Ebb and Flow system or "mud and water"?

natmoon

Good hydroponics is hard and skilled work and requires a lot of attention.
Mud and water are easy and forgiving

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Hi there again

I was just surfing through your forum, pondering whether or not I have the know how to set up an ebb and flow flowering room, and i came across this classic quote!

I got to thinking, ... am i making it harder on myself by going for hydroponics? am i better off using a good soil/media mix, and adding some nutrients? - is this a safer way to grow??

The ebb and flow system seems to be the least compicated of hydro set ups. but i do worry that if a pump should break, it would only be a matter of hours before the plants would die.

hmmmm.....what to do.....

*inhales deeply*

Plant Will Die In A Feww Hours I Had A Couple W No Pump For A Day Or So And It Was Ok...but The Only Thing About Hydro Is Changing The Resavoir So Its Up To U Just Preference And Whats Easier For U

tastyaces said:

Plant Will Die In A Feww Hours

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well that's what the infamous mr.green says in his movie

Spending time on maintenance per day is no problem. if ebb and flow and soil/media set ups are simular in what they produce, then i would have thought that ebb and flow would be the way to go as you only need to change the water every couple of weeks. i also fear 'root rot' if i use a soil/media mix. if regular precations are made to prevent salt build up etc, are plants that prone to getting root rot ??

AsianXpat said:

well that's what the infamous mr.green says in his movie

Spending time on maintenance per day is no problem. if ebb and flow and soil/media set ups are simular in what they produce, then i would have thought that ebb and flow would be the way to go as you only need to change the water every couple of weeks. i also fear 'root rot' if i use a soil/media mix. if regular precations are made to prevent salt build up etc, are plants that prone to getting root rot ??

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Using a soil mixture in hydro could put you bacl in the mud and water catagory. Good quality ph'd water will solve the problem. I haven't had a root rot problem with hydro using rockwool or coco and I think it was potraost or Widowmaker that said hydroton is the best for ebb and flow, so root rot must not be a problem with those growing mediums. VV

VictorVIcious said:

Widowmaker that said hydroton is the best for ebb and flow

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Thanks for your reply, mate

Please excuse my ignorance. what is hydroton ?

Hydroton: expanded clay pellets (AKA grow rocks). Man-made, reusable, lava-rock-like medium that doesn't retain water. Since it doesn't retain water (or oxygen), it is usually used with systems that water frequently.

Hydroton should be cleaned (thoroughly rinsed) and conditioned (soaked in water 24hrs) before use
I use net pots lined with coco-tech cups filled with hydroton.

an easy way of cleaning the pebbles .
pierce holes in the bottom of the bag and put ur hose in the top and let it run for 30 mins , this will clean the excess debris off and it will not adjust ur PH

Thanks very much for the replies everyone. much appreciated

I hope I can hang around this site long enough to help out some other people in the future..... i feel a little guilty for just asking questions but not answering any thanks again!

i think i will go with ebb and flow. This question should be a little easier How many adult plants could i grow in a 2foot by 4 foot tray? i was thinking 6? ..also, how deep should the tray be??

maybe fit 7-8 in

^Thanks mate!

How big are you talking, matt? ....how many oz per plant?

around 40cm deep

1 1/2 0z mate.
plants good 1m high and about 50-60cm wide

What size bulbs do you use, matt?

I was thinking of using 600w ....but VV has me thinking about T5 flouro fixtures aswell now!

my grow room is a cupboard
2m height- 1m width - 60cm depth
at the top of the grow room is a small space 30cm high which i use as a propagating room and i have a standard fluorecent tube 55 watt inside.
below in my veg/flowering room i have a 250 watt hps/mh light

^Cheers mate!