Where does your coco run off go? Drain? Floor?

[gardenbug]

Almost everyone seems to like to water to run off in coco.
What do you do with your run off?
Just let it go on the floor?
Collect in a saucer and evaporate?
Collect and send it down a drain?

Planning on running either 3gal or 5 gal coco buckets sitting on the floor. I've already got a 5 gallon dwc setup with drains that I might just fill with coco instead. I could just reroute the drain lines to a floor drain. Am I over thinking the run off problem? Seems like water would get everywhere without some kind of drain system but I see lots of people with coco pots just sitting on the floor. Just wanting to see what everyone else is doing, and if it's actually a problem or not as I haven't tried coco yet. If there's already a thread on this feel free to link it, I just haven't been able to find a good one yet.

 

[ivanic]

Currently have a raised bed with drain underneath, but thinking on my next run getting rid of the bed and just putting them on the floor, i used to water to run off but im using drip clean now so barely have any run off after a feed. Will gain 1.5ft of height and the room will be ALOT more easier to move around in.

cool thread, will be interesting to see what others favour

 

[GanjaPharma]

i use drip clean and KISS nutes. the 5 gallon smartpots sit in saucers for "just in case" but i try for ZERO runoff whatsoever. the use of a "salt mitigator" is essential if you want to do zero runoff.
also, i am currently trying one plant out using SeaGreen instead of dripclean...so far so good, been a month.

 

[kannubis]

a mortar mixing bucket from home depot holds 6 2 gallon grow bags and adds the convenience of just wicking overflow back up into the coir for me

 

[Xerhoss]

Almost everyone seems to like to water to run off in coco.
What do you do with your run off?
Just let it go on the floor?
Collect in a saucer and evaporate?
Collect and send it down a drain?

Exactly what i do. I'm watering to about 10% runoff as close to lights on as possible. I'm using 3 gallon smart pots and 14" saucers. Takes 2-3 cups per pot at feeding time to achieve. Certain strains and certain plants drink more than others, so i just get to know the pattern after a while for each grow.

 

[Guest 18340]

I run a table thats raised off the floor about a foot and tapped at one end. A 1/2 hose attached to a drain fitting at the tapped end goes outside thru a small hole in the wall. I run that hose in a U shape between the table/wall, effectively making a trap like a sink has. That way no bugs crawl back inside.
Total drip to waste. The tree growing near that wall is always more lush than the others around the house

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

buy flood and drain tables and use like a plant saucer collect into a 5 gal bucket and chuck

 

[NotaProfessor]

I use plastic washtubs(12 qt) with five 1.5" PVC pipe sections about 12" long as risers. I water every other day and drain the tubs every other watering. I run 4 plants at a time so the labor isn't an issue.

I had made a drain table when I ran more plants, the runoff ran into a bucket I would empty every other watering.

 

[guyyug]

http://corrugatedmetal.com/images/deck_panels.jpg

They can hold a lot of weight and are coated to prevent rust.

You can get corrugated metal in 4'X8' pieces. Turn your blade backwards on the skillsaw and cut them in half, raise one end and use rain gutters to catch runoff and then into a drain in the side of the wall. I also use an S trap to keep critters out, and what doesn't get caught for other house plants/garden waters the crap out of some grass

 

[krunchbubble]

when i ran coco, i use saucers for whatever runoff i had and the plants DID NOT like that!

took the saucers out and let the runoff run free because i had a pond liner on the ground, plants LOVED this method a lot more...

but, i also aimed for a little runoff as possible, using drip clean....

 

[NachoConQueso]

Where does your coco run off go? Drain? Floor?

I have a removable liner in my tent so I let it run free and evaporate. Trays are just more crap for me to buy. I'm not a fan of letting my plants sit in run off either.

 

[guyyug]

Drip clean..., Have you ran coir without drip clean, having little runoff? (feeding more on the light side, low ppm) Just curious, btw, love the eastbound avatar, I thought about using "Rootbound and down" as my username

 

[HueJass]

Seriously, people don't like to tell where their runoff goes for whatever reason. Good to see some of you coming out of the closet.

Personally, I use these...

http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Or...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I buy them in 6 ft sections and cut them into the size I need, usually 3ft. I then place them over large trays where my runoff collects. I have some that I have left whole as well that I place over two trays. My trays are about an 1 inch deep and I just let the solutions evaporate.

I initially was using a turkey baster to suck the juice out and then tried a shop vac but that was cumbersome. The shelves and trays work best for me, at least until I can get a couple of flood tables.

 

[NachoConQueso]

People keep their runoff a secret? That's really weird. Growers are an odd bunch of people.

 

[ajc0k]

People keep their runoff a secret? That's really weird. Growers are an odd bunch of people.

haha i was just thinking that after i read that. i use saucers and aim for no run off if possible, using drip clean thanks to krunch, works nicely. now i think i'll remove the saucers if it affects the plants, thanks again krunch! I did a side by side some plants watered frequently and some given time to dry out to where the pot is practically weightless. the ones i let dry out seemed to grow quite a bit faster. no problems with lock out with the drip clean!

 

[TheCatsMeow]

so this is how thecatsmeow has things set up, when running coco.

as seen in the picture below, my pots are filled with a layer of perlite just enough so the drains are blocked. then i fill the rest with my coco/perlite mix. each pot sits on a saucer and about every other day i hit them with a drain to waist watering. now the idea for me is that i dont wanna cause root rot by having each pot sit in the waste water so the perlite acts as a "riser" for the main root ball. this is the first time ive use chunky perlite, most times before i have used lava rock.... seems to work for me! hope this helps...

 

[SRGB]

[Removed]

 

[gardenbug]

I'm running a vertical setup in larger containers in about a 10x10, so trying to come up with an individual drain setup for each container. Can't just let it go on the floor and don't want to manually remove run off.
I'm planning to run 5 gal buckets of coco using parts from a dwc setup.
I've got buckets with a drain in the side of them about 1" up from the bottom. Thinking of drilling holes all over the bottom of a new bucket, filling it with coco, and setting it inside the bucket with a drain to collect the run off. Am I fine leaving the drain 1" up which will allow some standing water in the lower bucket? Or is it worth the trouble to elevate the bucket a little and move the drain to the bottom of the bucket?

 

[JAY LENWEED]

I started using saucers and a shop vac clean and simple!

 

[clooney]

same here JL! works really well too!!