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The Official Hempy Bucket Thread

Capt.Ahab

Feeding the ducks with a bun.
Veteran
I already have 75 lbs of it here along with one bag of perlite and a bag of vermiculite . A one cubic foot bag of perlite hereabouts costs close to $17.00 bucks plus tax and a 25 lb bag of the NAPA product only costs about $11.00 plus tax.
 

catman

half cat half man half baked
Veteran
First experiment with a combination of turface (clay), perlite, and hail cubes.

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Lowman

Member
Im thinking about running a few Hempy buckets and have a question regarding the NAPA #8822 oil dry as a medium. I have a couple bags of that here in my shop, along with perlite and vermiculite. Has anyone used the Napa oil dry straight up instead of perlite alone or would a combination of the two or three ingredients be better?

I use a product similar to the Napa...but I put it in the bucket first...up to the drain hole. Then I fill with coco. I guess if you only have perlite verm and napa....mix all three together....or just omit the verm and go with perlite and Napa. It will work fine. I have run a few straight perlite hempy's without issues. I just like the coco better.
 

Lowman

Member
@lowman-I'm thinking about doing up a few buckets with coco....what do you like about it?

If you buy quality Coco( B'Cuzz or Canna) you really shouldn't have any problems. No need to rinse or charge.

The coco allows for very fast growth, ph stability and when there is an issue...you can see the results very quickly from anything you add or subtract to resolve the issue.

Coco is reusable. I don't amend it with anything other than the Hygromite in the rez.
 

Capt.Ahab

Feeding the ducks with a bun.
Veteran
Thanks for the helpful reply, Lowman. K+.
I have access to coco, in the brick form . Not sure of the brand and Im sure it is over-priced around here , which is the main reason I havent really considered it.
Does using coco require any more monitoring of PH vs. not using coco in the mix? Im planning on experimenting with Lucas formula in the Hempy buckets and want to keep things simple. I have Floranova Bloom, Floralicious + , silica, Maxi-Bloom powder and cal/mag sitting on the shelf and was planning on using some of those products.



I use a product similar to the Napa...but I put it in the bucket first...up to the drain hole. Then I fill with coco. I guess if you only have perlite verm and napa....mix all three together....or just omit the verm and go with perlite and Napa. It will work fine. I have run a few straight perlite hempy's without issues. I just like the coco better.
 

RetroGrow

Active member
Veteran
Thanks for the helpful reply, Lowman. K+.
I have access to coco, in the brick form . Not sure of the brand and Im sure it is over-priced around here , which is the main reason I havent really considered it.
Does using coco require any more monitoring of PH vs. not using coco in the mix? Im planning on experimenting with Lucas formula in the Hempy buckets and want to keep things simple. I have Floranova Bloom, Floralicious + , silica, Maxi-Bloom powder and cal/mag sitting on the shelf and was planning on using some of those products.

You have everything you need. Just PH @ 5.8 for coco. You should vary the PH a bit with each feeding, ie, from 5.5 to 6, as different nutrients are absorbed at different PH levels. Use Floranova Bloom & Floralicious + throughout.
 

Megas

Member
I have few simple questions for you guys if you don't mind.
1) If you have a 2 gallon pot how much water/ nutes do you pour into the pot every day?
2) The water that comes out the hole do you reuse it or throw it out?
3) Can you reuse perlite indefinitely? Maybe just bleaching it or something since it's a glass right? Is there anything similar maybe a little less dusty. I won't use vermiculite. I'm kinda meh about coco I think I rather still to a rock type substance.
4) Has anyone done a perlite vs. coco hempy test grow?

Thanks guys
 

Megas

Member
Water until runoff.
Test the PH of run off. Don't re-use.
Vermiculite works well, but coco works better.

I've seen 100% perlite that seem to do just fine. I really don't want to use Vermiculite. What ratio of perlite / coco would be a good mix? Also what would you want on the bottom coco or perlite?

