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Hempybucket/bucquet test

I have had success growing plants of all types outdoors in a hybrid hempybucket. For those of you who don't know, a hempybucket is one of the simplest passive hydro grow techniques. Fill a bucket with 50/50 mix of perlite/vermiculite, and drill a hole 2" or so from the bottom. Water by hand or pump until the hole begins to drain with any hydro nutes.

For an organic soil based grow, I build a pot with 2/3rd perlite mix, 1/3 soil. Water with ph water only and top dress the soil with organic ferts of your choosing. Usally do this in 3-5 gallon containers and its grown peas, tomatoes, herbs of all kinds :joint: with great success.


I have been interested to see if this method will translate to a Dr Bud microSOG 20oz pot. As my females head into the 2nd half of the flower cycle, I am having to water the 20 oz pots like mad. With a hempy setup, I can just fill a tray with pots, then fill the tray with water and the perlite will wick up moisture as needed without any worry about overwatering.

I have about 30 days left until my first harvest, so that should be long enough to see if this works. Two identical superbud male clones were volunteered for this suicide mission, and have been planted into 16oz pots. One is pure hempy, and the other is my hybrid HempyBucquet.

Will be feeding them the Dr BudGreengenes "roll your own" wallmart nutes that I have been using for all my other plants...

Per gallon:
4 drops superthrive
4 droppers shultz 10-15-10
1 Tbsp fish emulsion
1 Tbsp molasses

The test starts today... Will test the nutes, config, and give me sometihng to keep me busy while I wait for my first indoor harvest to ripen. :muahaha:

Hoping this adjustment works as it would greatly improve the ease of grow cab maintenance with a microsog!

hempytest.jpg
 

blynx

WALSTIB
Moderator
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Did you put a single hole in the side of the containers? or multiple holes on the bottom?
 
blynx said:
Did you put a single hole in the side of the containers? or multiple holes on the bottom?

I put three 1/4 inch holes about an inch and a half from the bottom. I did a few small holes rather then one big one to keep the perlite from streaming out the holes along with the water/nutes. I will water by hand every day for a week to allow the clones to root down into the "water table". Then will stop and wait for the plants to show me that they are thirsty & water only as needed.
 

Connoisseur300

Smoke it if ya got it!!
Veteran
Hell yeah. I've been wanting to see it also. I want to see how tall most of your strains get using this method.
 
With image uploading still broken I can't update, but after 9 days, the hempybucquet is about twice as large as the classic hempy. Each test pot has received the same nutes as mentioned before...

Per gallon:
4 drops superthrive
4 droppers shultz 10-15-10
1 Tbsp fish emulsion
1 Tbsp molasses

I watered each pot until runoff occurred daily for the first 5 days, now will water only when needed. (lift method)

Will add photos when IC fixes the uploading problem.
 
Here is the updated progress shot. As you can see, on day 10, my soil hybrid (Pot on the left) is outperforming the classic hempy. Roots have made their way to the bottom of the pot, so I don't have to water more then every 4-5 days at the moment.



Assuming that the initial growth burst is because of the nutes immediately available to the clone roots. Now that the roots are filling out the pots, we will begin to see if the classic hempy can try to catch up a bit.
 

bigd21

Member
nice very very nice, I grow hempy style also I may have to try the modified version. one question your pic of the design shows very defined layers, should it be this way or was that just for art purposes? oh one more thing do you ever just give them water with no nutes or is it nutes every time you water?
 
Last edited:
bigd21 said:
one question your pic of the design shows very defined layers, should it be this way or was that just for art purposes?

No, that is the way I set it up. For a 5 gallon "bucquet", I use a layer of coir fiber to separate the perlite and the soil layers. I did not do that for this test, and will see how badly the soil migrates down into the perlite layer when I do my autopsies. :muahaha:

The goal is the let the plant put its nute roots into the soil layer, and put nothing but water roots into the rez area.

do you ever just give them water with no nutes or is it nutes every time you water?

I have been giving them the Dr Bud nute mix each time I water. (see above posts) Wanted to see if this would work for the hempy or if the molasses and fish emulsion putrefies and rots out the roots. My goal is to get this dialed so that I can just fill a tray with water, superthrive, and shultz, and just top dress the soil with molasses and fish emulsion every week or two when the plants get hungry.

Would be a very low maintenance microsog if it works. :friends:
 

bigd21

Member
thanks for the reply I am running something similar (journal on riu) 16oz beer cups hempy styl 3/4 of the way with perlite, i then break apart a jiffy pellet and make a layer and then top with perlite so far so good...i will stay tuned thanks a bunch
 
awesome to see someone trying this, just started my first hempy and may do a soil one like urs side by side tonight too, hows the fish emulsion working? doesn't it stink more just sitting in the hempy? i've been tryin to figure out if my existing organic nutes would work in such a system, i have pure blend originals and earth juice bloom and fish emulsion and maxicrop
 
stankj said:
sick! what kind of soil is in the top of the hempy hybrid?

Hmm I posted a reply earlier. WTF? :badday:

The soil is organic potting soil from a whole foods. "coast of maine" brand. I just added 1/3rd perlite and after mixing moistened it with molasses water to get the micro herd going. Gave it a week to cook and started using it.
 
On day 14 of the test, the soil layered "bucquet" continues to outperform the traditional hempy.



The white hair roots for water uptake have now reached the rez zone for the bucquet, no visible roots yet for the bucket.


 
wow ur soil hit first huh? so far mine are equal but the hempy's a just a lil ahead in root development over the soil mix but not too much, i'd still consider em equal, as far as growth there hasn't really been any yet
 

InPotiTrust

Active member
I'm thankful your doing this test hempybucquet as i also grow SOG with the docs methods but found that the plants take alot of water from week 5 on and was looking at doing something like this so i'll be tuned in.
 
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