I am having the hardest time deciding on which system I should use. I am currently growing horizontally using aeroponics with great results. Reading about the efficiency of growing vertical has got me very interested in trying this. I am stuck on a few things and I really hope someone can help me figure this out.
I have looked into a lot of different vertical systems but have yet to find one that I love. I worry that stationary units will give me trouble. If the system is the same size, it seems that the plants will either be too far from the light in the beginning or too close in the end. I only have three grows under my belt and I have had issues with plants being too big for systems in the past. Is this a valid concern? I see a lot of people having success with these systems, do I just need to be more careful with my plant sizing? I keep planning poorly and plants end up being in the cloner too long before going to veg, or spending a few more weeks in veg than I planned. It's a pain, but I can deal with this in my current setup. I think I would have a lot more difficulty if I were vertical in a system that was not able to expand out.
I have been considering building my own vertical aero systems with individual towers consisting of 3" pvc y fittings that I could move around a bit as plants grow. The headaches of building my current aero setup still haunt me. I have had to redesign and modify my system SO MANY times to get it where it is and it is still not perfect!
I am curious if I could enjoy the benefits of vertical growing with a much simpler set up. If I hung a HPS sodium light vertically and just placed RDWC or UCRDWC buckets around it would i have similar benefits of any other vertical setup? This seems like such an easy idea that I am almost certain there is some catch I am failing to see right now.
To sum it up, I have two questions.
1. Should I not be so concerned abotu systems that do not have the ability to expand? So many people are using systems that do not offer the ability to expand with great results. Maybe I should not worry about this as much and focus on timing my plants better so they do not outgrow my system.
2. To try out vertical growing, can I be lazy and try my bucket method and expect those astronomical gram to watt ratios that you vertical growers see?
Thank you so much for any help or advice you can offer. I have been reading forums, books, magazines and anything else I can get my hands on and not sure which direction to go.
I have looked into a lot of different vertical systems but have yet to find one that I love. I worry that stationary units will give me trouble. If the system is the same size, it seems that the plants will either be too far from the light in the beginning or too close in the end. I only have three grows under my belt and I have had issues with plants being too big for systems in the past. Is this a valid concern? I see a lot of people having success with these systems, do I just need to be more careful with my plant sizing? I keep planning poorly and plants end up being in the cloner too long before going to veg, or spending a few more weeks in veg than I planned. It's a pain, but I can deal with this in my current setup. I think I would have a lot more difficulty if I were vertical in a system that was not able to expand out.
I have been considering building my own vertical aero systems with individual towers consisting of 3" pvc y fittings that I could move around a bit as plants grow. The headaches of building my current aero setup still haunt me. I have had to redesign and modify my system SO MANY times to get it where it is and it is still not perfect!
I am curious if I could enjoy the benefits of vertical growing with a much simpler set up. If I hung a HPS sodium light vertically and just placed RDWC or UCRDWC buckets around it would i have similar benefits of any other vertical setup? This seems like such an easy idea that I am almost certain there is some catch I am failing to see right now.
To sum it up, I have two questions.
1. Should I not be so concerned abotu systems that do not have the ability to expand? So many people are using systems that do not offer the ability to expand with great results. Maybe I should not worry about this as much and focus on timing my plants better so they do not outgrow my system.
2. To try out vertical growing, can I be lazy and try my bucket method and expect those astronomical gram to watt ratios that you vertical growers see?
Thank you so much for any help or advice you can offer. I have been reading forums, books, magazines and anything else I can get my hands on and not sure which direction to go.