Hello all!
I wanted to give you guys a big thank you in advance for any advice you have.
My current grow room is 12 by 15, an indoor master bedroom. The two walk in closets will be used for cloning under CFLs, and the his and hers bathroom will provide water and indoor drainage, as well as a place to disinfect before entering the grow space. The space will be framed with rectangle blocks made out of 2" plastic pipe, which we have in abundance, and lined with panda plastic. The room will be populated by two 4'x8'x10" tables built out of wood, lined with pond liner, and each table will be topped with a 600w/1000w\600w HPS setup for lighting. The room will be ventilated, exhaust going through a carbon filter and into the attic. Intake will come from a window, from the coldest side of the house (and a neighbor who also grows indoors, he's cool). The room will be temperature controlled by not only central air, but by A/C and heat fans (We're aiming for a steady 74* F because the strain that we're cloning prefer's it).
My big question, the "big debate", is should I use Raised Soil Beds indoors, or a Flood and Drain table with hydroton and net pots? Both 4x8x10" tables will be accessible from all sides for ease of hand watering if going with soil, or for checking up and inspecting plants in either setup. The big pain I have with soil is-
1) Hand watering every individual plant,
2) the soil would be really heavy, possibly expensive, and not reusable without treatments and remixing in new soil,
3) The soil would weigh more than the Hydroton, making elevating the table a more risky affair.
My fear of Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain) is-
1) I constantly hear that "hydro is less forgiving"
2) My partner wants the soil grow, but I believe his yield in his given timeframe isn't achievable without the benefits of hydroponics. (I'm worried he wont continue to help finance the operation if we don't use his preferred method)
That's about it. Other than that, I'm fascinated with hydroponics, and really feel that I'd be more involved and engaged with the Ebb and Flow tables (even in their apparent simplicity). I've even seriously considered a DWC system, as that fascinates me to no end (I plan on a setup in my garage in a year that will have four 9 bucket DWC systems all two weeks ahead of each other.
Not to say I'm not willing to put my 100% best effort into a soil setup, it just doesn't interest me as much. I will still do my best to maintain the perfect environment for my plants.
Which would you guys suggest? Should I make my case for Ebb and Flow to my partner, or should I just take his advice and go with the soil setup, even if it isn't as productive or engaging?
my room and my current electrical equipment. Everything else is in the garage, in the mail, or on the way.
Best Regards,
Smallzz
I wanted to give you guys a big thank you in advance for any advice you have.
My current grow room is 12 by 15, an indoor master bedroom. The two walk in closets will be used for cloning under CFLs, and the his and hers bathroom will provide water and indoor drainage, as well as a place to disinfect before entering the grow space. The space will be framed with rectangle blocks made out of 2" plastic pipe, which we have in abundance, and lined with panda plastic. The room will be populated by two 4'x8'x10" tables built out of wood, lined with pond liner, and each table will be topped with a 600w/1000w\600w HPS setup for lighting. The room will be ventilated, exhaust going through a carbon filter and into the attic. Intake will come from a window, from the coldest side of the house (and a neighbor who also grows indoors, he's cool). The room will be temperature controlled by not only central air, but by A/C and heat fans (We're aiming for a steady 74* F because the strain that we're cloning prefer's it).
My big question, the "big debate", is should I use Raised Soil Beds indoors, or a Flood and Drain table with hydroton and net pots? Both 4x8x10" tables will be accessible from all sides for ease of hand watering if going with soil, or for checking up and inspecting plants in either setup. The big pain I have with soil is-
1) Hand watering every individual plant,
2) the soil would be really heavy, possibly expensive, and not reusable without treatments and remixing in new soil,
3) The soil would weigh more than the Hydroton, making elevating the table a more risky affair.
My fear of Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain) is-
1) I constantly hear that "hydro is less forgiving"
2) My partner wants the soil grow, but I believe his yield in his given timeframe isn't achievable without the benefits of hydroponics. (I'm worried he wont continue to help finance the operation if we don't use his preferred method)
That's about it. Other than that, I'm fascinated with hydroponics, and really feel that I'd be more involved and engaged with the Ebb and Flow tables (even in their apparent simplicity). I've even seriously considered a DWC system, as that fascinates me to no end (I plan on a setup in my garage in a year that will have four 9 bucket DWC systems all two weeks ahead of each other.
Not to say I'm not willing to put my 100% best effort into a soil setup, it just doesn't interest me as much. I will still do my best to maintain the perfect environment for my plants.
Which would you guys suggest? Should I make my case for Ebb and Flow to my partner, or should I just take his advice and go with the soil setup, even if it isn't as productive or engaging?
my room and my current electrical equipment. Everything else is in the garage, in the mail, or on the way.
Best Regards,
Smallzz
