Hempy buckets?

[CaptainTrips]

Ok fine.. rock wool is a wick, a really good wick. Too good for me... lol soaks up water like a sponge. But I still don't think perlite is a poor wick. If you put water in the bottom, the top will become wet by capillary action.


Oh and yes the rocks i used at first didnt wick at all. I think the top was only getting a little wet by evaporation, lol. But things still worked pretty good, although they probably werent getting any food until the roots hit the res.

 

[Dalaihempy]

I don't want to get in a argument fight... I will just say this tho. Just because someone is in the hydro business doesn't mean they know anything, or are even experts. They just know what they do, and anything different must be wrong.

Not one person has all the answears mate if they say they do there full of shit the only time any one person stops lorneing is when they die.

And it was not just one person it was many so called hydro experts the one thats had the company since 1969 has many degres and has done lots of research and developement in this field.

also CW had hydro experts to and i belive some of the best cannabis growers around the world they wrong to.

I am not here to fight im here to point out facts lifes to short why i dont give a flying fuck about much any more mate only things that matter to me i cear about now days.

Also, I don't know how you can say perlite doesn't wick. It obviously does. You put a little water in a cup/bucket of perlite, all the perlite will become damp after not long. No its not like rockwool, but that is not what I would call wicking. It becomes completly soaked if you set rock wool in a small amount of water.

Perlite floats mate if you think your wright then run an experement like water a H_bucket with only perlite then let it stand for a few days so all drains down then place a young seedling in it or a freshly rooted clone in the top and dont water it put it under a light tell me it will be alive in 2 days it will dry up and die why becouse the top medium will become dry and that is why i tell people to water daily untill you see growth starting becouse growth at the top also means roots have grown and headed down to seek out water/moisture the medium below is more compact and will remail moist longer than the top will further down you go to the rez the longer it will stay moist and the cooler it is as its away from lite and heat.


Agine RW/Coco wick perlite does not.

 

[Pharma Geddon]

I first used hempy buckets about a year ago after 6 years of bubblers, maybe my experiences will be of use to someone.

First grow I had the pH too low and the nutes too weak. Once I got it right all was well. I use the lucas formula and they get that from 2 weeks of the seeds getting wet to the day before harvest. I use Liquid Silicon as pH up.

As I have a float valve on the ro res, (which is on a table,) mixing up the nutes is a doddle. In goes the same amounts of micro, bloom and silicon each time, pour it all into the container below and that's it. I gave up checking the pH some 4 months ago as every time it didn't read 6.1 it was my pen needing to be calibrated. So I thought stuff it, I'll wait until they complain and so far they haven't complained at all.

For some reason, 100% perlite isn't rated as a growing medium. No idea why, it performs very well. It gets added to soil and coco to improve drainage and 'add air' so a bucket of nothing but perlite is plenty of air is it not? Vermiculite gets added for it's water holding abilities but as I'm in at 6pm (lights on) most nights, feeding every 24hrs isn't that big a hassle. With feeding just once a day there's no chance of overwatering and the runoff gives them a bit of a flush.

The problem with a schedule that has you feeding them every 3 days is that it always seems to be the 3rd day that Mata Hari drags you off for a dirty weekend and they go 5 days without. The bucket dries out and being a very light medium don't be surprised if they've fell over by the time you return. Feeding every day does cost a bit more in nutes but it's worth it to me.

I have seen hempy bucket grows where they've been transplanted but imo they were unimpressive. With passive hydro it seems to be nothing happening for 2 weeks then WOW! so best not to transplant.

 

[paulobaca]

Was told by somebody at a hydro store that vermiculite has been banned in CA. Guess Im going to try the straight perlite everyday.

 

[Lord Doobie]

you could also use coco as a water holder or, like the post at the top of the page, Turface in place of vermiculite
but these just add to the cost IMO

 

[1stimer]

Was told by somebody at a hydro store that vermiculite has been banned in CA. Guess Im going to try the straight perlite everyday.

Straight perlite works great as does a perlite coco blend. I am trying out a few different mediums right now. I have straight perlite, a 70/30 blend of perlite/coco, and a bucket with the bottom 1/2 perlite and the top 1/2 coco. The one with the 1/2 perlite 1/2 coco seems to be growing just a little faster than the other 2. I would say it is a tie between the straight perlite and perlite/coco blend. I will wait to flower everything to base my final conclusions but so far it looks like I will be switching to 1/2 perlite on the bottom and 1/2 coco top. It seems to produce the best growth rate.

 

[one Q]

1stimer: what do you feed your perlite on the bottom \coco on top pots? do you do coco specific?

 

[1stimer]

I have been using the GH Mirco and Bloom, Lucas formula, with every watering. I water every 2 days but could get away with every 3 or 4 days with the 50/50 bucket. I add cal mag 5ml/gal about once a week. I also soaked the coco before using with calmag at 10ml/gal to "charge" the coco. It seems to be working great so far.

This is my 1st time with coco and also my 1st time with the hempy buckets but everything has been easy cheesy so far with some great results. I had a few soil plants in 7" containers I transplanted to the hempy buckets and they are exploding within 3 days of being transplanted.

I couldn't be happier with the hempy buckets and just want to say thanks to hempy for showing us an easy hydro system. I can't believe I waited so long to try this method. I don't think I will ever grow any other way again.

 

[Dalaihempy]

You know it is that simple all people need is what i posted on page one in the first page i think my spellings was clear inuf for all to read it to lol.

The basic formula is all you need.

6 and a bit years after first posting on this method i have used my self for decades i really am amazed to see so many people useing it and how far and wide it has gone i must admit there has been times i thort maybe it was best i never posted on it from the trolls i have had to deal with but im starting to understand to not show to much intrest in them as there just sad little people who have nothing to contribute to help others in this community but are more about there ego and are very easy to shoot down if i seek to but that gets old to.

What they fail to understand is i am very honest i have no agenda or do i cear about my ego shit if i did i would be nice to every one even the scammers lol.

Any way i am really happy those of you that use the method are also happy with it all i really wanted when i sheard it.

I mite open up and let out some more info in 2009 i do have a few tricks up my sleve that like the hempy bucket is very non text book growing i have worked out over decades of growing that would make the tex book growers shake there head but pictures dont lie.

Merry christmas every one and happy healthy safe 2009.

 

[one Q]

i think my spellings was clear inuf.

what?!

 

[Robin_of_Loxxy]

i use miracle grow brand perlite no prob.....

 

[one Q]

have you updated latley robin? what's the deal with the hempys under flouros?

 

[paulobaca]

well I am a bit intimidated by Coco since I read it retains nutes and requires coco nutes so I will try straight perlite and water once a day.

 

[In_Curious]

Just went through this thread. Very interesting. Just courious, if made hole about 4'' from bottom, would it let me water them each 4-5 days?