Is coco really right for me?

[Endrega]

So I have this tent 4x4 or 1,2x1,2 depending on the point of standing.
My goal is to run hydro with automatic watering.
My biggest concern is flexibility with time.

I love to spend some time caring for my grow every day, but I also have to be able to leave it for 7-10 days running completely by itself. I am aware that there is a getting-to-know-eachother phase before I can leave the grow for a couple days alone. That will be then my winter project.

My friends all voted that coco slabs with a dripper system would be the best choice. I would like to get some 2nd opinions just to get a picture how it would work.

To achieve my goal how big must the nutrients tank be?
After 10 days you have to reset the nutrients anyway, so I would like to size the tank accordingly and that will raise a ton of other questions.

I run solo, so when I am away the plants are on their own.
I would be much obliged if anyone could help me jump start this thing.

All the best to you guys!

 

[exoticrobotic]

My friends all voted that coco slabs with a dripper system would be the best choice.

You'll need some dripper system, i'd go for something more inert like clay pebbles, rockwool, or a perlite/vermiculite mixture.

To achieve my goal how big must the nutrients tank be?

That depends how long you want to be away for. You'd have to run it for a run and see how much water they take but at a guess in soil they take 2 litre per day/plant.

So if you have 5 plants and want to leave them for 10 days the water reservoir may have to be 100 litres or more. Add 20% leg room and its 120 litres, basically a small bath...

 

[exoticrobotic]

I'd get a flood and drain table and use rockwool cubes on a spreader mat.

Use two pumps per table just in case one fails.

 

[exoticrobotic]

If you already had nutes in the soil you could maybe plumb in a toilet float valve to top up a reservoir, set up some drippers then return after 10 weeks.

 

[Endrega]

i'd go for something more inert like clay pebbles, rockwool, or a perlite/vermiculite mixture.

right now I am using clay pebbles on ebb/flow. 2x 80liter tanks.

So if you have 5 plants and want to leave them for 10 days the water reservoir may have to be 100 litres or more. Add 20% leg room and its 120 litres, basically a small bath...

It will be more like sea of green. About 20 plants in 5 slabs. Those 1m slabs.
Since one tank would have to be dedicated for drain I think I could go up to 100L inside the tent. That is also crucial. There is no space outside the tent for the tank.

 

[exoticrobotic]

Since one tank would have to dedicated for drain I think I could go up to 100L inside the tent. That is also crucial. There is no space outside the tent for the tank.

Why dont you use a large NFT tray and recirculate the water?

Maybe you can get one that holds enough water.

 

[Endrega]

If you already had nutes in the soil you could maybe plumb in a toilet float valve to top up a reservoir, set up some drippers then return after 10 weeks.

Medium should be reusable, or at least light.

I am a butcher on plants when it comes to soil. I thought about soil and blumats, but I it's too much soil when i scale up. I have 4 of those tents

 

[Endrega]

Why dont you use a large NFT tray and recirculate the water?

Maybe you can get one that holds enough water.

It's funny that you would propose that because I think my ebb/flow is totally fine. I thought mybe NFT, too. 2x 80 Liters are enough there.

But all my friends keep telling me: Its bull...sh to grow ebb/flow. Everyone runs coco mats in this size. Recirculating you don't now about nutrients exchange.
And they say it is no problem to run it so I can go on vacation for a week or so. But none of them are currently growing this way.

It really starts bothering me, so I wanted to get a few other opinions from people with experience.

 

[exoticrobotic]

I think my ebb/flow is totally fine.

do that then

Recirculating you don't now about nutrients exchange.

If you want to be gone for only a week or ten days maybe you dont need to worry about that and just change the res and fresh nutes each week/ten days.

Good luck fella. Let us know what ends up working best.

