Let's talk coco slabs with drippers

[jimjay]

1kindpup
If you are using 1 rez then i would go with one strain. Or maybe you have run these together before?
The slabs you are asking about are coco with rockwool cubes.
And about the dripper i use stakes in stead of drippers. If you gave a plant # maybe i could try and give you an idea for the right pump.
I haven't used those boss blocks before but i would imagine they could handle a 2 ft plant.

 

[gaiusmarius]

Hey gaius, have ya heard anything through the grapevine about these Canna COGr slabs? http://www.canna.nl/english/index1.html

Hi Indica Sativa,

the coggr slabs are similar to the coco, with some advantages and some disadvantages in my opinion. coggr comes dry and compressed, making transport very easy and convenient as they are very light (no water) they also contain quite a bit more medium then the average coco slab specially more then in canna's own coco slabs. before i go further i have to say, that i never grew with coggr, as my research didn't convince me to change. the main reason being that coggr is totally sterilized and has no trichoderma or beneficials in it, which the coco does. but the biggest reason for me is the convenience of being able to slap my slabs on the table and use them right away, without any messing about with soaking and buffering of slabs. but if the advantages of coggr speak to you, then you can just add your own trichoderma etc.

I have a few slabs somewhere here, maybe I'll give it a try, do I get any success with GH Flora series?

i have heard a few people complain about the high salt content in the gh slabs. but that can be taken care of with a good flush. as for the gh nutes, i really don't know from personal experience, so i'll leave some one who has used them on coco to answer.

I would like to start by adding some more thanks to all the contributors of this thread, especially gaiusmarius. It seems that you have a very good understanding of growing in coco. This has always been my idea of the ideal system, but a few factors have limited me to simple and cheap soil growing setups, until now. I believe that I am finally ready to venture out into the world of coco, and have a decent idea of the setup that I intend to build.


I would like to hear any constructive criticism or any ideas that would help me with my setup, as I have learned everything I know about growing from free online web forums. Something about that satisfies me; to know that I don't have to pay $5 for a copy of High Times or some other magazine designed around selling products, but instead I can discuss these topics with people I have never even met and yield extraordinary results. Again, I thank everyone who has had a positive impact towards our community.


Here is my grand idea:

Grow Cabinet: Mill's Pride C-24 Wardrobe Closet, 47"wide x 20"deep x 60"tall (growing space)

Lights: Veg: 324w T5 daylight. Flower: 300w HPS + 216w T5 warm.

Growing trays: "Dutch Leech Tray"

Coco Blocks: "Boss Block 6" "

Nutrients: Canna Coco

Strains: Bogglegum, MK Ultra, Strawberry Cough, NL.

Drip System: Pressure regulated drippers 2 per block, adequate water pump, runoff into separate tank.

I think that I will be able to figure out the watering needs and times, but I have a few questions:

Is there any recommended drip rate for the drippers? Faster drip/shorter cycle. Slower drip/longer cycle.

Will those 6" blocks be sufficient for full grown (2-3 ft. tall) plants? I am used to growing in soil and many of my plants become root bound in 1 gallon pots even before flowering, and those 6" blocks are smaller than those pots.

Also, I noticed in some pics on this thread that people are using those coco blocks on top of something else that looks like a coco slab of a larger size. I may be totally wrong here, but that may answer my previous question.

Again, any ideas or corrections are encouraged, and again I thank all of you who make this awesome practice possible.

it seems to me like you did your research, your system would do a great job. it really doesn't matter whether it takes the pump 10 minutes to make run off or 4 minutes. just so long the drip is steady enough that you can rely on it and don't need to have it on for hours till run off. otherwise you will get very bored waiting for a flush, lol. having a second tank to collect run off is a great way to allow you to do both, run to waste and recirculate depending on the stage of growth of the plants. to begin with you might want to throw away the return, although it really isn't that difficult to recirculate the nutrient solution for most of the grow if not all the way till flush.

with coco and drippers, combined with a short veg phased sog type grow, you can get away with a very small amount of coco per plant. specially if you give them plenty of horizontal room like in slabs. but those 6.5 lt. pots work real well too filled with coco and drip fed.

peace
gm

 

[Dalton]

the slabs have holes on one side the bottom,lol.

