ShirkGoldbrick
Active Member
I need some input on a redesign idea. I tried using HP aero (albeit longer mist times) and I've lost two crops to root rot.
My first idea was to switch to a system like my mothers where they're in a tray filled with an aquavalve and sitting in pots filled with perlite in holes cut out in foam board. They do great in there, but to rework that is a ton of work since my main table has a two degree slope toward the drain.
I can't really do a full on flood and drain because to get to 1" of water on the bottom I'm looking at 50 gallons of water (table is 6x12). So I was thinking of a flood and drain/NFT combo.
It'd be easy to just cut out the center of the plywood I have the netpots supported in and to put the plants 1 per sqft in some sort of pot or medium. To water I would have a PVC pipe at the top two edges of the slope with a bunch of holes drilled in it. Water something like 30 minutes to one hour on and four hours off just to provide a slight flow of water that the medium could absorb.
Rockwool? Coco? Perlite in pots (afraid it might be too dry)? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Here's what the top looks like right now (these plants are basically dead from the rot):
Here's the inside of the table I plant on putting some sort of medium in after redoing the PVC:
My first idea was to switch to a system like my mothers where they're in a tray filled with an aquavalve and sitting in pots filled with perlite in holes cut out in foam board. They do great in there, but to rework that is a ton of work since my main table has a two degree slope toward the drain.
I can't really do a full on flood and drain because to get to 1" of water on the bottom I'm looking at 50 gallons of water (table is 6x12). So I was thinking of a flood and drain/NFT combo.
It'd be easy to just cut out the center of the plywood I have the netpots supported in and to put the plants 1 per sqft in some sort of pot or medium. To water I would have a PVC pipe at the top two edges of the slope with a bunch of holes drilled in it. Water something like 30 minutes to one hour on and four hours off just to provide a slight flow of water that the medium could absorb.
Rockwool? Coco? Perlite in pots (afraid it might be too dry)? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Here's what the top looks like right now (these plants are basically dead from the rot):
Here's the inside of the table I plant on putting some sort of medium in after redoing the PVC: