Congrats, it's a great system! I had no trouble with the small amount of water/nutrients left in the buckets. None. My roots were bright white and as healthy as any roots I've had.
During the veg period, 3 flushes is probably enough in a day if you are using hydroton. Are you using hydroton? I think I'm flooding 4 times right now in veg, but it's probably overkill. In bloom phase, I flush about once every 3 hours during lights on, and once during lights off just to keep the roots damp, though that may not be necessary either. Worked great, and I'll do it the same this round.
I've had people suggest I should put an airstone in the reservoir to keep it aerated, but this is
NOT necessary. The process of flooding and draining exposes the water/nutrients to PLENTY of oxygen and is sufficient. I've also had people suggest putting small airstones in each bucket to keep that "stagnant" water you mentioned full of D.O. (dissolved oxygen) but again, this did not prove necessary at all in my first run, and I've had growers with much experience in similar systems tell me these airstones aren't necessary as well.
The only thing I do outside of normal operation, is that I have a small waterpump that I just dangle into the reservoir that continually keeps the nutrients circulated to prevent settling/hot spots in the reservoir - I don't think this is necessary, but I had the pump and it does seem to do what I wanted from it. It's just sitting in the bottom of the reservoir churning the water/nutes gently.
One thing I am religious about: I use a product by Dutch Master Nutrients called "Zone" with every nutrient change. (Actually, I use a custom made version by Blue Planet Nutrients, but I don't think he has this for sale publically - at least yet). It's purpose is to keep the root zone healthy and happy, but will only work if you are using synthetic (non-organic) nutrients (it destroys beneficial organisms found in organics). Again, might not be necessary, but it's part of my process.
To recap some - other than the standard set-up, I use "Zone" and a waterpump that keeps the reservoir stirred up. No airstones, and I don't worry about that stagnant water. My roots looked brilliant white and incredibly healthy. You'll love the Flo N Gro - it's a terrific product from my initial experiences.
and let me know if I can ever answer any questions about the Flo N Gro or anything else for that matter!
Oh, and
to
X