 

[StickyBandit]

I have an idiot proof idea for myself that involves hempy buckets. The watering tubes are a decent size so won't block like drippers might and the overflow system is a hole in the bucket which sits on a reservoir lid, like a Wilma so what can go wrong? I have a Wilma already so I'm going to make it into a hempy bucket/Wilma hybrid
Start with a basic hempy bucket top tube feed system
The 3/8" overflow hole is 1" below the top of the colander, so about 2" from the bottom of the bucket and the watering tube is fitted through a drilled hole in the filler cap so it fills from the bottom and overflows out the 3/8" hole whenever the pump is activated, which can be daily, it doesn't really matter as it just overflows



So four of these will sit on the Wilma/res lid. You can use fish bins with lids to sit them on and plumb them together also to use a single pump, you get the picture

The Wilma System https://www.icmag.com/threads/sticky-grows.18125003/post-18343150




Another system I adapted from others



All these systems work great with different mediums but the coco with hydroton wick base works best for me. I prefer tube watering into the hydroton at the bottom BELOW the coco so it doesn't compress or get too wet. I've grown this way about twice now so I'm an expert

 

[Endrega]

@StickyBandit Please read the topic and post on it!

I still need help to answer my question

 

[StickyBandit]

@StickyBandit Please read the topic and post on it!

I still need help to answer my question

The Wilma in the pic has a 50l tank which lasts about 10 days once the plants are mature before it gets close to the pump. I would do water replacement about monthly

 

[Rocket Soul]

Maybe some more info, is this a flower tent?
Coco may not be the best idea, it tends to accumulate salts an get hot, unless youre able to dial it in really tight. Generally youd have to test runoff and adjust nutes somewhat during those 10 days.

Have you looked into making some organic soil and setting up subirrigation? Basicly, organic soil sitting on top off a plain water res, with some kind of wicking media dipping down from the pot into the res, pulling water into the pot. The bottom res can be sized according to your need, you could even set it up to autorefill. I havent seen it much here on icmag but theres a long thread on RIU.

For any system make it as fool proof as possible, Murphy is a effing bastard who punish you any chance you let him.

 

[Endrega]

Yes it is a flower tent. The idea is to set up 5 coco slabs, 1m each and put 20 clones in them.

I thought this is like the most common way to grow hydro.

 

[Rocket Soul]

Ive not grown with slabs, always potted coco in our grow but we do about 9 to a tray, somewhat bigger plants. Your buddies advicing you, do they grow in tent or larger open space? Make sure you get advice from someone growing in the same situation as you do. What works in open space doesnt always work in a tent.

 

[StickyBandit]

So I have this tent 4x4 or 1,2x1,2 depending on the point of standing.
My goal is to run hydro with automatic watering.
My biggest concern is flexibility with time.

I love to spend some time caring for my grow every day, but I also have to be able to leave it for 7-10 days running completely by itself. I am aware that there is a getting-to-know-eachother phase before I can leave the grow for a couple days alone. That will be then my winter project.

My friends all voted that coco slabs with a dripper system would be the best choice. I would like to get some 2nd opinions just to get a picture how it would work.

To achieve my goal how big must the nutrients tank be?
After 10 days you have to reset the nutrients anyway, so I would like to size the tank accordingly and that will raise a ton of other questions.

I run solo, so when I am away the plants are on their own.
I would be much obliged if anyone could help me jump start this thing.

All the best to you guys!

If you want something that isn't finicky and can be left for long periods by itself I think I may have the answer, I've been working on this system for a while and think it's nearly ready for the world now. I have it in a 1200x1200 tent. Also there are no drippers or any restrictions to clog up. The other really great thing about it is it grows the best buds I've ever grown!
The biggest problem you will have is supporting the massive buds and what to do with them all
I will make a thread at some point titled...

"Simplest Unattended Killer Indoor Grow With Coco"

It starts here...

Diary - World's First Wilma Auto Hempy!!

I don't know if it actually is but it's a catchy title :p it's probably been done many times before Much of the credit (if this works) goes to @HEMPY who took the time to run me through his method, cheers bud (y) I already had the Wilma system (any bin with a lid will do) so it was a small step...

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