Hempy Headquarters

[Gauge Steel]

Newb hempy progress.
Two autos, one photo.
I swear I can watch those autos grow now that they have decided to grow.
When should I flush and how often?

 

[Tead]

Newb hempy progress.
Two autos, one photo.
I swear I can watch those autos grow now that they have decided to grow.
When should I flush and how often?

Very nice!

So, every time you 'feed' with nutrients or plain water (Osmo baby!), you're flushing.
You water so that you get a flow out of the hempy hole... that's your flush. You pour in enough to push a good bit out the hole.

Of course, you can flush whenever you want.... there's just not normally a need for it.

 

[Gauge Steel]

Very nice!

So, every time you 'feed' with nutrients or plain water (Osmo baby!), you're flushing.
You water so that you get a flow out of the hempy hole... that's your flush. You pour in enough to push a good bit out the hole.

Of course, you can flush whenever you want.... there's just not normally a need for it.

Thanks Tead. I dont have to do a pure water feed once in a while to "clear out" my rez of salty nute residue? Its amazing these conceptions that have became ingrained by the millions of posts i have read. I dont even know where i read or heard this clear out procedure, somehow it just became something to me. Probably conversely via my DWC drain to waste background.

So do i or should I or not? I think your saying no need


Thanks

 

[TorturedSoul]

Depending on things such as the specific brand of nutrients you use and at what strength, some nutrient salt buildup can be... challenging to remove, IMHO. I might recommend that a person fill and "tilt to drain" their containers once in a while in order to discourage salt buildup. I'm guessing that, due to the drain hole being elevated and the relative stability of the setup (no constant circulation), that there isn't a great deal of flushing that takes place with just a little overflow during a regular feeding.

OtOH, the reservoirs are generally much smaller than, for example, a 23-gallon DWC. In theory, this is a downside - because there is less of a nutrient/water store for the plant to draw upon - but I'd guess that the plant in a small hempy might end up consuming most of its nutrients between waterings. Hmm... Flip a coin, lol? Again, brand of nutrients and nutrient strength would be important factors.

I've seen someone take short-flowering rooted clones, with no vegetative grow period while in the bottles, through to harvest without worrying about watering enough to produce significant overflow (actually, they seemed to attempt to avoid runoff, lol). IIRC, they used one of the commercial "flushing" additives at some time around the beginning of the last week of flower. This was a two-liter bottle grow. I was told the buds burned to a fine white ash - so no fertilizer buildup in them.

I probably won't be adjusting pH in mine ( :icon_roll ), so may end up trying to do simple water flushes from time to time. Maybe cover the hole with a piece of tape, fill the bottle, wait a few minutes, remove tape, tilt to dump reservoir, repeat? Hmm... I wonder if adding a surfactant (e.g., some kind of mild soap) would help during a flush - or if it would harm the root system and/or leave contaminants behind? Not something I'd try with something like Osmocote Plus in the containers (or on more than one plant at a time), but maybe on one that is receiving traditional hydroponic nutrients with the water. IDK.

 

[SweetSue]

Depending on things such as the specific brand of nutrients you use and at what strength, some nutrient salt buildup can be... challenging to remove, IMHO. I might recommend that a person fill and "tilt to drain" their containers once in a while in order to discourage salt buildup. I'm guessing that, due to the drain hole being elevated and the relative stability of the setup (no constant circulation), that there isn't a great deal of flushing that takes place with just a little overflow during a regular feeding.

OtOH, the reservoirs are generally much smaller than, for example, a 23-gallon DWC. In theory, this is a downside - because there is less of a nutrient/water store for the plant to draw upon - but I'd guess that the plant in a small hempy might end up consuming most of its nutrients between waterings. Hmm... Flip a coin, lol? Again, brand of nutrients and nutrient strength would be important factors.

I've seen someone take short-flowering rooted clones, with no vegetative grow period while in the bottles, through to harvest without worrying about watering enough to produce significant overflow (actually, they seemed to attempt to avoid runoff, lol). IIRC, they used one of the commercial "flushing" additives at some time around the beginning of the last week of flower. This was a two-liter bottle grow. I was told the buds burned to a fine white ash - so no fertilizer buildup in them.

I probably won't be adjusting pH in mine ( :icon_roll ), so may end up trying to do simple water flushes from time to time. Maybe cover the hole with a piece of tape, fill the bottle, wait a few minutes, remove tape, tilt to dump reservoir, repeat? Hmm... I wonder if adding a surfactant (e.g., some kind of mild soap) would help during a flush - or if it would harm the root system and/or leave contaminants behind? Not something I'd try with something like Osmocote Plus in the containers (or on more than one plant at a time), but maybe on one that is receiving traditional hydroponic nutrients with the water. IDK.

I've not played by the rules with flushing. I even harvested one without flushing and it burned white ash, so I don't worry about it. I flush the last watering prior to harvesting. I believe the plants clean up all of the nutrients between watering by the time they're ready to flip. There's virtually nothing left to flush out.

