Thank you, MrFlatbush for this suggestion. I have quickly checked the scheme attached and found it quite similar to my setup. The only difference i can see it has no return line to close the loop like i'm planning. But I can't still figure out what Brain pot is. Also can you please elaborate more (in case of the scheme attached represents your suggestion correctly) why is no pH control required here and no chiller? Would roots not be rotting in high temperatures?
Hi there,
There are many variations of a flood and drain system. In your model you have multiple buckets that periodically fill and then drain back to a reservoir. I have seen people run this version with success.
I run a simpler, more traditional F&D using a flood tray. My plant(s) sit in the flood tray, not connected to anything. The individual pots have holes on the bottom. When the tray fills, each pot fills from the bottom. When the tray empties, the tray drains back to the rez. I'm quite micro and it only takes 2 minutes to fill my flood tray. After 2 minutes the pump turns off and it drains back to the reservoir that sits immediately below. This happens once an hour, 24/7. The external reservoir sits below my cabinet at room temperature, not grow cabinet temperature. I don't use a brain bucket. I try to keep everything as simple as possible.....One flood tray, one rez, one fill line, one drain line, one pump. It is also virtually impossible for my variation to have a leak, which is a plus. I frequently leave my system unattended for 1-2 weeks at a time when I travel. My plants grow the fastest when I am away
I am definitely not an expert. I can only comment on what I have tried, what has worked for me, and what has failed for me.
I have never ran a chiller and never had an issue. I also haven't seen any other F&D's run a chiller. Generally the only systems I have seen that chill are ones that are constantly circulating, with submerged roots.
As I mentioned before, I used to obsess over pH and water temps.....until I got lazy and stopped. My plants still rewarded me with bud, so I stopped obessing and never looked back.
So why isn't pH and temperature an issue here? My best guess is that my roots are only sitting in water for 2 minutes every hour. Also, my external rez sits at room temperature and isn't heated by hot lights or a submersible pump running 24/7.
I attached a detailed, AutoCAD schematic of my design.
I hope some of that ramble helps......
Also, was going towards full automatization (with manual ScrOG placement) with esp8266 so obsession with pH is not an issue.
