Help picking a hydro system for my cob grow

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TitSprinksMcGee

Member
I've ordered a cob setup and will be starting out with a 4x4 veg/flower room as that's what I've bought lighting for. Likely looking to increase to 8x4 in the future as I have plenty of space. I need to pick a system and have been struggling to find good advice on what to go with. I'd like a relatively simple system that is easy to maintain and yields high results as I've invested in good lighting. Preferably something that I can add on to if I end up expanding to 4x8. Due to plant restrictions I'd prefer a system of around 4 larger plants to fill the 4x4 versus a lot of small plants.

From my initial research it looks like either buckets or ebb and flow might be the best routes? My only experience was a successful one plant outdoor grow and that's triggered my excitement to do a proper grow. The outdoor plant was in an off the shelf soil but I'd like a higher yield which is why I'm thinking hydro.

I still need a few other components but deciding what system to grow in is what's holding me back. Thanks!
 
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Woodfella

Member
Ebb and flow is the most straight forward imho. In MY experience, don't Jimmy rig your set up. Just get the botanicare set up. The parts match. They work and are well designed. I like the gravity drain straight down.Buckets leaked for me. If your in a tent, build a platform. Put the res under it and the tent on top. Keeps some heat out of the res and doesn't eat into you total room height
 
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TitSprinksMcGee

Member
Thanks for the reply. I will look into that option. That's basically a tray so that you can put the plants in however you see fit, correct? It's disappointing to hear that the buckets leak because I was hoping I could grow those plants taller than I could out of a tray that's already elevated

I won't be using a tent at this point. It didn't seem like there were major advantages to using one but I could be wrong and I'm open to it. The room is 8x9 with 9 foot ceilings but only starting with a 4x4 grow section. Walls will be white paint or Mylar. The cobs will be on a pulley so that they can be raised or lowered as appropriate.

I may not be allowed to ask but are there any good sites to compare and purchase ready made ebb and flow or bucket kits?
 
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Woodfella

Member
Correct. The buckets leaked for me. But, others have success with them. The res outside isn't mandatory but helps. Keep air temps in check and you'll probably be fine. Google the bucket set up then cross reference the brands w reviews
 
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TitSprinksMcGee

Member
What system is that jeepster? I'm willing to do a table but for some reason buckets just seem more appealing to me. I want to grow big plants and will have cobs over a 4x4 area so probably like 5 gallon buckets? I'm thinking four large plants would fill up the space my 10 cobs will cover (growmau5 3,4,3 config)

My buddy found me some strawberry cough and blue widow seeds (:
 
HydroRed

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
I cant advocate for Flood & Drain tables enough!
I built my 4x3 table for about $70 or so. Mine has been 100% reliable and very easy to keep and maintain.....so much so I built another just like it.
F&D is so convenient & easy you basically find yourself twiddling thumbs during the grow. Takes about an hour of cleaning inbetween harvests every 8 weeks,can house 2 large plants or 20 small plants -it always runs just as simple. Can be made to fit whatever size room you are using it in too since its DIY.
I've done the bucket thing for years and though I didnt have any leaks or issues, it is a little more work than a table with more chance of failure/leak. Plus its a lot more to clean inbetween harvests. Keep in mind that every grommet, valve,tee,elbow or connector you have in the bucket system is a potential for leak/disaster. With a F&D table, water goes up...water falls back down. If my tubs ever happened to leak, it would just drain right into the top of the reservoir. The perfect safety net!

1.jpg 2.jpg 3.jpg 4.jpg 5.jpg 6.jpg 7.jpg 20160827_222407.jpg 20161017_215254.jpg
 
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TitSprinksMcGee

Member
That does look simple too. it looks like you have dikilsr lights! Those pics were helpful. Can you link a diy? Any reason to have the table more than an inch or so above the reservoir?
 
HydroRed

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
TitSprinksMcGee said:
That does look simple too. it looks like you have dikilsr lights! Those pics were helpful. Can you link a diy? Any reason to have the table more than an inch or so above the reservoir?
Click to expand...

The height difference helps so I can get the res in/out easily and lift the yellow lid off enough to get my test pens etc in there. Im sure you could get away with a lower profile. Its just what works best for me. You can use a lower profile tote and have less table height as well if you were wanting taller plants than what I grow. Thats the best part of DIY...you are in total control of how you adapt your setup to your room and preferences.
I dont have a DIY write up but can supply you with a parts list and a basic how to if you wanted to build something similar to what I have?
 
horribleherk

horribleherk

Well-Known Member
HydroRed said:
The height difference helps so I can get the res in/out easily and lift the yellow lid off enough to get my test pens etc in there. Im sure you could get away with a lower profile. Its just what works best for me. You can use a lower profile tote and have less table height as well if you were wanting taller plants than what I grow. Thats the best part of DIY...you are in total control of how you adapt your setup to your room and preferences.
I dont have a DIY write up but can supply you with a parts list and a basic how to if you wanted to build something similar to what I have?
Click to expand...
considering your experience level e&f is the way to go I've recently went to a waterfarm & a single plant in my 4x4 room but that being said my best stuff has been e&f with 2 gal smart pots & a coco/ perlite blend I have also used rockwool slabs like others have stated the pump floods & gravity drains it's just that simple I used a low profile tote that was made to store shoes under a bed for a Res. under my 3x3 tub just make sure no light hits your res.
 
