What's your most hands off technique

[Beesbuds]

Life gets busy and I'm always trying to find the most hands of technique with the least amount of clean up after each run. Does anyone have a technique that doesn't involve dumping coco or soil or hundreds of litres of nutrient. Something that is sustainable and doesn't require daily checks.
I've tried regular watering that's fine but having to water all the time just became to much.
I switched to autopots and did that for a while but the problem came after harvesting, changing the pipes and dirty nutrient water going everywhere and cleaning all the trays and valves did me in.
So now I'm on rdwc the last while which is handy easy enough but that's also becoming a problem. The cost of running rdwc is mad. So much nutrients dumped every week. I've given up.
So now I'm going to try autopot tray2grow with a few fabric pots.
Id love to hear any techniques you have

 

[natureboygrower]

Check out the SIPS growing thread. I run earthboxes with a water only soil i mix myself. No need to let cook, no additional nutes needed , just an hour of your time to mix up 3 cubic ft ( fills 2 orginal earthboxes). I usually stick a clone in each EB, let it veg for 2 weeks then flip to 12/12 for 10 weeks. Maybe 10 minutes a night filling the reservoirs with water. I really have not seen an easier method on here. Life is very busy atm for me as well. I can hook up the soil recipe for you if you'd like. Some members on here tweaked coots.

 

[weedstoner420]

Check out the SIPS growing thread. I run earthboxes with a water only soil i mix myself. No need to let cook, no additional nutes needed , just an hour of your time to mix up 3 cubic ft ( fills 2 orginal earthboxes). I usually stick a clone in each EB, let it veg for 2 weeks then flip to 12/12 for 10 weeks. Maybe 10 minutes a night filling the reservoirs with water. I really have not seen an easier method on here. Life is very busy atm for me as well. I can hook up the soil recipe for you if you'd like. Some members on here tweaked coots.

100% agree on this. I use the Growbox (similar to Earthbox but the watering/overflow hole is a bit more convenient, imo) and Espoma fertilizers (usually Bio-tone and Tomato-tone).

I'm actually on my 3rd round not dumping out the SIPs, just amending the top few inches of soil, and so far no issues. During each grow cycle, I only add water to the reservoir when it's dry, which is between every few days and every couple of weeks depending on the size of the plants, and can be automated once you get a feel for how often it needs to be done, and spend less than an hour amending between rounds. It really doesn't get much easier for growing indoors.

 

[Beesbuds]

Check out the SIPS growing thread. I run earthboxes with a water only soil i mix myself. No need to let cook, no additional nutes needed , just an hour of your time to mix up 3 cubic ft ( fills 2 orginal earthboxes). I usually stick a clone in each EB, let it veg for 2 weeks then flip to 12/12 for 10 weeks. Maybe 10 minutes a night filling the reservoirs with water. I really have not seen an easier method on here. Life is very busy atm for me as well. I can hook up the soil recipe for you if you'd like. Some members on here tweaked coots.

I was actually looking into ecothrive living soil. It comes already mixed, you just water. After the grow you can re amend with other stuff they have. I'm always skeptical about that kinda thing. I thought about mixing my own soil but it seems daunting since I don't know how much and of what to add to it. So yeah I'd you have a recipe handy I'd certainly give it a go

 

[Delps8]

Life gets busy and I'm always trying to find the most hands of technique with the least amount of clean up after each run. Does anyone have a technique that doesn't involve dumping coco or soil or hundreds of litres of nutrient. Something that is sustainable and doesn't require daily checks.
I've tried regular watering that's fine but having to water all the time just became to much.
I switched to autopots and did that for a while but the problem came after harvesting, changing the pipes and dirty nutrient water going everywhere and cleaning all the trays and valves did me in.
So now I'm on rdwc the last while which is handy easy enough but that's also becoming a problem. The cost of running rdwc is mad. So much nutrients dumped every week. I've given up.
So now I'm going to try autopot tray2grow with a few fabric pots.
Id love to hear any techniques you have

I questioned the practice swapping the res every week another site when I started growing (again) in 2021 and the responses were, generally speaking, "because…".

Swapping a res every week in RDWC/DWC is a good revenue generator for companies selling fertilizer but it may not be the best thing for the plants and, for me, it's very far down the list of "things I like to do".

