Shallow Water Culture Explanation.

Ok So it's Day 17 today, I got a bit overexcited on day 14 and maybe topped a bit prematurely, day was OK but I didn't leave myself much room, should have waited another day. Thought I'd do Blackberry at node 3 and Jedi at node 4. No damage done to the Blackberry...

Jedi got a little bit tricky. I thought I'd do her at the 4th node, but I did not notice there were three shoots at the fourth node in a triangular formation. I picked the wrong two and damaged one. So I was left with a normal shoot and the rogue third shoot which looked like it was going to be bothersome, so i took that one off on day 17 so there are 6 branches plus one at the fourth node. Otherwise everything looking good. Jedi is nice and spacious and Blackberry is tight and squat but very vigourous, first true leaves on the blackberry started out with 7 petioles and they then went to 9. Last Blackberry I grew had flowers coming out of the leave! And I'm expecting the same here (above post).

Ha! Nice I found this one.Thats a proper and prefessional setup of what I did and try again with my self watering hempy ... I just do it with perlite completely and not with clay pebbles and my res is smaller. I think I'll go through your grows. It's nice to see how skill grows!
I watched out for those containers, but they are australian only...but really nice setup.
I'll see if i perhaps switch over to clay pebbles, but my theory is theres even more O2 in the roots and the roots can move away the lightweight perlites on their way. But that said, perlite is easy to move, so plants can easily fall over or manipulated. You can do the first bow for LST more easily, by simple maying the Plant - it's not very tight in the medium, but have to be careful.
As I am starting over with my diy setup from 10 years ago, I declare everything new to me.

@kfigerm, thank KF! Right from my first hydro build 25 years ago in a 800L tank, I was obsessed with roots, I am convinced that the best roots are obtained by them hanging freely in air and being misted. However, it's looking like I have discovered a completely new medium to grow in that is so revolutionary that it looks like it may supersede my SWC, and it's all about the roots. So I have come full circle.

This is the Eazy plug pyramid, and I'm hoping it can replicate or my large grow. I currently have a bean waiting to germ which I will test in the pyramid. However I have been testing the mini pyramid which is about a quarter the size of the larger pyramid for a few months now. The mini is just a one litre volume, but it forces the roots into that superfine fluffy structure which is what I've been chasing and it works brilliantly, a one litre pot is equivalent to a 3 gal fabric bag. link in my sig.

There are thousands of newbies having a very difficult time growing a plant in a 3 gal pot, but all they really need is a mini eazyplug and er... nothing, that is it. I mean sure a a100W light and some A and B nutes. But no worries about the type of mix of soil, no worries about pH or even fertilising for the first couple of weeks, they can't overwater them, impossible to go wrong. This is the most revolutionary product and it's virtually unknown in the weed universe. How crazy is that.

haha, of course I have seen that and wondered why you go that way...your results are nice, so question answered
Checked prizes here...20 € the 25 x 25 x 15 cm..one, how much perlite can you buy for that...but perhaps you got me hooked with these too
With this run I just wanted to re-introduce my system, but that would be not necessary, because you took it to a next level..and I love those australian pots...but I have only a small (not high) tent, thats why these pyramids would fit perfectly.

Cheers...and I will keep looking on your "pyramidal grows" of course

Yeah the pots are very clever the way they stack in different ways, they do sell them in the US.

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you can see my grows on the grow diary website my name there is Freddd

EU rodent...eeehm...resident
I just had some "experience" with shipping(costs) and customs...I am a cheap guy as well, if not I directly went to the store and get some pyramids.

kfigerm said:

EU rodent...eeehm...resident
I just had some "experience" with shipping(costs) and customs...I am a cheap guy as well, if not I directly went to the store and get some pyramids.

Click to expand...

Your comment about the weight of the substrate, got me thinking a bit more about that and I have come to realise that you don't really want the roots to be moved at all if you want that downey feathery fuzz. With roots hanging in air and a fine mist you get that, and once you've seen it you realise that this is what they'd do given the chance.

And that I think is the secret to the bonded substrate, you see when the roots get to the outside you can see they emerge covered in fuzz. That is when it dawned on me that the plug will be not just filled evenly with air pockets which can shift with movement even of water flowing through, that the bonded substrate will support the environment inside to create all these pockets of fuzzy roots, which is why when I cut it open after my first one I was mystified to see no roots!

So there we have it, all the discussion you see about soils, and pH and nutrients are in a *particular* sense just bullshit...wait, hear me out...because if you instead give the plant an environment that is root heaven, then all those other things become irrelevant, it's like putting expensive wheels on a car with a bad engine. Just an ordinary A and B nutrient mixed up to a fairly mild ppm of 1000, and the roots will take care of the rest. That is what I have found, because I have not bothered with pH adjustments at all on this latest batch.

Interesting thoughts @The Iconoclast . I am on my way through it again. Heaven for the roots, yes, thats it, and that was perlite for me over pebbles.
Those pyramids save upwards-space as well. Thats what I need and yes...ten years off and perhaps I try them sooner, saving another 7W for the pump and the mess with res.
I like big plants and those pyramids do a really great job for you .
But now thats your show! And I am watching closely in the bigger pyramids ! If the price was half, i wouldn't hesitate, because i really like "kiss".

@kfigerm yeah I think you get it. The big pyramid is still only 6 inches in height, plug the cube on top. So, yes stay tuned on my eazy pyramid page for that which will be coming up. However back to the mini pyramids, not just no substrate but you can really have fun with the plants you can pick them up with two fingers, and turn them upside down, you can take them into the shower to hose off the algae. I have also just discovered LST clips so I'm going to try and make a flat scrog using them. Here's a couple of shots without distortion so you can get an idea of the relative sizes. I found an air fryer basket with handles today that is perfect,

you got me already...googling a bit did the rest

:¬)