# Flood and drain table



## Anca86 (Nov 24, 2020)

Hello 
What are your thoughts on flood and drain tables for Phrags? 
Thanks


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## Ray (Nov 24, 2020)

If you have one small one per plant, great, If used for multiple plants, there is too much potential to share pathogens.

Also, it would be better to have a “one-time flooding” and dump the unused liquid, as the flooded liquid would change chemistry at each and every cycle, you’d have to monitor and adjust it frequently, if reused.


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## Anca86 (Nov 24, 2020)

Ray said:


> If you have one small one per plant, great, If used for multiple plants, there is too much potential to share pathogens.
> 
> Also, it would be better to have a “one-time flooding” and dump the unused liquid, as the flooded liquid would change chemistry at each and every cycle, you’d have to monitor and adjust it frequently, if reused.


So it would be too complicated, I suppose.


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## Ray (Nov 24, 2020)

I know people who grow phrags with recirculating ebb and flow tables, and are quite successful with it. It’s just too much risk for me, and I like better control over the fertigation solution.


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## Anca86 (Nov 24, 2020)

Ray said:


> I know people who grow phrags with recirculating ebb and flow tables, and are quite successful with it. It’s just too much risk for me, and I like better control over the fertigation solution.


Thank you for your answer. Maybe I should stay with the traditional methods. They seem fine as they are now.


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## Ray (Nov 24, 2020)

Believe me, I understand the drive to automate!

Before I retired, I had a 50-mile one-way commute on the PA turnpike, which I did at 6 am to avoid a lot of traffic. Watering a greenhouse with anywhere from 750 to 1000 plants at 5 am was no treat. To automate, I installed an overhead deluge system to simulate rain, and adjusted all the plants’ potting/mounting so they could be watered at the same time. It was a lot of work, but ended up being great. I even built a remote control using garage door opener controls so I could press a button while sitting and have a cup of coffee, and it would “rain” in the greenhouse for 30 minutes then shut off.


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## Anca86 (Nov 24, 2020)

Ray said:


> Believe me, I understand the drive to automate!
> 
> Before I retired, I had a 50-mile one-way commute on the PA turnpike, which I did at 6 am to avoid a lot of traffic. Watering a greenhouse with anywhere from 750 to 1000 plants at 5 am was no treat. To automate, I installed an overhead deluge system to simulate rain, and adjusted all the plants’ potting/mounting so they could be watered at the same time. It was a lot of work, but ended up being great. I even built a remote control using garage door opener controls so I could press a button while sitting and have a cup of coffee, and it would “rain” in the greenhouse for 30 minutes then shut off.


What can I say... Chapeau, monsieur! 
Nice thing with the rain.


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## Linus_Cello (Nov 24, 2020)

If one is growing out a flask/large compot of a plant, wouldn't that minimize pathogen sharing?


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## southernbelle (Nov 24, 2020)

Ray said:


> Believe me, I understand the drive to automate!
> 
> Before I retired, I had a 50-mile one-way commute on the PA turnpike, which I did at 6 am to avoid a lot of traffic. Watering a greenhouse with anywhere from 750 to 1000 plants at 5 am was no treat. To automate, I installed an overhead deluge system to simulate rain, and adjusted all the plants’ potting/mounting so they could be watered at the same time. It was a lot of work, but ended up being great. I even built a remote control using garage door opener controls so I could press a button while sitting and have a cup of coffee, and it would “rain” in the greenhouse for 30 minutes then shut off.


Sounds like genius to me!


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## Ray (Nov 25, 2020)

Before anyone asks - no, I did not have issues with crown rot with overhead watering. I think there are three things that contributed: 1) watering pre-dawn, so lots of drying time, 2) fans running 24/7, and 3) regular use of probiotics that helped keep pathogens at bay.


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## SuperPaph (Nov 25, 2020)

Ray said:


> fans running 24/7,


Ray, what is "fans running 24/7" please?


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## Linus_Cello (Nov 25, 2020)

SuperPaph said:


> Ray, what is "fans running 24/7" please?



Running all the time: 24 [hours]/7 [days a week]


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## Ray (Nov 26, 2020)

Yes, running all the time, but NOT blowing on the plants. In the greenhouse, there were two fans in corners diagonal from each other, blowing down the long walls (as high as I could get them) to set a constant loop circulation.

The idea is to prevent stagnation of the air, not to create a breeze.


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