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purps-n-terps posted an update in the group
3 weeks agoAsk a Grow Question I grow hydroponicly with an ebb and flow bucket system. I’ve been searching for good info on flooding times for while in veg to late veg and then into bloom. I’m on my 3rd grow using my system . My biggest problem is my roots are growing outside of my fabric pots and I’m not wanting to stress them while in bloom. By pulling up the pots and shaving the roots down again. In late veg I was flooding twice daily and still having this problem. Is once a day enough for them to get nutrients? You guys are awesome!
Thank you in advance.
11 Comments-
I’m running a bucket based ebb and flow system with clay pebbles. my buckets have a bit of a reservoir at the bottom. in the hot summer at late bloom I flooded 5 times a day, everytime twice (15 min between) to agitate the reservoir and my pump runs for 3 min (that’s how long it takes to flood my buckets). early bloom they were fine with 4 times a day, late veg 3 times a day. for me adding a flood cycle depends on how thirsty they are.
but that’s my system.
my immediate thought was: why do yo use fabric pots in a bucket system? I guess it means you use coco? (not as a criticism, I’m just curious about hydroponic systems)anyway I’m fairly confident that the number of flood cycles won’t solve your root problem. I guess you use the fabric pots for their “air pruning on roots” ability but with a daily irrigation you don’t get enough of a dryback for them to acutally air prune (just a guess, I never used fabric pots)
if you just use them to hold your medium together I’d say your best bet for the long term is to think of an modification of your pots or your system.
on the picture is my irm (integrated root managment). the halfpipe with some holes in it covers the water intake. the roots get through the holes in the halfpipe but nowhere from there. It’s easy to clean: turn the bucket around to get the medium out, take the halfpipe out, clean everthing, put the halfpipe back in
– for now I can only offer you the real untested bro science (so only quote me on this if it works 😜 and no worries if you don’t try it):
flood more often, give the plant what it needs so the roots don’t have to go out and look for it.
but honestly this probably won’t work and you need to have a good eye on your plants to catch any signs of stress and in doubt change back to one cycle a day –
just my two cents, I’m neither an expert for roots nor hydroponics
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@bepennjier cool idea , my liquid comes in from the bottoms of my pots and eventually my roots wiil clog it.
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I use hydroton
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What media are you using? This makes a huge difference.
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@jmystro mother earth hydroton
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@purps-n-terps As long as water temperature is around 68F, you can flood as often as you like during the day. Plants don’t drink at night so you may not need to irrigate during the dark cycle. More frequent watering may require a lower PPM/EC. Most plants are happy with 3-5, fifteen minutes cycles a day.
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@jmystro I was thinking more flooding would slow the roots down so they are not clogging my pots.Which feed from the bottom. I have a water chiller that I keep at 67 F. My system is the active aqua air cube 6 site ebb & flow.I do not flood my plants when lights are out .Still wasn’t sure on flood times and you can’t really find much on the web.Thank you for your time. It’s appreciated.
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This is the problem I’m trying to stop
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@purps-n-terps The fabric pot is the issue. Root pruning pots can only prune roots when the air has low humidity around the pot. Why are you using a fabric pot in a hydro bucket? It’s unnecessary.
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@jmystro That is how the system came in the package and meant to run. 🤷♂️
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@purps-n-terps You can ditch the pot and fill the bucket with hydroton.
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