Thanks Gaius. I think I had more wits pre harvest. I wound up just using pots
I ordered the leather hole punch for later I still have 90 more to go, so that should come in handy. I couldn't find an inline filter, I'm probably going to have to order it. So for now I have panty hose on the drain line and I have my pump in knee highs. My setup looks sexy as hell but do you think this will hold for a few weeks?
thanks Dalton

 

[gaiusmarius]

i'm really not sure Dalton, how about getting a paint filter bucket and putting your pump inside it? although a few layers of panty hose or nylon stockings, should do the trick i guess. but use a lot of layers, because fine dripper lines will block quickly if coco particles get through.

 

[jimjay]

Need some opinions-
I started my new grow and have switched from small sq. pots to 6'' round pots w/ mesh bottoms. I also put a 1/4'' coco mat down. I am feeding every 4 hrs in veg(5times a day) for 1 minute. I do get run off. Do you think i could get away w/ alot less waterings since i am using a mat now? I was thinking maybe 2-3 times a day. I also started recirculating.
These aren't slabs but seem similiar so hopefully this is the right thread.

 

[gaiusmarius]

anything from 3 to 5 waterings a day, is still gonna result in a hydro ponic type grow. so it's really up to you, i give them 5 waterings a day in veg and 4 a day in 12/12.

 

[Caligrown]

Hey JimJay - Man, you should start a thred with the use of that mat. I have been very curious to see the results on the yeild using a small amount of medium for the roots. It would seem limiting but once the roots hit the mat they can go horizontally.
It sounds like you will be handling this like a hydro grow with multiple daily waterings ? Why are you wanting to reduce your watering schedule? Are you doing it to promote rooting?
I'll be looking out to see how it goes.

BTW-how thick is that mat?


Peace - Cali

 

[jimjay]

Caligrown-
1/4'' inch mat. I was thinking about lowering the feedings because the mat will keep the roots moist so more feedings wouldn't be needed. But i didn't end up changing the schedule, 5 waterings a day. In this sort of grow i don't think lowering the feedings would promote root growth but i could be wrong.
take care

 

[Guest]

I am learning so much in this thread. Thanks Gaius- you're doing a great job. I am planning a switch from hand watering soil to a recirc coco in pots dripper system. This thread and some help from a friend are going to insure my first try is successful.

 

[gaiusmarius]

Hey Caligrown,

yeah i'd like to know more about those mats too. looks like it would make a great layer for under the coco slabs. must ask my supplier about that stuff next time i go.


Hi jimjay

you only give less water right in the beginning to promote root growth. once you start watering 5 times a day, you should stick to it, as the roots will have adapted to it, making the whole system hydroponic. you really should do a thread about this mat, would be cool to get a handle on documenting it.


Yo Shmokin,

that's real nice to hear man. i do believe coco will give you the best chance of a good harvest right off the bat. specially, if you have done the research reading.

don't hesitate to start a thread about your grow, so we can tag along and help out when needed.

grow info

i am using my slabs for the 4th run and have had to fight the gnat larva from day one of this run. even though i still have adults about, i couldn't find any gnat larva in the coco anymore, so the solbac i have added to the tank must have helped with the gnat larva. despite that, today i did a drench with a stronger mix of sol bac, i took my garden hose hooked to a pump from plant to plant and just drenched that coco with solbac and rhizotonic water at a ph of 6.0. hope that gets the gnat population right down.

peace and good growings

 

[Guest]

Well I'm getting so freaking tired of mixing and feeding and mixing and feeding thought I'd come over and see what the intelligent people are doing about watering, lol. Sure am interested in a drip system but I've read the whole damned thread and I still don't know exactly how to set it up. GM you said something about posting a step by step that you had on OG, is that still possible?? Saw your post with pictures but looked to me like you just had lines running into a pipe and I didn't see anything there that sealed the spaghetti lines into the main pipe. I heard you mention compression fittings and would be interested to know where to get them.

I'm also trying to find a way to lay in a supply of Canna coco coir but it's cost prohibitive due to the fact that I'm in the center of this place and all the distributors are on the edges, lol. Same thing with the slabs. Freight is more than the price of the stuff. Have a semi-local hydro shop that I let rape me on price every now and then that stocks B'cuzz but I don't know if it should be flushed or not before use. Don't have to with Canna, but anyway. According to the propaganda put out by B'cuzz, their coco has already been flushed with steam or some shit like that to get out the salt. Anybody tried it without flushing? Can't find Cal Mag + around here either, apparently it's an internet shopping trip or something.

