First grow, limited to 24 plants by Medicle marijuana laws

DrNugs

Active Member
One of the most important aspects of growing aeroponically is allowing the roots to get max Oxygen. Having an off cycle give the roots the most amount of O2 possible. I run my timer 1 min. on and 5 mins. off.

How to make a PVC fence post system:
Go to Home Depot and buy:
4"x4" fence post with end cap
3/4" PVC pipe for the frame
bag of 3/4" PVC elbows and tees (for the frame)
1/2" PVC pipe for the sprayer assembly
2-1/2" tees and a 2-1/2" PVC elbows
1-1/2" ball valve and garden hose adapter (to make it easy to drain the res)
1-Rubbermaid container

From the hydro store you need:
400 GPH pump
2" net pots
2" Neoprene plant holders
EZ-Clone sprayers (the red 360 ones) one per plant
Pump bag (filters water)

The photos pretty much explain how it goes together. The sprayers are set in the 1/2" PVC pipe running inside the fence posts. Super easy. It took me about 2 hours to make.

As far as growing nutrients I use:

Botanicare Nutrients:
126ML Cal-Mag Plus
180ML Liquid Karma
540ML Pure Bend Pro Bloom

I run 2900 PPM all the way through flower and flush with Clearex the last week of flower. I run the same formula for veg also.

Have fun!
I would like to make it shorter by having 4 rows of fence posts instead of 2 so i can fit the whole set up into my grow tent and control the enviornment, would this effect the pump i need? o
 

DrNugs

Active Member
how to you insert sprayers into 1/2 inch pvc , do you just drill and screw them in? or use glue?
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
how to you insert sprayers into 1/2 inch pvc , do you just drill and screw them in? or use glue?
Use an 11/64" drill bit. Just screw the sprayers into the hole. You kind of have to push hard to get them started.

I built little legs for the PVC pipe out of a cut down Tee and a plug. It keeps the sprayer assembly off of the bottom of the fence post about 1/2". Don't know if it really matter though.
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
I would like to make it shorter by having 4 rows of fence posts instead of 2 so i can fit the whole set up into my grow tent and control the enviornment, would this effect the pump i need? o
It seems that a 400 GPH pump works great with 12 sprayers. I imagine a larger pump would work just as well.
 

DrNugs

Active Member
do you have the 1/2'' pvc conected on other end of fence not in picture or just capped off inside fence post?
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
do you have the 1/2'' pvc conected on other end of fence not in picture or just capped off inside fence post?
I actually put on a tee and capped off both unused holes of the tee. The Tee supports the end of the 1/2" PVC sprayer assembly with a little leg coming off of the bottom. I cut the tee legs and cap a little smaller so the assembly is keep off of the bottom about 1". The truth is you could probably just cap it and let the pipe rest on the bottom of the fence post. I raised it up figuring that the roots would be able to run under it.

My hydro store just told me about some hose that you won't need any sprayers. The hose runs down the length of the fence post and has super small laser cut holes. I might try some at some point.
 
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DrNugs

Active Member
I actually put on a tee and capped off both unused holes of the tee. The Tee supports the end of the 1/2" PVC sprayer assembly with a little leg coming off of the bottom. I cut the tee legs and cap a little smaller so the assembly is keep off of the bottom about 1". The truth is you could probably just cap it and let the pipe rest on the bottom of the fence post. I raised it up figuring that the roots would be able to run under it.

My hydro store just told me about some hose that you won't need any sprayers. The hose runs down the length of the fence post and has super small laser cut holes. I might try some at some point.
Yeah i think ill just cap it, i will start building my set up this weekend. I went to home depot today and priced it out your right it will be cheap. I can get a 100" fence post for 20bucks, i figure i will cut that into 3 sections 33" long and have 3 rows instead of two so it can fit my tent. How many gallons do you have in your reservoir? How often do you need to top it off? What kind of timer do you recomend? I may look into putting an auto fill valve. Sorry for all the questions and thanks alot for the help.
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
Yeah i think ill just cap it, i will start building my set up this weekend. I went to home depot today and priced it out your right it will be cheap. I can get a 100" fence post for 20bucks, i figure i will cut that into 3 sections 33" long and have 3 rows instead of two so it can fit my tent. How many gallons do you have in your reservoir? How often do you need to top it off? What kind of timer do you recomend? I may look into putting an auto fill valve. Sorry for all the questions and thanks alot for the help.
My res is an 18gal. Rubbermaid. I fill it to about 15gal.
14 plants use about 1 gal. per day when they are going strong.
Any cycle timer will work that gives you 1 min on and 5 mins. off. I use the Cap Art-DNe repeat cycle timer.
Auto fill would be great! (Make sure it can't stick open)

You're going to have a blast. It's really fun building stuff!
 

