Grow Mediums Now i am confused

[2Stoned2Care]

so i hear people say dont put to much hydroton in the bottom of the pots but today i found a thread with a guy who has used them for over 5 years and this is what he said


So here goes . . .

Well You understand the basic principle of how they work . . yes the valves basically keep a level of nutrient solution in the trays which the pots are stood in . .. when the level drops the valve opens letting more nutrient through until the level is up again . . . Thats it !

So yes the plabnts are fed from the bottom only and the bots are basically sttod in about 1 1/2 inches of solution from beginning to end, and yes you are right this can cause its own problems unless you have been using these things for as long as i have lol (i have used Autoptots for the last 5 years)

There are two things that i do to combat any problems . .

1. put an air ring in the bottom of the pot before the medium (Air ring is a piece of air tube with holes punched in it) and connect it to an air pump to come on/off with the lights.
This keeps the solution in the bottom of the pot airiated so it doesnt go stale, and also provides the roots with a direct air supply (much better than you will get from Airpots imo)

2. After the air ring . . . fill the pots 1/2 way with clay pebbles and the 50% coco on the top then stick a plant in . . . job done

That is exactly what i do every grow and works for me every time, there are a couple of other tips and tricks, but they are the main bases covered.

Just take a look at my current diary, i am chopping 1 week tommorow and i have used the method in there, if you look HERE about half way down you will see what i do with the air rings pebbles etc.

Ohhhh . . . and no i wouldnt modify the Autopot trays to fit Air Pots . . . absolutely no need using this method

 

[pop22]

I'm starting a grow shortly with my auto pots. I'll use NO clay pebbles in the bottom, based on science, using a "pebbles" of any kind, in any pot, for "drainage" is actually counter productive. When water comes to a change in medium, water RESISTS the transition until over come by gravity. This causes water to pool at the junction, causing exactly the problem you want to avoid!

I think this works for you because of the amount of pebbles used, the transition point doesn't matter as you are rooted in the pebbles as much as the coco.

I plan to use Modular Hydro's A.I.T., an air ring also, in my pots instead of the airdome. I did my first grow with just barely enough pebbles to cover the bottom, and no airdome. And the grow was great!

 

[2Stoned2Care]

I'm starting a grow shortly with my auto pots. I'll use NO clay pebbles in the bottom, based on science, using a "pebbles" of any kind, in any pot, for "drainage" is actually counter productive. When water comes to a change in medium, water RESISTS the transition until over come by gravity. This causes water to pool at the junction, causing exactly the problem you want to avoid!

I think this works for you because of the amount of pebbles used, the transition point doesn't matter as you are rooted in the pebbles as much as the coco.

I plan to use Modular Hydro's A.I.T., an air ring also, in my pots instead of the airdome. I did my first grow with just barely enough pebbles to cover the bottom, and no airdome. And the grow was great!

I have to agree @pop22 i always thought it funny that even the makers of autopots say put pebbles in bottom(they never used to say this)when you would think the wicking would work so much better with just your medium in the entire pot.my girl has got through 10 ltrs of the rez in 10 days and she is only 25 days old its insane how much they can drink when they have a constant supply of nutes she would never of been given that much feed from me by now.just added 10 more ltrs of feed to the rez today just so simple