Been watering by hand every day and even with only just a few plants, it gets old really quick. Especially if you've got anything else to do besides grow weed, lol. Been using ro/tap water 50/50 and got a Whirlpool dehumidifier to keep the rh down at about 40-45%. Been taking the two gallons of condensation that accumulates in the dehumidifier rez and been pouring it back into the 5 gal jugs and mixing that 50/50 with tap water. Holding my ground that way on water usage and don't have to make any more trips to the r/o watering hole. Of course I've only got three plants left after cutting the bulls out of the herd. When I go to drip, I'll obviously need to do something else for water. By the way Caligrown, see you found something to do with your newly acquired and professionally installed, I might add ;-) ro system. Nice!


I think I could figure the plumbing out for the drip system, but can't get a grip on how the system waters each plant at the same rate, no matter how far down the line it is. I've got a couple of industrial grade 55gal drums in the storage house I could use for reservoirs I guess. Hate to waste the runoff though so I guess I could also use one of the drums for a return holding tank. Understand the need for filtering though.


Later folks - be safe ;-)

 

[thc43]

Mojo handwatering mums is one thing but doing the whole grow is dedication i can handle a couple of days at most, you should and i do get better results with a drip and a digital timer..

setting up the drip is simple BUT depends on the kind of dripers you choose to use.. ever heard of "spaggetti hose" if so thats what you want if feeding accurate amounts to each pot is important (smaller the pot and plant more important).

Only thing with the spaggetti hose being less than 0.5 ml thick they block with prolonged HIgh ec or organic ferts so a hase replacement mid grow can pay off.
Will also need a meaty pump atleast 3m pumping height normally around 2500 to 3000 litre per hour to do upto 30x drips always have atleast 2 drips per pot just incase one blocks.. Its all in the hose mate thats what regulates the drip to about two drops per second or 1litre per hour per drip.


Now the same thing can be done with 4ml hose but youll need to use your head, flat surface to start with many taps to bleed pressure and more to regulate each drip a big hassel with more than a couple of pots, i couldnt get the taps to be accurate enough for me so couldnt rely on the runn off %.. swapped to spaggetti hose and spikes/ drips and cant believe there not more commonly used just too easy..

 

[gaiusmarius]

those spaghetti lines are just pressed into the hole you make. the ldpe hose (black) shrinks, so that the holes make a perfect seal to the spaghetti lines. the compression fitting are the blue things that join the black hose together, you get corner pieces, end pieces and t pieces. so it's very simple really, you hook the filter to the pump and add a one way valve after the filter, then comes a piece that converts the threaded end of the one way valve to the blue compression fittings which go with the ldpe hose, you then make that hose go down the middle of your table. add as many drippers to the ldpe hose as you need, finish off the ldpe hose with an end piece to block off the end. there you have a fully functional dripper set up.

the one way valve means that the hose on the table stays full up, even when the pump stops. so the next time it comes on, it doesn't have to fill the hose on the table, because it's still full. this means that all the drippers start running nearly at the same time.

coco being as flexible and easy going as it is, makes the small differences in water amounts provided to the plants irrelevant.

the other thing to remember is that there are loads of different drip set ups. just look for one that's easy for you to get and make sure that they sell you everything you need with it. i.e., the pump, all the fittings, a good particle filter, drip lines and spikes, end pieces etc. let me dig up a pic of a small drip setup i put together for the moms. just to give you an idea.

this one shows how young i start with the drippers, you can't see the ldpe hose as it's hidden by the pots.

anyway with the pics at the beginning of this thread, on page 2 i believe, it should all make sense.

here you can see how the hole has already shrunk a bit, before the spaghetti line is even pushed in. by the way, if doing more then a few, expect to have blisters on your fingers, lol.

basically you make a hole or two, then press the dripper line into it till at least 0,5cm is inside, a gentle tug should not pull it out, if it does, take it out again and wait a while massaging the ldpe hose a bit and the hole will shrink till it's the tight fit you want. it's not difficult, one just has to punch the holes straight and then they are the perfect size.

in mojo's case i would add 3 or even 4 drippers per plant. in a see of green setup on slabs, 1 dripper per plant is enough. the important thing is to make sure no dirt gets inside the system while you put it together. neither should it be run without the inline filter. once you have dirt inside the system it will keep blocking drippers. but if one keeps it clean, regular filter cleaning and controlling the whole system between runs and it works great.

 

[Caligrown]

Some more info about the drippers...

Home depot sells a cheap hole punch for installing drip connectors.

Mo Budz Has a thread and shows a cleaver way to make a "drip ring" from the 1/4" tubing.

The 1/2" main tubing can be connected directly to the output from a fish tank pump.

