Grow In Big Tubs Instead Of Pots

[Tuur 2]

This is a translation of rataplan's topic on wietforum. The pictures are his aswell.

 

He started the topic after many questions about his way of growing, specifically what he grows in.

Instead of using pots, you can use big tubs wich you fill with soil and plants.

So instead of 1 plant per pot you get one big trench with multiple plants.

 

Pro's:

 

- You can re-use the soil for many consecutive grows, only the top layer has to be removed/changed.

- Easy watering.

- Less nutes need to be added, giving the composition of the soil is right.

- Since you have a big amount of soil, it acts like a better buffer against little mistakes (Ph, EC,watering,etc..)

- More space for roots means a bigger rootsystem and healthier plants.

- Perfect for seedlings.

- The more volume you have, the better the soil stays at ideal temperature at night, allowing you to save on heating equipment and such.

- You don't have to throw away countless bags of soil at the end of the run... znd don't have to buy and bring in countless more bags of soil to start your new grow.

- Watering is very reliable when you use a tensiometer (1 meter should be enough)

 

 

Con's:

 

- After a certain time, if you want to take out some plants (ie. those lagging behind), it might be impossible due to root intergrowth

- Plants are harder to handle, you can't just pick one up to examine it under better light.

- If your tub is really big you might get some accessibility issues.

- If you make big mistake you ruin the whole medium.

 

 

Now, let's get to work: (pictures from rataplan)

 

Normally the norm is that a 400W HPS' effective coverage is 70x70cm, and a 600W HPS' 120x120.

During tests however it turned out that an area of 100x100 is still good for 400W while giving you more space and that for the 600W lamp you can go up to 130x130.

 

Rataplan used "osb plaat", wich comes in 244x58cm plates (thickness 18mm) but mdf, drywall,... anything with sturctural integrity works.

 

Materials:

 

This is a tub for 2 x 600W lamps so you'll need:

- 2*244cm + 1*244cm board cut in half (2*122cm)

- 8 T-squares (with pre-drilled holes,size to your apreciation)

- 32 self-tapping wood screws ( that fit trough said holes)

- Pond liner, chose to your own appreciation, keep in mind you need about 10cm standing up on the sides to avoid water leakage. It doesn't have to cover the whole tub if you use a tarp, so 3x2m should be fine. 4x3 if you want to cover the whole tub in pond liner.

- Tarp, 4x3m to cover everything (not if you allready have a 4x3 liner)

- Drainage tubing(with plastic isolation to prevent clogging with soil) wich will be used fo watering, 2*5 meter disposed in a spiral should do.

- Hardware to fix tubes

- PU foam or other to plug the end of the tubes and fix them to the bottom of the tub.

- Staples

- Tape

 

The build:

 

Here the basic "tray" is allready put together with T-squares on the inside, 2 on each side (top & bottom). With an electric screwdriver and a friend to help you this will be done in no time.

 

 

Now the pond liner goes in. Cut it to size with a stanleyknife, use a piece of board or something similar and straight as a guide to get straight cuts.

 

Now put the pond line in the tub and spread it evenly

 

Staple it in place, and fold it over in the corners for strength

 

Do the same with the tarp, position it and staple it. Go all the way over the edge with this one.

 

Now we are going to put the drainage tube in.

Cut it to size and dispose it in an spiral fashion on the bottom, this will allow the water to be spread evenly.

Use weights to hold everything in place until you are satisfied with the results. Then use small amounts of PU foam to fix it. Don't forget to plug the end ("way-out" side) of the tube with some more PU foam ( wich expands a lot! so only use a little) or else your water will just come flowing out of the end of the tube. Also don't forget to keep the "way-in" side free so you can reach up to the edge with it later

 

Now bring the other end ("way-in" side) up to the edge of the tray and fix it there, this is where you'll be watering your plants from.

 

Use tape to cover/finish the seam of the tarp

 

The rest is finition&detailing. you can paint it, decorate it etc..

If you have all the materials you'll only need 2-3 hours to finish these tubs, and enjoy them for a long time.