HydroRed

HydroRed

Well-Known Member
TitSprinksMcGee said:
Yes I'd love a breakdown. I'm curious to know the work and cost difference between diy and a kit
Click to expand...
(1/2) 4'x8'x7/16" sheet of plywood for table top -$11
(3) 8' 2x4's for frame and legs -$8
(2) 14" blue airstones (Walmart) -$5
(1) Dual diaphram (dual outlet) fish tank air pump (Walmart)- $9
(2) 160-180gph submersible pumps (ebay) - $14
(2) cement mixing tubs (Lowes) - $12
(4') 3/4" ID tubing (ebay/grow shop) $4
(6') 1/2" ID tubing (ebay/grow shop) $6
(25') 1/4" air pump tubing (walmart) $3
(2) ebb flow drain kits with 1/2" fill & 3/4" drain (ebay/grow shop) $15
(1) heavy duty 27 gal tote (Lowes) -$8

Approx total of $95 and about an hour to build and set up.

-Build your frame from the 2x4 to the size you need (I built mine approx 44"x38"x28" high) but big enough to house the cement mixing tubs or "flood trays".

-Drill out the appropriate sized holes in the flood trays and install the fill/drain fittings

-Cut out holes in the table where needed so the fittings fit when you set the flood trays on the table top.

- Cut 4 holes in the tote lid (reservoir lid) for your fill and drain tubing to go from the bottom of the fittings in the flood trays down to the pumps in the reservoir. You dont want the 1/2" fill tubing to be any longer than the reccomended amount advertised by the pump manufacturer which is about 3.5'.
You want the 3/4" drain tubing just long enough to go from the bottom of the fitting to about 3/4 of the way down into the res which will leave you some wiggle room to move the res back n fourth without tubes coming undone etc.

-Install the 14" airstones into the res and connect each one to a port on the air pump with the 1/4" tubing.

-Fill the res with enough water to flood both trays and still have enough water in the res to cover the tops of the pumps.

Everything from here out is good ole hydroponics basics. Get a ppm/tds meter and a pH meter, some synthetic hydroponic nutes and whatever medium you choose to use (I prefer hydroton) and let her rip!
This is a very basic and quick instruction set. If you still have questions between the pictures, and info provided just let me know and I'll try to help best I can.
 
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TitSprinksMcGee

Member
For seedlings and growing clones what do you recommend for lighting? I'd like a small separate area to take cuttings and to grow seedlings in and perhaps at some point to keep a small mother under.

I figured Cobs would be a huge overkill for this and was thinking about getting a t5 but then I saw the rapid led kit for $99 on growmau5s YouTube channel. What intrigued me about that is if it could also be used for vegging as well as rooting and seedlings or if it was too strong for seedlings and/or too weak for vegging. I'm hoping for a nice but cheap 2 in 1 solution for that as I spent almost $1k on my cob lighting.

What containers do you recommend to put the plants in on the tray if I'm trying to go for maximize yield in 4 plants? Should I start with just four or start with 6+ to ensure I get at least four healthy females?

One more question red: are you putting your seeds straight into the bigger pots or are you starting in a solo cup or small Rockwool cube snd then transferring to the big pot? for the outdoor plant I did I started in a very small plastic container and then kept increasing it to larger pots, but it looks like from the grows Ive been reading here that its unnecessary and people are just purting their seeds in the big pot from the start.

Im shocked how helpful everyone is! (:
 
Freddie Millergogo

Freddie Millergogo

Well-Known Member
HydroRed said:
(1/2) 4'x8'x7/16" sheet of plywood for table top -$11
(3) 8' 2x4's for frame and legs -$8
(2) 14" blue airstones (Walmart) -$5
(1) Dual diaphram (dual outlet) fish tank air pump (Walmart)- $9
(2) 160-180gph submersible pumps (ebay) - $14
(2) cement mixing tubs (Lowes) - $12
(4') 3/4" ID tubing (ebay/grow shop) $4
(6') 1/2" ID tubing (ebay/grow shop) $6
(25') 1/4" air pump tubing (walmart) $3
(2) ebb flow drain kits with 1/2" fill & 3/4" drain (ebay/grow shop) $15
(1) heavy duty 27 gal tote (Lowes) -$8

Approx total of $95 and about an hour to build and set up.

-Build your frame from the 2x4 to the size you need (I built mine approx 44"x38"x28" high) but big enough to house the cement mixing tubs or "flood trays".

-Drill out the appropriate sized holes in the flood trays and install the fill/drain fittings

-Cut out holes in the table where needed so the fittings fit when you set the flood trays on the table top.

- Cut 4 holes in the tote lid (reservoir lid) for your fill and drain tubing to go from the bottom of the fittings in the flood trays down to the pumps in the reservoir. You dont want the 1/2" fill tubing to be any longer than the reccomended amount advertised by the pump manufacturer which is about 3.5'.
You want the 3/4" drain tubing just long enough to go from the bottom of the fitting to about 3/4 of the way down into the res which will leave you some wiggle room to move the res back n fourth without tubes coming undone etc.

-Install the 14" airstones into the res and connect each one to a port on the air pump with the 1/4" tubing.

-Fill the res with enough water to flood both trays and still have enough water in the res to cover the tops of the pumps.

Everything from here out is good ole hydroponics basics. Get a ppm/tds meter and a pH meter, some synthetic hydroponic nutes and whatever medium you choose to use (I prefer hydroton) and let her rip!
This is a very basic and quick instruction set. If you still have questions between the pictures, and info provided just let me know and I'll try to help best I can.
Click to expand...

Awesome. If you were using 4x8s for a low edge flood table for coco in cloth pots, low leg and sight incline for draining, what would you use to seal or waterproof the wood? Thanks. Always impressed with your posts.
 
Blue brother

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
aqua trays with rockwool slabs, drain to waste or recirculate. Top feed only though, unless you really like to experiment.
 
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