First off go vols. I'm a first time grower and my question is how deep I need to run the water level in a 5 gal bucket dwc? Its 4 gal to thebottom of the net pot. Should I just run to the bottom of the net pot or run less just into the roots? Plants seem to be doing great. Less than 3 week on bubbler and growing about 1 inch a day and using at least a pint of water per day. Thanks
Depth of water in a DWC
- Thread starter TennRiver
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Guy Cavallero
Well-Known Member
Welcome TR.....
Your net pot should touch your water if roots are not yet emerging through your Hydroton into your water, you should hand water it too if not using a top feed line. If your roots are reaching through, 1" below is where your water should be. As it drops thru the week , replace with straight PHd water at 5.7, do not add nutes til water change.
Your net pot should touch your water if roots are not yet emerging through your Hydroton into your water, you should hand water it too if not using a top feed line. If your roots are reaching through, 1" below is where your water should be. As it drops thru the week , replace with straight PHd water at 5.7, do not add nutes til water change.
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Guy Cavallero
Well-Known Member
No problem. Obviously you'll be needing an air stone or pump to circulate/aerate.
Icemann420
Well-Known Member
I grow with the net pot about 1/2 inches under the pot you don't want your hydrotun to wet specially if your using rockwool and once roots are astablished I drop it by 2 inches
I keep a four gallon level in my buckets which is about a half inch from the netpot. Using Rapid Rooters I top water every other day until roots emerge from the netpot.
TennRiver i started with a 5 gallon then went to 7 gal and won plant of the month now i use a 35 gallon reservoir for one plant and i got 1 and 1/2 pounds from one plant it was a LSD from barneys farm. I only do top water when the roots have not come through the netty pot. Good luck with your grow!!
Bowl Nugz n' harmony
Well-Known Member
I'm a new dwc grower as well. I set mine up so that the water level is about 1/4 inch below the pot and that the bubbles slightly splashed the pot to to "tease" the root growth I guess you can say when they start growing. I didn't want the rockwool to stay wet for fear of drowning the seedling.
Stltoed
Well-Known Member
Mine is probably 2.5 inches away from the water. I have two 17 gallon pots, with a total volume of about 50 gallons including the res. One thing I do a little different is I use a 80 liter inline pump and 12 inch diffusers for my air supply to the two pots. I have no air in the res. Because my turn over rate for reciculating nutes is kinda high. And my input hose (in the res.) does a little waterfall thing.
doctorNEW84
New Member
So what is your air to water ratio?I take it those pots are not filled to the 17gal max?
I have a 17gal planter with 2 plants and running a air pump at 1900 gph / 32 lpm you think I need more?
Stltoed
Well-Known Member
I'm sure you'll be fine. This last grow was the first with such a large pump, i did alright.
George1961
Active Member
High Guy, thanks for your explanation, I'm on the fifth week of flower period, my goal is o maintain 800 ppm more or less, when I fill with fresh water with no nuts to the top the ppm goes down to 650 or fewer. I change water every two weeks, if I wait until then to add more nuts, wouldn't the ppm level would be too low for that time? Cheers ...
Stltoed
Well-Known Member
Yes. Feel free to add nutes as you go. Be sure to watch your Ph.
If you are using Silica, highly recommended, make sure you only add it when you have a system filled with fresh water, no nutes. Be sure to add it to your res. First, and be sure you Ph immediately after you add it. Some Silicas will you Ph to as high as 11
George1961
Active Member
High Stitoed, thanks for your reply, I just add some nuts when I see the ppm are too low but was unsure if I was doing right after reading that post. I don't use Silicas, just add a little bit of Maldon Sea salt. I'm using Advanced Nutrients so fortunately don't need to check for the pH level, just the ppm's. There's a lot of good info here, glad to found this helpful site ...
Stltoed
Well-Known Member
Sounds like your good. Yeah there are some pretty good guys/girls here.
If you have more questions about RDWC i would be honored to try and help. Ive been growing RDWC for a few years now, ironically growing in soil right this second. My last round in the water i grew 27oz with 2 plants, if that gives me any credibility
George1961
Active Member
High again Stitoed, RDWC sounds like chinese for a noob like me , just DWC for the moment. I had doubts with my ppm's rising, but after reading a couple of threads I guess now I know how it works. As you're willing to help I still have a question, how many days before harvesting should I change to fresh water with no nuts to flush my plant? She is in the fourth week of flower stage and with no problems ATM, thanks for your kindness ...
Stltoed
Well-Known Member
High again Stitoed, RDWC sounds like chinese for a noob like me , just DWC for the moment. I had doubts with my ppm's rising, but after reading a couple of threads I guess now I know how it works. As you're willing to help I still have a question, how many days before harvesting should I change to fresh water with no nuts to flush my plant? She is in the fourth week of flower stage and with no problems ATM, thanks for your kindness ...
RDWC is actually easier, most of the time then just DWC. Its easier to add nutes, take measurements, and adjust. Its also easier to keep the water level uniform by adding a float valve, $14 at your hydro store.
Are you using a finishing additive? Maybe Koolbloom dry or Mendocino Avalanche? Both highly recommended, but i like Avalanche better. Its a bud hardener, and works to solidify your buds. Use it for the last two weeks, according to your harvest schedule ie if your plant is to be harvested at 8 weeks you start the finisher at week 5 and flush at week 7. Now, just because it says you will be done at week 8 doesnt mean you are. Watch week 8 for amber trichomes and harvest accordingly.
Your plant looks good. These next few weeks is the time it gets interesting. I see lots of buds in your future
George1961
Active Member
High Stitoed, I live in Spain and those products are not available here. I prefer not to add many products though, not looking for quantity but quality. For just one plant for personal consumption, I think I will just stick with DWC. I will flush in the seventh week, thanks for the tip ...
Stltoed
Well-Known Member
Spain, very nice. I love Europe. You will get along just fine without a finisher. Good luck man. Im here to help. Cheers
George1961
Active Member
Thanks Stitoed, after reading this thread I think I won't flush. Still haven't my pH measurer back (under repair) and no one can tell me if flushing with just tap water without controlling the pH would harm my harvest. I am going to lower the ppm to 600 and then cure the weed for one month or more and see if it finally affects the flavor and roughness or not. I appreciate your help but in this forum there's a lot of contradictory information and guess I will have to find out by myself which is the correct way to do it, cheers ...
