First time Hydro/DWC grower

[FreddyDeeb]

Hey everyone, this is my fourth grow indoors. In the past I had always used soil, mainly because there was no hydro store in my area and I was ignorant to what chemicals to put in and such. Last harvest I had 10 plants(started with over 25, but had tons of males), and I was not very satisfied with my yield(under 8 oz) and had said I wouldn't grow again unless I got better seeds and lights.

My grow setup was actually vacant until 5+ weeks ago. One of my friends supposedly had some clones that were going to die if no one took them. He had ordered his seeds(strawberry cough, Kush, etc), so I was instantly excited. I had always used the best seeds I came across. I was too nervous(still am) to order online. So I was usually growing crap. I read up on DeepWaterCulture, which is what he recommended, and headed to the hydro store with him-HTG supply. I ended up deciding on Technaflora brand BC Boost, Grow, and Bloom. I made a reservoir for 6, but only had 3 cuttings to put in. After 2 weeks they were huge( they were 4", 4", and 2" when he brought them over), and the roots were growing together. I decided to move the 3 into seperate 5 gallon buckets and try and keep mother plants. After 4 weeks they were out of control, and I decided to make a clone DWC reservoir. 20 seemed more than enough for cloning, so I used a 2 1/8 bit to drill the holes.

Then I used an existing stand I had, and cut out the bottom board so the reservoir would fit better. Next I attached 2 flourescent workshop lights to the top of the stand.

Then I used styrofoam cups(8oz) to fill the holes and hold the cuttings. Next was the dome, and I decided to use some old small 5 gal and 10 gal fish tanks.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

I took my clones this past weekend, and added some rootone to the water in the reservoir.

36 Hours later they were already standing noticabley straighter and moisture was on the sides of the tanks.

The next step was to get a better light/s. I was going to go the cheap route and get the Grow Bright 1000W, but the HTG guy convinced me to spend the extra $50+ and go with the digital ballast. This was the old setup with the 3 security light 150W HPS and 1 70 W MH.

The Digital ballast and AgroGrow bulb

He also got me to go with the glass cased reflector with 6" air intake, cha-ching.

Had to take down the old lights(took much longer than I thought), connect the pulleys, and reorganize the room.

Here's a picture of one of the mom's.

Next up is to take apart/convert the security lights and make them less bulky and more manageable to hang, and to get air intake onto that light. I figure I have 1-2 weeks before clones are ready to be in vegetative growth, at which time the mom's will be moving out into their own area.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

So far based on what I've seen, I'll never grow in soil again. I'm not trying to say which is better or worse, but you have to consider your surroundings when making the choice of organic or hydro. In a cold basement like mine, it is very bad for the roots to be that cold, at least that is what I've been told by others. It was also very easy to overwater due to the soil always being very chilled and damp. Cold, damp basement=bad results organic. If you can find a hydro store and the necessary supplies, go hydro

 

[StonerGrower]

Looks good man...

 

[stratlogic]

Nice setup. I'll be tuning into this one fo' sho'.

 

[Zenmaster]

i'll be tuning in to this one aswell it looks awesome and i love the foam cup idea i'll be using that in my next grow very soon. does each plant have its own watering port or outlet ? does the water in the bucket get moved at all ? did u just poke a fresh cut plant thru the cups and it grew roots after adding rootone to the water ? did you put anything in the cups to hold the plant up at all ? i have many many more questions about this but i need to think about them first i'll be back soon lol. your doin awesome bud.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Just got all my pics resized and this will be a 4-5 day update. On Saturday, had to change the water of my 3 mom's. Just took the lid off and set it on a fish tank or another container. Root ball looks real nice, barely fit onto the tank while I cleaned the buckets.

My buddy told me that 2 of the mom's are Skunk #1(or something), and the one is strawberry cough. Here's the Cough on 10-18. Another shot to compare size to a 30+ gallon garbage can.

Here's the big Skunk.

And the small Skunk.

And all 3 set back up.

Usually around 8-10 days between changing the buckets. They are sucking down 1.5-2 gallons a day EACH. Have to check it and add water twice a day now. Also remember to always fill up the main reservoir you get your water from. I have "hard" water(usually around 8.0-8.5 ph from tap), so I make sure I adjust it and let it sit overnight.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Zenmaster, to answer a few questions. I used 2 styrofoam cups in each hole. I just cut them evenly together(one is smaller than the other, but fits inside). I used two because I felt it would keep the light out better and give the clones a little more stability and make them stand up better. I used a small drill bit(5/32) and drilled through the 2 cups so I didn't damage them. And the bucket's and reservoirs need changed around every 7-10 days. I just tip the lid up a few inches to add my water.
Here's the roots of the clones as of 10-20.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Next up was to build the new reservoirs. I'm going to put 5 in each reservoir. In one I'm going to use 5" net pots and the other 2 I'm going to use 16 oz black plastic cups.

