Bubble Buckets

[Jay Ryan]

I was asked recently to expound on my use of bubble buckets, so here goes.

Essentially I use two different methods of achieving deep water culture hydro. One is a system where I pump water up to a tray with multiple small plants for seed and clone, with a drain line back to the reservoir. Then, once they are ready for the flower room, I move them into 5 gallon bubble buckets.

This is a picture from my last year's outdoor grow:

Notice the first Rubermaid trash can. Rubermaid makes some of the easiest to drill, and toughest rubber containers out there. I am using one of their 35 gallon trash containers for a reservoir. I have a 1/2 connector near the bottom that goes to a 5 gallon bucket with a float in it. This is called a controller bucket:

It's a little deceiving, but the water is actually at the level I set it for my plants. If I need a higher level I raise the controller bucket with a 2x4 under it, it will raise the level of all subsequent buckets. (note, the furthest buckets will have slightly lower levels. Gravity...)

From the controller bucket I run a manifold ( a series of tubes) with 1/4 turn valves to close off certain buckets, or to be used to drain the system.

Using this method you can have total control, keeping plants that are on feed one way, while keeping others on a straight water flush. I will explain in a moment.

This is what goes into making a bubble bucket:

The 5 gallon bubble bucket are available almost every where. I wouldn't buy cheap thin ones. The ones I have cost about $5 a piece with a lid. As I have had to buy additional ones I have bought white lids to reflect, but for the bucket itself I always get black. Actually I use only black every where that water is stored. Why?

Algae!

Algae will grow where ever you have water and light. Take away the light (black buckets) and you have no algae in your buckets. Use the new soft black 1/2 tube, and 1/4 for the air lines and you won't have any algae any where in your system. This means your plants eat their food, and not the algae, and there are no gnats!!!

The rest of your kit will be a hole cutting drill bit. They are used for door knobs. Get the right size for your net pots. I use the smallest net pots I can buy. The reason being, all they will wind up holding is the trunk, all of the roots will be in the bucket.

I use a grodan plug to start with, maybe a few rocks to hold it in place in the net, but nothing else.

I also use large air stones. This is a must. Don't buy any of those small aquarium stones, they will be blocked long before your plants mature. Remember, you will need to get 8 weeks at a minimum out of your setup, and if you do it right, you will never have to do any more than turn a few valves once every 10 days to drain the system, and refill with water and nutes.

If you notice I put a small stepper bit in the picture. Find them, and use them for all your plastic drilling. They drill clean, they won't crack your plastic, and you won't have any problems putting 1/2 rubber gromets in your holes. And no leaks!

So, I drill a hole close to the bottom of the bucket. Not too low as you don't want to get too close the floor (cracking plastic, leaks you can't see...). Then drill your top hole for the net pot, and another small hole for your 1/4 air line.

Using this method I can close a valve and cut off the reservoir, open another and drain the system. I can then change the valve postions and refill.

What I have done when I have plants on flush and plants still feeding is that I will make a small batch of nutes in the reservoir. Close the flush pots and only refill the feeding plants. Then I open all the buckets and fill the reservoir with PHed water.

All the plants need water to refill themselves, not nutes. So, after I feed, I always refill the reservoir with water until the next 10 day feeding.

The only other thing needed is a way to keep the plants upright. I use plant yoyos ($1.50) to hold them up, but I also can drill additional holes in the bucket lid to put in bamboo or anything else used to tie up the plant.

I went in this direction after hearing Franco expound on the need to know what is going on in your medium. Making sure salts aren't building up. Well, the best way to do that is to use a medium that washes away clean. Water!

So, the only thing in my system is water, nutes, air, and roots.

The next, and possibly biggest reason to do things the way I have is that you have a minimum of 8 weeks you will have your plants in bloom. The last thing you want to do is pull plants out, clean messes up, deal with gnats, dead air stones...

BTW, I don't have a picture of it here, but I use the really powerful air pumps. They cost a bit more ($60), but they are worth it. In DWC air is key!

This system, the way I am running it right now, has resulted in the least maintenance I have ever dealt with, and the reservoir can take care of 8 plants for a week, hands free.

As a bonus, if your power goes off, as mine does, you don't have to worry about your plants drying out, the air will stop, but your plants can go for at least a day with no harm. If need be you can always lift the lid and stir up the water to get air in it in a pinch, but your plants will always have water, even without power.

If all goes well, after 8 weeks you will have something like this:

Super Skunk at 8 weeks. I entered one of her nugs in the nug of the month. I'm not kidding when I say that the fewest moving parts (pumps, ...) and the least amount of medium you use, the easier it is to grow with hydro.

Peace,

J

[anguscr]

Jay...Very nice set up, thank you very much for you'r clear explanation, I'll take notes...They look lovely in that terrace, nice place where u live.

thx.

[Jay Ryan]

Last year was my first year growing in the mountains, and I didn't realize how cold it gets in September, so now the same buckets from last year are in my shed.

It certainly makes for a very clean grow. I had used the lids that have net pots built in last year. I used a lot of rock, and because of that I had to run air pumps to push water up into the top of the plant.

This way there is nothing to mess up, no extra pumps...

Thanks!

[Jay Ryan]

we are allowed to grow 12 plants, 6 in bud at a time. Works out pretty good.

[Jay Ryan]

I've been meaning to post a pic of the bucket with roots.

[h3rbalizer]

nice one Jay Ryan thanks for the link to the post will be giving this a go in the near future

[Guest superbluehaze]

great post, my friend.

I agree 100% less pumps etc the better.

happy growing,

john

[shn3ak]

Thanks Jay, This is just what I have been looking for, Super informative and excellent explanations. Sweet post dude.

 

Just to confirm though, are you placing your seedling directly into the net pot, with no clay pebbles or other medium in the net pot? just the seedling in rockwool straight into the net pot?

also do you not have trouble with plants falling over using such tiny net pots?

 

Seems like a perfect setup!