Need help with Ebb and Grow bucket system
- Thread starter growninnorcal
- Start date
I read it again and again every once in a while to help keep it straight in my head.
StormChaos
New Member
I am new to growing and am working on my first grow. I have a 24 site Ebb and Gro system with lots of real garden veg and one transplanetd from soil just prior to flowering Afgani. I also have a self contained bucket drip system that i love and 3 more in soil. I am using a 6 site areo-garden my wife had for cloning.
I have an ECO-Tester PH1. I got it for 71$ I wish I had gotten a multimeter.
My Tap water is 7.7 I am using a 200gal/day RO and that brings my water to 6.4
In the Ebb and gro res I am using Botanicare Nutes and I have an airstone running at all times.
When I add the Nutes the PH drops to 4.0 to 4.3 depending on what I add. I have been using Baking Soda diuluted in RO water to raise the PH back up to 6.0 to 6.5
I havent noticed much fluctuation with the PH in the res.
Also my res temp is maintained between 72 and 74 degress. before I was using the airstone the res temp was slightly higher at 76 to 78.
I do the same with regards to PH in the Bucket drip system. Except there I am using GH 3 part with Superthrive and Sweet.
I have an ECO-Tester PH1. I got it for 71$ I wish I had gotten a multimeter.
My Tap water is 7.7 I am using a 200gal/day RO and that brings my water to 6.4
In the Ebb and gro res I am using Botanicare Nutes and I have an airstone running at all times.
When I add the Nutes the PH drops to 4.0 to 4.3 depending on what I add. I have been using Baking Soda diuluted in RO water to raise the PH back up to 6.0 to 6.5
I havent noticed much fluctuation with the PH in the res.
Also my res temp is maintained between 72 and 74 degress. before I was using the airstone the res temp was slightly higher at 76 to 78.
I do the same with regards to PH in the Bucket drip system. Except there I am using GH 3 part with Superthrive and Sweet.
StormChaos
New Member
I should have added that I am flooding 4 times during the day. I start the flooding 15 minutes before lights come on so that when the lights come on the buckets are flooded. I let it sit for 15 minutes and then I drain. I then flood/drain 2 more times during the lights on and once 30 minutes before lights out. I also flood and drain halfway thru the night just to make sure the roots stay moist. This seems to work just fine.
Any comments, feedback and/or advice is always welcomed.
Any comments, feedback and/or advice is always welcomed.
Storm, I would suggest investing in some proper pH up and down for your plants. baking soda, while a raiser of pH, is sodium bicarbonate, so by using that increases the sodium levels in your nutrient tank unnecessarily. A good horticultural pH up would be KOH, potassium hydroxide and pH down, H2PO4, phosphoric acid. These are stable and supply potassium and phosphorous respectively which the plants can use.
Also, Try mixing up a batch of nutes, then just let it sit for 4 to 6 hours, mix the solution again and measure the pH. Many fresh nutrient mixes can read pretty low in pH but will naturally rebound back up. Try to minimize the amount of times you have to manually adjust the pH. Otherwise, you can just be chasing your tail, trying to get it just right. By way of note, I did not adjust my last reservoir change pH. I've done RO water addbacks and after 1 week, I calculated the overall nutrient drop from the solution and I topped off the nutes to bring them back to initial levels. I still haven't had to adjust the pH up or down and I am over 10 days in.
See this article for general guidance...
CannaStats - Nutrient Solution Management and Longevity
Also, Try mixing up a batch of nutes, then just let it sit for 4 to 6 hours, mix the solution again and measure the pH. Many fresh nutrient mixes can read pretty low in pH but will naturally rebound back up. Try to minimize the amount of times you have to manually adjust the pH. Otherwise, you can just be chasing your tail, trying to get it just right. By way of note, I did not adjust my last reservoir change pH. I've done RO water addbacks and after 1 week, I calculated the overall nutrient drop from the solution and I topped off the nutes to bring them back to initial levels. I still haven't had to adjust the pH up or down and I am over 10 days in.
See this article for general guidance...
CannaStats - Nutrient Solution Management and Longevity
well said Munki
simply....use real PH up/down. salts are bad.
simply....use real PH up/down. salts are bad.
StormChaos
New Member
Indeed. I agree that baking soda is not the most ideal solution... but at the time I purchased all my equipment and products due to my lack of experience and knowledge I overlooked a few important items.. PH up and down and few other meters that should have made it into the basket didnt.
