Starting a New Grow - cannot decide | Options Included!

I don't think either system results in better quality. I believe the main components that determine quality are good lights, good air, and good nutrients along with proper feed rates and good temps. The method has very little to do with the quality of the end product as long as it's done well.

The advantage of RDWC is automation. I don't believe that it has a growth rate advantage on a properly daily maintained bucket DWC system. If you don't mind work and you like growing multiple strains buckets DWC is better because you can feed each plant exactly what it needs and it can finish when it wants. Some plants will finish 4 weeks apart from each other. If they're all on the same res you can't change nutrient profiles at the end of flower timed right for each plant.

RDWC has more parts, more potential problems, more things to clean, but you only have one res to maintain. If you use a large one you can ignore plants for days at a time. Believe me maintaining 4-6 buckets every night can get old. You change the water once a week. Bucket DWC makes water changes easy IMO. I get an empty bucket for a placeholder. I place the plant in the empty bucket to hold it and I walk off with the res. I dump it out and balance it then put the plant back in the res bucket. Takes 5 minutes a plant or so once you get it down.

With bucket DWC you have a bubbler under each plant so that negates the need for circulation. The bubbles circulate and aerate. In RDWC typically you will only have a bubbler in the res.

 

I changed to Promix only for a crop and it's much easier. I don't have to hear the air pump running. I just hand feed them all each night. That's it. I make about 3 gallon of nutrients a night. This is better looking then any of my DWC crops. It probably has as much to do with me just learning to grow better but it does say to me that you can do as good with promix as any hydro method.

 

Take a look at some youtube tours of good commercial grows. Many of them are using promix drip systems. I would say most. Either promix or coco. There's very few large scale RDWC setups. It's too complicated large scale.

 

It's pretty much like growing in a loose soil. You just have to daily bottle feed because after a short few days there's basically no nutrients in it to speak of. 20% perlite helps assure the roots get plenty of air along with fabric pots spaced off the drain trays.

 

The densest bud I've ever grown was in promix. A 7 gallon smart pot. The strain was called Crystal. It's northern lights x white widow. I highly recommend it. I got 15oz's from one plant. It was so dense I had quart jars 3/4 full the weighted 54 grams. Usually the same amount in a jar weighs about 30 grams.

Those qb lights also tend to grow denser buds then HPS. HPS tends to get larger fluffier colas but that qb bud has never been fluffy for me once. The good upper buds are rock hard after cure.

 

DWC is a learning experience. Learning how to keep the res healthy, how much air, water changes, managing ph. Do you have high quality ppm/ph meters? It's not that hard it depends on your overall understanding of plant nutrition and how the system actually works.

Promix can be much easier to learn with. You can really just get a cheap ph kit and figure out how many drops of down it takes to get your feed in range and stick with that. Your feed ph doesn't have to be super accurate. Just follow a recipe that keeps it on the weak side and feed daily. That's literally all you have to do. DWC isn't that hard but it takes a few grows to learn well.

Many people struggle with root rot and other problems. You must run either a sterile res or beneficial microbes in the res to keep bad growth at bay. I know promix would be way less work for you. I haven't even taken my plants out of the tent since I started flower. I would of had to at least 3-4 times now to change the water in each.

You won't need that flower light for a month or two.

 

If you can use your tapwater it's usually better. Most nutrient lines are formulated for tap water and you have to adjust them if you don't use ground sourced water. I use rainwater so I know about this. I have to use extra calcium especially and silica. See if you can test the tap water ppm or get that info locally. If it's under about 350 you'll be fine with it. Average is about 200-250 ppm from the tap.

Some nutrient lines make hard water formulas for hard water areas with high ppm. If you can dial in your setup RO can be good but just know it needs adjustments sometimes. I have seen people struggling on RO and then switched back to tap. They got improved plant health.

The highest recommended promix I see on forums is promix brand HP. I use sunshine promix 4 with 20% precision perlite course.

This is crazy in depth but probably the best info site on hydroponics on the net or one of them.
Hydroponic Science | Hydroponic Nutrients ｜ Additives

Hover your mouse over the grow info tab and prepare to be overwelmed.

That is quite a powerful light and will be fine for your entire veg even if you move to a 3x3. That is the rated veg coverage of it. Run it very high at first. It's intense and will burn young plants at 18" sometimes. I start mine at like 28". Sometimes even higher.

 

My supercropping routines don't start until the plant is close to about a foot tall and I've already transplanted from the first 20oz cup pot to the main veg pot. Maybe two/3 weeks in or so. I veg for 8-10 weeks so lots of time left to train at that point. I train all the way into about 3 weeks in flower sometimes 4.

 

I have the QB260 XW in 3000K because TBone talked me into it. Best decision ever.


Current Autoflower Grow

New 3x C4 Auto Grow

 

What fan and filter combo did you go with? I was looking into the hurricane fan, the five year warranty has me. Looking for people's opinions before I buy. What filter do you like? Has anyone used the HTG fan/filter combos? I'm in a 2x4 little smaller than a 3x3. Thanks


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I would go with a 6" fan even though that area is a little on the small side for 6". A larger fan/duct can move the same amount of air as a smaller 4" duct but much quieter and at lower pressure levels. Just get a 6" fan with a variable speed controller and you'll be able to dial in the speed that you need.

It's always best to get higher quality equipment. I've heard of the hurricane fans before and they seem like a step up from the standard stuff. There is several higher priced fans around that are marketed to people that are picky about noise. I barely squeezed my fan in my grow room budget when I set it up so I went with a cheaper apollo model. It's ran great for 3 years straight now. It's probably time I upgraded but it keeps working. It's not that noisy either. Variable speed.

The old grow hack solution to fan noise was to mount the fan inside of essentially a speaker box made of particle board hanging from rubber hangers. You can line the inside of the box with foam and connect the fan with flex ducts ran through holes cut in the box. I haven't seen anyone do that for a long time but it works well. You can hardly hear a fan like that if it's running slow speed.

Phresh has a good rep for making good carbon filters that last longer then other brands. It's always best to size up if you can on the filter like 8" and neck it down to the fan intake. A larger carbon filter lasts much longer because it holds more carbon and takes longer to clog. At least 6" for the filter even if you use a 4" fan.

Look for flex duct that is black on the inside. It keeps you from getting light leaks down the ductwork like a fiber optic tube.

 

Thanks for the wealth of information, this whole thread broke down everything I was looking for and a lot more.


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Mother of god, this is your pic?? Ive seen this floating around. Amazing dude. I wanna dump on some chili oil and crispy ground pork and go to town on it lol.

 

Yep, I have more angles if you doubt it. This is when that plant was in veg. Second pic is in veg. Still haven't really seen that rootball's equal in a bucket.

 

Nah no doubt, I've seen it a few times but never found the actual post. Well done man. Big ass noodle bowl Was that under the two qb260s?

 

That was a single Wonder Woman in a DWC bucket under 4 qb304 boards in a 4x4.

 

Whoa! Kudos man