up a lot of space. now, here's something to consider. all of these systems are multi-plant systems tied by a single reservoir. so unless you have identical clones, I wouldn't suggest using this system for different strains or even different phenotypes. you'll see almost every plant having either deficiencies or burn. now, one good thing about that oxygenpot system is that it's ebb and flow. so you could even make it into a bioponics system. which is a way to grow in hydro using real organics. here's a link to better explain bioponics: http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1534.html if you are running multiple different strains or growing from seed, I would suggest either the bioponics with that EnF, or get some single dwc bubble buckets and run single systems so you can more easily monitor each level for each plant.
More awesome information, thank you. I will definitely be looking into using organic ingredients with the bioponics method. Question, what really constitutes a sog? Growing in high density and switching to flowering very quickly? Would something like the oxygen pot setup with a plant height limitation of about 5ft be considered sog? I guess that is pretty short, all things considered.
haha noo sog would be considered like 1-2 weeks veg, or until about 5-6 inches tall, then starting flowering. with that oxygen pot setup though you can spread the buckets out so sog wouldn't be necessary. at that point I would personally just mainline or top and then lst to create monsters. the rDWC systems and 5-gal bucket EbbnFlow systems like that oxygen pot are designed to make huge plants. remember, identical though if you choose to use them for their regular purpose. the nice thing about the bioponics setup is that there are no nutrients in the water you're putting through the system, and because of the natural way that organics work (in essence, plants take what they need, so its nearly impossible to overfeed or underfeed), then you could potentially have multiple phenotypes or strains in the same recirculating system. but yeah, I would use sog if you cant get your plants further than about a foot apart from one another
Thanks for all the info man, I really appreciate it. How much of a yield difference would you imagine between 6 monsters vs. 12 sog? I'm planning on a 5x5 or 6.5x6.5 feet tent, so I should have room to do either (probably need the larger tent for 6 five gallon buckets) Looking at 2x270w LED lights.
hey man, no problem that's what we're here for in terms of yield difference it totally depends. I mean you could train one plant to produce over a pound if you wanted, especially in a 5gal bucket. although the general consensus is that sog is the best way to get the most weight without compromising quality. not only are you harvesting much more frequently, but you also don't have to worry about training plants and timing or worrying about stretch and space issues blah blah blah....when growing huge plants depending on the method of training you choose, you might end up with a ton of popcorn bud in addition to good smokeable herb. but overall you're gonna have a ton. with sog almost all of what you yield will be good smokeable bud. in both instances, its really all about light penetration. training big plants you need to ensure there's enough getting to the lower branches, in sog you don't really have to worry about that, but you still will need the canopy to grow evenly (which is basically done by pinching the stalks on the ones that grow too quickly). now, personally, I would say go with the larger system, bioponics and/or completely genetically identical clones running hydro. and then mainline and lst until the appropriate time to harvest. Or, if you like the sog idea, I would do the turbogarden, but you would need to buy more than just one system with an area of 5x5 or 6.5x6.5. I mean, you don't HAVE to, but if you have 25+ square feet of useable grow space, why get a system that would just take up maybe 8sqft of that space, you know what im saying? now, if you wanted to start a perpetual grow with that area as your flower room, I would say sog, get a couple systems, and you could probably fit 3 systems in that tent next to eachother (especially the 6.5x6.5), and then you'd be harvesting every 3-4 weeks! pretty solid setup right there. For LEDs, PM me. I could point you in the right direction on LEDs. Decent prices, spectrum you're looking for, etc etc anyways, I dunno how much stuff you've found on LEDs, but imho I think 2x270w LEDs are not going to be enough for your 5x5 or whichever tent you go fer. Ive doing a ton of research on LEDs over the past few months, you might enjoy some of the threads I've found, theyre very helpful: http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/1229301-complete-led-setup.html http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-grow-journals/1251563-black-dog-led-true-960w-organic-super-lemon-haze-4x4-grow.html?hl=black+dog http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-medical-marijuana-growing/1263910-htownz-led-corner.html?hl=htownz I know, a couple of those are REALLY long. like especially the first one. I read about 30 pages into the first before I felt like I had enough information to start making my own decisions in the setup. Really like the look of the mars II. if you're the same, just PM me. I could point you in the right direction. and THIS thread....well, it made me not want LEDs anymore. I'm still trying to weigh the differences and make a final decision, but the pics that this guy has really speaks for themselves. anyways, you might be interested in this: http://forum.grasscity.com/indoor-medical-marijuana-growing/1258177-purple-mr-nice-guy-scrog-w-1140watt-vho-15-gallon-pot.html/page-3#entry19414488 happy hunting!