This whole lil project somehow managed to take on a life of its own and is alot more involved and complex then I expected.... but I have come to love the challenges presented to me with this new hobby.
Unfortunatly... I need to wait till I can get some extra scratch up before I purchase the rest of what I need, so in the meantime bakingsoda is gonna have to do since I dont think it has caused any harm to the plants at this point in time.
This whole first grow has been one hell of a learning experience...
I still have a few kinks to work out - I am starting my 2nd batch and going to do things slightly different. I am thinking of either using the lucas formula or going with the BC series. I just recently started (transplanted about 15 minutes ago) a new mother plant into a 2nd self contained bucket drip system from my 6 site aerogarden. Hopefully this batch will be better then what is growing now...
This whole lil project somehow managed to take on a life of its own and is alot more involved and complex then I expected.... but I have come to love the challenges presented to me with this new hobby.
Unfortunatly... I need to wait till I can get some extra scratch up before I purchase the rest of what I need, so in the meantime bakingsoda is gonna have to do since I dont think it has caused any harm to the plants at this point in time.
This whole first grow has been one hell of a learning experience...
I still have a few kinks to work out - I am starting my 2nd batch and going to do things slightly different. I am thinking of either using the lucas formula or going with the BC series. I just recently started (transplanted about 15 minutes ago) a new mother plant into a 2nd self contained bucket drip system from my 6 site aerogarden. Hopefully this batch will be better then what is growing now...
if u must baking soda then please flush weekly for 5 manual flush cycles. your ppm will be mid-high ie. 500 plus ppm.
retired again dude
New Member
I have a 12 bucket ebb and flo system with a 55 gal rev.I use Dutch Masters Gold fert for veg the grow
th fert. and flower mix for the flowering cycle and this system works great.
th fert. and flower mix for the flowering cycle and this system works great.retired again dude
New Member
Check out my Journals under Forums my name is OddGrowerDude I have grown 3 crops using a 12 bucket and a 55 gallon res. I have no problems with the setup as long as u use good quality fert. This keeps the deposets out of the barrals, pump, and rev. And keep your PH correct at 5.5 the things will grow like weeds.
Ask the questions........
Oh, please don't just dump 55 gallons of nutrient water down the drain. pH up the rez. It will have a a bit more potassium added, but you should be fine. I am assuming you are using KOH (potassium hydroxide) as pH up.
Good to hear from you Munki! I have ph up right now.That is because way back when I got my nuts after reading all that info you sent me , I listened to those wonder guys j/k at the hydro store and did not get any ph down. They said to dump the res if you already used the ph down since all the chemical's will kill you plants???????? That's what brought me to the thought of dumping. It's at 5.6ph right now. From what I've learned on the site so far 5.5 to 6.5 is where one wants to be with hydro so I'm praying it will be ok?What you think? I got some pics hope to have a enough time tonight to learn how to post them up on here to see my ebb and grow running finally
In hydro, that is the overall range. 5.8 is the center point for maximum nutrient availability but don't chase this number with pH up and down. It is better to take daily measurements of TDS and pH right after topping off the rez with a water addback just after the dark period and before the first flood of the day. Be consistent and you can see how your system with your plants behaves. This data will pay dividends for you in the future. As I do with many people here, I highly recommend bookmarking and reading often the pages of the CannaStats site. Understand and employ the knowledge contained here.
CannaStats Home Page
Just remember that the PPM numbers in that site are from a TDS meter that has a conversion rate of .7 (700). The Hanna Primo converts at .5 so there is some math involved but a handy calculator is found here towards the bottom of the page.
CannaStats - Cal-O-Rama
CannaStats Home Page
Just remember that the PPM numbers in that site are from a TDS meter that has a conversion rate of .7 (700). The Hanna Primo converts at .5 so there is some math involved but a handy calculator is found here towards the bottom of the page.
CannaStats - Cal-O-Rama
TheFallenLion
New Member
Good thread, there's an excellent article in Maximum Yield entitled "The pH of raw water is useless" I highly suggest reading that article, It will point out why your water fluctuates.
Hi there, new to posting on the forum. Have been lookie-looing for a while now and figured time I get in the game. I have been growing with hydro for over a year now and after many different DIY systems I landded on the Ebb and Gro (bought a controler, the rest came from hardware stores). I use a four flood feeding and am using Advanced Nutes.
