With a couple of decent soil grows under my belt i decided it was time for a challenge. DWC seemed like the obvious choice, bubble buckets aren't expensive to build, they are somewhat easy to maintain, and they produce some of the highest yielding crops. So after countless hours of research and planning, i settled on a three site bubble bucket system with a recirculating reservoir and a 600w cool tube for my 4x4 grow space. I really like the convenience of the remote reservoir for filling, draining, and monitoring without having to move plants. In hindsight i would have used one drain fitting per bucket and then combined the three hoses into a manifold that connects to the res. The way it currently drains, bucket 1 has to drain through 2 and then 3 to reach the res. This means that when the recirculation pump is running bucket 2 has a higher water level than 1 and 3 and the growth shows it. Anywho i'm running Dutch Master Gold with a beneficial microbe tea, which i believe is an absolute must for anyone doing DWC. It is super cheap to make and not only kills slime growth and root rot, but actually converts it to food for the plant, while keeping your buckets squeaky clean! Read about it here http://forum.grasscity.com/hydroponic-growing/903852-cure-root-rot-dwc-ewc-tea-find-out-how.html Seriously though, I can't stress how great this recipe works, its a silver bullet. With this recipe i have had amazing results as compared to my soil grows. With the same amount of veg time as my soil grows (which was a mistake) the plants are triple the size! My biggest problem now is running out of space before they are finished. Anyway if anyone has any questions or insights to share, feel free. Enjoy!
Hey setup looks clean 👌, subbed! http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1329219-My-2Nd-Real-Grow-Attempt%2C-W--Pics%21-Bubble-Cloner-clone-Machine%2C-Dwc
I do a DWC just air pumps. No plumbing of water at all. Love DWC its about as easy as it gets. Subbed.
Thanks for the interest guys, can't beat DWC for the simplicity and versatility! Apart from a couple of leaks and some slime/ root rot at the beginning it has been smooth sailing. Now onto adding CO2.....
$285 and real sweet if you can tap into natural gas. I can tap mine no sweat, I have a glass blowing torch connected to it even. Iv been looking at this. http://growershouse.com/sentinel-variable-co2-generator-lp-3000-vcg-6
Wish i had the funds for that but its a ways down the road right now. My next project will hopefully be an open source grow controller based off of an arduino or raspberry pi. I'm envisioning of a fully automated hydro system
Is that a SCroG setup in DWC? I'm a complete noob, but it seems like others have implied you cannot do that without soil. Am I incorrect in that line of thinking? All that being said, beautiful setup you got going there.
In hydro the screen is not there to hold the plants down low, its there to hold the heavy buds UP! Mine are tied to the ceiling, LOL
Very impressive. As I said, I am a noob. But I find asking questions always helps when learning something new. Is hydro the big deal it is made out to be?
YES! Its great. Total control of nutrients and oxygen to the roots, grows 25% faster and 50% bigger has been my experience. Less bugs by a mile. Set and forget it, I look at my plants 2-3 times a week. water about 2 times a week. If the plant were over fertilized in soil you flush and wait 2 weeks, in hydro you can change the solution in 5 minutes or just water it down. Its not as high tech as it seams at all. A $37 kit will get your feet wet and have you growing like a pro. http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-SITE-HYDROPONIC-GROW-BOX-SYSTEM-KIT-5-GALLON-COMPLETE-W-NUTRIENTS-pH-TEST-/161485009098?pt=US_Hydroponics&hash=item259941b0ca I grew for many years and kick myself for not going hydro 10 years sooner. I want to throw dirt cods at anyone saying its hard to grow hydro.
I'll be honest. I've yet to grow myself. I got an account so I can ask questions and make sure I know what I'm doing so when I'm ready to I can just just set up and do my thing. Hydro seems to be the way to go. So far it seems pretty straightforward with the exception of two things: what kind of nutrients one should use, and are LEDs really better for your plants? The LEDs seem to be a pretty touchy subject, with strong opinions on both sides. And nutrients seem to be a bit mysterious, I'm assuming because folks are protective of their recipe. Still finding tons of information and I've only just started.
I have 5,200 watts of HPS and MH lights. I have a spider cob 432LED. LED will kick ass for the small stealthy grower. Here is a comparison the $2,499 LED beats a $200 HPS LOL real shocking ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrUDJA00soI I use earth juice, almost impossible to burn the plants or fuck up. http://www.hydro-organics.com/site/plant-nutrient-systems/sugar-peak-1-part-liquid-nutrient-system/ Got to have cal mag.. http://www.hydro-organics.com/site/products/additives-supplements/earth-juice-oilycann-j1317/ PH needs to be 5.8-6.2 with a little drift back and forth. Seedling babies 2-3 weeks get 150PPM on up to full grown blooming plants getting 1100 PPM of plant food. PH meter and a TDS meter can be had for $15 , the hydro store will want you to buy them for $60 each. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Ph-Meter-TDS-Tester-Aquarium-Pool-Hydroponic-Water-Monitor-0-9999-PPM-US-/141489907729?pt=US_Garden_Tools&hash=item20f174a811 Its super cheap once you have a grasp of whats needed.
Thanks for the info! I feel like I'm starting to make sense of all of this information. A lot of people seem to think growing hydro is some kind of voodoo or something.
Its nothing more then a pot full of rocks in a bucket of bubbling plant food. LOL I own 18 5 gallon tubs. Here is my Christmas crop getting close to harvest. View attachment 1630899 View attachment 1625466
I don't think that's a ScrOG screen, more of a support net. A ScrOG screen needs to be filled while vegging. But you can ScrOG DWC, I often do
Snoop and GoldGrower are right, i just have the net there to help support buds later on. I originally planned to do a scrog, but was lazy and missed my opportunity, now they have almost totally stopped their vertical growth. Thanks GoldGrower, I wanted to do it right the first time. All is well, and Thanks! Gio likes to watch me when im working.
Hey there! Question for you - I'm a noob and have been researching for months and almost ready to start. One of the biggest things I'm back and forth on is to do my first grow with RDWC - I'll be using the DIY here. In your opinion, since you have experience with both, should I just go with RDWC for my first grow? Everything I've read it's easy to care for and produces great results. edit: planning on growing at most 2 plants at first. Want to do something and do it right. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum