DWC Bubbler Size

[flipster]

Roots - mmm !

 

Well guys, the MJ plant does not require large (fat round or square )pots for root growth - hang on before you get huffy !

 

MJ requires a deep pot - very deep - ideally twice the depth that most people are using. That said i have grown MJ plants very happily in large 50-60 litre pots that have had a root mass that totally covered the collection pots entire base and around 30mm thick (looks much like a mat when removed).

The only real caution i have is that of keeping the drainback hole clear of the roots, it hasn't been a problem yet. My pots sit in the other with approximately 50mm gap form the bottom of the plant pot (with perlite in it) & the collector pot (collects returning nutrient mix then drains back to resavoir through piping systems).

 

I will photograph the rootball next time i pull my crop and post it up for you, i think it is quite interesting.

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I know from my bonsai growing experience that taller pots give you a taller plant, and shallower wider pots give you more horizontal growth over time... I wonder if the same is true for our beloved plant?

[Tom]

i have grown MJ plants very happily in large 50-60 litre pots that have had a root mass that totally covered the collection pots entire base and around 30mm thick (looks much like a mat when removed).

The roots follow the nutrient flow, the nutrients go down so the roots go down, if you grow in a largish rectangular tub and water and drain mostly at the ends then you will get your roots massing in those areas. Also, you need a fair bit of surface area to allow the air to enter the media efficiently.

 

[animal]

The roots follow the nutrient flow, the nutrients go down so the roots go down, if you grow in a largish rectangular tub and water and drain mostly at the ends then you will get your roots massing in those areas. Also, you need a fair bit of surface area to allow the air to enter the media efficiently.

 

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Air entering the media from the surface is not a consideration with bubblers for obvious reasons and because you should have a steady flow of bubbles being forced up through the solution you won't get your roots massing in any particular area. You just tend to get a solid mass of fine roots no matter the size or shape of your tub. The root structure and growth is quite different to a watered medium based system which I think is what Tom is talking about.

 

Also someone else commented that larger pot will mean a larger veg time. In my humble opinion this is also false. Bigger rootzone in bubblers gives you the potential do veg for longer to get bigger plants if that is what you want, but you can also make the veg time as short as you want.

 

When considering the size of bubbling buckets you do need to consider the shape of the bucket as well as the size but for different reasons. Say you are using 150mm netpots. That means that approximately 150mm of the top of your bucket will be air. This being the case if you have a wide shallow bucket, you are going to lose a lot more rootzone volume in that top 150mm than if you had a taller thinner bucket.

 

Those 20L white tradesmen buckets are really perfect for bubblers. And a 20L bubbler is big enough for any plant indoors unless you are trying to grow something ridiculously massive. My personal opinion is one plant per 20L tub produces the best results no matter how big or small your setup is. one plant in a 20L tub could fill out the space under a 600 watt light no problems at all. and if you want to grow more than one strain at once, just hook on more buckets to the control bucket line.

 

Those 20L bubkets are 400mm high though, so if you have height issues you might go to a tub style bucket as the only practical solution even though they are less efficient in terms of rootzone volume in relation to overall bucket volume.

[mace]

hydro does not require as much root space as soil, the media is way more efficient.

 

The advantage of having a big tub for bubblers is its stable, less pH swing, temp swing, nute concentration swing and you can dissolve more DO cause you've got more water to dissolve it in

 

imo, res size goes by lighting, not plant numbers

 

smaller res sizes require more work, i prefer being lazy

 

mace

[quizywig]

why do people use such large pots for hydro?

ive done 2 crops using baskets with max 3litre capacity, got about 6 or 7oz out of the last one could of gone more but i went 12/12 early, also using very small grow area,

, ive also used 50litre pots for hydro without too much difference,

i know big pots are necesary in soil type enviroments, because the roots have to hunt around a bit to find the nutes, but with hydro its delivered more directly.

[mace]

there is a difference between true hydro(NFT, DWC, etc) and soilless (vermiculite/perlite mix, coco). Edited August 3, 2005 by mace

[animal]

there is a difference between true hydro(NFT, DWC, etc) and soilless (vermiculite/perlite mix, coco).

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You are comparing growing systems with growing mediums. NFT and DWC are systems that can be used with a number of mediums (or possibly no medium) and perlite/vermiculite etc are mediums not systems.

 

And aside from that, what is the difference between "true" hydro and "perlite" hydro?