Two items to ponder — how to reduce my cost of materials (chemicals) and how reduce the frequency of swapping the res.

The cost of nutrients is staggeringly low once you move away from the pretty bottles. Buying bottled nutrients makes chemical companies and delivery companies a lot of money. A gallon of ferts costs the "manufacturer" almost nothing (material cost) for the few grams of chemicals that are in a one gallon bottle. I suspect that the gallon jug and the label cost more than the chemicals. And once they slap the label on it, they pay FedEx/UPS to move a gallon of water + a tiny amount of chemicals across the country.

Instead of doing that, go with dry ferts. I use Jacks 3-2-1 for RO and my material cost is $1.18 for 26 gallons of nutrients. These were the prices when I bought the dry ferts. They're higher know, no doubt.



The issue falls under "reservoir maintenance" and that involves stepping away from the "because…" approach. Some growers don't want to stray from that path too much and I understand that. On the other hand, life can get a lot better when a grower gets into understanding why a nutrient reservoir should be instead of accepting that a nutrient reservoir should be changed simply because the Earth has spun around its axis seven times.

My experience growing cannabis has been limited to RWDC but I can see the attraction to SIP's. Unless you're doing coco in a SIP, though, you're still at the mercy of not really knowing what's in your soil (unless you make your own) and, second, it's much slower to respond to inputs. If you're growing in a medium other than hydro, if you step on your dick, it can take some time to recover.

I've attached two documents that helped me develop some insights into the process. In addition to those documents, below are some links that I've found useful on a web site about hydroponics. The web site is hosted by Dr. Daniel Fernandez. Even though he has only a Bachelor's n Chemistry, he has been a coauthor at least one paper with Bruce Bugbee and he's also is the author of HydroBuddy, so I think his insights carry some weight.

FAQ – Electrical Conductivity (EC) in Hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

The Hoaglands Solution for Hydroponic Cultivation – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Crazy pH Swings – How Media and Bacteria Affect pH in Hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Hydroponic Nutrients… Why Solid is Better than Liquid – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Understanding pH in Hydroponics – Part No.1 – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Understanding pH in Hydroponics – Part No.2 – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Nitrate, Ammonium and pH in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Calcium’s behavior in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five important things you should know about humidity in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five common reason why you’re losing yields – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

How to make your growing more systematic – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Why TDS is NOT equal to Total Dissolved Solids in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Keeping plants short: Why is it important? – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Building a model to predict EC in hydroponic nutrient solutions – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

In-depth books to learn about hydroponics at an advanced level – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five tips to successfully manage your nutrient solution in a recirculating hydroponic setup – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Why most of the time a “deficiency” in hydroponics is not solved by just “adding more of it” – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Factors limiting the life of a recirculating hydroponic nutrient solution – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Nutrient availability and pH: Are those charts really accurate? – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Optimal air speed in a hydroponic crop – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Calcium’s behavior in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five common misconceptions around nutrient management in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Optimal air speed in a hydroponic crop – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

 

[Beesbuds]

I questioned the practice swapping the res every week another site when I started growing (again) in 2021 and the responses were, generally speaking, "because…".

Swapping a res every week in RDWC/DWC is a good revenue generator for companies selling fertilizer but it may not be the best thing for the plants and, for me, it's very far down the list of "things I like to do".

Two items to ponder — how to reduce my cost of materials (chemicals) and how reduce the frequency of swapping the res.

The cost of nutrients is staggeringly low once you move away from the pretty bottles. Buying bottled nutrients makes chemical companies and delivery companies a lot of money. A gallon of ferts costs the "manufacturer" almost nothing (material cost) for the few grams of chemicals that are in a one gallon bottle. I suspect that the gallon jug and the label cost more than the chemicals. And once they slap the label on it, they pay FedEx/UPS to move a gallon of water + a tiny amount of chemicals across the country.

Instead of doing that, go with dry ferts. I use Jacks 3-2-1 for RO and my material cost is $1.18 for 26 gallons of nutrients. These were the prices when I bought the dry ferts. They're higher know, no doubt.

View attachment 5464998

The issue falls under "reservoir maintenance" and that involves stepping away from the "because…" approach. Some growers don't want to stray from that path too much and I understand that. On the other hand, life can get a lot better when a grower gets into understanding why a nutrient reservoir should be instead of accepting that a nutrient reservoir should be changed simply because the Earth has spun around its axis seven times.