 

 

Voila, I hope I didn't screw up too much, any additions and/or corrections are welcome!

(Unfortunately, the pics are off putfile, the thumbnails work but the actual pictures aren't there anymore)

[The Joker 705]

Great tutorial. I think the tubing is a really great idea! Love the idea of big tubs. I guess it would be best for a grow of a single strain. Love the idea.

 

 

Thanks for posting that!

[JazzMatazz 3]

thanks for the great posting!

Could you please post some more detailed pictures of your drainage? I cannot figure out how its supposed to work. As the hose has a diameter, the water should settle in below it, no?

Neither do i understand, how it creates any suction, to pull out excessive water.

I was thinking about building one of these and adding vermiculite at the bottom and as well as a digital blumat. Your setup looks better though.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Jazz

[sannie 3,339]

Great work from rataplan from where a lot of growers learned from

Thx for translating this nice peace

 

greetz sannie

[Tuur 2]

Could you please post some more detailed pictures of your drainage? I cannot figure out how its supposed to work. As the hose has a diameter, the water should settle in below it, no?

Neither do i understand, how it creates any suction, to pull out excessive water.

Actually it's used for watering, I called it drainage tube because of the tubing used, but it's used for watering, it It spreads the water evenly in the soil.

[JazzMatazz 3]

Actually it's used for watering, I called it drainage tube because of the tubing used, but it's used for watering, it It spreads the water evenly in the soil.

 

ah, thanks for your reply, silly me.. It might be anotehr stupid question, but i would never know how much to water. how do you do that, if you cannot see, how wet it is? Do you use a blumat?

[Buble 2]

High Jazzmatazz,

Yes the best way is a Blumattensiometer ,it messurs the suction off the medium

when you use a big tub its better to use more than one blumat

 

Buble

[Maverick 278]

Could someone explain to me what a Blumattensiometer is? I have not been able to google it.

[JazzMatazz 3]

tensio means "to have effect on surface tension" (just looked it up )

 

http://www.blumat.info/index2.html

 

Its basically a clay cube, which sucks on a watersupply, if it gets to dry. Thus keeping the medium around it moist. There are different systems.

 

I only found this info in german, but it says that

"when connected to a watertank, the tank has to be 0.5 meters higher than the blumats for every 5 meters of connecting hose."

http://www.blumat.de/ueberblick.phtml

 

 

If you want to water manually, you can use a digital blumat, which just keeps record of the water content in the soil around it.

http://www.blumat-shop.de/product_info.php...at-Digital.html

 

hope i could help.

 

And thanks Buble!

[Aad 25]

To relieve some confusion,the tensiometer of Blumat is a soilhumiditysensor.I have 5 of them and absolutely love them.

The last link in the post above is the right one.

 

Grtz. Aad

[Maverick 278]

Jazz thx for the response in this thread as well as the other. Looked it up very useful and much appreciated.

 

Aad thank you as well I might just have to try those myself they do look wonderful.

 

Hope to see the two of you and anyone else stop by and have coffee often there and discuss all those important and serious issues like how many teeth a chicken has, or maybe who discovered sucking on a teet was fun as well as gave you milk.

[jpc 4]

mogge

 

i've got a few of those bins

work absoluty great

no fuzz with feeding every pot,just throw down a watering-can

but an soilhumiditymetr is absolutly essential

 

 

grtz

 

jpc

[Maverick 278]

This is a very good thread and it has been translated very well, but we are losing just a little bit in the translation. So can someone help me about a few things that I am not quite comprehending.

 

I notice that there are no holes for drainage. Can you explain why there aren't any?

 

Now what you are calling drainage is acctually is your water intake?

"Drainage tubing(with plastic isolation to prevent clogging with soil)"What is this? The plastic isolation part is the thing that I am not understanding.

 

What is PU foam? Is it a spray foam that comes in a can and similar in composition to a styrafoam? If it is the foam that I am thinking about isn't there a possibilty of it having chemicals that might be detramenatal to the plant. I am making mine very similar to this one and I felt that a food grade silicon would not release anything.

