My ebb n flow question!help

how long should net cup be submerged in water before flow??? i need to set timer and not sure ,this is first time hydro grow for me,used to use soil but with new lowrider style seeds i must for go max yeild !!

allen bud said:

how long should net cup be submerged in water before flow??? i need to set timer and not sure ,this is first time hydro grow for me,used to use soil but with new lowrider style seeds i must for go max yeild !!

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I don't understand your question. In ebb and flow, the tray is usually dry and then you flood it a few time a day.

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about 15 mins every 4 or 5 hours duri8ng lights on, if your doing 12/12 then every 3 hoursn or so . . . . if your timer has smaller time segments than 15 mins then set it so it floods , runs off for a minute or 2 then drain . . . . . dont water in lioghts out . hope this helps

my ebb and flow system is a 50 gal res that pumps into a control bucket which has a timer box and a series of floats .. i water for 30 min 4 times a day because i feed lots of plants. 15 min is not enought time to soak it all up and give ample time for them to drink.

DaivsCCS said:

my ebb and flow system is a 50 gal res that pumps into a control bucket which has a timer box and a series of floats .. i water for 30 min 4 times a day because i feed lots of plants. 15 min is not enought time to soak it all up and give ample time for them to drink.

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Granted , but for a 4 x 2 x 2 tray 15 mins should be ample, its a starting block and you adjust to adapt to the plants need's , if your plants need more time up the timer, if you're only growing say 4 plants with one tray in rockwool/hydroton 15 mins is ample , all you need is to submerge your medium, allow a bit of soak time and then drain off . . . overcook it and it can damage yr roots . . . putting her into shock, and that sucks . . . . my clone is doing fine on 3 15 min floods in an 18/6 light cycle . . the drainage is more impoortant than the flooding

yes will start at 15 min, i didnt think just flood and drain could feed it right ! cool.thanks

i missed the fact that you had a small tray.. i have 2 gal buckets .. lots of them so it takes 30 min even to fill up

iam useing smaller net cups but big flood bin take 3 min to fill then leaveing water for rest of 15 min? that ok???

I can't even pretend to be an expert in this field but I've read about a million things on ebb and flow most will say with a small
Table 15 min should be total time from start of flood to final drain. I can say be very careful with seedlings in this type of system
It can be desasterous for little babys I've been fighting nute burn and overwater since I started. I think though since I'm in actual
Veg stage now my troubles are about over small system maybe 3-4 times a day total flood and drain time o 15 min should work but like said
Above if need more time just set timer up a bit . Just remember baby steps never make drastic changes slow and easy they will thank
You for it later good luck

allen bud said:

iam useing smaller net cups but big flood bin take 3 min to fill then leaveing water for rest of 15 min? that ok???

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12 mins of total flood might be a bit much , what medium do you have in your tray? Hydroton , rockwook ?? if your timer has less that 15 minutes on i would try and drop the flood time , if not space it out to a couple of feeds during lights on to be safe . . . and if they are seedlings/clones use some very weak ass nutes and build them up to it, otherwise you could shock or even badly damage your babies, make a note of times/feeeds and keep an eye on them closely for the first few days at least, you should be able to notice if the plants are doing good or reacting badly, if its overwatering , try raising your pots out the tray s0 only half the medium is getting soaked, run off time will be quicker preventing drowning, its all trial and error til you get your feed/flood technique down to what they require . . . . A steep learning curve at first , but you'll reap the rewards for it at a later date. I'd of probably done one plant at first to see how she reacts, but each to thier own i guess . . . enjoy it , and try not to overlove them , end of the day its a weed, left to do what it does best without all the panic and overkill she should be fine

also try lowering the inlet on your pump a bit , i timed my tray fully open at 2 mins, closed the slider and its up to 4 mins now, and i'm only using a 12" x 24" x 6" deep tray . . .. granted the hydroton will take up spoace and create quicker flood times but they will be used to my feed regime by then and have a stronger root system . . ...

thanks for all the info widows! can and will turn down flood rate and just ! plant for first run!!!