tray 16'' around then 1/2 grommet 5 gal bucket submesible pump then you can have runoff and get it out of your room and not flood the floor in the tray put hydro pellets and screen to stop from clogging the fitting to dain i do it with my plants and it works well dripper
put a extra pump in the res just to flow the water that will keep from sitting stagment wont fix algae thats prolly light
The air stone is used to agitate the water to keep algae from growing not to airate the water. Coco is a porous fiber so the water shouldn't need any additional aeration. Air stones are used instead of pumps because running pumps will heat water while air stones will not. This is the first I have ever heard of airstones effecting the PH of the solution and im skeptical. I also use a drip system with little to no run off. To achieve this is mix my solution 1/2-3/4 str and I hand feed straight water for a minor flush from time to time, every 2-4 weeks or so. Works great.
I'm gonna go ahead and pick up an old thread here. ArizonaTHC or anybody else. I've heard many people use a drip system such as the Tropf Blumat Automatic Watering System in coco with great results but I cannot find any information about how much run off you get with a drip and if it's necessary to have pots in a tray so your floors won't get wet. I don't want to get trays if I don't have to.
I work in a large sized dispensary grow, actually several. We just switched from top watering our 100 percent coco mix and having 20-30% runoff, to a capilary mat system that the plants wick up the nutrients from once a day. They barely take up any nutrient solution, but then a few hours later the entire pot is damp because coco wicks very efficiently. By the next day they are dry enough to need watering. We've been running this type of system for over 6 months with better results. The key to avoiding nutrient buildup is to cut the nutrient solution concentration in half, and then monitor the in-pot EC to guage how much of the nutrient solution is being taken up. If the EC is low then you know that the plants are taking up the solution and the mix can be stronger next time.
Hey berry - I'm using the two pot Autopots system right now and trying to just barely underfeed my ladies to skirt any burn issues. I'm Still learning how to read when the plant is hungry to find that sweet spot and avoid nute burn. My current feed is 5ml Canna A/B with 2ml Rhizo and tap water and im about five weeks into veg. What is a good method for monitoring in-pot EC as you've suggested. Your setup sounds similiar to the autopots. I have an EC meter but Ive only needed it once with the autopots for filling the tank initially.
I run blumats in coco. You can set them so there is no run off but you will probably want some sort of tray to catch any extra run off while you are dialing it in. The no run off does bring up other issues though as coco works best with excessive run off. My fix for nutrient build up is to feed at 3/4 strength then once a week hand water to 20/30% excess and flush every few weeks. Next round I think I am going to feed at 50% as suggest by a recent post and see if that reduces my need for flushing. My other idea was to hand water at full strength once a week and just use the blumat with water.
i feed every single watering, ive even went through a whole grow bottom feeding plants in coco, i rarely water until runoff and i have never had one problem with "salt buildup" or any of those other myths
i even put all my used coco into a 25 gallon tote without washing it and the next plant i grow in it is even more vigorous and healthy!
What nutrients do you use? What strength do you feed at? And how often do you water? Do you usually hand feed and what system of bottom feed did you use?
ionic grow and ionic bloom, i feed full strength once i start flowering, i dont let the pot get all the way dry that often so ill water when i lift the pot and it feels close to being dry. i hand feed and i just pour water into the saucer and within a minute it will wick it all up usually have to do that 2 or 3 times for a nice watering
I use a direct soil EC meter made by Hanna. You can find them online for about $80-100. You just stick the probe down in the coco and it gives you a digital reading of the EC inside the pot.
You should always water to runoff bcuz not only do plants absorb through their roots, they also excrete. These excretions can build up and may be a hinderance to the plant. By flushing you are removing these and also fertilizer salts that build up. If you aren't able to flush, then I'd recommend a product called drip clean! This will keep anything from building up in your medium. Even though this helps, I still strongly recommend runoff! Hope this helps! Sent from my iPhone using GC Forum
Absolutely not true! Air stones don't heat the water, water pumps do! And YES, airstones do oxygenate the solution! The water surface needs to be broken to allow oxygen absorption, this is what the bubbles are doing! Every time a bubble hits the surface and pops the surface has been broken! If you have an o2 meter(I do) then you can actually see it works! If you are worried about the air being too warm in the grow room, ( this is were the air from the stone is coming from) them move the air pump to a diff room! Water pumps will raise your temp in your reservoir way more than an air stone. They have motors! Also a lot of water pumps can remove iron from your solution due to magnetic drivin pumps. Also, the cooler the solution, the more oxygen will absorb. fact is, an air pump does increase oxygen, get a test probe if you still don't believe! I owned a tropical fish co for many years, water pumps alone would not allow certain fish to live bcuz of poor o2 in the water. Add an air stone and the fish thrive! It's a fact! Sent from my iPhone using GC Forum
It's not the air that kills the algae, it's the fact that algae does not like to grow in turbulent water! More water circulation equals less algae. But algae can still grow if it is in bright light! Best way to avoid algae is to make sure your reservoir is completely dark! Algae actually absorbs oxygen, this is why small ponds go stagnant when algae is overrun. The fish end up suffocating too from lack of o2. Sent from my iPhone using GC Forum
Much truth here from mike. Also even the bubbles rising increases the total surface area of oxygen to water. Edit. I'm really unsure of the mechanism that creates stagnant pools however......
i prefer to allow for adequate runoff in coco. up to 50%, and no less than 15%, every feeding. proper runoff results in a happy rootzone and one thats free off built up nutrients.