a ppk for a 6 plant limit

[McKush]

Heya FM - ill have to look at my journal but this is the first mcppk run so ive little to go on. I went from 4 plants to 2 and then to three and i vegged this round under the epap too... im interested in getting a feel or quantifying it also.

Ive seen one post where someone mentioned 14 to 18 gals in late flower if i rember but no clue how many plants that was including.

Running perp now too so likely never have any firm number as strains change but again i do want to develop a feel for it so im tracking fill dates and amounts.

Would be cool to hear from others on this. Ill post back later.

Peace
H.B.

 

[Miraculous Meds]

How often do you need to haul those two buckets out there? This is something I've thought was funny that no one talks about, how many gallons of nutes in a week with their size of system.

I guess whats the point of discussing that? everybody's situations will be different based on their environment.

If u want an example though. I fill my 55 gal drum about every 5 days once the plants get going good. that's for 8 plants around 4 600's hung vert.

 

[McKush]

^^^ shits and giggles man. good enough for me.

 

[JamesFarmer]

Thanks for all of the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am am about to jump off the cliff & revamp my entire space. Here is what I have in mind:

Convert my existing RDWC systems to PPK.

I have 2x 50 gallon tanks with 38"x54" tops that will each support 4 plants in flower.

I have a 6 site RDWC using 5 gallon buckets linked by 1.5" PVC that will go into my 5'x9' veg space.

Both systems use a 5gallon "control bucket".

I am going to reconfigure my lights so that I have 2x 600watt MH in the Veg room and 3x 1000 HPS in the Flower room.

I will be looking to produce 1-2lb plants in 3.5 gallon buckets. What tailpiece would you all recommend?

Any comments or suggestions for you learned Gent's would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks again!!

Edit: First drawing is the existing layout. Second is the proposed layout.

 

[MrAwder]

Good advice and guidance in here as usual... but I feel like I gotta speak up about the pH thing. For some of you, ignoring pH obviously works great... but it bit me in the ass! Especially since it was drifting up, going above 6.8. I was inputting RO water @ 6.2 and seeing this consistent upward drift. Now I am inputting at 5.6-5.8 and things are looking much better. This still requires me to pH the input water and I monitor the pulse res' but do not adjust them. If they get too out of whack I just dump and refill. Now I may be the exception to the rule, but keeping an eye on pH mattered for me. I'm sure it really depends on your input water and your exact nute ratio... but I just want to say that you should keep an eye on it at least until you have a few PPK runs under your belt.

I mix nutes based on EC, using stock solutions like McKush. 50ml = 0.8EC of 5-12-16, 50ml = 0.53EC. Putting me at 1.33EC and right near the recommended 0.67 ratio. I'm not sure why my RO is different than someone else's RO... but it just seems to be. This mix puts me in the high end of the correct pH range, but once the EC starts to shift with plants eating/drinking, the pH goes up.

As I said I appear to be the exception to the rule, but I have also had people in my thread recommend inputting new mixed solution at 5.6-5.8 to alleviate this issue.

 

[Miraculous Meds]

Thanks for all of the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am am about to jump off the cliff & revamp my entire space. Here is what I have in mind:

Convert my existing RDWC systems to PPK.

I have 2x 50 gallon tanks with 38"x54" tops that will each support 4 plants in flower.

I have a 6 site RDWC using 5 gallon buckets linked by 1.5" PVC that will go into my 5'x9' veg space.

Both systems use a 5gallon "control bucket".

I am going to reconfigure my lights so that I have 2x 600watt MH in the Veg room and 3x 1000 HPS in the Flower room.

I will be looking to produce 1-2lb plants in 3.5 gallon buckets. What tailpiece would you all recommend?

Any comments or suggestions for you learned Gent's would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks again!!

Edit: First drawing is the existing layout. Second is the proposed layout.

Ive ran 3" n 2.5" in those buckets n both seem to work well. I feel that the 3" obviously have less chance of clogging, but the wicking action might work a bit better with the 2.5". going for that large of a plant, id go with the 3".

 

[JamesFarmer]

Attached are some pics of what I am starting with.

The 6 place for Veg is pretty straight forward. I will simply set the 3.5 gallon buckets on top of the 5 gallon buckets with the wick extending through the hole left by the removed net pot. Then plumb a watering manifold from the output of the nute pump.