My experience growing cannabis has been limited to RWDC but I can see the attraction to SIP's. Unless you're doing coco in a SIP, though, you're still at the mercy of not really knowing what's in your soil (unless you make your own) and, second, it's much slower to respond to inputs. If you're growing in a medium other than hydro, if you step on your dick, it can take some time to recover.

I've attached two documents that helped me develop some insights into the process. In addition to those documents, below are some links that I've found useful on a web site about hydroponics. The web site is hosted by Dr. Daniel Fernandez. Even though he has only a Bachelor's n Chemistry, he has been a coauthor at least one paper with Bruce Bugbee and he's also is the author of HydroBuddy, so I think his insights carry some weight.

FAQ – Electrical Conductivity (EC) in Hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

The Hoaglands Solution for Hydroponic Cultivation – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Crazy pH Swings – How Media and Bacteria Affect pH in Hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Hydroponic Nutrients… Why Solid is Better than Liquid – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Understanding pH in Hydroponics – Part No.1 – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Understanding pH in Hydroponics – Part No.2 – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Nitrate, Ammonium and pH in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Calcium’s behavior in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five important things you should know about humidity in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five common reason why you’re losing yields – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

How to make your growing more systematic – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Why TDS is NOT equal to Total Dissolved Solids in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Keeping plants short: Why is it important? – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Building a model to predict EC in hydroponic nutrient solutions – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

In-depth books to learn about hydroponics at an advanced level – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five tips to successfully manage your nutrient solution in a recirculating hydroponic setup – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Why most of the time a “deficiency” in hydroponics is not solved by just “adding more of it” – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Factors limiting the life of a recirculating hydroponic nutrient solution – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Nutrient availability and pH: Are those charts really accurate? – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Optimal air speed in a hydroponic crop – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Calcium’s behavior in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Five common misconceptions around nutrient management in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Optimal air speed in a hydroponic crop – Science in Hydroponics

scienceinhydroponics.com

Thanks for those links, I've often changed the res and thought the plants looked better before. I stopped doing it weekly and just biweekly. But regardless I need something so hands off I can leave for a week or 2 at a time. Like an external res with a float valve connected to the mains water. So a living soil sounds good at least worth a try

 

[Absorber]

Growee controller ,it looks after pH and EC and has WiFi and an app to view it remotely.

 

[MtRainDog]

A 30 gallon reservoir.

 

[Absorber]

Oh and i run MegaCrop in my resevoir and it does 2 tents that are flood and drain set ups controlled via bell syphons and when one tent is in veg the other one is in flower both feeding of same resevoir .
Megacrop is a 1prt product that is cheap , one 1.3kg bag cost me $13 and i could do four 4ft² tent grows easy on 1 bag .
I have my system fully automated and dont have to check it for a week if i dont want to .
Ive even made electric light lifters to make raising the light easier with a full tent with only having access from one side of the tent .
I like to make things less of a hassle .

 

[Beesbuds]

Oh and i run MegaCrop in my resevoir and it does 2 tents that are flood and drain set ups controlled via bell syphons and when one tent is in veg the other one is in flower both feeding of same resevoir .
Megacrop is a 1prt product that is cheap , one 1.3kg bag cost me $13 and i could do four 4ft² tent grows easy on 1 bag .
I have my system fully automated and dont have to check it for a week if i dont want to .
Ive even made electric light lifters to make raising the light easier with a full tent with only having access from one side of the tent .
I like to make things less of a hassle .

That sounds brilliant. I was actually thinking, apart from having to raise the lights, I could technically put a few plants in living soil in autopots and hook the res to the mains water with a float valve and never have to go in. Electric light lifters operated through WiFi would eliminate the need to attend the garden

 

[MtRainDog]

Oh and i run MegaCrop in my resevoir and it does 2 tents that are flood and drain set ups controlled via bell syphons and when one tent is in veg the other one is in flower both feeding of same resevoir .
Megacrop is a 1prt product that is cheap , one 1.3kg bag cost me $13 and i could do four 4ft² tent grows easy on 1 bag .
I have my system fully automated and dont have to check it for a week if i dont want to .
Ive even made electric light lifters to make raising the light easier with a full tent with only having access from one side of the tent .
I like to make things less of a hassle .

