My system keeps backing up into one bucket. Despite unclogging and cutting the roots that are clogging the system. I woke up this morning to water all over the area due to the water exchanger. What products do yall use to push and pull water thru your systems to prevent this?! I am leaving in a week and my plant sitter is versed but not like this. Any long term fast solutions would be most helpful.
No long term fast solutions unfortunately. The tubing connecting the system is really bad, looks like 1/2 or maybe 3/4. 2 or 3 inch is really the way to go but makes things much more expensive. I've seen some people put mesh around the bottom connections to stop roots from entering the tubing but I feel like the roots would just grow around and eventually block the flow, might work as a temporary solution.
https://a.co/d/013nkzry I zip tie one of these onto the inlet inside the bucket. I kept having the roots get inside as well. These ones are kind of long maybe you could find shorter ones or just cut them in half with scissors.
You can just cut the roots back, when I built my top fed RDWC, I used 2 inch PVC so when the roots grew it was less likely to clog the return pipes. Thats the biggest problem with smaller RDWCs
I just physically trim the roots back. Especially in hydro where the plants are getting nutrients delivered straight to the root system, losing part of it isn’t as detrimental as it would be in soil. I have limited space in the winter time so my cloner needs to serve as an interim nursery for plants that are past cloning but don’t have a home so roots are everywhere. I’ll cut back up to 66% of the bunch without any negative effects to the plant itself.
If done in perpetuity, you will eventually create bonsai-style growth ie. smaller cells due to the change in conditions, but for what you need, I’d just cut half back and then go on your trip with a clear mind. The only thing to be aware of is adjusting the system to the new height of the roots so they still maintain the same ratio of air+water. Other than that, they should be totally fine when you come back.
Ricirculated and the plants love it. Medium is 100% hydroton, roots have massive area to grow, all the oxygen they need and direct nutrient to root feeding. My biggest ever yeild from 1 plant was 2.25lbs trimmed and dried. Awesome system. Fcuk RDWC. Never again.
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u/Azor-Alcan 9d ago
No long term fast solutions unfortunately. The tubing connecting the system is really bad, looks like 1/2 or maybe 3/4. 2 or 3 inch is really the way to go but makes things much more expensive. I've seen some people put mesh around the bottom connections to stop roots from entering the tubing but I feel like the roots would just grow around and eventually block the flow, might work as a temporary solution.