DWC netpot medium

[423]

Im wanting to try dwc soon, and I was going to use promix bx for the medium in the netpot. Ive been looking around and haven't seen where anyone else does this.
Is it just a bad idea? Or just uncommon. I would prefer to use it becouse it's what I got.
It would be a simple dwc with a 6" netpot in a 5 gallon tote.

 

[plugger]

Just doing my first dwc so no expert, I used Hydroton (clay pellets)

 

[423]

Thanks Plugger. Thats mostly what I see mostly hydroton, some pearlite.

 

[plugger]

While I think perlite (soil less?)(water to drain) is considered Hydro. I am not sure it is looked at as dwc(Deep Water Culture). One thing I like about dwc is it seems to need less maintenance. So if I get busy with work I can miss a day.

My impression of perlite (soil less) or even hempy? is it needs daily attention? I have been thinking about trying them if I get time.

But keep in mind I am fairly new here.

 

[plugger]

Other questions if you are thinking of doing dwc is
- bucket vs tote. I chose tote for my first run but can see the benefits of bucket and have everything now to try that route
- top feed vs no top feed, I did top feed on this first hydro, I will not use it in my next and see what the differences are.
I think I left my top feed on to long and had saturation issues with my rapid rooters

 

[Barney86]

Hmm that's not something I've ever seen anyone do mate . Probably a good reason for it too. Would it not just end up dripping through the net pot eventually?
I'd stick to rockwool starters and hydroton(clay pebbles) can also use lava rock but never tried that one tbh.
I reckon the promix would stay soaking aswell so if it didn't drip through the pot so you'd maybe end up with "damping off" issues early on. Wouldn't bother a bigger plant but a seedling sure wouldn't appreciate being that wet all the time.
Rots the bottom of the main stem if you get unlucky.

 

[423]

That makes sense about the root rot being a possability. Maybee it would stay too wet where hydroton would dry better.

 

[Barney86]

That makes sense about the root rot being a possability. Maybee it would stay too wet where hydroton would dry better.

Yeah hydroton is the safest option mate.
Start them up in iether root riots or 1 inch rockwools for about a week untill there's a few decent roots comming through.
Put a layer of hydroton on the bottom of the net pot. Then in goes the seedling and then build up around it with hydroton.
Keep the water level an inch below the net pot and blast the air. The bubbles pop and soak the bottom of the pot.
The roots will grow down and into the Res.
Getting stem rot sucks, I've had it a few times while I was figuring things out. 2 weeks of being too wet and the main stem turns to mush at the bottom and they just fall over and die. It's savage lol.

 

[423]

I appreciate the help. The more I've looked at the more way's I think it was a bad idea. Not the first time...lol
Ill come up with a better plan.
Way better this way than a month in.

 

[Barney86]

Dwc growing is a piece of piss mate but getting plants through the first couple weeks takes a bit of getting used to.
They're really fragile untill they've got 3 or 4 nodes in so gotta try keep things pretty relaxed for them to start with. If it goes wrong at the start it can take a while to make things right again.
Personally I go for root riots. They work every time. Just wet them a little and put the seed in pointy side up 10-15mm deep. Don't let them dry out but don't drown them iether. After 5-7 days they're ready to go into the Res.
Not sure what lights you've got but it's easier to start them under low power lights. They don't need much at all for the first couple weeks. Once they're up and running they can take a bit more of a pasting.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Hydroton, Geolite, or the equivalent Hydro Crunch branded expanded clay pellets (aka "clay balls") would be what I'd recommend for DWC use. If you don't wish to start your seeds in Rockwool insulation (don't like it, don't want to mess with presoaking it in a pH 4.5 solution, et cetera) then you can start them in a cup of perlite; it mostly rinses off of the roots easily, especially if you do not leave your seedlings in it for an extended period of time. When you transfer your young plants to the net cups full of the expanded clay product, you can hand water them at first. They should quickly grow roots long enough to reach the level of the solution in your reservoir (it only takes one root, the you're off to the races ).

