Humbolt seeds for diary: Black D.O.G. & Bubba Kush 2.0

[Croft92]

@Green demon  that's a fair set up u got there !

Definatley makes me want to look into converting to hydro but I think I need abit more experience first .

Looks incredible 

[Michael Luchóg]

Ah now its better than fair ,it's very good at least ! 

[Green demon]

@Croft92 stop it mate you'll make me blush  Thanks bro just been looking through diaries getting ideas in my head. I mentioned before a drain to waste system Golden Syrup uses, after clarification from himself I've done further research. 

 

The Rhizosystem, Medusa, IWS, Airpot, and I think one other company all market pretty much the same drain to waste system. It consists of individual raised trays for the plant pots, runoff collects and exits the tray through supply line leading the waste to a Brain pot. 

 

Depending on if you are doing drain to waste, drip drain to waste, or flood and drain the brain pot is set up slightly differently. For the basic drain to waste there is a float switch inside the brain pot. 

After watering the plants runoff fills the bucket, when it gets so high it switches on the pump and this will drain the brain pot to a drain, another pot to empty, or back into the res. When the brain pot is empty the switch drops and the pump disconnects.

 

These systems range from a couple of hundred to skies the limit and being a frivolous bastard I was going to buy a kit. Bout £500 for drip drain to waste. Having no money I just looked into how they worked and discovered it was in fact not only very simple, but all the pre designed systems share the same pitfall. The individual trays for each plant are very big and in my opinion designed for trees. The smallest is the rhizo stand at 37.5x37.5cm and the largest is something like 47x50.

 

Looking closely, and speaking to a couple of different hydroshops I realised that the brain pot and trays are simply connected through two glands and supply line. I figured easy enough to drill a hole in a garland tray and connect it to a brain pot. 

 

I spoke to a hydroshop lad well versed in IWS and explained my plan. He said in all honesty he usually tried to dissuade most diyers but in my case he encouraged the idea. Said it should work and we discussed how to go about it. He explained exactly how the brain pot worked and what its components were. I said I'd come in and buy a brain pot.

 

Except I got high and thought it can't be that hard to make a brain pot. A bucket, glands, pump and switch. So I looked at float switches and realised I was in fact very wrong. Making a brain pot could be very hard.

 

Most float switches are DC so they need to be wired to a relay and then the pump. After two days reading I just kept going further down the rabbit hole. Relays need a motherboard, that needs a raspberry pi thing to run it and I was looking at months learning electrical programming.

 

Not what I wanted. I have found a float switch that runs off mains designed for something like a sump pump. The float is tethered so when the water rises it floats, then as its line runs out it gets pulled under going vertical and switches on the pump. Usually at critical point to stop a tank from overflowering. 

 

I think the float might be too big for my purpose but for £12 from machine mart I'm going to risk it. I've bought two glands, a maxijet pump, supply line, and I've got loads of buckets and trays to test the system on.

 

@Croft92 sorry if I lost there bro  IMHO although I absolutely fluffed my first run in coco, didn't do great in my second, and ended up killing all plants on my third run, (now on my fourth attempt) Coco hydro is so much easier than organics. 

 

I dont think coco will produce a product as good as organics, but I do want to see how close I can get. For a beginner I would recommend coco over soil any day. So much more forgiving and from how I understand it, it's like the perfect medium.

 

30% oxygen is available to the roots at all times minimum, even when fully saturated. A cannabis plant needs? 30% oxygen at its roots. Hence the fable coco can't be over watered. A well rooted out pot can't be, a seedling in a big pot with no root system can.

 

Coco gets quicker responses than organics in growth and in response to feed. Overfeed in coco you know then and there and can correct it, in organics you wait a week to find out you've been over dosing and then a myriad of problems all hit you at once. 

 

Even feeding salts in soil coco blows it away. Soil you feed then wait days for it to dry before you can get another feed down them. Coco you get people feeding once a day, twice a day, three, five, and even continuously on a slow drip.

Now coco is hydroponic. As the water drips down fresh oxygen is pulled with it into the root zone thus making nutrients, water and oxygen constantly available to the plant. 

 

Just by a ph pen and EC meter, all you need mate. Pour nutes into bucket til you get desired EC. Stick ph pen in and adjust to desired level then water. Simples.

 

Like you I used to think hydro complex and made myself wait until I had more experience. Sure an NFT system or DWC is alot harder, maintaining res temps, ph, EC, staying on top of cleaning and all that types of malarkey. 

 

But it in all honesty coco is easy and should produce similar results when dialled in by a pro. Get a bag and you'll never look back!

 

@Michael Luchóg that's honour coming from you brother, I'm working on getting it to halfway decent  

Edited October 21, 2017 by Green demon

[Croft92]

@Green demon  you've 100% put in some research fairplay to you ! Thank you for that very persific explanation I think I now get it , cheers mate.

I grow with a mate but we were thinking a flood and drain system as we heard some good feedback at out local hydro shop .

Goodluck with the experiment , keep me updated with progress if you would !

[Green demon]

@Croft92 no worries brother I feel like this is what we're all here for. Helping each other achieve a higher excellence. I liked the look of flood and drain initially which gave me the idea for the drip table I put together.

Read through a few hydro diaries mate and you'll soon get an idea what each system is about, the pitfalls and benefits of each as it were. Will do on the brain pot update, even if I fluff that  

[Croft92]

Well I have approx 3 weeks left on my current crop so I will defiantly give it some thought . this is only my 2nd crop so just finding my footing really ! Thanks again for all ur useful info 

@Green demon

[HSO-Mark]

Hi mate

 

Just 1 question are you merging this grow with your other HSO adventure? 

 

I think so but best to ask 

 

Kind regards 

 

HSO-Mark..