Buds Buddy Does DWC: Critical 2.0 For The 1st Time

[Rosti]

Thanks for the info. Is the Mylar stuff I used OK for covering the Hydroton or too reflective for under the plant ?

It’s good for preventing algae from forming on the rocks... I use aluminum foil to cover the rocks while their seedlings. Once big enough to where their leaves shade the rocks I remove them

 

[Buds Buddy]

I hope I didn't screw up. Last night while feeding I got side tracked by my wife wanting something.
I take the entire lid off the buckets to check pH, ppm & temps. I set the lid in an empty bucket while I check things. Well I was done checking things when wife called for me, but I forgot to put the lids back on the buckets with nutes. So the plants sat in empty buckets for close to an hour before I realized what I did. Nothing looked bad when I put the lids back on the buckets ... but then it takes a little bit for a reaction. I'll know when I go out there in a little while. Sure hope things are OK.
Anyway, since I'm not real confident with DWC yet I do my bucket changes weekly. I have no idea how long Hydro Guard lasts & afraid it might break down so doing it weekly for now.
Water level dropped a little more. Getting a lot more roots coming out the net pots. ppm has been dropping about 10 - 15 ppm per day for past 3 - 4 days. Started at 348 ppm & now it's about 305.
Mixed 2 - jugs of nutes last night for bucket changes today. 3 gallons water, 6 ml. of Hydroguard & 4.2 grams of MC (just under 1.5 gr. per gal.). I mix my nutes in 5 gallon water jugs so I can just shake the jugs up to mix things. Then I pour it in my empty 5 gallon buckets which are already set up with air stones & pH. Connect the air lines, put the bucket lids on the new buckets & off they go. Now I can clean the old buckets & stones up real good before I use them before the next bucket change.
Not sure if doing it this way is OK since roots don't like light. Draining through the tubes would be a PITA unless the buckets are on a platform high enough to put an empty bucket under it to catch the drainage. I can't be running back & forth with tupperware bowls of water from my shed to my yard as it will draw attention that I don't want. That's why I bought 10 - 5 gallon water jugs to fill & keep in the shed. I only have to fill the jugs once per month this way.

 

[Stormblessed]

Plants r resilient, I think she should b alright

 

[Rosti]

I hope I didn't screw up. Last night while feeding I got side tracked by my wife wanting something.
I take the entire lid off the buckets to check pH, ppm & temps. I set the lid in an empty bucket while I check things. Well I was done checking things when wife called for me, but I forgot to put the lids back on the buckets with nutes. So the plants sat in empty buckets for close to an hour before I realized what I did. Nothing looked bad when I put the lids back on the buckets ... but then it takes a little bit for a reaction. I'll know when I go out there in a little while. Sure hope things are OK.
Anyway, since I'm not real confident with DWC yet I do my bucket changes weekly. I have no idea how long Hydro Guard lasts & afraid it might break down so doing it weekly for now.
Water level dropped a little more. Getting a lot more roots coming out the net pots. ppm has been dropping about 10 - 15 ppm per day for past 3 - 4 days. Started at 348 ppm & now it's about 305.
Mixed 2 - jugs of nutes last night for bucket changes today. 3 gallons water, 6 ml. of Hydroguard & 4.2 grams of MC (just under 1.5 gr. per gal.). I mix my nutes in 5 gallon water jugs so I can just shake the jugs up to mix things. Then I pour it in my empty 5 gallon buckets which are already set up with air stones & pH. Connect the air lines, put the bucket lids on the new buckets & off they go. Now I can clean the old buckets & stones up real good before I use them before the next bucket change.
Not sure if doing it this way is OK since roots don't like light. Draining through the tubes would be a PITA unless the buckets are on a platform high enough to put an empty bucket under it to catch the drainage. I can't be running back & forth with tupperware bowls of water from my shed to my yard as it will draw attention that I don't want. That's why I bought 10 - 5 gallon water jugs to fill & keep in the shed. I only have to fill the jugs once per month this way.

The plant you left out will be fine. And I do my water changes the same way, pull the whole plant out and set it in an empty bucket to ph, add nutes, clean, etc.. I’ve never heard of it stressing roots, but who knows, I’ve never had a problem with it.

 

[Stormblessed]

What is the smallest size net pot y’all think would b ok to use if I want to make my own lid?

