DWC & Nutrients

Hi GC Im about to start my first hydro system and Im using a DWC system, it seems pretty easy. Anyways im wondering after about a week if my plants drink say a liter of water and i fill it back up to the correct level, then do i put all the nuts back in(however much allocated to my water level) the tub and just keep repeating or what?????????????????

TY

You need to get a ppm meter, then you can tell how much is in there already, how much to add or not, etc.

It is easier to use a ppm monitor. I am usually able to change the reservoir every 2 weeks, and top off with just water as needed.

It is easier to use a ppm monitor. I am usually able to change the reservoir every 2 weeks, and top off with just water as needed.

What he said, always top off with fresh water so your PPM don't sky rocket. I personally empty and re fill my buckets with fresh nutrient water every weekend, but always top off during the week with fresh ph'd water.

i change my bucket every 7 days. I follow my little feed chart week by week.

I dont normally need to top off the bucket, but i if i do ill just use water.

Evil.

I just started my first DWC grow also, And was wondering what I should keep the ph at.. I already have my bubble buckets built and my first plant is in.. Ph is at 6.5 right now... Is that to high?? I am using fox farm nuts..

You'll notice that you'll need to top off more often during flowering than vegetation. The older the plants get, the more water they suck up.

I run my DWC at 5.6 or 5.8 optimally...

I let it drift a bit during the week, topping off with 5.0 - 5.5 ph water during the week to counteract the rising PH of the nutes solution already in there, as the plant eats food the ph will usually rise over time...

start of week i'll be 5.6 end of each day i'll be at like 6.3 in 5.5L of soultion, plants in veg, 5 weeks from seed...

I run my DWC at 5.6 or 5.8 optimally...

I let it drift a bit during the week, topping off with 5.0 - 5.5 ph water during the week to counteract the rising PH of the nutes solution already in there, as the plant eats food the ph will usually rise over time...

start of week i'll be 5.6 end of each day i'll be at like 6.3 in 5.5L of soultion, plants in veg, 5 weeks from seed...

Thats exactly right, I just wanted to add too that a falling PH means that your plant is sick or fighting somthing off, most of the time. So rising PH is good but if it starts to fall during the week you might want to look into what's causeing it.

Thats exactly right, I just wanted to add too that a falling PH means that your plant is sick or fighting somthing off, most of the time. So rising PH is good but if it starts to fall during the week you might want to look into what's causeing it.

In my experience with bubble buckets, so long as the environment is sound, a slow, constant rise in pH signifies a need for stronger nutrient solution whereas a drop in pH signifies a need for a more diluted solution. When it is dialed in, the pH will stabilize as well as the ppm of the solution and will remain constant even after the majority of the solution has been absorbed by the plants and some has evaporated. At this point, you only need to top off with full-strength solution at pH 5.8 until you do a res change.

This method takes some time to perfect, but you will be glad you did. Just listen to the plants, they will tell you what they want.

BTW if doing two or more strains in an interconnected dwc system, this may never be perfected because some strains tend to have different nutrient requirements than others so you would have to find somewhere in the middle where it works best for all of them. Good luck!
Rock n Roll!

That may be true in your cause but if I added a stronger formula to my plants they will burn, I run around 1200-1400 ppm. A rising PH is a good thing to me, and in no way means I have to add more nutes, as the water level goes down my ppm and ph goes up, so adding more nutrients doesn't make sense at all to me because my ppms would be way too high, and how do I know if my plant is taking up nutrients or sick if I can't have a fluctuating PH. I never ever personal had my ppm and ph stabilize.

Edited by Sativanya, 03 May 2010 - 03:59 PM.

I feel ya sativa. The pH fluctuation method only works when your environmental factors such as temp and RH are also dialed in perfectly to your strain. Otherwise the plants may take more or less water in ratio with the nutrients. If this is the case, a way I adopted from the folks over at House and Garden in Holland is to feed them based on how much they take in. For example, if you start the week with 1000ppm solution in the res, then a few days later some has evaporated and some has been absorbed by the plants. At this point, prior to topping off the res you notice the ppm has dropped to 800ppm, then the solution should have been stronger to start so should be raised. On the other hand, If the solution reads say 1200ppm, then the solution was too strong to begin with and could benefit from dilution. I thought it sounded crazy too when I first heard it because my ppm would also always rise before I had to top off. But Now that it is dialed in, my res can go down to an inch deep (I would not recommend letting it do this!) and it will still read 1050ppm (which is what my OG likes, different for other strains and systems) and 5.8 pH. Of course the requirements change throughout different stages of the growth cycle, but once you really get to know your strain, it becomes like second nature.

I know that many will argue this point and I can understand that. It takes a while to dial in, possibly a few grows, and quite frankly it may just not work period for many growers and in many systems but I have implemented this into many grows using DWC, and it always has worked for me. Just my .02

That makes total sense now , I just use to go by watching my leaf tips for signs of burning but that sounds like it will tell you before it even gets to that point. I will keep a closer eye on my next run and see how much my plant is actually using and try to dial it in.

For sure bro. One thing I have noticed with bubble buckets is that it takes a bit more to burn them other than in very early stages. The first signs I see of over feeding in the flowering or aggressive veg phase is the bending down of the leaf tips, especially in newer growth, but leaves still look nice and green just kinda shaped like a "claw". This could also be a sign of nutrient salt buildup in the rootzones as well as the hydroton in the net pots. A good way to remedy this, other than backing off on the nutes a bit, is to flush with an agent such as florakleen or clearex (when you do, pour some through the net pots to wash the hydroton off), then add Drip Clean to your solution to prevent any buildups.

p.s. I checked out your grow.....Vedy vedy good!!!! +rep