Then get a drill with a bit that cuts a starter hole. Then use a skill saw to cut the hole to the desired width. The cups are around 4 inches wide, but an inch taller than the netpots. Only cut one and make sure you are happy with the fit. Then finish the rest.

Now the fun part, drilling the cups. This is truely a pain in the ass. The cups usually crack here or there if you go too fast or push too hard. 60 holes per cup takes a while. Pay the $1 for each netpot if you have the $$$. I didn't and had to resort to this.

Finally all ten drilled and ready. The 5" netpots were much easier and less time consuming.

All 3 ready for use.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

I hooked up 2 small air purifiers because the smell is already starting to linger. Don't know how good the Holmes are, but they both got new filters and have an ionizer.

Here's the big daddy air compressor. Now all I have to do is attach my PVC pipie with air adjusters and hoses.

Here's a few new pics from , they are really bushy now with the new light Here's the big skunk.

And the small skunk.

And the Cough.

Those are from this morning. I want to bud them, but I want to keep the mothers. Also, I want the 20 clones to have some veg time(around 3 weeks) before I bud the reservoirs. I figure 3-4 weeks before 12/12 in the main room, and I'll move the moms to different spot. That's still the plan anyways.

 

[StonerGrower]

Looks like you got things under control..Gotta love the ingenuity.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Thanks, Stoner. I just went out today and found 6 more matching containers for $5 a piece, and got 3 12" airstones. Total of $40, and now I've got enough reservoirs for 6 in the bud room, 3 for vege growth, and 1 for my cloner. Going to try and set the compressor up tonight.

I am starting to have a few issues with some of the leaves the last 2-3 days. Starting to get brown, decaying looking spots on some of the leaves. Pretty sure it's not a burn(it's been 5 days since I changed water and I figure it would have showed before 5 days). I think it's a deficiency, maybe of manganese. Also, is it possible to get too big of a root ball for a 5 gallon bucket? I might not be getting enough air to the roots as they seem to suffacate the airstone now(that will change when the compressor is hooked up). Anyways, I got nervous last night and changed the water again. This time I put more BC Grow(1.5x normal) in the water as it has lots of trace minerals, including manganese. I have to add at least 1 gallon a day, so maybe I have to start adding nutrients with that water also. Is it possible that they are sucking out all the nutrients that fast?? My camera is crappy, so my pictures will not give too much help.

Oh, last thing. I used Humboldt Roots(1.5 ml for 3 gallon H2O) and Thrive Alive(3 ml for 3 gallon). Is it possible that the combination created a lock up?? I put no Humbolt in when I changed the water last night.

 

[Zenmaster]

thoes look awesome dude i'm diggin the setup. so them buckets are gonna be bubble fed rather then water ran over the roots ?

 

[fineas]

Awesome Fredddy,
I like it all, but I think I may be able to handle building the cloner with fewer holes...
Presently I have been starting clones in another not as efficient system. I really like yours..
I have a sat that I had to emergent move from one system to a black maybe 1 CF hard plastic tote. that I put in about several inches of water that the bottom of my pot sits in with a 8 inch aquarium bubbler. I dont know what kinda system that is but the plant is doing very well and very bushy (tho a temperamental lady) ANd I didnt have a big pump just a very small aquarium pump. This looks like I may try what you got.. Seem much better, thanks for the wonderful pics, I likeum... You got a great setup!!!!
Good Luck

 

[Zenmaster]

so do the stems of the plants get into the water or do they hover above it with some sort of feed line on them or do they just sit in a bucket thats filled with water and grow being held up by cups

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Thanks for the compliments and yeah, I'm not running water over the tops of them. Just bubble action. I make sure the water level is around 1" or so inside the cup. Fill it around an inch with rock, set the roots in, and then cover with more rock. The roots eventually are totally submerged in water dangling from the cup.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Here's some pics of the leaves getting spots. These were form 2 days ago. Sorry to say it has gotten a bit worse since these.

I already changed the tanks, but it still lingers. Is it possible that I have a pest problem? Or can this be caused by removing too many clones and canopy leaves?? I know the pics suck, but it lookes like maybe a manganese deficiencey. I'm not sure though.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Here's how I set the compressor up last night. Got the gold tube from the compressor, pvc pipe drilled with shutoffs, and a homemade shutoff valve to release pressure and not ruin the compressor.

Here's the finished product before installation.

I put the compressor behind the plastic and foil in the corner, moved the moms over a few feet, and raised the light up close to the max it can go.
Here's the stand with 2 tanks in place. You can see the air line under the stands. Still can't see the compressor, but can see where the gold pipe goes.

 

[FreddyDeeb]

Then it was time to set up the air and put the clones in their rightful place. Here's a shot of the clones with the roots. Just cut away the cups and put in hydrotron.

And here's the ten clones after lots of work.

I ended up trashing 2 clones that never rooted, but am left with 8, and only need five for the last scheduled tank to go in. Will try and put 3 tanks(15 total every month).

That was it for the night though.

 

[Harry Red]

Nice work building your own stuff man.

++reps for out of the box thinking.



Harry