hi all this is my first hydro grow. I am running 4, 5 gallon buckets RDWC , . question, when you change your water do you just drain the reservoir and refill, or do you drain reservoir and suck out all the little bit from bottom of the buckets also then refill ?
Hey madfrog56, You'll never completely get all the water out of your system unless you take it apart. I would suggest flushing the res with warm water at the least after you drain it. Maybe scrub off the walls and bottom. There are a few options just depends on how much work you want to do and what condition your plants are in. If their have nute issues from ph or incorrect mixing, diluting is easier than fully draining the system and shocking your plants. If your not having any issue don't do a flush. Just add fresh water to the res and adjust the ec and ph. If you have room and you can fit 5 more buckets in your room, transfer each plant into fresh clean ph'd (5.5-6.2) non-chlorinated water. Drain entire system and flush with hot water. If your not using hydroguard already you should start. Mostly do what works for the plant. Watch the color and development of the leaves and your girls will let you know what they need at different stages.