topping up reservoir...

[allhailthebud]

hey folks..

 

as mentioned im setting up a system similar to sukonmiskunks recirc system in perlite..

 

i am wondering when i top up my resi daily, should i be adding straight tap water ? or should i have an EXTRA resi setup, with a heap of fresh water with an extra airpump in it ? that way i can top up the resi frm the grow rooms with this additional PH adjusted resi ??

 

should i adjust the ph of this 3rd resi ?

 

also, the local hydro chick says for my recirc system i should run nutes for 6 days, and straight water for 1 day. So flushing the system once a week to remove excess build up of nute salt ??

 

i thought this was only done once or twice throughout the grow ?

 

she recomends doing it, even says that id be surprised at the vigerous growth you get over that day of flushing..

 

cheers!

[Naycha]

I've never done recirc perlite, but when I was doing recirc in clay I would top up resi with pH adjusted water, and I would always flush once a week with pH adjusted water. It didn't slow growth and, it avoided any salt buildup.

[jimbojones5678]

I top up with unadjusted tap water but it's rain water so if your ph is way out then yes I would adjust it prior to adding

 

there's no need to aerate it unless you have it standing for an extended period

 

the hydro store girl is on the money, that's a good method of keeping everything nice and clean

 

Jimbo

[merl1n]

Hi there allhailthebud,

My system is recirc system in perlite with 2in layer of clay balls at the bottom. Both perlite and balls washed (flushed)seperately to get rid of the fine dust prior to setup.

Flushing during your grow is a must. Your lass said 'weekly', I do it fortnightly, without fail.

I say 'a must' as I've tried with less flushing and the quality is shit compared to fully flushed.

My nutes recommends fortnightly flush but also recommends higher concentrations of nutes than I use, but I still flush very regularly.

Flushing twice in a grow would allow very high build up of salts and you can taste it in the final product, very harsh on the back of your throat and you can taste it.

Again with the recommendations of my nutes I use tap water for grow and flush. I believe there are salts in tap water that my plants need.

I have tried rain water with disappointing results. Admittedly the rain water was stored in a steel tank which I was advised would change the salt levels in the rain water and the nutes my plants were recieving, so I stopped using rainwater.

The results have been very noticible both in quality and quantity.

ALWAYS, ALWAYS flush at the end. I do a week on straight tap water, exchanging the water daily (get rid of the crap). You'll be thankful if you do this.

 

Just some ideas

Merl1n

[Roadblock]

Flushing is not necessary if you have a large res and high flow rate , top feed and have enough feeding intervals , I dont flush at all , top up mid week adjusting feed strength and dump res every 10 days , I run low CF 10-12 , the water volume and nutrient CF go down not rise at the end of the week the CF is still only 10 so they are using both water and nutes balanced no tip burn .

 

Make sure your res tank is very well aerated its very very important the most crucial part of your system , a well aerated tank will cover your ass from over watering which you will probably do , most problems in the root zone are from not enough DO and compounded by overwater , they dont need much when they are young , the best way to work it out for your system is feed and note the time then dont water them untill they start to wilt and then set your timer 1hr before that time , it guarantees you cant overwater .

 

The next link in the chain is Airflow through the room , you want the room to smell fresh not stale or musty , you want enough flow to balance your heat , if the heat is to high up the airflow ( over 35 ) if its too cold slow your air , it seems to work out for most rooms in average climates they will handle pretty high temps and still power if they are going hard , you want your fans sucking out not pushing in .

 

Dont get into the hype and load your system with all these new products untill you get the basics down pat , then have a play if you like , all you need is good feed and make them happy and you will not have problems and yield good , I get around 6-7 lb from a 2.4mtr x 1.2 box with 6 x 600 watt with 8 plants , 3wk grow and 7 wk flower , can never get past 7wks without mold giving me the caper .

 

Bit of ramble but hope somebody had a win .

 

Cheers Rod

[allhailthebud]

thanks for the feedback guys, very very helpful.

 

thanks again!