feeding styles

[KAPOW]

Hey fellow stoners . What do you think is a better way to feed plants. From the top like drip fed or halo rings etc or from the bottom like flood & drain or DWC etc. I'm about to upgrade to a hydroponics system & would like some advice on the subject .

[onemancrew]

Im not too sure what the best way is but I was reading something once about feeding from the bottom the plants like it more because its a more of natural way of how the roots are programmed in nature.  I guess a top water wouldn't hurt either as it would simulate rain in nature. 

[DoctorWho]

At first the ring setup is ideal but afterward you can just get away with feeding from below.  Personally I would just go with both at the same time as it won't take much more to setup and you get the best of both worlds.

[conman]

it really depends oh what hydro system you use. I like DWC myself.

I have found it beneficial to keep the base of the main stem dry, to avoid stem rot.

but roots need moisture and air. bubble buckets do this by having a low water level and the

popping of the air bubbles creating splashes that keep the top of the root zone moist but not water logged.

[GreenGoat]

Kapow have you got any thoughts on how you want to do it?
I'm putting together my first box at the moment and intended to create a small DWC set up with some Aquarium air-stones at the bottom for extra aeration then inserting a slow drip feed at the base of the rockwool cube.
Hopefully this way i don't have to mess around with waterlevels while the roots are growing and hopefully it wont drown the stem causing Stem-Rot as ConMan pointed out.

But I'd be keen on feedback on this anyway, at this stage I'm just pooling together information I've collected from seemingly reliable growers.

[The Hash Nibbler]

it really depends oh what hydro system you use. I like DWC myself.

I have found it beneficial to keep the base of the main stem dry, to avoid stem rot.

but roots need moisture and air. bubble buckets do this by having a low water level and the

popping of the air bubbles creating splashes that keep the top of the root zone moist but not water logged.

Listen to this man. He is a naughty, naughty stranger who never visits his friends, but............... he does grow a mighty fine DWC plant........

Where the hell ya been stranger?!? Peace. Nibbler.

[KAPOW]

Thanks a lot everyone for your advice. Does anyone now if you can buy flood & drain system that holds just one plant, like a pot in pot style say around 20litres. Being able to move them around would work well for me as I have separate veg & bud area.

[conman]

Kapow, id recommend using bubble buckets and changing the lids when you want to move the plant around.

That way you can easily swap plants between your veg and flower rooms just by moving the plant and lid.

Single buckets have the cost advantage of not needing a water pump, only a small air pump. this also reduces the chance of flooding.

Once you have mastered this you can expand your system and link buckets together add a res to make it easier to monitor and feed all your plants at the same time.

while still being able to swap the lids when you need to.

 

Peace

Con