5 gal bubbleponic info request

i usually try to read before i ask questions because it is usually posted here somewhere...i am just trying to verify my opinion since there are sometimes a lot of conflicting opinions.
i will tell you what i have already...btw...i originally listened to a salesman at a hydro shop and bought what he recomended before i asked how best to set it up...for that he didnt have an answer except it was the equipment he sold the most of that wasnt a high dollar complete system.

8-5 gal buckets
8-net pots...look to be 10in across top,8in across bottom
large bag of hydroton pebbles
hydrofarm 200w cfl light...will use in veg only i think...6500k spectrum
hydrofarm light hood with glass insert
8-6in airstones
2-4 outlet air pumps
25ft air hose
bag of rapid rooter equivalent plugs
qt of botnicare pure blend pro grow 3-1.5-4
qt of botnicare pro blend bloom...front label missing,rear label directions refer to 2.5-2-5
bag of blood meal
bag of bone meal
rapitest ph meter...single probe...only refers to using in soil
25ft roll of duraflect to line walls
my grow space is 3ft 6in by 5 ft by 7ft tall
200cfm fart fan for exhaust

i think i will get a 400w or 600w hps for flowering...i have the 200wcfl for veg since i already have it...and i have 2-40in surge protectors with 10 outlets each...i have some socket adapters and y adapters so i can add 27w daylight cfl bulbs on both sides if needed...i know i will need other things as well.

1-will these plugs supply nutes long enough till i put them in the net pots
2-what level should i keep the water level in each bucket
3-can i make some kind of organic tea using the blood and bone meal with perhaps bat guano and maybe worm castings
4-should the air pumps be run 24 hours
5-as plants grow should the water level be lowered

this is all that comes to mind for now but i am sure my reading threads here will offer me more different opinions that i will want to clarify later...thank you for any consideration and replies

I have basically used this same sort of setup before (hardware-wise).

1. The plants will go good in the plugs for a few weeks. I usually wait until you see roots coming out of the bottom or sides and then transfer the plugs to the net pots with additional medium (silica stone, hydroton, or chunky perlite) and put them in the hydro setup. Don't keep the plugs sopping wet or you will get stem/root rot...just keep them moist.

2. I keep the bottoms of the pots a few inches away to start and then go lower on the water level, but other people put the water level right below and it works too. It partly depends on how much air bubbling you have and if the water can spit high enough to hit the netpot a little from 6" away or not.

3. I would stick to the other nutes and not get all worried with this stuff, but that is just me. I have not messed with organic hydro, but you could theoretically make an organic tea by bubbling those materials for 24 hours, I'm just not sure I would want to keep it in the bucket I was growing in...I'm thinking it would stink.

4. Definitely, leave the air pumps on all the time.

5. Airspace leads to a higher yield (although I still haven't figured out the "equation" for how much = how much) definitely keep it at least a few inches away from the bottom of the net cup though. Too little water and you won't have as much buffering capacity for ph and temp swings, so it is a double edge there.

phillypete said:

I have basically used this same sort of setup before (hardware-wise).

1. The plants will go good in the plugs for a few weeks. I usually wait until you see roots coming out of the bottom or sides and then transfer the plugs to the net pots with additional medium (silica stone, hydroton, or chunky perlite) and put them in the hydro setup. Don't keep the plugs sopping wet or you will get stem/root rot...just keep them moist.

2. I keep the bottoms of the pots a few inches away to start and then go lower on the water level, but other people put the water level right below and it works too. It partly depends on how much air bubbling you have and if the water can spit high enough to hit the netpot a little from 6" away or not.

3. I would stick to the other nutes and not get all worried with this stuff, but that is just me. I have not messed with organic hydro, but you could theoretically make an organic tea by bubbling those materials for 24 hours, I'm just not sure I would want to keep it in the bucket I was growing in...I'm thinking it would stink.

4. Definitely, leave the air pumps on all the time.

5. Airspace leads to a higher yield (although I still haven't figured out the "equation" for how much = how much) definitely keep it at least a few inches away from the bottom of the net cup though. Too little water and you won't have as much buffering capacity for ph and temp swings, so it is a double edge there.