There are 2 types of tubing that look very similar. The stuff you want is the more flexible vinyl tubing. The depot sells it in the pond supply section but not in the drip fittings section

There are threaded connectors available if you can find them and they help with the fatigue and the blisters.

If you are going to use the connectors that press into the hose then a good trick is to connect a piece of 1/4" tube to one side of the connector before pressing it into the 1/2" tube.

I use the hole punch to pop 5 evenly spaced holes in 1/4" tubes that were about 10"-12" long. Then I just connected a tee to the 1/4" line coming from the 1/2" main and connected both ends of the 10" piece to the tee.

Think about a filter bag for the pump as well. The inline filter works but is installed after the pump so there is still the chance of clogging the pump.

One thing to note is that I did have to cut a small piece of tubing and superglue it to the hole punch to make it work with the 1/4" tube but once I did that it was like butta.

Peace all -Cali

 

[Guest]

Thanks Caligrown for all the info. A few questions if ya don't mind. Cut and pasted your info into this and my questions/remarks will be in a different color.

Home depot sells a cheap hole punch for installing drip connectors.

You talking about a regular hole punch for paper or the one like gm uses made for leather?

Mo Budz Has a thread and shows a cleaver way to make a "drip ring" from the 1/4" tubing.

Looked at it and that's a great way to do it so I will, lol. Where do the drippers go on his system? On the 1/2" main line to supply the 1/4" feeder hoses

The 1/2" main tubing can be connected directly to the output from a fish tank pump.

Is a fish tank pump all I'll need? Is it strong enough? What GPH capacity or pressure rating? Don't want it so big I blow my drippers through the wall, dude ;-). I can get my hands on a more commercial brand if need be.

There are 2 types of tubing that look very similar. The stuff you want is the more flexible vinyl tubing. The depot sells it in the pond supply section but not in the drip fittings section

Thanks for telling me where it is. I'm about to write off the Depot and start going to Lowe's instead cause the peeps at the depot don't want to seem to help me find shit. Course I live in a college town so they might not be getting help that gives a damn about anything other than earning beer money for Friday nights.

There are threaded connectors available if you can find them and they help with the fatigue and the blisters.

The depot have these too? Are you talking about them being threaded on the compression fitting? If so, other than the quick lock kind, I thought all compression fittings were threaded.

If you are going to use the connectors that press into the hose then a good trick is to connect a piece of 1/4" tube to one side of the connector before pressing it into the 1/2" tube.

OK, here are you talking about the tee connectors or the straight connectors. I thought I would just push the 1/4" hose into the half inch main like gm did.

I use the hole punch to pop 5 evenly spaced holes in 1/4" tubes that were about 10"-12" long. Then I just connected a tee to the 1/4" line coming from the 1/2" main and connected both ends of the 10" piece to the tee.

Did ya put drippers into each of the 5 holes and are these the 10-12" tubes you wrapped around each plant to form the drip rings?

Think about a filter bag for the pump as well. The inline filter works but is installed after the pump so there is still the chance of clogging the pump.

Not sure what you're talking about when you say a bag filter. Is this a sock type filter you just fit over the intake on the pump? If so, mind cluing me in on what kind of store you got yours at so I'll kinda know where to start looking?

One thing to note is that I did have to cut a small piece of tubing and superglue it to the hole punch to make it work with the 1/4" tube but once I did that it was like butta.

You talking about cutting a piece in half to lay the tubing in to keep it from squirting out of the punch when ya try to punch it?


Thanks again Caligrown.

What configuration tank is everyone using for the reservoir? I've got a 55 gal drum I can use and just mix up enough for about 7 days I guess. Or should the rez be open on the top?

How about a collection tank for the return as I don't know how I would get rid of waste - besides, I will want to reuse the nutes my plants don't eat the first time ---I think. How do folks connect the return tank to the primary and how do they know what nutes to add back into the water.

Water? That brings me to another problem as my tap water has too much salt in it to use straight. Been mixing ro water 50/50 with tap water and it's been working well but I have to drive to get the ro water and I bring it home in 6 - 5gal jugs. Now I bet you're glad ya got the ro under the sink system huh, Cali, lol.

Wife's leaving tomorrow to go see her mom and she'll be gone for 10 days. Any luck and I'll have this done by the time she gets back. If she bitches, I'll tell her I did it so I could spend more time with her, lol.

