Basic Hydro Setup

[TW1STA]

Hi,

Really good forum site you people have here! Hope you guys can help me out??

This my first hydro grow setup so please bear with me if my terminaology is not up to par.

Originally i was going to have 6 plants in a hydro setup. Now it looks like i'm going to have only 3 since my other seed havn't sprouted (3 of 12). My setup consists of 2 PVC pipes and a 1000W light. I'm not exactly sure wat this kind of setup is called but the tubes will be fed by a resovoir tank undernether the setup by a water pump.

Now my questions are:
Will i have to change the size of my resovoir bucket? Since i'll be have 3 plants instead of 6. And is my light too much?

[Useless]

Twista, how big is your grow table/ pvc tube area? That will make a big difference in the amount of light you require. You should be pumping about 5-7k lumens per sq. ft. A 1000w MH produces about 125,000 lumens, while an HPS produces 145,000 lumens (hortilux bulb). Basically, a 1000w light is perfect for a 5x5 foot space.
As for the set-up, sounds like an NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) system. IF your nutirent solution pumps into one side of the tube and runs out of the other side, thats exactly what it is. Nice systems and they work very well.
No, you do not need to change or modify the reservoir in any way. Less plants just means the solution will stay more stable over the two weeks you leave it in there.
Hope that helps, let us know if you have any other ?'s...

[TW1STA]

The PVC piping that i'm using is 4" wide and 52" long. And the room that i have it in is .. lets say limited cause its underneath sum stairs. Its about 8' deep 3' wide and about another 8' high. Plus the little room has its own ventilation fan installed.

Now, i know its going to get hot in there so that's why i said maybe a 1000W bulb would be too much for the space i have. Is it possble for the leaves to catch flames if they happen to touch the bulb??

Another question would be about nutrients, which would you choose as the best for veg/flwrg stages and what routine would you use for feeding the nutrients and lighting?

sorry if i have too many questions.

[Useless]

So the actual grow area (the space for the plants is about 3 feet wide and 52" (4 1/3 ft.) long? That makes your grow area about 13 sq, ft. (12.9 to be exact). So, 1000w divided by 13 equals 76.92 watts per square foot. (1000/13=76.92) that is on the high side, but not too much. Alternatively, a 600w would provide 46.15 watts per sq. ft. which is a little more in the "ideal" range. But you shouldn't have any problems with the 1000w if can control temps.
As for the leaves catching on fire, well, it could happen, but you will notice the leaves getting really brown well before they get close enough to the light to ignite.
Nutes is another story. Numerous ways to fert. I like and have had great success with SuperNatural Brand Nutrients. But, they are chemical. ORganics I would recommend are MetaNAturals, and Botanicare Original formulas. Of course there are always organic based ferts too, like Botanicare Pro Blend etc...
You need to decide what you prefer. Let us know and we can help you develop a feeding schedule.

[streakeruk]

your light is on the high side. leaves will dry and yellow when too close. I think you may be able to reduce the ight on time because it is so bright, i went 12/12 to 10/14 to 8/16 and flowered in 6 weeks happily with 600w. with 1000 , you could probably be quicker!!
best luck!
Streaker

[chopstick]

Is it an NFT system then?

[TW1STA]

Chopstick:
I believe this is a flood and drain setup.

Useless:
I guess that would be the actual grow area for my plants, pretty small huh? Would you think i would be able to fit 6 plants growing all together, or should i keep it at 3 all the time.. cuz i was thinking that when my plants are ready to clone i'll have 6 in there.
Would you agree with streakeruk about cutting the lighting down since its a bigger light and would it grow quicker?
Now for ferts... i would rather go with what is easier and at the same time on a budget, but would give me the BEST results.

[hellostupid]

:alien:He's another piece of advice i can contribute:
The bigger your light:
1)The bigger your reservoir must be.I recommend at least a 15gallon( or more )reservoir fer a 1000watter.
2)The more Dilute your Nute ratio should be.

So basically a bigger reservoir will be required to dilute your nutes enough- to compensate fer your cannabis bloom'z heightened Transpiration rate.:smokin:

Hope that helps prevent your plants from burnin'....:)

(Edited by hellostupid at 11:45 pm on July 8, 2003)

[cannabastard]

Funny!!! Im using the same exact system..just starting im a newbie as well..Did you get this system design from High times special grow edition?

[Growannabe]

best thing to do in a room like dat is get the humidity figured spend sum cash on humistat YOU LOVE IT@!!