In veg I flush if I'm changing the nutrient mix, but even here I tend towards the lazy. It's not been a concern yet.

 

[Gauge Steel]

Thanks to all.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I've not played by the rules with flushing. I even harvested one without flushing and it burned white ash, so I don't worry about it.

I'll confess I didn't worry all that much about it when I was running GH Flora three-part in DWC. I figured not continually overfeeding would be better (and cheaper ). And I also assumed that they'd be wanting something right up until the night before harvest. Not much in the way of nutrients in plain water, so... But I tapered off greatly.

Wish I'd kept my notes. They'd have helped me now, as I attempt to fly through the cloudbank without instrumentation.

 

[Tead]

Thanks Tead. I dont have to do a pure water feed once in a while to "clear out" my rez of salty nute residue? Its amazing these conceptions that have became ingrained by the millions of posts i have read. I dont even know where i read or heard this clear out procedure, somehow it just became something to me. Probably conversely via my DWC drain to waste background.

So do i or should I or not? I think your saying no need


Thanks

I've not run into any reason to flush one in years. If I overfeed or do some other crazy thing, then I might do a flush, but there's no need for it normally.
Your ideas are coming from every other form of hydro. Drain to Waste forms of hydro don't normally require flushing because you do that with every watering/feeding.

Algae. Kill or leave alone. I think its cool looking!

Just harvested a 2L yesterday... speaking of algae... note the green spot on the root mass? That's where the hole was.

 

[Tead]

Some notes about proper hempy feeding techniques... they really relate to flushing, so it seems a good time to toss them out.

Generally, when we water hempy pots, we're trying to get a good bit of runoff. I'd estimate that 1/3 of the water I put in the top of the pot flows out of the hole. The idea is that the input water flushes out a good bit of the water in the res.
One wants a good solid flow out of the hole as well. I picture the Austin Powers movie where he's hiding behind the peeing cherub statues.

Tead likes to pour the water in pretty quickly at first. It kind of backs up some and floats the top layer of perlite a touch. I feel this allows the water to form around the top before evenly before working it's way down.
In the 2L format, I use about 1/4gal per pot, and in the 6L format it chews up about 1/2gal per pot but my time between waterings is doubled from 2 days to 4 days. As a general rule, I appear to loose 1/8th of a gallon per day from my pots.

As long as your waterings pump 1/3 of the water out the hole, flushing shouldn't be required at all.
Of course, there are many other reasons to flush.... change of nutes, harvest, twitchy flush hand.... whaterver. I'm not at all shy of flushing, just don't feel the need.

 

[TorturedSoul]

I'm trying to get hempified. I'm slowly going through a small number of auto-flowering seeds. The seeds I picked haven't cooperated yet. The most likely one was brutally assaulted by a washer and dryer :icon_roll . The rest must have heard about this crime, because they're afraid to leave their homes. I may have to raise the population of their little neighborhood; maybe it will encourage them to come out and say, "Hi." If any do, I'll give them a free upgrade to better digs (and a sunnier climate). They'll just be little condos but, hey, that's beach living, aint it? At least they'll have indoor swimming pools on the ground floors...

Just harvested a 2L yesterday... speaking of algae... note the green spot on the root mass? That's where the hole was.

I consider green algae in container plants to be an annoyance. It's the brown stuff that I consider to be dangerous. I'm guessing that, since it's not green, it doesn't depend on photosynthesis - and that a relatively warm, oxygenated, and nutritious environment would be an excellent breeding ground. IDK.

 

[Gauge Steel]

Some notes about proper hempy feeding techniques... they really relate to flushing, so it seems a good time to toss them out.

Generally, when we water hempy pots, we're trying to get a good bit of runoff. I'd estimate that 1/3 of the water I put in the top of the pot flows out of the hole. The idea is that the input water flushes out a good bit of the water in the res.
One wants a good solid flow out of the hole as well. I picture the Austin Powers movie where he's hiding behind the peeing cherub statues.

Tead likes to pour the water in pretty quickly at first. It kind of backs up some and floats the top layer of perlite a touch. I feel this allows the water to form around the top before evenly before working it's way down.
In the 2L format, I use about 1/4gal per pot, and in the 6L format it chews up about 1/2gal per pot but my time between waterings is doubled from 2 days to 4 days. As a general rule, I appear to loose 1/8th of a gallon per day from my pots.

As long as your waterings pump 1/3 of the water out the hole, flushing shouldn't be required at all.
Of course, there are many other reasons to flush.... change of nutes, harvest, twitchy flush hand.... whaterver. I'm not at all shy of flushing, just don't feel the need.

Exactly what i needed. The word "Flush" was and is a distractor in the MJ world. I was more concerned about ensuring my solution in the res. was getting replenished and the heavier mineral nute residue was not invading the res area creating a concentrated solution over time.

 

[SweetSue]

Excellent points Tead. Question: I have a couple in flower that don't give me a steady stream of outflow in the nature of peeing cherubs, but I do get runoff. My assumption has been that the roots must be massive. The plants don't appear to be in any stress, so I shake off any concern.

I can't seem to get them cleared enough to get that steady stream. Any suggestions?

 

[Tead]

I can't seem to get them cleared enough to get that steady stream. Any suggestions?

Try harder.
It's so very important to keep the hole flowing well. Over time, I usually end up with a small cavity about 1/4" around the inside of the hole. Don't worry one bit about escaping perlite... it's not ever enough to worry about. Keep that hole clear no matter the sacrifice.

I don't usually see roots around that 1/4 inch cavity area anyway... perhaps it's a touch of light intrusion.

A nice round smooth hole really can help this too.

 

[MagicJim]

High

I was searching in a cabinet this morning and found that my interest in Hempy actually ocurred in the past. I use containers of DampRid in my gun vault to control moisture. Moisture in the vault means rust on the tools or clicks when you expect boom. Anyway, I remember cleaning the first one at least a year and one-half ago thinking that it might be used to grow something.

Anyway...they have larger bases that solo cups so it got my attention this morning. Actual internal volume is slightly greater than 24 liquid ounces. They just need some light protection and a hole. Maybe some of that expression tape Susan found.

 

[SweetSue]

High

I was searching in a cabinet this morning and found that my interest in Hempy actually ocurred in the past. I use containers of DampRid in my gun vault to control moisture. Moisture in the vault means rust on the tools or clicks when you expect boom. Anyway, I remember cleaning the first one at least a year and one-half ago thinking that it might be used to grow something.

Anyway...they have larger bases that solo cups so it got my attention this morning. Actual internal volume is slightly greater than 24 liquid ounces. They just need some light protection and a hole. Maybe some of that expression tape Susan found.

Well, isn't that the neatest thing Jim. I'd never have thought to look at them without your prompting. I don't use this product at all. I'll check one out next time I'm at the store.

The tape was from Dollar General, and you may find it in a clearance bin.

 

[KeifKeith]

MagicJim

You know you are hooked on indoor growing when every container that crosses your eyes is evaluated as a plant pot!


Cheers
Keith

 

[KeifKeith]

I don't think this might be considered flushing, but I do tip the buckets 45 degrees and drain the bottom before I water/feed. Sometimes very fine perlite particles come out if the perlite is brand new (I'm cheap, I reuse perlite many times over).

Sue,
Do you ever "poke the hole" before watering? Roots and fine perlite can sometimes restrict the flow IMHE.
I think Hempy (still seeking for the origin of the word relating to HydroWeed) in pure perlite is the most forgiving and easiest way to grow MJ indoors.

Tead,

Your journal is exceptional, I've read every page. big Props dude, well done and helpful to many I'm sure. Being a born and raised Yat, I had to read your journal start to finish. I lived on Crete St in 1973-1975! And I'm a retired IT guy, would love to sit,yak and burn one with you if I were still there. Two siblings still reside there, one uptown (transplant, no silver spoon) and one in Bucktown. I hope S&WB gets the pumps figured out soon, it's been a problem for so many decades. Mississippi River water is so loaded with crap, 9.8 pH from the tap? Crazy ... I remember a "Field Trip" in grammar school (Catholic school of course ... its NO!) and the nuns took us to the water treatment plant. What an eye opener that was for a 10 year old. I still drank from the garden hose after seeing the process, but it forever marked me and always gagged a little in my mind.

Cheers
Keith

 

[MagicJim]

MagicJim

You know you are hooked on indoor growing when every container that crosses your eyes is evaluated as a plant pot!


Cheers
Keith

Good to see you again Keith. Made me think of the 4 quart canister I use to freeze lower buds and trim when I sift for kief.

1.5 cubic ft of the good stuff. Super coarse. All the Miracle Gro will soon be jettisoned.

 

[Gauge Steel]

Sue. This morning I sat befuddled at the numbers I was seeing on my meter. My tap comes out 7.0-7.1. After I added my usual mix, the pH plummeted. I usually pH before I mix however after adding ph down and then everything else I was in the high 3's. So off to work I went. I added each ingredient and watched. Rx Green Grow A&B my pH was already 5.8. Rx Green Energy lowered it .2 more, no biggee and the calmag at 2.5mls put me at 5.4. A couple hours later I'm spot on 5.8 and holding.
This is my second grow with these guys and was wondering if you see the instantaneous​ pH drop as well?
I did not see this with my first grow, but I was using Rx Green sample bottles. These new bottles say "commercial formula"

 

[Gauge Steel]

The culprit was Cal mag at 4mls per gallon I backed it off to 2.5 as per above. However I have never seen adding grow nutes to lower pH. ....