I'm a MC 1 part grower too. Cheap, and works. I run a drain-to-waste system, with pressure-regulated ring drippers, water/feed daily at lights on. I water until saturated, but no run-off ideally, so the "waste" part of the DTW is really just a catch for any little bit of run-off I might get.

 

[Absorber]

That sounds brilliant. I was actually thinking, apart from having to raise the lights, I could technically put a few plants in living soil in autopots and hook the res to the mains water with a float valve and never have to go in. Electric light lifters operated through WiFi would eliminate the need to attend the garden

My lifters arent WiFi tho , a bit of tinkering and it would be possible to use ultra sonic sensors to raise light as plants get closer .
But youll find once you cut down the need to be manually doing everything it is nice to check on em anyway

 

[Absorber]

I'm a MC 1 part grower too. Cheap, and works. I run a drain-to-waste system, with pressure-regulated ring drippers, water/feed daily at lights on. I water until saturated, but no run-off ideally, so the "waste" part of the DTW is really just a catch for any little bit of run-off I might get.

Its great stuff i also use it in my SIP's up in the trees that i do ,my stealth grows .

 

[Absorber]

The new round,
Oreoz Fems
from The Real Gorilla Seeds

 

[MissinThe90’sStrains]

I like my approach of building a living soil, and then just watering RO water and a little bit of occasional cal mag. No ph adjusting and mixing nutrients, no reservoir changes, no chillers, no “proprietary systems”, no coding, no wifi, no controllers - nothing other than pruning/training/transplanting, and keeping a decently stable environment.

I’ve got my soil mix and process detailed out in my journal, from original seed birth to final bud girth. The effort is all in the soil making, and then it’s on cruise control. I’ve got a busy life with 2 kids and a sick wife, and this method works well for my schedule and demands. Most days I just dump some water on them, dump out the dehumidifier, and then ignore them until the next day.

 

[Absorber]

I like my approach of building a living soil, and then just watering RO water and a little bit of occasional cal mag. No ph adjusting and mixing nutrients, no reservoir changes, no chillers, no “proprietary systems”, no coding, no wifi, no controllers - nothing other than pruning/training/transplanting, and keeping a decently stable environment.

I’ve got my soil mix and process detailed out in my journal, from original seed birth to final bud girth. The effort is all in the soil making, and then it’s on cruise control. I’ve got a busy life with 2 kids and a sick wife, and this method works well for my schedule and demands. Most days I just dump some water on them, dump out the dehumidifier, and then ignore them until the next day.

I hate gnats thats why i dont have mediums in the tents

 

[MissinThe90’sStrains]

I hate gnats thats why i dont have mediums in the tents

There are preventative measures and different ways to counter gnats. I’ve got nematodes and beneficial insects in my soil. Haven’t had a gnat in my last 3 grows. I don’t even have sticky traps up.

 

[Beesbuds]

I like my approach of building a living soil, and then just watering RO water and a little bit of occasional cal mag. No ph adjusting and mixing nutrients, no reservoir changes, no chillers, no “proprietary systems”, no coding, no wifi, no controllers - nothing other than pruning/training/transplanting, and keeping a decently stable environment.

I’ve got my soil mix and process detailed out in my journal, from original seed birth to final bud girth. The effort is all in the soil making, and then it’s on cruise control. I’ve got a busy life with 2 kids and a sick wife, and this method works well for my schedule and demands. Most days I just dump some water on them, dump out the dehumidifier, and then ignore them until the next day.

That's it man I'm the same two kids busy life but the wife is dead now so sometimes it's really full on when you're by yourself. I think I'll try the living soil it's the one thing I've been meaning to try. I have had thrip issues and my share of gnats but I suppose I'll add diatomaceous Earth and put in some yellow stickies

 

[Absorber]

There are preventative measures and different ways to counter gnats. I’ve got nematodes and beneficial insects in my soil. Haven’t had a gnat in my last 3 grows. I don’t even have sticky traps up.

I find it easier doing hydro and not having to worry .
Everyone has what works for them in their particular circumstances

 

[Beesbuds]

I find it easier doing hydro and not having to worry .
Everyone has what works for them in their particular circumstances

I have to say hydro really does speed things up. 3 weeks veg in hydro is like 5 weeks in soil