GM thanks for all your help, man. As always, if it's been done, you've found a way to tweak it so it gets done right, hehe.

peace all

 

[gaiusmarius]

those drip rings don't need drippers, they just have holes in them going around the plant. this means a small pond pump is plenty. for a few plants like you have mojo, that's what i'd do. those thin drippers require too much pressure for just a few plants. the drip ring for every plant is the way to go.

the hole puncher i normally use is not the one for leather you see above, it's one piece with a handle and one size hole puncher at the end, made for those drippers.

i think Caligrown meant that he added a layer of tube to the pointy bit. so that the point doesn't go in too far and make another hole on the back side of the tube. but with the dripper rings tis will not apply.

the ones with a little valve on the main line, that you hook the drippers to, need even more pressure then the ones without the valve like mine.

 

[Guest]

gaius, thanks for the information and the pics. I was going to go local and see if I could find the materials to build the system and then I did some research on the net and found this link. http://www.dripdepot.com

Thought I might try to figure out what I needed and get it from these guys. Theirs is designed to hook up to a water faucet on the side of the house but it shouldn't be too hard to make it to where it would hook up to a pump. My grow space is kinda small right now but I may soon be able to move my desk out of the room the grow closet is in and use the entire room for my grow stuff. Ms mojo isn't as nagging a wife as I make her out to be. She's all for my grows and says she may even like to smoke if the stuff is as good as I say it's going to be. Better be careful though because with only two plants, I may not want to share with her, lol, hehe.

 

[gaiusmarius]

mojo man, i can't say much about those drippers as i have never used the ones made for the tap. but in principle they will work with a pump too, although the pressure on a tap is quite high so the pump might need to be quite strong too.

why not get a pond pump and some tubbing and connectors, have the tubbing pass each plant with a T piece, then have a short piece of tube leading to each plant. block off the end of the tube by folding and taping it, then add a hole or two near the stem of each plant, you don't even need drip rings. just improvise, the pond pump will have a sponge in it to filter the water, adding a stocking or two over the pump helps too.

then when you make the whole room in to a grow you can get a proper drip setup and use the pond pump as a mixing pump in the tank, which will come on at the same time as your main pump. you don't actually need it, but it can be handy to help mix the nutrients in well when you are filling the tank.

 

[NPK]

Mojo, I set up my first drip system a couple of months ago, and it was a snap. I picked up a 2" x 4" tray, a 20-gallon sterilite tub, a 350-gph pond pump, rolls of 1/2" and 1/4" tubing, and a few other small items from the Home Depot plumbing section (including a line hole punch). I drilled a hole in the bottom of the table, made a panty-hose filter to block escaping coco, and placed the left end over the reservoir. Stuck in the pump, attached the 1/2" tubing, figured out the necessary length, punched holes, stuck in the 1/4" feed line with T-barbs, and used plastic stakes to direct each line to the base of each clone (12 in my veg space). I didn't bother with drippers because I figured they'd present more clogging opportunities; I wanted it to be as simple as possible. The open feed lines are working just fine.

It was really easy, though I definitely benefitted from spending some time in the plumbing and sprinkling sections of the hardware store, eyeballing things to figure out what I would need. I've set up two more such tables (only bigger) in my flowering room, and though it was a bit of work it wasn't complicated. I checked out what strength pumps other people were using in their grows for X number of plants for basic guidelines. Most of this information already exists in the coco and hydro forums.

 

[Guest]

Nice info both NPK and Gdude. I'll go to the house of pot tomorrow and start picking up the makings for the system. Glad I checked back when I did and thank God for the weekend. I was able to cancel my order with the drip place cause they don't work weekends and the order showed to still be pending in status.

NPK, so you just slid the tank in under the table, drilled a hole in the bottom of your tray, covered the hole with panty hose to filter out any coco that came out of your pots and let the run-off drain back into the reservoir? How high is your table? I've got a limited amt of room and am concerned that table height might lead to problems if my next plants turn out to be of the mighty oak variety that these did, hehehe. Here's the space I've got to work with, dude.

I just took the doors off the closet and converted it. It's 2.4' deep X 7.6'l wide X 8' tall and the thing's packed when you get to about 6' in height. Made it so I could raise my lights to the ceiling if I had to, but not without using some navigational skills, lol.





It also seems that with a 350 gal/hr pump going your water would be shooting into the next county instead of dripping into the coco. I know you know what you're doing so it's gotta work but how did you keep the water from blasting your plants all over the wall, lol? If the tank you bought is a low profile tank, I can see where I could get it to work. I don't need my table to come off the floor any more than 12"-18" or I think I may have a space problem. Thanks for all your help, man. Guess it's just my ADHD kicking in, but I'm getting there.