no1birdman
Member
Always grown in soil but changing to a passive res grow, now do i use just clay balls or mix with the small rockwell pieces in the plant pots, before putting them in the water reservoir,Thanks
passive reservoir
- Thread starter no1birdman
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Bigz2277
Well-Known Member
Little more info? From what it sounds like this is deep water culture. Either of the mediums will work fine for DWC, but if using rw, put a layer of the clay balls below them so the water doesnt touch it. It is a whicking type of media that will soak up the water and drown the babies.
no1birdman
Member
hi the pots sit in the water reservoir, no pump etc the water whicks up and waters them
no1birdman
Member
The reservoir set-up is one of the easiest methods of growing plants hydroponically. Containers are filled with lava or clay pellets and placed in a tray. Water/nutrient solution is added to about one quarter the height of the container. For instance, a tray with 8-inch-tall containers would have 2 inches of water added, and one with 12-inch-tall containers would have a 3-inch water level. Hydroponic nutrients are added to the water as recommended by the manufacturer.
The water should be topped off as needed to keep the level constant. The new water should be pH-adjusted but not supplemented with fertilizer. After two weeks, the reservoir fertilizer is used up so the reservoir should be drained and new water/nutrient solution added.
A modified version of this system can be made using a wetter medium such as a bark or peat-based planting medium. Hydroponic solution is added to the 2-inch level, but no new water is added until one day after the reservoir is dry. This allows the planting medium, which becomes fairly saturated with water, to be replenished with oxygen.
tip top toker
Well-Known Member
Sounds to me like a non-auto auto-pot kind of system. Might be the easiest to set up but that certainly doesn't sound liek the easiest to then go on and grow with, sounds like a lot of attention is required.
no1birdman
Member
Hi, thats a wick system, this is a reservoir system, supposed to be easy, trying in clay pellets mixed with small rockwell, see if it works
tip top toker
Well-Known Member
basically just watering from the bottom. Hence why i said auto-pots. One could achieve the same result essentially by simply pouring water into their runoff trays in any soil or coco grow, and the roots would drink the water.
no1birdman
Member
yes , but i always water soil from top, just thought try something different, i thought of coco but a bit pricy, soil gets to soggy doing it that way thats why i thought of useing clay pellets or mix with something, simalar to a hempy grow i use to use but that smelt after a bit, I read a bit about it and its dead easy, when they get bigger put in a pot with a saucer, if they get bigger, might try a couple in coco as well and see what works best. just checked auto pots, never heard of them before, like u said they are the same idea so should work, they use clay pellets and soil
tip top toker
Well-Known Member
Auto-pots are exactly as you are descibing, they water from the bottom, but the key point about them is that they are automatic, there is no requirement of making sure that the water is at a set level, or that they might drink it too fast and as such go thirsty. Mine had a 100L reservoir attached, they could be left for weeks without giving them one glance.
Nitegazer
Well-Known Member
The biggest reasons I would be concerned with this method is salt build up and rot. The plants soak in a nutrient solution, promoting salt deposits and a lack of oxygen at the bottom of the pot. There is a continuous gradient of wet to bone dry from the bottom to the top of the pot. Simply topping off the nutrient water could also lead to a very high ppm, and nutrient lockout. Exposing the nutrient solution to light can also promote slime.
This method may work for short periods of time (while away on vacation, etc.), but I don't think it would be effective for a full grow. Of course, I have never tried the method. If someone has been sucessful with it, I would be intrested to hear about it.
This method may work for short periods of time (while away on vacation, etc.), but I don't think it would be effective for a full grow. Of course, I have never tried the method. If someone has been sucessful with it, I would be intrested to hear about it.
tip top toker
Well-Known Member
People have used autopots successfully for a long time. The method he talks about is pretty much the identical thing other than that he is manually maintaining the waterlevel instead of the smart-valve doing it for you.
Nitegazer
Well-Known Member
I respectfully disagree. The method described above has the plants continually soaking 1/4 the way up the pot. The autopot allows the plant medium to dry. From the site:
"Since the AutoPot modules only provide water when necessary, the resulting wet/dry cycle promotes healthy root development with high levels of oxygen in the root zone."
Also, the above method 'tops off' the nutrient solution regularly, potentially leading to excess salt concentrations. AutoPot is expected to run dry before additional nutrient solution is added. From the instructio manual:
"Once the water has been used to the extent that the film of water under the valve has gone, the valve reopens and allows another supply of water to enter the hydrotray."
tip top toker
Well-Known Member
Have you used an auto-pot system? The tray is filled with water to a set level 24/7. The moment the level starts to drop the smar valve opens and it tops it up to the predetermined level. that is at least how my system works, and i encountered no issues other than failing of the valves at times leading to floodin due to them not being 100% flat.
tip top toker
Well-Known Member
I know that they have slightly different designs depending on the country of purchase, but no, i never experienced a dry period. Myself and others have noticed that the coco we used remained wet enough that white mould (harmless) starts growing on the top of the meduim, but yeah, never a dry spell.
tip top toker
Well-Known Member
Oh, and as to the quote you have used with regard to wet and dry spells, i googled it and not one of the links is coming back as a quote from the actual auto-pot websites, just quotes on re-sellers websites. Strange.