Remember, if you aren't supersaturating your nutrient solution with enough DO (dissolved oxygen) that it'd take a mouse half an hour to drown in it (lol) then you could stand to add more. Might as well win that race, yeah?

 

[423]

The mouse would probably be a short timer in my bucket...lol
The air pump I'm planing to use is 2800cc per minuite.It has two airlines each hooked up to two small airstones.

 

[423]

20190427_131839.jpg

• 423
• Apr 27, 2019
• 3

 

[Barney86]

How big is that net pot mate? It looks fekin huge lol.
The width doesn't really make much difference as the plant grows straight down anyway. only needs to be about 4 inches wide, unless you're a super hero
but the depth is important.

Fuck me that was hard not to get side tracked with double en tendres .

Anyway bud, We generally use net pots that hold less than a cup of coffee. (Yes I know that doesn't make sense but you know what I mean. Just pretend I froze the coffee so it wouldn't run through it )

Gotta keep the base of the plant out of the water or it will most likely turn to mush.
Trust me, ive had it a few times from various experiments and mistakes before I figured it out.
It's referred to as "damping off" but that covers a few other things too. Well a few different scenarios anyway. Im not so good at explaining it, I only really know of jt what I've dealt with.
Im not a dwc grower but I do growNFT which is the exact opposite.
You grow in water with air, I grow in air with water. Same results and same rules to follow. All hydro methods are basically the same thing and work the same way. Just a different delivery method.
It's a bit like shooting the same dude with 6 different guns. Easiest way to explain it lol.

 

[423]

Its a small tote 5 gal just a 6"netpot. Lol.
Size is really deceptive in pictures. Ill toss that dirt back to the bin, and clean everything up and test it out.

 

[TorturedSoul]

How big is that net pot mate? It looks fekin huge lol.
The width doesn't really make much difference as the plant grows straight down anyway. only needs to be about 4 inches wide, unless you're a super hero
but the depth is important.

I used to use 24-ounce Solo cups, lol (when I could still find them around here). I would put lots of ¼" holes in them for the roots to grow through into the ~23-gallon reservoirs. Well before harvest time, the cups would be demolished. These were single plant per 400-watt HPS SCROG grows, so it's not like I needed the cup full of Geolite for plant support, because the wire "screen" supported the plant nicely; at harvest time, I'd saw through the trunk, disconnect the screen from the walls, and have a buddy help me carry it to the dining room table and do the harvesting/trimming there. And, as you mentioned, the plant is actually growing in the reservoir, so the cup is mostly just a convenience for the gardener (and the plant, of course, until it gets established in the reservoir). Use whatever you like, it'll probably work fine.

Gotta keep the base of the plant out of the water or it will most likely turn to mush.
Trust me, ive had it a few times from various experiments and mistakes before I figured it out.
It's referred to as "damping off" but that covers a few other things too. Well a few different scenarios anyway. Im not so good at explaining it, I only really know of jt what I've dealt with.
Im not a dwc grower but I do growNFT which is the exact opposite.

Largely true. However, a proper DO level will help a lot, even with a scenario like that one. People have even found that their plants become much more efficient feeders, thereby allowing them to go all the way to harvest with much more reasonable levels of nutrients instead of "hammering" the plants with them. Which means it's kind of an economical plus, too.

It's a bit like shooting the same dude with 6 different guns. Easiest way to explain it lol.

In that case, a properly oxygenated DWC setup would be... a howitzer .

I'm not against air pumps and 'stones, and do use them, myself. But I'll also add one of these to each reservoir:

Aquarium Powerhead

• TorturedSoul
• May 6, 2010

Inexpensive aquarium powerheads circulate while injecting air.

It's called an aquarium power head. They "suck" liquid in from the bottom and expel it outwards (that black plastic deflector on the front is adjustable). This causes a venturi effect, which causes air to be drawn down through the clear tube into the flow of liquid. They don't have a diaphragm to wear out or tear; there are very few moving parts in an aquarium power head. Last time I was in the local ChinaMart helping Mom with her shopping, I looked in their pet department and saw that they still sold them for something like $21. They really work well, IMHO. Any place that sells aquarium supplies should sell them, it's not a "hydroponics store" item and, therefore, you should not have to pay a premium for one, wherever you get it.