 

What I am seeing, and correct me if I am wrong, is a system that introduces the water to the bottom of the tub and then wicking the water up through soil until you stop it. Now if I am correct will the soil wick all the water up or will there be watering standing in the bottom? Also if this is correct how would you be able to flush the plants the last 2 weeks?

[jpc 4]

mogge

 

high mav

the drainage tubes are pipes with a whole lot of little holes in it,that's why it's rapped in cocos or fibre insulation

 

the bin is a closed enviroment

just pour in the water it needs,and no water will stand at bottom,that's why soilhumidity sensor essential

 

don't like foam either just but some big stones/tiles ontop and pour on the soil them remove stones it should stay in place

 

yes you see it correct

just stop feeding nutes and just pour in water with enzym lats 10 days

 

 

grtz

 

jpc

[jpc 4]

mogge again

 

took pica of drainpipe

 

 

and of moisture sensor

 

 

 

sorry for quality

 

shaky hands ,alcohol again

 

grz

 

jp

[Maverick 278]

@jpc

I do not recall seeing that tube over here. I see all kinds of possibities for using it.

 

With that type of tube it would work on a gravity flow system.

 

I don't know exactly what is not getting through to me on the no drain holes. It just looks to me like you are asking for trouble in many forms.

Isn't there any possibility of salt build ups? And just what would occur if you JUST HAPPENED to have spaced out while you were watering (which i know us stoners never do that) and you got to much water?

[JazzMatazz 3]

Well, obviously your not supposed to over water. But especially with a layer of vermiculite or coco-fibre you do have a good buffer between "wet and moist".

I have 1m long flower boxes, with 3 holes in them. I haven't had any plant complaints... But obviously for these tubs the tensio is inevitable.

[hupla 128]

BUMP!!

Good topic i'd say!!

 

thnx rata!!

[ddrew 0]

Any pics of these things full of plants in action?

[FoolOnTheHill 3,040]

Yes, ddrew.

I a'm using one for about a year now under a scrog.

 

 

Never another system for me.

Check my topic.

[ddrew 0]

Very nice!!!

Thank you

[Chupacabra 0]

Excellent topicTuur & Rataplan. I began using the tubs a couple months ago, after checking out Jack Grean's grow of award winning vortex. For my collective, I am growing G13 Haze, The Cheese, White Widow, White Widow Max, Mazar, Neville's Haze, Royal Hash, GDP, Master Kush, Mango Kush, THC Bomb, Blueberry, White Ruski, White Rhino, Afghani, Medibud, Easy Sativa and a few strains of bagseeds given to me by a relative.

 

After checking out the meticulously methodical manner in which Sannie & Crew test and select their phenotypes, I was tempted to throw out those plants and start afresh. However, I am now inclined to simply take clones of each (as I have been doing) and grow out the mothers (they are all from seeds - I did not know to take cuttings as mothers for more robust plants, until reading a strain review written by Whazzup or E$kob@r)!

 

Anyhow, The variation which I have observed from growing and o serving these plants over the past six months is astounding! I was ordering from this company because they shipped from a 'safer' UK address. Never again. The sacrifice in quality is far to great to settle for less than the best.

 

Thanks once again for the invaluable information.

 

Chupa

 

http://www.greanbicycles.com/

 

Chupa

 

[med man 28]

I love the idea thanks for sharing..

[Martin Haze 4]

This is a translation of rataplan's topic on wietforum. The pictures are his aswell.

 

He started the topic after many questions about his way of growing, specifically what he grows in.

Instead of using pots, you can use big tubs wich you fill with soil and plants.

So instead of 1 plant per pot you get one big trench with multiple plants.

 

Pro's:

 

- You can re-use the soil for many consecutive grows, only the top layer has to be removed/changed.

- Easy watering.

- Less nutes need to be added, giving the composition of the soil is right.

- Since you have a big amount of soil, it acts like a better buffer against little mistakes (Ph, EC,watering,etc..)