 

[Pennywise]

That’s the way I’ve always done it and never had an issue

 

[Stormblessed]

Think that would b good?orholes to small?

 

[1ne eye]

If your in the shed you can just keep doing bucket change outs, you have lots of height i would think.

 

[Buds Buddy]

I can raise my light as high as 7' so yeah, there's room.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Think that would b good?orholes to small?

Looks like the same size holes as the black net pots. I'm using 6"; but I also have 8" & 10" on hand. 6" were like $1.20 each at the Hydro Store.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Picked up the FFOF today so dropping 3 seeds in solo cups tonight. I'll keep them in the tent till they get a few sets of leaves & I up-pot. Then to the shed to veg. May as well have a few soil plants ready to flower when the Auto's are done.

 

[Buds Buddy]

I went ahead & planted the 2 seeds in solo cups yesterday. I use FFOF which is a little hot for seedlings so I cut it with Coco. 3 cups FFOF to 1 cup of coco. I usually do it this way so I know it works well. Seems like a little better drainage, easier for roots to grow through & weakens the strength of FFOF so does the trick for me. Once I up-pot it will be just FFOF ... No Coco added.
Should see some growth by the weekend.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Well I'm starting to wonder about this Nextlight Mega. I have it at about 6' high which is at least 4' over the canopy. But the plants keep growing wider & not taller really. Leaves cover the bucket lids but plants are only 2" - 3" tall. Node spacing is super tight so far. There's no dimmer switch on this light so it is what it is. This model doesn't have the dimmer switch port that they have an option for now. I'm not willing to tap into the ballast to install a dimmer switch & void the 5 year warranty. I just wonder if a fan speed controller would work as a dimmer switch. Seems like it would since the more you turn the controller up the faster the fan goes. I would think it would do the same for light brightness. Has anyone tried this ?

 

[Buds Buddy]

This will probably be my only DWC grow until I get my yard more secluded. I'm very uncomfortable emptying used nutes from DWC Buckets with hoses hanging out in my yard. I feel like I'm advertising what I'm doing & that's not cool. Need to find a better way to dispose of used nutes.
Maybe a 55 gallon drum I can keep the used nutes in until the grow is complete & then dump it when it's over.
I also noticed that the light shines through the AC at night so I'm putting up a wood wall between the shed & the block wall behind the shed. The other side will have a gate to get in & out. It will look like a place to store stuff afterward. The only thing is I need to block the view of the light from the air (helicopters). Not sure how I'll do that yet & make it look like it belongs & not hiding something. I was considering just putting up a Solar Yard / Spot light back there so it lights up the whole area so you don't notice the light coming from the AC. But then people would probably wonder why I have that light on all night when it just lights up a small storage area behind the shed.
I may have to put some kind of roof over it. Maybe some corrugated fiberglass roofing or something. Going to get the wood for the 2 sides today so at least I can block the view from the neighbors.

 

[Stormblessed]

Yeah I wish there was a hydro store near me lol, the holes were kinda small so I improvised

 

[Stormblessed]

I have a fan adjuster, I’ll plug a led into it and see if it works if that would help...why not just dump it down the tub?

 

[Buds Buddy]

.why not just dump it down the tub?

Do you mean the old nutes when I do bucket changes ? I haven't installed a tub in my shed yet ... lol.

I have a fan adjuster, I’ll plug a led into it and see if it works if that would help...why not just dump it down the tub?

It sure would. I have to get up near the roof to unplug the light so I have to move everything to get to it. I guess I could test it in a house lamp, but my fan controllers are mounted to the wall in the shed. Wasn't planning on moving things around much.

 

[Buds Buddy]

Well this morning for some odd reason I thought I should check on my plants. I usually only go in there once a day when the lights come on at night. Sure glad I did. Lifted the bucket lids & roots got kind of yellow. They were bright white yesterday. I checked pH & it climbed to 7.2 overnight so I re-adjusted to 5.8. The water level looked a little low too. I added more to fix that. So everything is back in check. Just hope that was the cause & fixing things helps. Any thoughts ? Could it be something else ? Is it anything to be concerned with ?

 

[Pennywise]

Nute stain?

 

[Buds Buddy]

It's only at 350 ppm. Same strength I started with in the 1st bucket til it dropped to 310 ppm. Dropped 40 ppm in 7 days. Been changing nutes weekly & using 2 ml Hydro Guard per gallon.
Plants look good. I'll take pics when lights come on tonight.