stu914 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 This is a nine pot system designed to bring on seedlings/clones until they have a good root system prior to going into DWC or RDWC. I've used my old dwc picnic box as a reservoir and found a washing up bowl online which has a drain in the centre to use as a top tray. I had to chop the legs off in order for it to fit the top of the reservoir, conveniently it's 100mm drain which fits perfectly into the lid. Nine pot system fed by drippers The plants are in the small prop to the right on top of the smscom controller, nice gentle heat underneath, just waiting for lift off before transfer into the system. Drains back via the central drain, pots supported on plastic coated mesh. Reservoir has a 50w aquarium heater, microjet (for fluming) and maxi-jet 1000 feeding the drippers, the second hose is an overflow (just in case) Nice steady res temps keeps the roots cosy The finished article running, once the plants are up there will be a cover to keep light out. Be interesting to see how this performs over the coming weeks Questions on a postcard please.... 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Lovely job that is mate, just what im looking for. whats the overflow for? in case the drain blocks im supposing, so its just an extra drain from the top to the res aye? im off up the loft for a rummage, im sure ive got enough spares to rig up something similar 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 27 minutes ago, badbillybob said: whats the overflow for? in case the drain blocks im supposing, so its just an extra drain from the top to the res aye? Belt and Braces Billy...(there's a new name for ya...) I try to cover all the bases It's just an open hose about an inch below the rim straight back into the res,15mins x 9 spouts is a lot of water, last thing I need is wet feet and you don't need the competition... Give me a shout if needs bud... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 If you havn't earned your black belt in bailing out tents, you are still classified as amateur cheers for posting the pics mate, should prove useful 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoscoops Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Nice diy work, great idea. Plants are alright but the pots n pans are filthy . 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 45 minutes ago, twoscoops said: Plants are alright but the pots n pans are filthy . Got to get your priorities in order bud... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted April 2, 2021 Share Posted April 2, 2021 ive probably asked you this already, but are you leaving the dripper on 24/7 or is it timed? and if its timed, how many cycles are you doing in a day? cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 2 hours ago, badbillybob said: ive probably asked you this already, but are you leaving the dripper on 24/7 or is it timed? and if its timed, how many cycles are you doing in a day? cheers The washing up bowl is a failed experiment so I've gone back to this... When they first go in I only feed once a day, as they grow increase to every six hours then four and so on. Once the roots are out of the pot they can take plenty of cycles, consider dwc where they are permenently submerged, this way they are getting max oxygen Currently the ones in flower are 15mins on 30mins off 24/7...I'll get some pics up later atb 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted April 2, 2021 Author Share Posted April 2, 2021 @badbillybob These seedlings are on 15mins every 4 hours, 3 x Do Si Do & 1 x Pure Kush, about another week and they'll go into the main flower room. Here's the main flower room...flood and drain table converted into a nine pot top feed automatic watering system Maxijet pump on a timer, 50w heater, micro pump (for mixing nutes) Sensi Base Nutes Grow and Bloom, Buddhas Tree PK That's all I use, no other additives or boosters...never PH either... These were flipped a few days ago, nearest two General's Daughter (I think there's a boy and a girl) Malteezerz in the middle, Acid rear left and Green Crack Roots nice and cosy at around 23c-24c resting on the table, no chiller needed. Fed as already mentioned. Slight staining on the roots caused by the nutes, perfectly normal. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSZZ Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 Looking lovely Stu and I really like your system! Whats the depth like on those ebb n flow top trays? I've been eying them up lately (as I don't have room for an external res') but no where says what the actual depth of the top tray is, just the whole system is 33cm high! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 yep, its looking pretty appealing, i have to say, no chiller and lowish maintenance. im gonna be a pest and ask some more questions.... do you stick with 15 min feed every 4 hrs in bloom or up it with extra feeds as they get biggger? how often do you do a complete res change ever have issues with the lines clogging, or roots etc? cheers 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 1 hour ago, GSZZ said: depth like on those ebb n flow top trays? Hi bud, top tray is 12/13cm deep, if you add the actual 'grooves' in the tray there's probably another 2/3cm. The original system is designed for larger pots or the whole tray can be filled with pebbles (fecking hard work and a waste imo) The top cover that comes with it is only a flimsy 2mm correx which won't support pots so I made one from 9mm osb board covered in b/w plastic. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSZZ Posted April 3, 2021 Share Posted April 3, 2021 @stu914 perfect dude thank you, I am only using 4ltr fabric pots and I was concerned that it wouldn't flood deep enough and I'd have to have them soaking for ages, but I am pretty confident that the flood depth is probably only about 2/3cm max off the top of the pots. Stick between 9 - 12 pots per tray, fuck the correx off completely I can't imagine with the plants being so boxed in Algae won't be an issue (famous last words). 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted April 3, 2021 Author Share Posted April 3, 2021 @badbillybob Hi bud, The one's in flower are 15mins on 30mins off and they seem happy with that. The feed lines never clog as they are open ended unlike drippers. First res change is usually after they've been in for about a month, once the plants begin to grow I reduce time to every couple of weeks. (you're never a pest mate...) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbillybob Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 Hey @stu914, you've convinced me......right,im sold on it, .... im away to see a NFT gt424 set up tomorrow, a mate is flogging. its got a microjet and maxijet pump, and some other bits and pieces. it would fit in my wee tent a treat, or maybe in the room of shitty blumat coco plants, in the non blumat corner. im thinking i could use this, without the corex obvs, and do a OSB board on top, with jigsawed holes to sit the netpots in. Having never done NFT, im not sure there will be enough height/room between the bottom of the osb and the runoff tray to "suspend" the netpots/ OSB board above the tray, it looks quite low. i think raising it would be a bad idea for algae etc but i suppose i could fashion some sort of skirt around the osb sheet........ .Any ideas? im gonna use the same alien pots you have, if it helps, or ive got the 200mm iws ones?? cheers i will use the microjet pump to stir the res and use a maxijet, with a hose loop with drippers to top feed the plants . i was thinking of just using one hose to each netpot, terminating in a tee near the middle of the netpot, to save my lazy ass from doing drip rings. What do you think? Can you see any issues with this @stu914 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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