Hempy Buckets

[Guest Tutu]

Well I've been tossing and turning what system to do next I'm 6 weeks into flower on my first hand watered Coco experiment and I'm very happy but I want to get some auto watering going on now. I'd been eyeing autopot's for a while and have bought a test unit but TBH I'd don't want to spend the cash. I'm rebuilding the grow room and it already is going to cost me a £1000 in wood, sheeting, bulbs, reflectors, filters, insulation, etc.

So after much debate I think I'm going to do a hempy bucket with Coco but I want to grow 1 per 600w so I'm thinking a big bigger scale than normal.

Wilko's sell unitub's 65ltr but they have handle cut outs so they're more like 45-50 ltr, they have no holes in the bottom and are nicely built, £4 each and I already have one. I decided to ditch trays as they're expensive and I already have 3 spare tub outlets from an aborted bubbler project. I'm going to put the tub outlets 2 inch from the bottom of the unitub and connect them to a short pipe I can dunk into cat's earth trays (£1.50 for a 12 litre one in wilkos) to collect the run off which I shall then use in the Garden. I'll raise the unitub's 4 inch off the ground which will let them drain nicely into the earth trays. I'll hang around when watering to catch most of the run off straight away and remove the earth trays empty and replace to catch any remainder. It won't matter if a little is spilt on the floor and they'll be no waterproof sheeting. I will use the RCD (Root control discs) from autopots to cover the tub outlets so perlite and roots don't block the outlet. I shall handwater every 3 days for the first week and then every 2 days after that until harvest. I was considering given I shall sit the unitub on 2 blocks of 4x2 timber putting a tub outlet in the bottom with a bit of hose and a tap on each one so I could drain the tubs every water before adding new nutes.

The tubs themselves are about the same height as the 11ltr pots I shall pot the plants from which means I'm going to have to take 2-3 inch off the bottom of the root balls to accommodate the perlite layer but as we're going to veg for at least another 3 weeks after this I think the plant will easily recover.

A few quick questions

1. Do you think it would be advisable/wroth putting an airstone or 2 in every unitub? Maybe laying on the bottom covered in a little hydroton and then that covered in RCD from autopot systems and then covered in perlite to above the tub outlet level.

2. Could I use hydroton instead of perlite?

3. If I boiled the run off nutes do you think I could re add them to the reservoir? I've read big grow operations do it to save money in Holland and it totally eradicates any nasties. I'm just worried it could change the nutes on a chemical level.

4. How much perlite in the bottom above the tub outlet or just to the level where it drains?

5. Would it be worth adding 4 nylon wicks in a square arrangement to get them going or will the Coco wick fine on it's own.

6. Should I do a perlite/Coco mix or just Coco above the perlite level, the plants being potted up will be Coco only from 11ltr atami's.

7. How strong should I run the nutes?

8. Would I be better just to use 20 ltr buckets instead as Coco is very efficient with root space, my soil roots tell me it won't hurt to use more pot space as long as I give it good veg time after repot to let it settle in nicely. Might cost more in nutes but can live with that.

I think that's all, going to be ready for repot as soon as I finish flowering in the other tent as 3 babies are going under there own 600w (About 2.5 weeks, I shall pot up then) until I can rebuild a new grow room (Mid feb). This time we're ditching the tents and building out of ply and celotex. These plants won't be flowered until beginning of march and are about 6 inch's tall and 14 inches wide at the moment. I'll be flowering them in 110cmx110cm per 600w which works out at roughly 13ft2 or 46w/ft2 and intend to give them at least 2 weeks veg under a 600w each before flowering.

I would like a g/w eventually but first grow through will be BC again so maybe the 2nd time through as I'm defo changing strain after this one.