ebb and flow ????

shoul table dry out between floods so roots air prune themselves or should it be left wet enough for roots to grow out of pot?

fill the table with hydroton and let it completely drain between waterings. leaving water on the table could lead to mold, mildew, algae, and other problems.

bdt1981 said:

shoul table dry out between floods so roots air prune themselves or should it be left wet enough for roots to grow out of pot?

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I made the mistake of not covering the tables from the beginning, not all the roots air prune themselves and the ones that don't get algae all over them get all slimy and green. Plus if the light is strong and close to the table there will be some nasty nutrient salt left over. Do what he said cover it with something. For me one layer of hydroton didn't work they just floated and got splashed out of the table.

ya they would float for sure. im worried because it seems like the plants slow down when the roots start to prune themselves.

Ebb and Flood sucks... Hook up top feed, you'll be glad you did. Will get rid of that "The bottom of my plants are soaked and rotting and the top is dry" problem.

I put between six to seven inches of rock in my 3'x3'x8" table.

Be sure there is no pooling water on your table.

Any suggestions to get rid of pooling water? I'm doing it in Lowe's Concrete mixing tubs and there always seems to be nutrient solution and water pooling in my tray that just won't go back down since the exit is 1/4" off the bottom of the tub.

kevrok you are mistaken because i dont have that problem. i like ebb and flow so far. dont know about top feed.

bdt1981 ,Ebb and Flow growing ROCKS. You are on the right path. Just drill about two or three small holes ( smaller that 1/8th" ) near the drain hole. This will allow the water to completely drain. During veg , you only need to water once a day using rockwool. Believe me , this is plenty. The roots will air prune themselves . You will never need to trim them . You will never see roots floating around. I just set my blocks right on the table and never have a problem . No need for hydroton or any other growing medium. Thst is just more money and something else to have to clean after harvest.
Check out my grows in my Signatures. Keep it simple and keep it clean.