Building a DIY Ebb n Flo system, need help

Bublonichronic

Bublonichronic

Well-Known Member
alright got more questions sostartin a new thread... so, i built a system the other day out of rubbemaid containers but didnt realize that around the edges it is dipd in about 1/2"...this leaves a little water in my tubs (cannot drain all the way)..pretty much just wondering if this little bit of water on the edges will harm my roots? or will it evaporate before the next watering and be ok? some pics
 
whitefrost

whitefrost

Active Member
its fine i wouldnt sweat it mine leaves water around sides and bulkhead and im im week 8 so doesnt seem to bother my plants however if you let light hit it you will get algae
 
Bublonichronic

Bublonichronic

Well-Known Member
whitefrost said:
its fine i wouldnt sweat it mine leaves water around sides and bulkhead and im im week 8 so doesnt seem to bother my plants however if you let light hit it you will get algae
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alright cool man thanks for the insight, this is my first attempt at anything hydro so i really dont know anything...i was gonna use the clay balls from hydro store they seemd to be a popular medium..but also was wondering how much i should fill my tub with the clay balls? and how often should i change my rez?
 
whitefrost

whitefrost

Active Member
check out sunleaves rocks they are cleaner and they dont roll if you drop them dont fill the tray use pots square 5x5 works well for me and plant the plugs or rw cubes 1/2 in above the water line in the pots so you dont get stem rot i change my res every sunday but if you are well aerated you can change every 2 weeks when they are small but every week when about 6in tall or so
 
Bublonichronic

Bublonichronic

Well-Known Member
whitefrost said:
oh and the rocks are half the price of hydroton bought 10 L for 8 bucks
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damn man i just bought some of those hydrotron balls, kinda expensive but i guess if there reusable not to bad, but i was wondering where the plant should sit from the waterline you say 1/2 is good right? even if i dont have any pots?
 
whitefrost

whitefrost

Active Member
if you dont have pots and you get a male all the roots will tangle up and break and leave roots behind bad news leads to nasty root issues
 
Bublonichronic

Bublonichronic

Well-Known Member
i got fem. clones so shouldnt be a problem right?..but id like to get pots eventually, also somthing i didnt think about until i set it all up was that i was gonna be using a shit load more nutes than in soil, hope they grow noticibly faster...but here is a pic of it all set up with a "Barneys Farm Red Deisel" femd clone, have it set in there so the fill line almost comes to the top of the RW cube, that good enough to avoid stem rot?...i had to kill a floweing plant in order to set this up (limited MMJ grower)..not happy about it, but i wanted to try this contraption out, i hope it works so my plant didnt die in vein:leaf:
 

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whitefrost

whitefrost

Active Member
should be fine as long as they dont hermi but i glad you understand the point of the pots how many plants you doing?
 
whitefrost

whitefrost

Active Member
fyi stem root will start as a ugly stain at the point the plant enters the plug i learned the hard way had a plant heavy with buds and leaning slightly and just snaped off at the base aint no fixing that
 
Bublonichronic

Bublonichronic

Well-Known Member
whitefrost said:
no but you will have to keep moist till the roots seek out the water which dont take long
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alright well i had this plant vegg in soil then i cleaned off the roots, there is a pretty good root system..so then i guess ill either have to add more clay and rais my plant or lower the fill line..
 
Bublonichronic

Bublonichronic

Well-Known Member
alright...been doin this hydro for about a week now and im noticing some good growth, but there is some serious damage going on..looks to me like classic over nuteing..but i havent really done anything with my PH so im thinking that could play a roll in the problem too...my tap is at about 7 i think...cant remember if i PHd the water down to 6 or not., but i was wondering how big of a roll does PH play in hydro? and if it real important to keep consistently low can i just use distilled water to make it easier on myself so i dont have to worry at all?
 
whitefrost

whitefrost

Active Member
man ph is so very important if you dont maintain 5.5 to 6.5 you will increase the likelyhood of males and hermis a simple gh ph kit is cheap its just three drops of solution to test goes along way fyi if you use a ph meter dont use distilled water to rinse it bad for the sensor . before i balance my res water after changes my ph is 4 so if you dont know what your ph is you better find out
 
Bublonichronic

Bublonichronic

Well-Known Member
whitefrost said:
man ph is so very important if you dont maintain 5.5 to 6.5 you will increase the likelyhood of males and hermis a simple gh ph kit is cheap its just three drops of solution to test goes along way fyi if you use a ph meter dont use distilled water to rinse it bad for the sensor . before i balancchanges my ph is 4 so e my res water after if you dont know what your ph is you better find out
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ok so everyday i will have to check/make ajustmenst to my water PH? cause iv noticed that if i ph say 5 gal. of water down to 6/high5, in a couple days it will be back to 7 somthing...so i will have to put like a drop of PH down in the res every day to keep consistancy? is thant common for hydro?
 
whitefrost

whitefrost

Active Member
you can let it swing within the range but do not adjust more than .5 a point in 24 hr so if its 6.5 adjust to 6 not 5.5 it can shock the plants and it just gives unnessesary stress. the secret to growing good smoke is a stress free plant .
 
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