Click to expand...

thanks for the reply...this is pretty much what other threads suggest...like i said i try to read before i ask but if you dont know something and find conflicting answers from people who have had success from their version ot is hard to form your own solid opinion...again thanks

I have a bubbleponics system although a slightly different take. In addition to the bubbleponics the initial stage of the grow is accomplished with a drip method. In any case, you definitely need the air pumps on (plant won't drown that way). And my results were best when I added the nutes to the water and then replenished both after a week. This ensured a correct and balanced nutrient feeding. During this time the roots were allotted 15 minutes full air time. Throughout the grow there was always a 3 to 5 inch space between the water and netpots (10 gallon tub 6 gallon water and nutes). Congrats on your new grow.

my last grow was like this setup, but i didn't use organic stuff. i notice you said your ph meter referred to soil testing? that's not the right kind of meter then. you need something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/HANNA-HI-99104-Pocket-pH-Tester-Meter-Checker-HI99104_W0QQitemZ270278996273QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270278996273&_trkparms=72%3A1205|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

you'll also need a tds meter to check your nutrient strength. HANNA Primo TDS Meter, PPM Tester, Conductivity - eBay (item 370049301977 end time Oct-02-08 22:23:06 PDT)

after one round doing it this way, i'm upgrading my system to a bucket style ebb n flow. but that's just because i'm lazy and don't like lifting many buckets of water and carrying the into another room.

I missed that you said the ph meter was soil...yeah that probably won't work.

If you use distilled, rain, or RO water I think you can get away with using certain formulas and not have to worry about PH or TDS. I have never done it that way, I am too anal with checking everything, but you should look into that if you don't want to drop a bunch of money on some testing equipment.

KiloBit said:

I have a bubbleponics system although a slightly different take. In addition to the bubbleponics the initial stage of the grow is accomplished with a drip method. In any case, you definitely need the air pumps on (plant won't drown that way). And my results were best when I added the nutes to the water and then replenished both after a week. This ensured a correct and balanced nutrient feeding. During this time the roots were allotted 15 minutes full air time. Throughout the grow there was always a 3 to 5 inch space between the water and netpots (10 gallon tub 6 gallon water and nutes). Congrats on your new grow.

Click to expand...

kilobit
how did you rig up your drip on it...thanks for reply

JohnnyPotSeed1969 said:

my last grow was like this setup, but i didn't use organic stuff. i notice you said your ph meter referred to soil testing? that's not the right kind of meter then. you need something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/HANNA-HI-99104-Pocket-pH-Tester-Meter-Checker-HI99104_W0QQitemZ270278996273QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270278996273&_trkparms=72%3A1205|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

you'll also need a tds meter to check your nutrient strength. HANNA Primo TDS Meter, PPM Tester, Conductivity - eBay (item 370049301977 end time Oct-02-08 22:23:06 PDT)

after one round doing it this way, i'm upgrading my system to a bucket style ebb n flow. but that's just because i'm lazy and don't like lifting many buckets of water and carrying the into another room.

Click to expand...

thanks for the reply johnny...when i go back to work i am going to buy a 3 way tester

phillypete said:

I missed that you said the ph meter was soil...yeah that probably won't work.

If you use distilled, rain, or RO water I think you can get away with using certain formulas and not have to worry about PH or TDS. I have never done it that way, I am too anal with checking everything, but you should look into that if you don't want to drop a bunch of money on some testing equipment.

Click to expand...

thanks for the reply philly...i saw a diy thread on a way to filter solids out of the water i have...one of those mr clean car wash filter thingies...it has a setting to rinse the car that runs water through a special filter to take solids out so you wont have water spots when it dries...i will rig up something with a few of those replacement filters...i dont have a ro system

KiloBit said:

I have a bubbleponics system although a slightly different take. In addition to the bubbleponics the initial stage of the grow is accomplished with a drip method. In any case, you definitely need the air pumps on (plant won't drown that way). And my results were best when I added the nutes to the water and then replenished both after a week. This ensured a correct and balanced nutrient feeding. During this time the roots were allotted 15 minutes full air time. Throughout the grow there was always a 3 to 5 inch space between the water and netpots (10 gallon tub 6 gallon water and nutes). Congrats on your new grow.

Click to expand...

15 minutes full air time?...15 minutes without the fluids while changing fluids and cleaning buckets?