- More space for roots means a bigger rootsystem and healthier plants.

- Perfect for seedlings.

- The more volume you have, the better the soil stays at ideal temperature at night, allowing you to save on heating equipment and such.

- You don't have to throw away countless bags of soil at the end of the run... znd don't have to buy and bring in countless more bags of soil to start your new grow.

- Watering is very reliable when you use a tensiometer (1 meter should be enough)

 

 

Con's:

 

- After a certain time, if you want to take out some plants (ie. those lagging behind), it might be impossible due to root intergrowth

- Plants are harder to handle, you can't just pick one up to examine it under better light.

- If your tub is really big you might get some accessibility issues.

- If you make big mistake you ruin the whole medium.

 

 

Now, let's get to work: (pictures from rataplan)

 

Normally the norm is that a 400W HPS' effective coverage is 70x70cm, and a 600W HPS' 120x120.

During tests however it turned out that an area of 100x100 is still good for 400W while giving you more space and that for the 600W lamp you can go up to 130x130.

 

Rataplan used "osb plaat", wich comes in 244x58cm plates (thickness 18mm) but mdf, drywall,... anything with sturctural integrity works.

 

Materials:

 

This is a tub for 2 x 600W lamps so you'll need:

- 2*244cm + 1*244cm board cut in half (2*122cm)

- 8 T-squares (with pre-drilled holes,size to your apreciation)

- 32 self-tapping wood screws ( that fit trough said holes)

- Pond liner, chose to your own appreciation, keep in mind you need about 10cm standing up on the sides to avoid water leakage. It doesn't have to cover the whole tub if you use a tarp, so 3x2m should be fine. 4x3 if you want to cover the whole tub in pond liner.

- Tarp, 4x3m to cover everything (not if you allready have a 4x3 liner)

- Drainage tubing(with plastic isolation to prevent clogging with soil) wich will be used fo watering, 2*5 meter disposed in a spiral should do.

- Hardware to fix tubes

- PU foam or other to plug the end of the tubes and fix them to the bottom of the tub.

- Staples

- Tape

 

The build:

 

Here the basic "tray" is allready put together with T-squares on the inside, 2 on each side (top & bottom). With an electric screwdriver and a friend to help you this will be done in no time.

 

 

Now the pond liner goes in. Cut it to size with a stanleyknife, use a piece of board or something similar and straight as a guide to get straight cuts.

 

Now put the pond line in the tub and spread it evenly

 

Staple it in place, and fold it over in the corners for strength

 

Do the same with the tarp, position it and staple it. Go all the way over the edge with this one.

 

Now we are going to put the drainage tube in.

Cut it to size and dispose it in an spiral fashion on the bottom, this will allow the water to be spread evenly.

Use weights to hold everything in place until you are satisfied with the results. Then use small amounts of PU foam to fix it. Don't forget to plug the end ("way-out" side) of the tube with some more PU foam ( wich expands a lot! so only use a little) or else your water will just come flowing out of the end of the tube. Also don't forget to keep the "way-in" side free so you can reach up to the edge with it later

 

Now bring the other end ("way-in" side) up to the edge of the tray and fix it there, this is where you'll be watering your plants from.

 

Use tape to cover/finish the seam of the tarp

 

The rest is finition&detailing. you can paint it, decorate it etc..

If you have all the materials you'll only need 2-3 hours to finish these tubs, and enjoy them for a long time.

 

 

Voila, I hope I didn't screw up too much, any additions and/or corrections are welcome!

(Unfortunately, the pics are off putfile, the thumbnails work but the actual pictures aren't there anymore)

 

 

Thats amazing, but where are the pictures?

[FoolOnTheHill 3,040]

Can I help you Martin?

 

Here's the base:

 

 

Here's the drain hose, kept in place with the pots.

 

 

Putting in Hydroton at the bottom, then a layer of soil:

 

 

Compacting the bottom half of the soil:

 

 

Top it off with more soil,

and you are all set.

You can even put a grow tent on top of it.

 

It's a fantastic system.

I used it here...