Can you compost used coco or does it just stay stringy in your garden?
 

stonedar

Macro-aggressor
Veteran
I use perlite in the bottom of my coco hempy, I like about a 3:1 coco:perlite ratio in the top part. 3 parts coco 1 part perlite.

better then composting coco/perlite mixes can be used again and again. I use the same pot about 3 times before I add some fresh mix to the old. then I keep using it, mixing it with some new.
 

Megas

Member
I use perlite in the bottom of my coco hempy, I like about a 3:1 coco:perlite ratio in the top part. 3 parts coco 1 part perlite.

better then composting coco/perlite mixes can be used again and again. I use the same pot about 3 times before I add some fresh mix to the old. then I keep using it, mixing it with some new.

Thats interesting I did not think you could reuse coco, I thought it would end up molding or something.
 

Wacky Tobacky

Active member
i use perlite at the bottom and coco up top. 100% coco no perlite mixed in up top. no issues at all. hempy reported he had better results with straight coco and perlite at the bottom. this was in his hempy bucket coco thread in the coco forum.
 

stihgnobevoli

Active member
Veteran
perlite only in res for me, up top anything goes cept more perlite. i usually use peat soilless mix with a lil perlite up top.
 

Megas

Member
Sooo I have an idea, this is after much reading/ speaking to people about hempy techniques and such. So maybe someone has tried it I don't know let me know what you think.
The general consensus is that DWC produces more bud then Hempy buckets, as someone who I really respect says it's cause their always in nutes that way (makes sense).
Well currently the standard way of doing Hempy is to give the plants a 2 inch reservoir which is also a bonus since root rot does not seem to be a problem in this method + they are fed every 2-3 days.

Why not increase feeding + nute intake to everyday but lower the reservoir since more fresh nutes get exposed to the roots. Instead of 2 inch hole why not make the hole at .5 or 3/4in instead of 2inches from the bottom? This method will also increase the likely hood of less older nutes still being in the 2in reservoir. Just because you are pouring new nutes in doesn't mean it's pushing everything in that 2in section out. I don't people flush it out with straight water so u know its all clean until the very end when it comes time to flush.

Thoughts/ anyone want to try an experiment for fun?
 

Jellyfish

Invertebrata Inebriata
Veteran
Your logic is sound. Will it be worth it to hand-water every day in terms of increased yield? That is the question! I'll be watching, good luck!
 

Hydro-Soil

Active member
Veteran
Sooo I have an idea, this is after much reading/ speaking to people about hempy techniques and such. So maybe someone has tried it I don't know let me know what you think.
The general consensus is that DWC produces more bud then Hempy buckets, as someone who I really respect says it's cause their always in nutes that way (makes sense).
Well currently the standard way of doing Hempy is to give the plants a 2 inch reservoir which is also a bonus since root rot does not seem to be a problem in this method + they are fed every 2-3 days.

Why not increase feeding + nute intake to everyday but lower the reservoir since more fresh nutes get exposed to the roots. Instead of 2 inch hole why not make the hole at .5 or 3/4in instead of 2inches from the bottom? This method will also increase the likely hood of less older nutes still being in the 2in reservoir. Just because you are pouring new nutes in doesn't mean it's pushing everything in that 2in section out. I don't people flush it out with straight water so u know its all clean until the very end when it comes time to flush.

Thoughts/ anyone want to try an experiment for fun?

The smaller you make the res (lower the hole), the less like DWC the Hempy bucket will perform.

The 2-3 day between waterings gives the pH a chance to swing down low enough for optimal growth. Getting rid of that swing would require more watering and much closer attention to pH and.... most likely wouldn't give as good of results.

Too high of a hole and the pH swing takes too long... deficiencies will want to show up since the plant can't absorb the nutes that are there.

Stay Safe! :blowbubbles:
 

RetroGrow

Active member
Veteran
I've seen 100% perlite that seem to do just fine. I really don't want to use Vermiculite. What ratio of perlite / coco would be a good mix? Also what would you want on the bottom coco or perlite?

Can you compost used coco or does it just stay stringy in your garden?

Perlite in rez, 100% coco on top.
That's Hempy's method.
 

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