outdoor hydro

zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
So,I started some sprouts started in rockwool about three weeks ago.I had them in bowl of water til my setup was complete.just got all the kinks out the way so this is the first day in their new setup!Oh and I'm adding one more that was started three months ago in rockwool as well,but transplanted to dirt.So,I pulled that one out three weeks ago as well and set it in water.This one responded well to the water and started going again!Let me know what you think and keep all updated! edit:

the one in the last pic never got taller than 5 or 6 inches till she was set in water,but being than small it still budded

thanx all
Zombie
 

Attachments

zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
I'll check my temps now as its the hottest right now.How many degrees would the hottest be exceptable?
 
zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
yeah looked into chillers,and they aren't cheap,would tossing in new ice packs every morning do the trick?
 
MediMary

MediMary

Well-Known Member
u can buy a cheao thermoeter at walmart in aquarium section if your desperate.
it will give you an idea.
I think those ice packs will melt before mid day..
plus if you do that you water temps are constantly changing, doesnt seem good for the roots.
if you want to run outdoor hydro without a chiller, maybe you should run a hempy bucket..
peace n
my 2 cents.
 
B

BigBudE

Well-Known Member
Damn- I did this same thing and it went good for around a month or two then it got hot and stayed hot. Damn near killed all my plants becouse the res temp some timed reached 80f. I saved them by transplanting them in soil. You could do it around fall time where its cooler with no probs (if it gets cold get a couple of aqaurim heaters).
You could also make a chiller out of a mini fridge but i warn you there expensive to run (but can work great). Youcan pick a mini fridge up on craigslist for around $50-$100 or go to a flea market and find one for as cheap as $10.
Sorry and I hope this helps.
BigBudE
 
UrbanAerO

UrbanAerO

Active Member
What are temp/humidity there? I would try burying your reservoir below ground with lid and shade it. Ground temperatures are usually cooler. Keep an eye on the temps. 75° F is too hot but using light amount of bleach in your reservoir will fight off bacteria. interesting grow keep the updates coming.
 
zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
UrbanAerO said:
What are temp/humidity there? I would try burying your reservoir below ground with lid and shade it. Ground temperatures are usually cooler. Keep an eye on the temps. 75° F is too hot but using light amount of bleach in your reservoir will fight off bacteria. interesting grow keep the updates coming.
Click to expand...

Yeah I do like the idea of burying the res but have hoses coming out the sides.I just checked the weather online and its telling me 86 feel like 98 I could run a small fan on it.yeah so what are the sign of needing to add bleach?
 
zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
Ok so after a day after adding nutes the water is clear,should water be cloudy with nutes or be just slightly cloudy.I think its cause I am using a filter on my pump.Am I ok here or should I add more?I only put half strength so there is room for more.
 
zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
Its been only three days with nutes so wasn't sure if more now is the right move???I have not seen an noticable reaction to the plants yet.
 
UrbanAerO

UrbanAerO

Active Member
when in doubt, flush it out! straight water works great. your tempatures are way too high! your nutrients probably go bad and get cloudy after a day of that heat. change them often, few drops of bleach and run the pump before you change water to keep things clean and bacteria from forming. what nutes are you using? organic/chemical? bury a 5 gallon bucket and run pump lines through a hole you drill in the lid, then shade it. If theres still too much heat(over 70F is too hot) then thats probably why theres not too many people doing outdoor hydro.
 
EagleEyeHamThrust

EagleEyeHamThrust

Active Member
Outdoor hydro would be a great setup. It's pretty tough to beat the lumen power of sunlight if you live in a sunny arid region such as California, plus no expensive lights or high electric bills. Good grow climate paired with the nute delivery of hydro would be something to see. Only problem is that it'd look awfully conspicuous :P Even if it were a legal med grow, you always have to worry about thieves jacking the whole setup.

As for keeping your tank cool, it's pretty easy to make a homemade res chiller. Get a cheap mini fridge from Craigslist ($25-50) and a tiny water pump (small ones come as cheap as $10 new.) Drill two holes in the fridge, preferably the door because there's nothing you could damage in there. Attach your pump to a long piece of PET tubing, and run the tubing into the fridge, coil it as many times as you can, then run it back out and into your res. It'll be a lot more effective than a purpose made res chiller, and for a lot less.
 
zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
UrbanAerO said:
when in doubt, flush it out! straight water works great. your tempatures are way too high! your nutrients probably go bad and get cloudy after a day of that heat. change them often, few drops of bleach and run the pump before you change water to keep things clean and bacteria from forming. what nutes are you using? organic/chemical? bury a 5 gallon bucket and run pump lines through a hole you drill in the lid, then shade it. If theres still too much heat(over 70F is too hot) then thats probably why theres not too many people doing outdoor hydro.[/QUOTe

I see that its way too hot,but burying is not an option.The way my pump is running requires a tube on the bottom and top as it is recirculating the water.This is a trial run before I get hydro nutes,now using small amounts of Fox Farm big bloom and grow big soil formula and yes I did ask here before using these nutes.
Click to expand...
 
zmb187

zmb187

Well-Known Member
EagleEyeHamThrust said:
Outdoor hydro would be a great setup. It's pretty tough to beat the lumen power of sunlight if you live in a sunny arid region such as California, plus no expensive lights or high electric bills. Good grow climate paired with the nute delivery of hydro would be something to see. Only problem is that it'd look awfully conspicuous :P Even if it were a legal med grow, you always have to worry about thieves jacking the whole setup.

As for keeping your tank cool, it's pretty easy to make a homemade res chiller. Get a cheap mini fridge from Craigslist ($25-50) and a tiny water pump (small ones come as cheap as $10 new.) Drill two holes in the fridge, preferably the door because there's nothing you could damage in there. Attach your pump to a long piece of PET tubing, and run the tubing into the fridge, coil it as many times as you can, then run it back out and into your res. It'll be a lot more effective than a purpose made res chiller, and for a lot less.
Click to expand...
ok yeah getting the concept of the chiller,but like you said conspicuous,I do have a way to bring it inside,but thats even more obvious,if I were to bring it in I have a lamp that holds five bulbs and adjustable necks on each light.maybe that is a backup plan at best.
 
EagleEyeHamThrust

EagleEyeHamThrust

Active Member
Oh yeah, way conspicuous. I was just pipe-dreaming. Maybe when they get to the point where cultivation gets you a slap on the wrist ticket and a confiscation of only your plants would it be worth trying. Or if you lived truly out in the middle of nowhere.

One other thing: You could put your mini fridge by a nearby window and run your hose out that way too. Then just disconnect it at night when you bring it in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top