4x4 RDWC question

[Silverfox125]

Good morning friends. I have a quick question. I recently got a 4x4 tent. How many buckets with a rdwc can I successfully grow in the 4x4. My res will be outside the tent.

I was originally thinking 9 but a quick google shot that idea down. I’ve never grown hydro and have no idea what to expect as far as size goes

 

[Dusted]

Plants grow very quickly in hydroponics. You may get away with 4 pots but that could cause crowding

 

[Dusted]

I have a 5 pot system that sits on a king size waterbed liner as a containment system. That is 6.5 feet by 6.5 feet and my plants fill the area quickly

 

[Silverfox125]

Wow 4 seems low to me but it’s spot on with what I’ve read. I’ll set up a 4 bucket system it sounds like! Thank you

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Really depends on a few things

Veg time
Strain
Indica vs sativa
And skill level

I've had 6 in mine, did great
I've also had 1 take up 1/3 of my tent, so it is a crap shoot

4 or 5 is good, 5 fills it pretty good

 

[Silverfox125]

Really depends on a few things

Veg time
Strain
Indica vs sativa
And skill level

I've had 6 in mine, did great
I've also had 1 take up 1/3 of my tent, so it is a crap shoot

4 or 5 is good, 5 fills it pretty good

I’ll probably scrog the 4x4 and just keep my perpetual going with my other two tents.

thanks for the help guys. I’m going with 4 buckets inside and we’ll have the reservoir out side.

 

[Silverfox125]

Ok I’m back with more stupid questions. Should I space the buckets evenly in the tent or try to get them as close to center as possible?

thank you in advance!

 

[Chris Scorpio]

Yer scrogging?

I'd space them under yer lights as best as possible, if that helps

Leave space on outsides against wall

 

[multiVortex]

Ok I’m back with more stupid questions. Should I space the buckets evenly in the tent or try to get them as close to center as possible?

thank you in advance!

As evenly as possible under the lighting, yes.

Think of your 4x4 as if it were (4) 2x2 spaces. I have each buckets centered inside of each 2x2 area, give or take as best I could with my plumbing skills.

Sorry, to data dump here, but I'm building one right now as well and the experience may be of value to you.


Keep in mind the "hump". I'm referring to the height of the duct port to get out of the tent. The bottom of the port on most tents is 7"-8". That is going to be the absolute lowest your water level can go. What does that translate to?

If you have a 5gal bucket, they are about 15" tall. Take the depth of the net pot from that, plus the 1" air gap to get your max water height in the bucket. A 6" net pot is 4.5" deep, so that gives us a max water level of 9.5". [15 - (4.5 +1) = 9.5]

Remember that 7"-8" hump? Let's go with the minimum and say it is 7". That gives you only 2.5" of play in your water level before you start to have circulation issues. In light of that, consider placing a 6"-7" riser under each bucket. That will pretty much negate the hump, and keep things flowing. It will also allow for a little taller reservoir as well.


As for the number of buckets in a 4x4? As you've seen, 4 is the top number with a setup like this. I can't imagine plumbing 6 buckets into a 4x4, there just isn't the space you think there is once it's all going. Spaced well, you're going to have about 6" between the bucket and two walls, and about 12" between the buckets. It gets crowded quickly. (Assumes standard 5gal bucket, which is about 12" diameter.)


IF you want to spring for the square/rectangle buckets, your bulkhead connections will be a little better since the sides are flat. They can be a bit pricey, depending where you shop, but may be worth it for you.

 

[AzLaker]

I have a 4x4x7 tent and four buckets always seemed to work just right for me, along with 600 watts of HPS. With four plants, they had plenty of room to stretch out, get plenty of light, and plenty of fresh air.

AzLaker

 

[Raymont]

As evenly as possible under the lighting, yes.

Think of your 4x4 as if it were (4) 2x2 spaces. I have each buckets centered inside of each 2x2 area, give or take as best I could with my plumbing skills.

Sorry, to data dump here, but I'm building one right now as well and the experience may be of value to you.


Keep in mind the "hump". I'm referring to the height of the duct port to get out of the tent. The bottom of the port on most tents is 7"-8". That is going to be the absolute lowest your water level can go. What does that translate to?

If you have a 5gal bucket, they are about 15" tall. Take the depth of the net pot from that, plus the 1" air gap to get your max water height in the bucket. A 6" net pot is 4.5" deep, so that gives us a max water level of 9.5". [15 - (4.5 +1) = 9.5]

Remember that 7"-8" hump? Let's go with the minimum and say it is 7". That gives you only 2.5" of play in your water level before you start to have circulation issues. In light of that, consider placing a 6"-7" riser under each bucket. That will pretty much negate the hump, and keep things flowing. It will also allow for a little taller reservoir as well.


As for the number of buckets in a 4x4? As you've seen, 4 is the top number with a setup like this. I can't imagine plumbing 6 buckets into a 4x4, there just isn't the space you think there is once it's all going. Spaced well, you're going to have about 6" between the bucket and two walls, and about 12" between the buckets. It gets crowded quickly. (Assumes standard 5gal bucket, which is about 12" diameter.)


IF you want to spring for the square/rectangle buckets, your bulkhead connections will be a little better since the sides are flat. They can be a bit pricey, depending where you shop, but may be worth it for you.

IF you run your waterlines out the bottom front you can almost zip it shut. Now you are not limited. You are at the same levels of the resevoir.