 

[Barney86]

I used to use 24-ounce Solo cups, lol (when I could still find them around here). I would put lots of ¼" holes in them for the roots to grow through into the ~23-gallon reservoirs. Well before harvest time, the cups would be demolished. These were single plant per 400-watt HPS SCROG grows, so it's not like I needed the cup full of Geolite for plant support, because the wire "screen" supported the plant nicely; at harvest time, I'd saw through the trunk, disconnect the screen from the walls, and have a buddy help me carry it to the dining room table and do the harvesting/trimming there. And, as you mentioned, the plant is actually growing in the reservoir, so the cup is mostly just a convenience for the gardener (and the plant, of course, until it gets established in the reservoir). Use whatever you like, it'll probably work fine.



Largely true. However, a proper DO level will help a lot, even with a scenario like that one. People have even found that their plants become much more efficient feeders, thereby allowing them to go all the way to harvest with much more reasonable levels of nutrients instead of "hammering" the plants with them. Which means it's kind of an economical plus, too.



In that case, a properly oxygenated DWC setup would be... a howitzer .

I'm not against air pumps and 'stones, and do use them, myself. But I'll also add one of these to each reservoir:

Aquarium Powerhead

• TorturedSoul
• May 6, 2010

Inexpensive aquarium powerheads circulate while injecting air.

It's called an aquarium power head. They "suck" liquid in from the bottom and expel it outwards (that black plastic deflector on the front is adjustable). This causes a venturi effect, which causes air to be drawn down through the clear tube into the flow of liquid. They don't have a diaphragm to wear out or tear; there are very few moving parts in an aquarium power head. Last time I was in the local ChinaMart helping Mom with her shopping, I looked in their pet department and saw that they still sold them for something like $21. They really work well, IMHO. Any place that sells aquarium supplies should sell them, it's not a "hydroponics store" item and, therefore, you should not have to pay a premium for one, wherever you get it.

Here mate dont suppose you know the litres per min/litres of nutrient formula for how much air you need? See guys asking how much air they need all the time and for the life of me I can't remember it.
I'm an NFT grower so it's not an issue for me but for some reason everyone prefers Dwc so would be a handy thing to know

 

[TorturedSoul]

I run a low-budget operation, lol. When doing DWC, my power head only pumps ~2.833333333 (US) gallons per minute (10.73 liters per minute). But that's in addition to an air pump with some kind of airstone-type arrangement. EDIT: And I also supplemented with H₂O₂ every day for the O₂ boost (and its antibacterial/anti-etc. ability).

I do not think it's possible for the average (home) grower to attain the state where he/she is adding too much DO to his/her reservoir. The bulk of the oxygenation, IMHO, occurs at the liquid:air interface, where the bubbles are bursting, so the more bubbles, the better.

If I ever see a DWC grow where the gardener has decided that he/she had too much aeration going on, I will be sure to post a thread about it. But I don't expect that to happen. Maybe if someone tries to grow in a cleaned/converted municipal wastewater tank, lol, but probably not even then.

 

[Barney86]

I run a low-budget operation, lol. When doing DWC, my power head only pumps ~2.833333333 (US) gallons per minute (10.73 liters per minute). But that's in addition to an air pump with some kind of airstone-type arrangement.

I do not think it's possible for the average (home) grower to attain the state where he/she is adding too much DO to his/her reservoir. The bulk of the oxygenation, IMHO, occurs at the liquid:air interface, where the bubbles are bursting, so the more bubbles, the better.
H ^
If I ever see a DWC grow where the gardener has decided that he/she had too much aeration going on, I will be sure to post a thread about it. But I don't expect that to happen. Maybe if someone tries to grow in a cleaned/converted municipal wastewater tank, lol, but probably not even then.

Aghhmmmm.... (nervously clears throat)
That s not entirely true mate.

 

[TorturedSoul]

Er... which of the several statements were you referring to? I'm open to a debate, lol, I just prefer to know what I'm debating.