new to hydro need advice

i am a first time hydro grower (have use dirt for years) ready to step my game up and make an investment into some ebb and grow. i would like to yield a pound or more every 2 months or so and am curious if this setup will produce that: looking at a 4x8 or 5x10 closet slpit in two with one side for veg and one for flower. I want 3x3 ebb and grow tables on both sides with a 1000 w hps(air cooled) for flower and a 400 mh blue hortilux for veg. I am thinkin 12 plants on each side at all times. What do you guys think, is my goal of a pound or more reasonable and is this a good setup? i am open to all ideas! Also wondering if i should try a digital ballast with the 1000w, lemme know

yes it is fair to estimate that a good grower flowering with hps will get 1/2pound + just make sure not to stick with 2 months exactly, you're only maxing yield over time, so you need perpetual as fast as it needs to ripen. focus more on delicate planning, i liked to cut 2x the clones i intended on growing, i then chose the ones that root similarly in the right time so i get a uniform canopy, and very good fertilizing, maximum light coverage, etc... such things are what you need to focus on. actually if your goal is maximum yield, and you don't mind complicating things, look into vertical systems lol adds lots of complication and buds!

Can one get a lb. every 2 months from that amount of space and light? yes. can a person new to hydro i doubt it. check out the sticky in the hydro forum about SoG if you want alot of weight from a small space.

thanks guys for the input, I agree that as a first time hydro grower i wont be acheiving max yields until i learn the ropes. to add a lil more info, I am a caregiver allowed to have 24 plants (thats why I said 12 on each side) and not sure if Sea of green is really an option because then Im breaking the law. really stuck here trying to decide, now wonder if sacrificing a little time for a larger yield may be a better idea (ie only run one table with 24 plants) and then make changes when its time to go veg-flower-veg-etc. how many plants (big or small) would it take to yield approx a pound? how long would the flowering/veging stages take respectively? any info is much appreciated!

or could i run a sea of green op with 24 plants on 8 week perpetual....2 mothers, 4-6 clones, and then 4 seperate tables/resevoirs for weeks 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8? after reading your reccommended link I have 100 more questions! thanks for good advice, please keep it coming!

Keep a couple small plants to cut clones from. Put 3 plants in to flower wait 3 weeks put 3 more in rinse repeat till ya have 15 in your room. When your harvest the first 3 the second 3 will be 3 weeks away from harvest and so on. The way you trim them will decide the yield but this method will get you 3 plants every 3 weeks or the equivalent of 1 plant a week. Now you have 15 plants flowering all the time, 3 mothers for clones, and still can have 6 clones rooting for a total of 24 plants. To get a bit more yield from the SoG method stickied on this forum just don't trim as much and train your plants to fill all the gaps. Putting your rooted clones straight to flower gives them 2 1/2 to 3 weeks to vege and they won't become space hogging popcorn bud machines.

which is better? also, should i fill my trays or just pots or both?

hydroton< i prefer to fill the tray less stuff to buy< no need to cover it from light and less pots to clean + max root mass but no plant mobility so i train plants

so u dont use pots at all then...just fill the tray and use pod?s....thanks for that al b fuct link its the shiiiiit! that dude ranting about lumens should be tortured!

I do DWC and I have to say its very simple and have never seen growth explosions like it. Roots love it which in turn leads to very healthy big buded plants. My advice would be, use nutes that are low on salt(less res changes) and as much oxygen you can get into the res the better. The great think about hydro is that you have more control. Also a must for the last 4 weeks of flower is stuff called Overdrive. You will not be sorry you bought this. Best of luck. You need any help just ask. All simple answers with me. lol

amparillo said:

so u dont use pots at all then...just fill the tray and use pod?s....thanks for that al b fuct link its the shiiiiit! that dude ranting about lumens should be tortured!

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yes i just fill the tray with growrock and plant them there and tie them if needed, with a res below

supersillybilly said:

I do DWC and I have to say its very simple and have never seen growth explosions like it. Roots love it which in turn leads to very healthy big buded plants. My advice would be, use nutes that are low on salt(less res changes) and as much oxygen you can get into the res the better. The great think about hydro is that you have more control. Also a must for the last 4 weeks of flower is stuff called Overdrive. You will not be sorry you bought this. Best of luck. You need any help just ask. All simple answers with me. lol

Click to expand...

you know i love DWC the best too, but i love it because i know how to do it right, still i can't say that it got me more bud than a good flood/drain setup because it is less tolerant to environmental factors like root temps, needs a water chiller or a/c in hot summers, and needs perfect air pumping etc... it's easier to mess up with a DWC especially that the title says "new to hydro" ime flood/drain is much more fool-proof and consistent in results easier to get it right from the start, less reliant on electric, etc...etc... for me i have a tray that can be switched flood/drain when they will be growing in hot weather and dwc when it's cooler, i find the yields the same, flood/drain more consistent less mess ups. DWC is cool, only that i wouldn't suggest for a newb to invest in it before having climate control

what about running al Bs perpetual sytem on bubbleponics? could be a little easier as i do have a full time job, is bubbleponic as effective and simple as it seems?

in dwc/bubbleponics are your pots touching the water at all times or just the suspended roots(seems to be different methods)?

dwc needs climate control especially in summers, it's not the simplest method. i repeat my suggestion for you being new to hydro, to go flood/drain, way more fool proof.

since you seem decided on dwc, then i'll answer the 2nd Q, the netpots are kept touching water until significant root mass is submerged then i lower it keeping roots 1/2 submerged with moist air in between, the roots love it

construction plan for complex bubble system: put a 1/4" in hole in the top of 5 gal bucket for an airhose cut a 6" hole for a net pot. run a bubble stone in the bucket. fill bucket to bottom of net pot. Yes it's that easy yes it works great.

not set yet on one idea over the other but the dwc/bubbleponics is enticing...i think i could make 4-5 tubs for <400$. as i said, i am thinkin harvest every two weeks ...what would be a good size tote to use for 9-10 plants? i have a 12x6 room that i will be splitting into 2 6x6 (one flower one veg) i was thinkin a 22gallon tote that measures 24in x 18.625 in should give me 4 totes in approx a 4x4 area...would 10 4inch pots fit in a tote that size and grow plants big enough to yield a half ounce or more per plant?

a 1000w would cover maybe 5x5 not much more, i would shrink it to the right side for wall reflection. damn how i would love if i was able to sell you my air pumps, lol i used to do only dwc veg clones and flowering got spare pumps and an electromagnetic central pump for flowering room, i'm leaning towards flood/drain a lot these days from great experience with both, i would love for someone to make use of my stuff, it will lay in my growing gadget box for a long time, i guess i will make the effort and find someone for this, problem is i can't sell through internet lol i'll find a fish hobbyist somewhere around

can anyone reccommend a good nutrient schedule to run Al Bs harvest every two weeks schedule with 4 totes (1 for week 0-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6- im leaning towards general hydroponics nutes and planned on following the feeding chart to begin....0-2 aggresive growth, 2-4 transition, 4-6 aggresive bloom , 6-8 ripen....i am familiar with super thrive and use that in almost all stages on dirt, is that good with the dwc system as well?

general hydroponics or house and garden? they say either at the grow shop....

HnG is kinda expensive ! is it worth it?