The 8 place will require reworking the 2" plumbing to connect the two 50 gallon tanks together, drilling new holes in the tank lids to locate the 3.5gallon buckets where I want them and plumbing the watering manifold.

Also attached are pics of my clone space and the first girls that I am going to move to PPK.

 

[JamesFarmer]

Ive ran 3" n 2.5" in those buckets n both seem to work well. I feel that the 3" obviously have less chance of clogging, but the wicking action might work a bit better with the 2.5". going for that large of a plant, id go with the 3".

Thank you.

I have been looking for 2.5" & 3" tailpieces at HomeDepot & Lowes and am not having much luck. I did find this flange at HD: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sioux-Chief-TKO-3-in-x-4-in-Black-ABS-Closet-Flange-883-ATPK/202274071
Together with a 6" length of 3" ABS pipe should be good?

Any other options I should be looking at?

Thanks

 

[JamesFarmer]

Good advice and guidance in here as usual... but I feel like I gotta speak up about the pH thing. For some of you, ignoring pH obviously works great... but it bit me in the ass! Especially since it was drifting up, going above 6.8. I was inputting RO water @ 6.2 and seeing this consistent upward drift. Now I am inputting at 5.6-5.8 and things are looking much better. This still requires me to pH the input water and I monitor the pulse res' but do not adjust them. If they get too out of whack I just dump and refill. Now I may be the exception to the rule, but keeping an eye on pH mattered for me. I'm sure it really depends on your input water and your exact nute ratio... but I just want to say that you should keep an eye on it at least until you have a few PPK runs under your belt.

I mix nutes based on EC, using stock solutions like McKush. 50ml = 0.8EC of 5-12-16, 50ml = 0.53EC. Putting me at 1.33EC and right near the recommended 0.67 ratio. I'm not sure why my RO is different than someone else's RO... but it just seems to be. This mix puts me in the high end of the correct pH range, but once the EC starts to shift with plants eating/drinking, the pH goes up.

As I said I appear to be the exception to the rule, but I have also had people in my thread recommend inputting new mixed solution at 5.6-5.8 to alleviate this issue.

Do you achieve the lower pH by adding additional nutes or by adding pH Down?

 

[MrAwder]

I use phosphoric acid (85%) from a farm store. It's essentially pH down just super cheap. A gallon is like $20 and 1ml moves 5 gal of my water about 0.9 down from 6.6 to 5.7ish. That is after mixing in the Jacks. It's a pretty strong acid though so handle with care.

 

[Gry]

I would like to be able to run a setup for a single plant in a cabinet to keep a mother in. I have a container for the top and went with a 2 inch tail piece. Would like to put on a 3.5 gallon bucket and have the pump live in the bottom bucket. Would I need a control unit if it is set up as a single stand alone module ?

 

[JamesFarmer]

I use phosphoric acid (85%) from a farm store. It's essentially pH down just super cheap. A gallon is like $20 and 1ml moves 5 gal of my water about 0.9 down from 6.6 to 5.7ish. That is after mixing in the Jacks. It's a pretty strong acid though so handle with care.

Kewl!

I will keep that in mind. I have been using GH's powdered pHDown. It is cheaper than the liquid but I am always looking for ways to "do it right" for less $$.

One more question:

Where did you find the gluten free organic hippie? And, what did you say to make him cry??

Edit: I see 85% on Amazon for $25 a liter. How does that compare with the farm store price?

 

[JamesFarmer]

I was looking around for Turface and found that John Deere Landscaping carries it locally for $11.50 a 50lb bag. WAY better than the $47 a bag online. They have locations all over the country.

https://www.johndeerelandscapes.com/home/locations.aspx

 

[McKush]

^^thats where I got mine it was branded as Turface All Sports, they do not carry mvp in my area at least. 6 bags was like $74 and change. thats not bad at all. have not located any professional hydro that i would like to try

 

[Miraculous Meds]

Thank you.

I have been looking for 2.5" & 3" tailpieces at HomeDepot & Lowes and am not having much luck. I did find this flange at HD: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sioux-Chief-TKO-3-in-x-4-in-Black-ABS-Closet-Flange-883-ATPK/202274071
Together with a 6" length of 3" ABS pipe should be good?

Any other options I should be looking at?

