Go with the Flow?

jeroly

Well-Known Member
I'm considering switching from soil to an Ebb and Flow system, and am looking for opinions -

good or bad idea?
best system / best inexpensive system for a 4x4 tent?

thanks in advance!
 

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
Ebb and Flow can cause problems in a tent, especially confined in a 4' tent. You will reduce you plant size a lot unless you SCROG. which is another pain in the ass in a tent, at least I think so.
I would go DWC, say 4 big plants, instead of 6 small one's which is all you are going to fit in a tray. I use a lot of Waterfarm containers for my grows in a recirculating system, and they are a good.product. 3-4 pots in your tent would be nice, and expect 3' to 4' plants though, which might be an issue without a lot of training. So, personally, if you want to go from soil to hydro in a tent, I would look at a GH Waterfarm module, as they are simple to use ( drain and replenish every week), grow big plants, are relatively foolproof and 4 would fit nicely in a 4'x4' tent. Good luck on whatever you choose.
 

jeroly

Well-Known Member
@tropicalcannabispatient , thank you for your suggestion. I realize that there are several options for growing medium should I make the switch, and will consider cc as well as others.

@Jimdamick , I really appreciate the feedback. I am a bit curious as to why you think plant size will be reduced vs. a soil grow unless I scrog. I enjoy scrogging, so it's not an issue, but I don't understand the connection. Is there something about a soil grow that is particularly supportive of 'trees?'

Here's some extra parameters about my growing style in case it helps...

As I already said, I enjoy scrogging.
In fact, for my next indoor grow, I was going to try to fill the tent with just one plant that was scrogged the hell out of, and see what kind of yield I can get from the one plant (planning to use 15 gal smartpot).
I only will have 3 or fewer flowering plants.
Tall plants, though, are generally not a problem (my tent is 7' with LED lights that don't need a lot of headroom).
Still, for maximum yield / best lighting use, I thought that topping + scrogging was the optimal approach (and it allows the gardener to assert his dominance over the plant! - er, make that, display his horticultural artistry)
 

tropicalcannabispatient

Well-Known Member
@tropicalcannabispatient , thank you for your suggestion. I realize that there are several options for growing medium should I make the switch, and will consider cc as well as others.

@Jimdamick , I really appreciate the feedback. I am a bit curious as to why you think plant size will be reduced vs. a soil grow unless I scrog. I enjoy scrogging, so it's not an issue, but I don't understand the connection. Is there something about a soil grow that is particularly supportive of 'trees?'

Here's some extra parameters about my growing style in case it helps...

As I already said, I enjoy scrogging.
In fact, for my next indoor grow, I was going to try to fill the tent with just one plant that was scrogged the hell out of, and see what kind of yield I can get from the one plant (planning to use 15 gal smartpot).
I only will have 3 or fewer flowering plants.
Tall plants, though, are generally not a problem (my tent is 7' with LED lights that don't need a lot of headroom).
Still, for maximum yield / best lighting use, I thought that topping + scrogging was the optimal approach (and it allows the gardener to assert his dominance over the plant! - er, make that, display his horticultural artistry)
Horizontal is the way to go., i always grow 1 plant at a time
 

two2brains

Well-Known Member
i have nothing against ebb n flow but with the info out there today if you are going to switch systems i highly reccomend rdwc or at least dwc if you can keep the water under 68 degrees. The growth rates are un matched and will suprise you.
 

Icannabis

Well-Known Member
I'm running both system as I type this...I think ebb and flow is easier than just about every other thing out there...DWC is not easy it's high maintenance...the question is what kind of grower are you? do you want clock work performance and little time in the room or working with your plants daily? As far as speed goes till harvest there is no silver bullet system...I yield about the same in both systems...but that is just me...Good growing
 

Kronicly Insane

Active Member
I'm in the process of making the switch from soil to flood and drain. I'm about to start my first batch of clones into a table so I can veg them for about a week then flip them into flowering. I have been growing in soil since I started growing over 5 years ago. Making the switch will make the garden easier to maintain. No move moving pots or making sure things are watered. This should free up some of my time and allow for excellent growth. Good luck on the switch.
 

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Zoltan32

Well-Known Member
heres a vote for ebb/flow from me. Ive never grown any other way, so i really have nothing to compare it to, but Ive never been so frustrated that i wanted to switch to something else. Im a diy/personal grower and just taught myself over the years. When i first started i knew i wanted to grow in hydro, and ebb/flow was what i thought would be the easiest to manage/build. Ive adapted the setup to my conditions over the years, and im quite pleased with it. Even some of my worst grows turned out ok in the end. My last run was one of the best, i yielded right at 7 O's... I just made the switch to COB led's and that has been the major game changer.

I feel like i get pretty rapid growth, these last few runs i veg'd for 4-5 weeks and flip to 12/12... I grow inside a cabinet, so space is a concern. A far as maintenance, some weeks im just peeking in the cabinet to check on things, and others it seems im messing with it every day. But thats how it goes... The only annoying thing about my setup is reservoir changes. I Have to pump the water into 5gal bucks, then carry through the house to dump... repeat, clean reservoir, carry buckets thru house, pump back in... Its really not that bad for my small reservoir, It just sucks when you end up with a shitty water condition and have to change out the water more than once a week. For that reason, i put my reservoir in a separate cabinet, so i can access it for monitoring or changes during lights out.

unda.jpg allcloseplanted.jpg
outside.jpg
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
Ebb and flow buckets work great in a tent. This was a 5x5 tent but I only used 4x4 area in it. The ebb buckets are ebb and flow and just like growing in pots in the floor, except it's hydro. No height limitations to deal with when using trays. I don't suggest a tray in a tent unless it's an 8' tall tent. The res can also be outside of the tent with an ebb and grow bucket system.
Screenshot_2016-01-26-19-32-57-1.png
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
^^I didn't do a true Scrog in that grow, just used the net for support, but obviously you can with this system. Figured this closely matches what you were asking about. Good luck
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
Are you sure about that?

I agree r/dwc can produce some outstanding results----but I disagree about the "un matched" statement.

View attachment 3597413
View attachment 3597419

A~~~
Fuck yeah! Nice roots! I finally got to see my roots in my ebb buckets today (was harvest day), wasn't sure what I was going to find, but God damn since I switched I using bennies the roots look just like that even after the plant was over 100 days old! Loving it :)
 

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
I think dwc and Aeroponics are pretty close in growth rate, I've been getting some crazy fast growth with flood trays recently though, maybe a touch faster than when I did dwc. But for sure, dwc you can almost watch the plants grow in front of you.
 

AKGrowAreo

Well-Known Member
I have very good success with my Aero/NFT setup and I have run most types of hydro and aero at some point in time. There is a plethora of great information about Aero/NFT on RUI and a good place to start is with the @StinkBud method. Jut me thoughts on the subject. Cant go wrong with 39 zips from 6 plants on my last harvest...
 
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