Growing medium during veg cycle

I plan on constructing a home-made hydroponic system (drip for vegetative, ebb/flow for flowering) in the near future. My main starting point and influence is the 'Mr. Green: I Grow Chronic' movie (in case you've seen it). Anyway, he uses 1 inch cubes for clones, and transplants those into 4 inch cubes when the time is right. The plants remain in those 4 inch cubes until the flowering cycle.

The 4 inch cubes are obviously not adequate for the complete root system, and roots just dangle when the plant is transported from vegetative to flowering. You can also see them just laying freely in his vegetative tray. Keeping in mind the vegetative hyrdo system will be drip, my concern is that the end roots just lying around will dry out or not receive enough nutrients (as water may not reach them). There has to be a better way.

Any suggestions on an effective solution for post-clone, pre-flowering growing medium? Or is having the roots just lying around ok?

Hello, I had similar concerns with my build (I'm following his guide as well) and I wondered if two ebb and flow systems would be more adequate for the vegging AND flowering plants. There are a few things I would've done different if I did decide to go with the drip, first of all I wouldn't have them sitting in a bare tub it would be full of potting pellets in which the cubes would sit in, so the roots have somewhere to go. But I still think two ebb and flow systems would be more adequate and cheaper, and quite honestly produce better weed.

I think the answer to this post is: no medium at all.

https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/116859-harvest-pound-every-three-weeks.html

Building and maintaining the clone/vegetative system mentioned in that link seems even easier, plus it saves space, as the plants basically sit in the reservoir rather than being in a separate tub. You could then still use an ebb and flow system for flowering at that point. However, the author of that thread has sold me on his flowering system too - NFT. It too seems very easy to build and maintain (directly connects to faucets via hose, plants are seated in netpots for ease transportation between systems, no growing medium what so ever, the list goes on and on).

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this site before I actually built anything.

Stinkbud's Sysyem in his "Harvest a Pound Every Three Weeks" thread or Al B Fucts thread titled "Get a Harvest Every 2 Weeks" are both excellent set-ups.

You may find one fits your space or comfort level more than the other. They will surely answer many of your questions and prevent you from making the same mistakes they did way back in their noobie days.............

just don't use those big rockwool cubes, they can be a nightmare till you get the hang of them.

Good luck with the grows...