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Hydroponics for an HWBR

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MMPA

MMPA

Rising Star
I was wondering if I could actually attempt to grow an HWBR as a hydroponics system. I haven't fully decided the methods and am not totally familiar with growing hydroponically but I figure it's possible if done right. My one major regard is that HWBR roots get extremely large and there is probably no system efficient for growing this plant the traditional hydroponic way. I propose to grow it in a hanging net/basket, similar to the growing method of an orchid. I have no idea how this would work but I think it's an interesting take on growing an HWBR. If so, how would I go about growing it hanging?

My very rough idea is that I would hang the sapling I currently have in a small nylon mesh basket to hold the root system currently and then as it gets bigger I would give it a bigger metal basket for the roots. I am not too worried about the root system because although it is big, I don't see it getting overly heavy (because roots growing in a potting medium don't take as much weight as the actual medium grown in). Light would not be a problem because I can easily move the plant. Feeding/watering is my only uncertainty because I know that the roots like good aeration, but I don't know if this extreme form of aeration is good at all for retaining nutrients with the method I am going to propose. I would have a spray bottle filled with the required water/food ratio and then spray the plant roots about 2-3 times a day. This way the nutrients go directly to the roots.

Anyone want to possibly put in some contructive help for improving this system?

Edit: What I am proposing is actually Aeroponics, not hydroponics.
 
Maybe do a deep water culture or fogponics.
It might get to be rather tedious needing to mist three times daily.

 
roots get more than huge, and also these are very long lived plants (relative to "normal" hydro plants). You can do it sure, i have grown them in 5 gallon buckets fo water and thrown in manure once in a while for up to 3 months (more laziness than anything), but htey certainly do great in real dirt.

huge buckets and probably lots of nutes ($$$) will be needed if you do it. neat to see pics if you try.
 
As someone who has grown plants almost exclusively through hydroponic/aeroponic setups (well...at least cannabis plants anyways, along with a few other things...ahhh point is I have some hydro experience as well as aeroponics and have built my own rigs of both) allow me to say that I do not believe your proposal will work. In aeroponics, the aeration of the roots is a default of the fact that they are perpetually sprayed with water. The roots need to stay wet, if they dry out the plant will whither and die (within a very short timespan, this is why pump-failure is such a concern with aeroponic tables, as if your pump fails and you are out for the day, you could easily return to a table of dead plants). With your proposed spray bottle technique, you will need to spend say...oh...I dunno...20 minutes out of every hour misting your plant roots? That # may be off...but it's really more to emphasize how impractical such an endeavor would be.

If you are set on doing an aeroponics grow, I would suggest you buy a small aquarium pump and some PVC piping and build your own aeroponics mister. If you want information/sources/guides on this, just let me know and I will be happy to fish some out for you. I have built my own aeroponics rigs and they are easy to put together as well as being relatively cheap. If you decide not to go aero and still want to do hydro, I would definitely recommend DWC - deep water culture...all you need is a five gallon bucket or so (you may end up moving to a large bucket after several months of growth, but that's a relatively simple process), a net pot lid and an airstone.

Nutrients for HBWR should not cost you much at all. Most hydroponic nutrient solutions are already really strong and are used in fractional amounts even for flowering/fruiting plants. For vines and other plants that need significantly less nutrients than say the monstrous bush of Grandaddy Purp you're growing, even half-strngth hydroponic nutrients will most likely be overkill. For growing say, daturas or amaranth or phalaris grass, hydroponically a quarter strength hydroponic nutrient solution can be more than enough, even at the plants' most vigorous periods of growth.

If you really want to pursue this, I'd be happy to dialogue and offer any assistance in areas I am familiar with.
 
I've seen some great setups that were DWC/aero hybrids. Using 20 gallon tubs for 2 plants, there was a pump in the bottom which fed sprayers, and an atomizer (fog pump) sitting in there as well. The combination of the two was just phenomenal. Although the nutrients had to be liquid based to prevent the stuff from clogging, If I remember correctly the atomizers had to be cleaned regularly as well.
 
I know it's an old topic now but I figured it out. It's highly inefficient. HWBR have such a massive root system that by the second year (which is when it can start putting out seeds if it feels ready), the roots would probably be bigger/longer than the room/area you are at and become too heavy. There would be no support for the rest of the plant unless it was grown along a big trellis and the roots had somewhere to hang without breaking off. As a whole, HWBR are not good for aeroponics not hydro.
 
