Can I recirculate using a coco/soil mixture

bud man jay

Well-Known Member
I created a top drip system and I have a few questions. I have a 28 gallon res with a submersible pump connected to a 8 outlet drip manifold that puts out 2gph. I have 8 smart pots filled with a 75% mixture of Promix HPCC and 25%Happy Frog.. Day one I fed one time and I let the drip go for about 30 mins. (The plants loved it) The second day I decided to let it drip every 4 hrs for 30 mins when the lights are on. I had a lot of runoff on the table. I think the Thee times a Day was too much to start off with. But with a system like this can the nutrient solution be drained and recirculated? Have anybody tried this with success?
 
I created a top drip system and I have a few questions. I have a 28 gallon res with a submersible pump connected to a 8 outlet drip manifold that puts out 2gph. I have 8 smart pots filled with a 75% mixture of Promix HPCC and 25%Happy Frog.. Day one I fed one time and I let the drip go for about 30 mins. (The plants loved it) The second day I decided to let it drip every 4 hrs for 30 mins when the lights are on. I had a lot of runoff on the table. I think the Thee times a Day was too much to start off with. But with a system like this can the nutrient solution be drained and recirculated? Have anybody tried this with success?
No, I wouldn't reuse the water. It'll clog your pump, lines, and emitters. You'll end up with a clog fairly quickly.

If you're interested in something that recirculates, you'd want to look at DWC or NFT, which are soilless/coco-less systems, using only water and dissolved nutrients.
 
No, I wouldn't reuse the water. It'll clog your pump, lines, and emitters. You'll end up with a clog fairly quickly.

If you're interested in something that recirculates, you'd want to look at DWC or NFT, which are soilless/coco-less systems, using only water and dissolved nutrients.

So I should go drain to waste?
 
If you want to be able to circulate the water, but you're not ready for a dwc, you can use Hydroton for the grow medium instead of coco or soil.
 
To much "waste" in the water with recirc in coco alone Ive found. Add soil to the mix like you have and I dont think the mix would be very good for the plants half way through its "use"

Drain to waste or switch to rockwool/hydroton/nft
 
To much "waste" in the water with recirc in coco alone Ive found. Add soil to the mix like you have and I dont think the mix would be very good for the plants half way through its "use"

Drain to waste or switch to rockwool/hydroton/nft


Why you say the mix wouldn’t be good for the plants half way through?
 
Just curious, would it be possible if you were to use fabric grow pots with coco and run a recirculating drip system, would that work? The fabric pots would pretty much act like a filter. I'm torn between which way to go on my grow
 
not all elements are equally mobile in soil. Some will leach with the water and some will accrue. I can not see this being a good solution... For the most part, soil has everything it needs to grow mean plants... Where it may be lacking is in the microbial life to access this bounty.
 
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