Hey guys so I am in the middle of my first grow!!! WOOHOO! so ok real quick here is the set up....DWC hydro buckets (3.5 gal...I think ill use 5 gal next time) anyway so I have been swapping out the water / nutes every week but they weren't drinking much at that point also using hydro guard....Oh and for the nutes I am mainly using "advanced nutrients 3 part PH perfect" so yeh when they wouldnt drink much swaping water I think was critical so slime and all that doesn't get in there....but now the plants are getting bigger and drinking a lot more so 2 questions....first the plants are getting to big to actually pic the net pot up and switch out the bucket so I got a hand pump so I can juct crack the net pot off suck everything out and then re fill....now if I do this is it ok to pump as much water out as possible then just add new water or a friend suggested maybe pump the water out (probilly imposible to get it all) so he suggested before I fill it with water and nutes to first take a water with a lil hydrogen peroxide and pump that in then pump that back out and fill with water and nutes...he said that extra step should help get more of the old water out and the hydrogen peroxide should help clean any bit of slime build up (not much of that tho) does that water.hydrogen peroxide mix idea you guys think its worth doing? ok second question I might not even need to do this from my estimate now they are drinking about a gallon a day so since they are removing that watter at a quicker pace (less stagnate water sitting around) is emptying and re filling even nessicary will just adding a gallon to the bucket everyday sufficient? or should I really be emptying it completely? THANKS GUYS!
If you do a google search on "no reservoir change" you'll come across things like this Never changing the reservoir which inspired me to try no res changes. The only difference after 11.5 weeks of no changes is that I'm using much, much less fertilizer. Otherwise the plants look exactly the same. But I do add clorox every day to prevent root rot, and don't over-feed.
Clorox dissipates quickly, so a good dose is 2 drops per gallon per day. I keep a 4 oz dropper bottle filled with it. Chlorine is a necessary element for plants, so they like it.
ok......but if plants like chlorine why do people suggest if you use tap water to let it sit out so the chlorine evaps out of the watter? maybe its a lot more in tap?
Yes, there is a lot more chlorine in tap water than in my reservoirs. Plants are happy, and no root rot.
The size of the bucket or grow container needs to adjusted to the size of plant one wishes to grow or if the person doesnt plan on checking their plant for several days . Sometimes I forget to turn on the a/c unit and inside tent is in the 80's My plants will use up to 6 gallons of water per day . At the same time I use 20 and 30 gallon. Totes to grow one plant in ... Each tote is it's own rdwc system . I grow larger plants them most in here I guess. Because the roots are so massive any size smaller and I would be adding water twice a day on a hot day
If you don't already have an external storage reservoir with float valve, something like this can reduce the need for adding water even more. GH Controller Complete
Why do I need another reservoir ? 20 to 30 gallons is enough My system doesnt leak .. It has zero external lines or hoses . Has zero switches or float valves to fuck up And the roots have all the room they need to grow.
An external storage reservoir eliminates the need to top off the reservoirs that have plants, for those of us who would otherwise do top-offs. Just a labor saving device that does add a little complexity.
I don't trust float valves ….. sooner or later it will fail . When the float valve fails it floods out my tent and maybe that part of my home . Its not worth it inside a home ,,,, In a building with a concrete floor with a floor drain yes its not a issue . This is not my first ,or second RDWC systems that I have grown in. I understand why you want a system just like the one you have , but those system do have some draw backs . Just like all RDWC systems do , they all have some kind of draw backs . How big is your reservoir For your grow area ? If I am growing Berry white in the 30 gallon containers 4 plants per tent is 100 Gallons of water per tent ! When one of my plants have a issue it shows up in how much water it uses .. I know exactly how much water each plant uses in my budding tent per day . Good luck