Ya never know, a flood and drain gravel bed like some aquaponics systems use may work. I used to grow a variety of plants in aquaponics, and it always shocked me how quickly large and healthy root systems develop. This is obviously dependent on how much space you have. Food for thought.
 
MMPA said:
I know it's an old topic now but I figured it out. It's highly inefficient. HWBR have such a massive root system that by the second year (which is when it can start putting out seeds if it feels ready), the roots would probably be bigger/longer than the room/area you are at and become too heavy.
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Are you sure about this? Hydro/aero speed things up tremendously, so it should produce seeds earlier than its "normal" cycle. Additionally, I have seen massive cannabis plants (over 6-8 feet tall and similarly wide) that are grow hydroponically and create massive root systems...you can easily do that in a 30-50 gallon trashcan without taking up an absurd amount of space. I have a hard time believing that HBWR would need more root space for a smaller plant. Also, shadowman's link shows what appears to be a rather healthy hydro-grown HBWR...and in a small setup to boot :d
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but I hear that cannabis grown hydroponically needs less space for the roots than a soil grow of the same size.
Perhaps this pertains to other plants as well.
 
alzabo said:
Maybe do a deep water culture or fogponics.
It might get to be rather tedious needing to mist three times daily.

Click to expand...

I agree with Alzabo, deep water culture could possibly work pretty good. The roots would never dry out and you could use a big rubbermaid tub and cut a hole in the top for the root basket. That way even if the roots do get massive, there will be plenty of room for them.

Just make sure you get plenty of oxygen circulating via air stones and pumps.
 
SnozzleBerry said:
Additionally, I have seen massive cannabis plants (over 6-8 feet tall and similarly wide) that are grow hydroponically and create massive root systems...
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...and when grown outside they can reach 12-24 feet tall. When I was a kid we'd dream of visiting the "giant dope woods" in places with a better climate (usually after a couple tokes of Thai stick or Columbian Gold). :D

Hydroponics is fine but but over rated, it is a bit too risky, IMO; disease can run rampant or a single brain-fart can kill off an entire crop very quickly, all but seedlings are next to impossible to move, ...

I've easily grown 6-8 foot pot plants in 12 inch containers, nothing special about that--the only limits are how tall your ceiling is and how much light you have. If you want a tasty product with a minimum of fuss and risk, whether it be Cannabis, vegetables, pot herbs, and probably HBWR as well, stick to soil fluffed up with perlite or vermiculite.
 
Tsehakla said:
all but seedlings are next to impossible to move, ...

I've easily grown 6-8 foot pot plants in 12 inch containers, nothing special about that--the only limits are how tall your ceiling is and how much light you have. If you want a tasty product with a minimum of fuss and risk, whether it be Cannabis, vegetables, pot herbs, and probably HBWR as well, stick to soil fluffed up with perlite or vermiculite.
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I don't understand your first statement, hydro plants are incredibly easy to move, even when they're full on monsters. All you have to do is pick up the net pot and move it.

Additionally, the time it takes to grow a hydroponic crop of greater size than a soil plant is still a fraction of the time it takes to grow a given soil crop, so there's that advantage as well. If you use organic nutrients and flush properly, it should taste fine, no worse than soil, although you do have to monitor/adjust more to control this.

Soil is easy, hydro is easy but requires a more watchful eye. I love hanging with my plants anyway, so that's not really an issue, imo. The increased speed/size potential makes hydro more than worth it to me. :d
 
SnozzleBerry said:
Tsehakla said:
all but seedlings are next to impossible to move, ...
Click to expand...
I don't understand your first statement, hydro plants are incredibly easy to move, even when they're full on monsters. All you have to do is pick up the net pot and move it.
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I was thinking of tubes and tables, where the roots get intertwined, and having to move them across town at a moments notice.

SnozzleBerry said:
Soil is easy, hydro is easy but requires a more watchful eye. I love hanging with my plants anyway, so that's not really an issue, imo. The increased speed/size potential makes hydro more than worth it to me. :d
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I can agree with that, well, except for the last part. I don't think they mature any faster than in soil and plant size is mostly a function of container size (I don't grow large crops anyways), the peace of mind I get from soil makes it worth it to me. :d
 
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