This is terrible drainage right?

I am wondering if this may be causing issues for me. Even bubbles trying to escape from the bubbler in the bottom has a hard time escaping up there. Its forced out of the sides where the 2 buckets meet.

It can't drain because some air needs to get out for the water to get in.

Renfro said:

It can't drain because some air needs to get out for the water to get in.

Click to expand...

The bubbler is not running in that video. When I first planted it was not like that. The roots clogged the tiny holes. It used to drain fast even with the bubbles going. Now, even bubbles have a hard time escaping upwards with no water dripping in the top. I'm having lots of issues and I've been running around in circles for weeks. I've tried everything. I am very suspicious that water from the dripper is pooling up in the hydroton unable to drain or breath properly.

I sound like a broken record, but ditch that silly thing, pot with pro-mix and learn drain to waste.

DaFreak said:

I sound like a broken record, but ditch that silly thing, pot with pro-mix and learn drain to waste.

Click to expand...

Well I'm doing that too when I clone or get a new plant. I'm germinating some seeds but honestly its little things that screwed this up.

I'm embarrased to say I made all these mistakes before but I didn't really remember till I ran into them again because it was like 13 years ago. I'm getting old and senile. I remember my hydroton giving me grief because I didn't wash it properly. I remember putting bigger and more holes in the pot. I remember lugging those huge bottles for coolers and filling them up from a bakery with RO water. I am a dad that shares a kid with her mom so I was so exited when she went to her moms I had little time to setup and rushed it all.

I've grown outside, inside, and in hydro and I liked hydro 1000% times more. It was fun, plants grew bigger and faster, its techy which I love. If I am to quit from running into problems my first grow I would never grow. I had problems in all the grow methods I tried that I had to learn and figure out. Can't be a quitter haha. I've been fighting this plant so I make all the mistakes and all the learning I can so my next plant I'll be an expert haha. I have full confidence my next one will be awesome. I only screwed up my first go last time too. I had 1/2 the space I have this time, less gear, less time, etc.

I love my setup now that everything is done. Just gotta try again. A friend is coming over today to help me pull it out and see what's going on in the hydroton, and then it is going into soil. I was hoping my cloner was in by now. This is a blue dream plant, the seeds I have are random crap from locals. Some of them were from plants that were not potent at all so I kinda want a piece of that clone without bothering my neighbor for more. Hes a medical grower but I hate asking for shit. Hopefully when I pull it out I'll see rot because then I know it's not another variable I am missing. I'll chop and clean the roots manually and my friend will take the plant and put it in their greenhouse. They have a green thumb and will bring it back to health in dirt, or at least keep it alive till my stupid cloner finally arrives so I can try to clone it.

If the roots are not I will attempt to repot it in my modified waterfarm with better drainage and properly washed and balanced hydroton.

I ain't no quitter haha, but I will grow more plants in pots for outside once it warms up a bit more here. I was busy yesterday setting up an indoor vegtable garden. I purchased some promise already My kiddo will have fresh tomatoes and peas and herbs and peppers all growing indoor. I was even thinking of using my second waterfarm for hydroponic cherry tomatoes lol. I am waiting on a glowlight and stand to finish the setup while I sprout some seeds. I still need to finish the bottom shelf and get my T5s installed under there but here's a pic. That's a fish tank light, it's a high end bright full spectrum one for planted tanks. I put it to good use since it was just laying there. Lights are in night mode I forgot to tell it no light at night for the plants. It's just after 5 am here I should he sleeping. Those buckets are setup with promise except the small one. 2 covered ones are not planted the open one has peas I'm sprouting

Difference between quitting and making a smart choice. If you use hydro nutrients in promix you are still doing hydro with same results. Reason I tell you to do drain to waste is because you will get more bud with better results, and I am confident about that after reading your answer. Good luck doing what you’re doing though.

500ml of h2o2 daily for 3 days and 50ml of chlorine a day as well with the same water seems to have turned it around. I also soaked it all right to the rim before flushing with new nutrients with 500ml and 50ml in pure water. I know it's a serious overdose and the plant looked like hell going through that but after a day of recovery it looks better than it ever has! Now if it only stays like that. I used only GH grow micro bloom full strength. Sensyzime full strength and a slight overdose of great white benificials in the water and right in the hydroton.

We will see where this goes. Cloner comes today too so I will take some snips and I have no reason to be patient with this plant anymore. So it better behave or die lol.

I don't use air stones in my waterfarms because they're not needed... Not just my opinion, I've got the pics to prove it.. Where is your waterlevel? It needs to be at or slightly below the hydroton bucket.. The hydroton in the WF provides all the oxygen the plant needs. The surface area of 9 liters of hydroton, flushed with more than 120 gals of water a day, provides sufficient interface for the transfer of the needed oxygen..
Here's a couple WFs that used no air stones..
https://www.rollitup.org/t/sun-systems-lec-315-reviews.742794/page-11#post-12521401

This is a good WF read. Bound to give you a little insight. https://www.rollitup.org/t/pineapple-express-g13-labs-seed-to-harvest.344359/
It's the thread that got me started with WFs..

mytwhyt said:

I don't use air stones in my waterfarms because they're not needed... Not just my opinion, I've got the pics to prove it.. Where is your waterlevel? It needs to be at or slightly below the hydroton bucket.. The hydroton in the WF provides all the oxygen the plant needs. The surface area of 9 liters of hydroton, flushed with more than 120 gals of water a day, provides sufficient interface for the transfer of the needed oxygen..
Here's a couple WFs that used no air stones..
https://www.rollitup.org/t/sun-systems-lec-315-reviews.742794/page-11#post-12521401

This is a good WF read. Bound to give you a little insight. https://www.rollitup.org/t/pineapple-express-g13-labs-seed-to-harvest.344359/
It's the thread that got me started with WFs..

Click to expand...

Did you modify it in any way? Like bigger drain holes?

mytwhyt said:

I don't use air stones in my waterfarms because they're not needed... Not just my opinion, I've got the pics to prove it.. Where is your waterlevel? It needs to be at or slightly below the hydroton bucket.. The hydroton in the WF provides all the oxygen the plant needs. The surface area of 9 liters of hydroton, flushed with more than 120 gals of water a day, provides sufficient interface for the transfer of the needed oxygen..
Here's a couple WFs that used no air stones..
https://www.rollitup.org/t/sun-systems-lec-315-reviews.742794/page-11#post-12521401

This is a good WF read. Bound to give you a little insight. https://www.rollitup.org/t/pineapple-express-g13-labs-seed-to-harvest.344359/
It's the thread that got me started with WFs..

Click to expand...

Those are nice plants. I used the waterfarm with great results before. First round I ran into issues from no RO, not washing and ph balancing it. Second round I put bigger holes, added an air stone, and put the dripper on a timer once the roots hit the water and my plant was huge. I used AN line but not the complete one I was poor.

It was in 2007. I forgot all that and jumped right in and here I am with issues. I only started having issues after the following:

Switch from GH to AN, installed new more powerful ( and hotter ) light, and the dripper clogged due to a fault (more like I got a mangled inner tube). The room overheated while I was away for a few hours. I came back and it was 40 celcius in there lol.

Anyway it looks like its back on track now, I wont celebrate yet each time I get it going it slowly starts suffering. I'm positive theres root rot in the hydroton. Last 3 days I've been seriously overdosing with h2o2 and chlorine, enough to kill the plant. It survived but looked like shit. I flushed it yesterday with new nutes and it started improving. Today it looks pretty good. I just took snips to clone.

I don't know enough to say it doesn't need it from the looks of your plat you don't. I don't know if it's better one way or another but may people add a stone and better drainage and swear by it. I can't see it hurting. I added a res too because I was adding water too often and adjusting ph. It's more stable now.

All I know is my last grow with the modified waterfarm and AN organic nuts produced the best pot I've seen. I'm not around it much but it's certainly better than anything my friends grew in every way from speed and size, to quantity and quality.

I'm just trying to replicate or beat that.

I'll read though everything you provided me. Thank you.