DrNugs

Active Member
im excited i just ordered a gal of cal mag plus and pure blend pro bloom, im assuming your ml measurements are for 15 gal res? i got a digital cycle timer that has increments as small as a min for 20 bucks , got a pump bag also all on same site. I looked at your timer , its out of my budget at moment ha. i got some G13 clones in my ez clone at moment and they just started to pop roots, i will put them in the aero once made, they took a week to start to grow but they look great and didnt wilt or turn yellow like cloning in peet or something. I leave it on 24/7 should i have cloner on timer?
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
im excited i just ordered a gal of cal mag plus and pure blend pro bloom, im assuming your ml measurements are for 15 gal res?
Don't forget the Liquid Karma!
Yes. these measurements will give you 2900 PPM at about 15 Gal. You need a PPM meter that goes to 3000 PPM. I found one made by Liquatec (PM-3000) on Fleabay for $15. You have to buy one! Don't start at 2900 PPM. Start at 500-700 PPM and work your way up over a couple of weeks.

i got a digital cycle timer that has increments as small as a min for 20 bucks , got a pump bag also all on same site. I looked at your timer , its out of my budget at moment ha.
Where did you find a cycle timer for only $20? I've been looking for a cheap solution with no luck.

i got some G13 clones in my ez clone at moment and they just started to pop roots, i will put them in the aero once made, they took a week to start to grow but they look great and didnt wilt or turn yellow like cloning in peet or something. I leave it on 24/7 should i have cloner on timer?
G13! You're Stoked!
Isn't amazing how well cuttings do under aero sprayers. I would never think of using anything else now. I've never even had a cutting yellow yet. I read about all the crap these other guys do for cuttings and I just have to laugh.

I have all my systems on the same timer. I imagine that the cloner could run 24/7 without any problems though. It might even work better. Let me know...

Good luck bro!
 

DrNugs

Active Member
Yeah after watching my cuttings stay completely green in the ez clone im moving my and your influence im moving to a full aero system. I got the time and on this site . Dual Outlet Digital Timer |=

i got the nutes and pump on this Grow Light Timers and Recycle Timers - Plantlighting Hydroponics & Grow Lights,
where do you get your nutes? yeah i got a tds meter and another tester in this big auction i won on fleabay, i got a pretty good deal i got 2 1000w mh lights and 2 400w HPS with ez clone 30 , a couple meters for 525 shipped. How do you mix the nutes in do you put them in first then add water ? stir? or run system first then test?. I say that lazer cut tubing you were talking about on one of those sites i added here it is like 7 bucks but i think i like the pvc sprayer method better more flexible i would think.
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
I got the time and on this site . Dual Outlet Digital Timer |=
Bad news. That timer won't work. It will go down to 1 min on time but only offers you it 8 times a day. You need it every 5 min. That will be a good timer for a light though.

The cheapest cycle timers I've seen are the Encore type. You're still looking at about $80 min. I've looked every where dude. I even built my own using IC chips from Radio Shack and a relay. It had little adjustable caps that would vary the on/off times. I was going to sell them but there wasn't enough profit. I could buy one cheaper wholesale than I could make it.

The good news is you will only have to spend it once in your life. I use the same timer for 5 pumps so it works out cheap per system (for me).

You got a great deal on everything else! I get all my stuff wholesale from my friend with a hydro store. Almost 1/2 price compared to retail. You got an even better deal than that!

You're going be stoked when you see how fast your plants will grow with your new aeroponic system! I wish I knew about all this 14 years ago when I first started. I used to make the stupidest mistakes hehe.

I can't smoke a bong hit with you but here is some eye candy to keep you motivated!
 

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StinkBud

Well-Known Member
STINKBUD what do you use to clean the system and how often?
I put a small amount of bleach in the water and run the system for a little while. I wipe everything down, flush the bleach and I'm ready for the next batch.

It's also a good time to check for plugged nozzles. I keep an extra set of clean sprayers and just replace the current ones. Then I can take my time cleaning the old sprayers and use again them for the next time. I use a toothbrush and soap to clean the nozzles on the sprayers.
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
will this do the trick Sunlight Supply, Inc.: ENCORE REPEAT CYCLE TIMER 15 AMP - Discount Specialty Farm, Greenhouse & Garden Supply - pH, EC & TDS Meters & Test Kits for Water & Soil, Timers, Instruments & Calibration Solutions - Sunlight Supply, Inc.: ENCORE REPEAT CYCLE

will it plug into normal outlet? yeah i ordered 50 sprayers so i will do the same thing. pics look great , great motivation. Do you change the water every two weeks in res?
It works with a normal outlet.
I change my res every two weeks and after harvest.
I run Clearex for a couple of days the week before harvest. Then just straight water until the leaves all turn yellow.
 

DrNugs

Active Member
It works with a normal outlet.
I change my res every two weeks and after harvest.
I run Clearex for a couple of days the week before harvest. Then just straight water until the leaves all turn yellow.
how long can plants go without sprayers on? just change res fast?
 

StinkBud

Well-Known Member
how long can plants go without sprayers on? just change res fast?
I've gone 30 mins. but I'm sure you could go a lot longer than that. I would be scared to try it though!

If you use a garden hose adapter, res change is very fast. (you bought the ball valve and 1/2" hose adapter right?) It takes about 5 min to empty and less time to fill. I use a garden hose adapter that goes on the bathroom sink to fill it.

When I do a res change I fill it with plain water first and let it run for a few minutes. Then I drain that and refill it again. Then I add my nutrients.

I think of all those years I hauled around huge bags of soil. I remember sweating my ass off and then all the dust would stick to me and make sweat mud! There's really nothing dirtier that dirt...
 
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