What up everyone, I am making the transition to DWC. Ive learned alot this past week researching threads and watching youtube videos. Im currently building some 5 gal buckets with 10in net pots. Since alot of the big threads I have been reading arent the most current on dates, I wanted to ask what people are using now for flush nutes or any added supplements for late flower. Ive decided to go 3 part GH Flora for the main nutes. Ive come to understand that with DWC you dont need to flush more than a day or two before you harvest but that its imperative you do so that you can get quality taste/smell from the buds (maybe I was told wrong). Ive been looking at Armor Si, calimagic, as well as Ripen. Online, it says to use the Ripen for the last week or two in place of other nutes so it kind of confused me a bit. I think those should cover my grow but just in case I wanted to see what other people think or recommend. Thanks, Han
Lol geeze that's alot more nutes than I figured. Sent from my SM-G892A using Grasscity Forum mobile app
With autoflowers I'm assuming half what the chart recommends and read what the plants show and adjust from there or is that just a soil growing mentality ? Sent from my SM-G892A using Grasscity Forum mobile app
If you use hydroton, then smaller netpots need less of it, and will waste less. I believe 4 inch pots are best. Consider starting seeds in Rapid Rooters. Don't overfeed, and start reducing feed after about halfway thru flower for autos. 500 ppm (500 scale) got me nute burn recently. Too much food stifles growth, and can injure leaves. Bloom boosters, teas, elixirs, etc will increase nute company profits while doing little else. Flushing is a waste of time, and can't remove chemicals from buds. The best flush is the everyday flush of not over-feeding. Follow the Vapor Pressure Deficit chart, but only if you have a tall tent, because even topped/trained autos can get huge.
great info, thank you!! my reasoning for the 10in net pots was to give the autos every chance to get as big as possible. Going for max yield. Does it not make a difference with net pot size? Rapid rooters better than rockwool? My next step is to get a decent PH/EC pen or meter to check my levels. I was gonna grab 2 of each just in case one breaks and also so that I can double check. I also plan on making a few extra buckets so that I can swap them out fairly quickly for water change/clean up.
Many people grow in 3 inch netpots. The main reason for bigger pots is to lend stability to heavy plants. The pots do little besides support the plant, and almost all the feeding happens in the reservoir. Cannabis stems won't get much thicker than 2 inches. Plant size has nothing to do with netpot size, if it's 3" or bigger. Rapid Rooters are no-brainers for me, and I plant seeds directly into them, and directly into the dwc setup, with max feed and max lights. Similar to outdoors under the sun. To simplify bucket changes, which I never do (but I use 17 gal res plus clorox), you might want to install a drain valve kit in each bucket. To avoid even more work, you could install an external reservoir with float valve (cheaper elsewhere): If you do this, don't forget hose clamps and valves:
I really wanted to do a reservoir but my issue is space. Im using the back of my closet which is a 5x4.5ft area. The first 3 ft of the closet is where I have my AC, Dehumidifier, and air purifier. The little hovel in between is my work space. I thought about routing the reservoir from outside the closet through a duct I have cut out in the bottom of the door. The only issue I have with that is mobility of the buckets themselves and also the risk of leaking/water damage. The floors are carpeted so im going to put a liner down. I cant remove the carpets. The buckets I am building are 5 gals with a drain/level valve on the side, the 10in net pots which I already have, and a 6in air stone secured to the bottom. I have a 920 GPH air pump which im thinking is good for 6 buckets. Im going to use the rapid starters and hydroton as the "medium". I came accross some cheap PH/EC meters I might try one to see how reliable they are. Im defintely going to order a BlueLab or comparable meter as my go to for checking, I just figured these cheap meters might work out later on down the road for monitoring the buckets in between services. 2 in 1 Water Quality Tester LCD Monitor Online pH/EC Acidometer Meter Gauge | eBay Im leaning towards DWC because I can move the buckets around as need be and service them with a little more ease given my small space. Unless I can figure out a quick, cheap, and easy way to build an RDWC set up with some quick disconnects I am probably going to stick with the bubble buckets. Maybe I could use flex tubing to connect everything and make sure I have Valves set up between the buckets and res lines. That way I could unhook one bucket at a time.
I built this for the extra 4x4 space I have in my 96x48x80 tent . Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
A look inside . Just waiting on my ice probe h20 chiller to get them growing . Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Are those 3 buckets not connected to an external res or are they just connected to eachother??? and do you think that 5/8in ID is ok for the recirculating lines? If i keep it smaller then I can run the lines out the closet into my main room no prob. i found some neat shut off valves that will work.
Two grow buckets and one reservoir, Underflow circulation through 1" hose 1" bulkheads 160gph pump inside circulates the water perfectly any more would leave the water unbalanced between buckets. Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Heres a plan I sketched up at work. I think I'm gonna give it a shot. My only concern is whether or not the feed plumbing will keep the flow balanced. I might change it to one line per row instead of the one line servicing 2 rows of pots. Sent from my SM-G892A using Grasscity Forum mobile app