There is an inherant problem with the ebb and gro in that an inch or two of water is left standing in the bottom bucket after a feed. This leads to root rot/pythium about 2-3 weeks in bloom. CAPP company put out a video on a fix for this that involved placing 2 inch pieces of pvc pipe 1-2 inch in diameter under the inside bucket to elevate it. Works for a very short time, until the roots grow long enough to be sitting in the water. I have two fixes that work much better and are simple to do.
The first fix is simply elevating the plant buckets 1.5 inches above the controler bucket, I used some foam insulation I had laying around. Cut some one foot squares then raised one edge of the foam so that the fitting in the bucket is on the lower end. This allows for all, yes, all the water to drain back to the controler.
My permanent fix to this problem costs a bit more and actually increases the yield! Who isn't for that? I make my own buckets out of 2.5 gal paint buckets from Home depot ($2.18 in my neck of the woods) but you can alter the original buckets that come with the complete system too. I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom of the inside bucket and fed an airline through it so that it protruded one inch below the bucket. Taped the hose to the inside of the bucket, then added the grow media and plants, hooked these up to an air pump (this was the major cost, $60.00) and now the water in the bucket is no longer stagnant. The extra air provided to the roots has boosted growth and yields.
Hope this helps anyone using this system.
There is an inherant problem with the ebb and gro in that an inch or two of water is left standing in the bottom bucket after a feed. This leads to root rot/pythium about 2-3 weeks in bloom. CAPP company put out a video on a fix for this that involved placing 2 inch pieces of pvc pipe 1-2 inch in diameter under the inside bucket to elevate it. Works for a very short time, until the roots grow long enough to be sitting in the water. I have two fixes that work much better and are simple to do.
The first fix is simply elevating the plant buckets 1.5 inches above the controler bucket, I used some foam insulation I had laying around. Cut some one foot squares then raised one edge of the foam so that the fitting in the bucket is on the lower end. This allows for all, yes, all the water to drain back to the controler.
My permanent fix to this problem costs a bit more and actually increases the yield! Who isn't for that? I make my own buckets out of 2.5 gal paint buckets from Home depot ($2.18 in my neck of the woods) but you can alter the original buckets that come with the complete system too. I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the bottom of the inside bucket and fed an airline through it so that it protruded one inch below the bucket. Taped the hose to the inside of the bucket, then added the grow media and plants, hooked these up to an air pump (this was the major cost, $60.00) and now the water in the bucket is no longer stagnant. The extra air provided to the roots has boosted growth and yields.
Hope this helps anyone using this system.
I have 2 of the systems and never have root issues....
Cool. Thanks for the tips drdan and to 420magazine.com! If you get the chance, we would love to see a few pics of a grow using your mods. We love pictures! 
If you are so inclined, we encourage members to share in grow journals. Love to see your work. Take care.
to 420magazine.com! If you get the chance, we would love to see a few pics of a grow using your mods. We love pictures! If you are so inclined, we encourage members to share in grow journals. Love to see your work. Take care.
You are a truly blessed grower Pit, I have read your journals with great interest. I only wish I had found this site when I was a noobie. Could have saved a lot of time and money. I am glad to hear you arent having root issues. I have made so many changes in my environment including nutrients, that it is tough to narrow down what brought it on for me. I hadn't experienced it before with my modified version that was more like an ebb and flow setup and the buckets were on a table above the res. It wasn't until I eliminated the "hieght stealing" table with the Ebb and Gro controler that I ran into it. I was browsing You tube for some ideas and came across the video fix put out by the company making the system. So I know I ain't alone in this problem. I also can't rule out that the system hadn't received my usual deep clean between crops, was more of a "down and dirty get it going, I have plants way over due" cursory clean. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and in hydro it is twice as true.
Thanks Munki, nice to be able to be here. I uploaded a couple of photos, and I do plan to do a grow journal or two. I have several strains, Afgan-gooey, OG Kush, Permafrost and Big Bud. I am hoping to get some White Widow seeds in the near future as I want to do some breeding with a male from the batch. Sorry for the quality of the pics.. still working on getting a better camera.
I am not running a CEA yet but am planning on doing so by the end of summer. I can't wait to see what happens with increased CO2.
I am not running a CEA yet but am planning on doing so by the end of summer. I can't wait to see what happens with increased CO2.