a new way of doing hydroponics

[Guest guest]

Fytocell is an excellent medium; it can be totally saturated and still hold enough air to keep the roots more than satisfied.

I use big pots(52 liters), it takes around 36 liters of water just to get some coming out the drain holes.

I take advantage of this and treat the fytocell like dirth in that I let is go through a wet and moist or dry cycle,

knowing that the roots will have more than enough moisture, and as I have a flexible stone in the bottom of each pot,

they also have plenty of fresh oxygen.

If you do not soak fytocell properly before use, it leaves large caverns of air in the pot.

Here the roots hang in air but stay moist for an long as the fytocell has moisture to give them, which ism, considering how much water it holds, is a long time.

so i was thinking, if one deliberately wanted these caverns of air and did not soak it over night, then this amounts to a new way of doing hydroponics,

as right through the pot would be like a honey cone, with roots ever where hanging in the air caverns drawing moisture from the fytocell, which depending on how much fyocell was in the pot days before the roots would dry out.

this would amount to a new technique - and the growth rate is amazing,m as a lot of the roots are hanging in air, which is continually renewed by the flexible air stone.

The fytocell hold that much moisture, while still retaining air, that this can be taken a step further and would be a hydride technique.i have sent an email to the company, asking their opinion and if it would lead to any nasty problems.so we will see,happy growing,john

[Guest superbluehaze]

fellow strain hunters,

I will explain to yhou how this system works, it is hand watering but it is similar airoponics, as the roots hang grow through large air cavens.

Flyocell holds that much water that to flush a 52 liter pot, I have to pour into the pot around 27 to 36 l liters just to have water dripping out of the drain hole of the pots.

If fytocell is not soaked correctly before us, it forms clumps.

But these are huge air spaces or cravens. the plant grows through the fytocell into the air and hang there, until they reach the bottom and more fytocell.

They can however stay moist until the fytocell is totally dry.

they do this through capillary action. the could go days without water and still stay moist, regardless of how much water is in the fytocell, as it allows the roots to feed on it and the ones hanging feeed through capillary action.

i have done it, accidentally, but the growth rate was amazing, and vigor that has to be seen to be believed it has some faults, but it is as new hydro technique. just checking with the company; I am guessing as there could be a lot of money involve are checking with their experts.happy growing, john

[Romeu9]

Hello, John

It is amazing how your experience and knowledge can lead to new mediums and techniques, on how to use them as no one as used them before.

I'm shure we all here will follow this post with doubled atention, strain hunters users will love to be first to follow this new medium (or on how to use in a better way un already established)

You are the Man, my friend!

Each day that passes I still can't believe how lucky all of us here are to have you as a friend and grow guru, growing wouldn't be the same for us, for sure!

Thank You, superbluehaze!

[anguscr]

Very interesting John... let us know what the company has to say about it.... very creative thinking my friend

[Guest superbluehaze]

hi Romeu anguscr,

sorry my friends, I am dyslexic and when I get excited my spelling is not good. I hope it did not confuse you.

The company is caught in a old fashion mind set - they see their market being commerical flower and vegatible growers; he did answer my question very well and he said basically go for it.

I have thrown one or two ideas at the company so we will see.

This method does have some problems, and you have to have master the art of watering, but there is a very large leeway for error, as the fytocell holds so much water.

I will continue to modify and expereiment with this method, as in my view it is a new technique, but it may be too complicated for the average user. we will see.

I will continue to keep at it, and to keep you all posted.

while I was at it, i asked the company for outlets where their products are sold in Europe and the States.

happy growing,

john

[anguscr]

got it my man

[Romeu9]

I look forward for those stores in Europe!

I've only found one that have Fytocell, and they only have the grow bags of 20L, but the price is good I think, €5! And I think the grow bags can be opened and use the medium in pots, so at least one is not bad but would be good to have more choices.

Thank you, John!

[Guest superbluehaze]

you are welcome;

that sounds about right for fytocell, romeu.

start you seedlings in another medium in a small pot and then transplant into the fytocell. New used rockwool, unless you place it on top of the fytocell, otherwise the plant can die due to the exchange of fluid between rockwool and fytocell. I have never tried to geminate seeds in it, and i do not think you would have much sucess with it, because of the way it forms lille clumps. It is very good for striking cuttings though.

I use coco for starting them, and then place that in the fytocell.

happy growing,

john

[Romeu9]

It realy is a question that is in my mind, how to start them to then transplant them to fytocell ; and also, using coco, after it is pot bound the root ball is compact wen dry, like in soil? This facilitates the transplants for me, and after having one bad transplant in the past I cant let it happen again, they dont deserve that bad handling.

I found that the nuts I have are also suited for coco the other day:D

but in the bottle it doesn't say how to use it on it!

My nuts are for hydro, and it says that wen to use in soil half dose of the recomended dosage is the way to use it. Is this the correct way to use it with coco?

My friend, also regarding coco, what do you think it would be a good mix with coco and fytocell? 70/coco - 30/fytocell? And if using the two together, should the fytocell be soaked during night in this case? And dispite this, the small pot to start the seedling maybe should have only coco and only in the bigger pot we will have the coco fytocell mix?

I would realy love to know your opinion of it, John.

Thank you, my friend.

You deserve a statue, a music, a film and a book!. You truly are a Guru.

[Guest superbluehaze]

hi romeu,

next cycle i am going to use a mixture of fytocell and coco. i start my plants in 8 liter pots in coco and then place them in the fytocell.

I have an enormous amount of medium that can be reused so i am going to mix the coco and fytocell next cycle.

happy growing,

john

[brandylorton]

Wow, excellent new inventions going on dear. I do not have any doubt and it will definitely work. It is really a new way of hydroponics and will inspire the beginners like me a lot.