Thanks

u might want to go 8" to have that couple extra inches of water to wick up just in case.

I built most of mine when we were using the electrical conduit pvc male n female adapters. Its the grey pvc colored stuff in the electrical section n lowes/home depot etc.. The 3" was harder to find locally but the 2.5" was stocked on the shelf. theres online hardware stores u can order from too. But to use those u have to cut the male fitting close to the threads as it sits inside the pot n u don't want much of a lip.

those are a viable option. But I sure like the new style where u just use the slip inside fitting n use a couple set screws. then theres no glueing the screen on.

 

[av8or]

I built 20 ppk sites with a helper in about two hours using the new system. It's so easy and fast.

 

[gregor_mendel]

I would like to be able to run a setup for a single plant in a cabinet to keep a mother in. I have a container for the top and went with a 2 inch tail piece. Would like to put on a 3.5 gallon bucket and have the pump live in the bottom bucket. Would I need a control unit if it is set up as a single stand alone module ?

You can use the bottom container as a control unit.
Put a float valve on it, and a pump inside, or outside of possible, and use a tire valve on the outlet from your bull reservoir to slow the top off to a trickle.

 

[delta9nxs]

Good advice and guidance in here as usual... but I feel like I gotta speak up about the pH thing. For some of you, ignoring pH obviously works great... but it bit me in the ass! Especially since it was drifting up, going above 6.8. I was inputting RO water @ 6.2 and seeing this consistent upward drift. Now I am inputting at 5.6-5.8 and things are looking much better. This still requires me to pH the input water and I monitor the pulse res' but do not adjust them. If they get too out of whack I just dump and refill. Now I may be the exception to the rule, but keeping an eye on pH mattered for me. I'm sure it really depends on your input water and your exact nute ratio... but I just want to say that you should keep an eye on it at least until you have a few PPK runs under your belt.

I mix nutes based on EC, using stock solutions like McKush. 50ml = 0.8EC of 5-12-16, 50ml = 0.53EC. Putting me at 1.33EC and right near the recommended 0.67 ratio. I'm not sure why my RO is different than someone else's RO... but it just seems to be. This mix puts me in the high end of the correct pH range, but once the EC starts to shift with plants eating/drinking, the pH goes up.

As I said I appear to be the exception to the rule, but I have also had people in my thread recommend inputting new mixed solution at 5.6-5.8 to alleviate this issue.

i think your use of a stock solution may be causing this. anytime time you wet a hydro nute a reaction begins. in a stock solution reactions occur even faster than a dilute solution.

i have been using jack's since oct 2010 and have never had to ph adjust with ro water.

wait until my volume tank is depleted.

fill to about the same level every time without actually knowing the precise water volume.

in a 44 gal brute filled to about 2" down from the top by eyeball i add jack's to 360 ppm at the .5 conversion, noting the number of tablespoons of dry jack's 5-12-26 needed to achieve this or approx this as it's not that critical.

stir briskly with a boat paddle or pump. i just give it 5-6 power strokes with the paddle.

this finding the concentration by meter only has to be done once in a new type of container just to ascertain the number of spoons needed.

then, after the solution has stopped spinning add the same number of dry spoons of calcinit.

give it another 5-6 licks and walk off, you are done.

i don't even own any ph down anymore.

in ro water it will ph initially at around 5.0-5.2. the next day it will be around 5.8-6.0 in the volume tank.

the working reservoirs will run at about 6.0-6.2 for long periods of time if you continuously add solution from the volume tank.

by all means check the solution once in a while but i don't consider changing it out until it runs over 6.5 all the time.

then you can just feed water for a while to steer it back down.

if you mix with the dry product in the volume tank only and don't add anything else to the solution you will never need ph adjusters with jack's and ro water.

try it and see!

 

[delta9nxs]

^^thats where I got mine it was branded as Turface All Sports, they do not carry mvp in my area at least. 6 bags was like $74 and change. thats not bad at all. have not located any professional hydro that i would like to try

turface all sports is a smaller overall particle size than the mvp product. it will have a lower air filled porosity than mvp right out of the bag.

it is more likely to clog up a tailpiece than mvp.

 

[JamesFarmer]

I built 20 ppk sites with a helper in about two hours using the new system. It's so easy and fast.

What is the "new system" ?