Starting seeds to go into ebb and flow buckets.

Have a question on starting seeds for my 5 gallon Gro and Flo buckets.
Last grow I tried starting the seeds in 1.5 inch rockwool cubes and it was a disaster, took forever to get the roots to reach the solution, once they did reach the solution they took off ok but had pH issues which caused zinc deficiency and a fucked up grow.
I am switching to Root Riots to start the seeds and my question is, once they germinate and begin growing in the cubes can I or should I put them in Solo cups of coco and let them develop roots, then wash the coco from the Root Riot cubes and roots prior to putting them in the Hydroton pellets.
I am new to the Gro and Flo buckets and not sure what I did wrong with my last grow. But I am sure the main problem was getting the roots to reach the solution in the buckets.
Any suggestion would be helpful, thanks in advance!

It is the Active Aqua Gro and Flo 2.0.
When the timer activates the pump, in the reservoir, the solution from the reservoir is pumped into a control bucket and that is distributed to the grow buckets via gravity. The system has a shut off switch that activates when the solution reaches a given level. At that time the grow buckets have filled enough to submerge the roots in the grow solution.
When the plants have been setting in the solution for X amount of time the drain pump activates and pumps the solution back to the reservoir.
I have a second pump in the reservoir that activates 30 min. prior to the system pump sends solution to the control buckets and shuts down after 40 minutes. This creates a waterfall effect and provides oxygen to the reservoir.
The control bucket is to the right with the timer attached.


The reservoir with the recirculation pump activated mixing the solution and adding oxygen to the rez.


I hope this explains how the system works.
Thanks for your advice.

My guess is that the control bucket liquid level doesn't get high enough to saturate all the pebbles. Is there a control bucket level sensor that you can raise up to fix the problem? Can you increase the timer setting of the control bucket filling pump? Does the control bucket have a water level limiting pipe whose height can be increased? If not, then....

I'd MacGyver this ebb-n-flow bottom filling gravity fed system into a powered top fed watering system by diverting the control bucket fill pump output to top-feed drippers. The control bucket now is gravity fed. Those short rooted clones will love this mod. Mother Nature is a top waterer.

Isawthelight said:

My guess is that the control bucket liquid level doesn't get high enough to saturate all the pebbles. Is there a control bucket level sensor that you can raise up to fix the problem? Can you increase the timer setting of the control bucket filling pump? Does the control bucket have a water level limiting pipe whose height can be increased? If not, then....

I'd MacGyver this ebb-n-flow bottom filling gravity fed system into a powered top fed watering system by diverting the control bucket fill pump output to top-feed drippers. The control bucket now is gravity fed. Those short rooted clones will love this mod. Mother Nature is a top waterer.

Click to expand...

Ok, so it does make sense and I like the idea. The control bucket does have a sensor and it is set at the manufactures recommended height.

I would have to change pumps, the one that came with the Gro and Flo is only a 250 gal/hour with low pressure, but I have this one that I used on my top fed D/W coco/perlite grows. It is a 12 volt RV transfer pump, 3 gal/min at 55 psi, but I added a 35 psi pressure reducer, and I may need to take that out of the loop. It has a 12 volt converter with it.


Complete unit. The reservoir used with the Gro & Flo is 55 gallon so will not use this 27 gallon rez. I would not need the fan above the reservoir.


I could also use this manifold that I also used on my coco/perlite grows. The combination of the pump and manifold should work out nicely.


Now I am unsure as what to use as drippers, I may be able to use the
360-Degree Full Circle Micro-Bubbler that I used in the past coco/perlite grows also. They are adjustable from 0 to 3' in a streaming pattern. I like it.


Don't believe I would need to do to much to the Control unit. I can mount my irrigation assembly above the 55 gallon reservoir. Then hook it to the Controller timer, use the same feed line to the distribution manifold and go to the plants from there.
Will need to do some testing but I think it should work.