First Time DWC

[420ragz]

Hydroguard is like 98% water ain’t it? For 30bucks... there’

I know the feeling @420ragz. When i first started I went straight to DWC. It was a pretty steady uphill struggle the first run, and probably the second and third. I did it all DWC, seedling, veg and flower. And i even kept mothers in DWC for the longest time. I actually swapped to Coco until i could afford to buy a chiller after a while because of the headache of res temps causing root issues (back then Hydroguard wasn't available where i am). I have way less problems using a chiller. Hydroguard is a must without a chiller, and I swear by it and I do use a chiller. I know it's expensive, but I wouldn't do DWC without it, and you may have noticed a lot of other DWC growers agree on this opinion.

Some advice if you would welcome it Don't keep mothers in DWC unless you absolutely have to. I find Coco a way better medium for them, no pumps needed. You can find nutrients that work across mediums, I believe Blue Planet nutrients can be used in Coco and DWC, as well as GHE. Now I actually start young plants in Coco because of the superior environment for roots, and then go to DWC for the last week or so of Veg and Flower. I find it challenging to create a thriving root system for young plants in DWC.


Where do they go after the cloner? Do you use rockwool or eazy cubes or anything? I like to keep them in something like this after being clones to build a nice root system before going to hydroton. If they're going straight into DWC I'd make sure they have a nice healthy long set of roots so that they have a head start at getting those roots in the water. And inoculate the roots with bennies from young (which i'm sure you already do).

Ive been putting my cuttings directly into the rockwool cubes into a nano dome with a T5. First 2 days RH 90-100% with temp @ 76*F. After I keep RH 70-80% for at least 7 days temp @76*F. Soon as I saw the first root I put the cubeinto the mesh cup with clay rocks and put it into a daisy cup for 1-2 days with the dome off. Right after I put it in the growbox with a top drip on and put them under the agrobrite light about 12-16” away.

I know the feeling @420ragz. When i first started I went straight to DWC. It was a pretty steady uphill struggle the first run, and probably the second and third. I did it all DWC, seedling, veg and flower. And i even kept mothers in DWC for the longest time. I actually swapped to Coco until i could afford to buy a chiller after a while because of the headache of res temps causing root issues (back then Hydroguard wasn't available where i am). I have way less problems using a chiller. Hydroguard is a must without a chiller, and I swear by it and I do use a chiller. I know it's expensive, but I wouldn't do DWC without it, and you may have noticed a lot of other DWC growers agree on this opinion.

Some advice if you would welcome it Don't keep mothers in DWC unless you absolutely have to. I find Coco a way better medium for them, no pumps needed. You can find nutrients that work across mediums, I believe Blue Planet nutrients can be used in Coco and DWC, as well as GHE. Now I actually start young plants in Coco because of the superior environment for roots, and then go to DWC for the last week or so of Veg and Flower. I find it challenging to create a thriving root system for young plants in DWC.


Where do they go after the cloner? Do you use rockwool or eazy cubes or anything? I like to keep them in something like this after being clones to build a nice root system before going to hydroton. If they're going straight into DWC I'd make sure they have a nice healthy long set of roots so that they have a head start at getting those roots in the water. And inoculate the roots with bennies from young (which i'm sure you already do).

Ive been using rockwool

 

[420ragz]

Ive been putting my cuttings directly into the rockwool cubes into a nano dome with a T5. First 2 days RH 90-100% with temp @ 76*F. After I keep RH 70-80% for at least 7 days temp @76*F. Soon as I saw the first root I put the cubeinto the mesh cup with clay rocks and put it into a daisy cup for 1-2 days with the dome off. Right after I put it in the growbox with a top drip on and put them under the agrobrite light about 12-16” away.

Ive been using rockwool

Yeah I m literally addicted to this DWC growing now. For the time being I’m going to run 2 clones in ProMix BX I have left over so I don’t waste them and I will be saving and looking for a chiller soon! I also have ORange Chiffon seeds I want to start for the spring. A new journal will be started for those ....

 

[GoogleGenie]

Yeah I m literally addicted to this DWC growing now. For the time being I’m going to run 2 more clones

Fair enough. You have the right idea, you make the roots a priority and you can't go wrong

 

[420ragz]

Hydroguard is like 98% water ain’t it? For 30bucks... there’s a better way forsure.

Yea something like that but no else has these specific microbes for the pathogens.

 

[Spitz]

Keep your head up. I also failed via bad roots. I too, am trying again and just dropped another seed. Good luck on the next attempt! I picked up a few good pointers from your support staff.

 

[420ragz]

Keep your head up. I also failed via bad roots. I too, am trying again and just dropped another seed. Good luck on the next attempt! I picked up a few good pointers from your support

Respect!
success to those that want to learn and keep trying. May the weed gods bless you

 

[420ragz]

Day 3 of the clones I managed to get before the mother root rot massacre.. doing pretty good, I think I have the cloning part done successfully. I’ve been gathering lots info and DD from the cannabis encyclopedia by JEorge Cervantes and reading up on threads here. I will be keeping 4 of these best clones out of the 10. The first 2 in the Peat moss pellets were cut 10 days ago and should be showing roots any day now.

 

[StoneOtter]

They look happy ragz!

 

[GoogleGenie]

Looking good mate

 

[420ragz]

8 days from cut and the clones are doing fine. Should start showing roots any day now, I’ve noticed it’s usually on the 10th day you see the first root poking through, if they’re strong and it was cut properly. The other two 18 day olds in pat moss pellets; one of them showed it’s first root on day 15 so I potted it. The other one still hasn’t showed any. They don’t look the greatest and I don’t think they will be strongest. So far rock wool has shown to be a better cloning medium than peat moss pellets. I’m planning to use air pots for this grow after I pick the best 4 out of 10. These were hard to find and amazon like always has the #3 size..
I will start a new thread for this grow once I get the best 4

 

[Spitz]

Glad your clones pulled through. You going to run coco in those air pots? You’re going to do great!

I had nearly identical results to you in DWC. I had z7 and Hydroguard. Same battle with the same results. I picked up another beneficial root product from the local hydro star. It literally cleared my roots up overnight. I’m convinced I’ve got a bad bottle HG. I’ve heard “I used HG and all my root problems went away” from dozens of people. I‘m hoping I’m one of those people. I’m about a week or so from seed and about 30 days on a pair of clones that were saved. Time will tell.

Those air pots might be great, but I find watering them a pita! Shoot me an invite when u fire up your new journal. Good luck!

 

[420ragz]

Glad your clones pulled through. You going to run coco in those air pots? You’re going to do great!

I had nearly identical results to you in DWC. I had z7 and Hydroguard. Same battle with the same results. I picked up another beneficial root product from the local hydro star. It literally cleared my roots up overnight. I’m convinced I’ve got a bad bottle HG. I’ve heard “I used HG and all my root problems went away” from dozens of people. I‘m hoping I’m one of those people. I’m about a week or so from seed and about 30 days on a pair of clones that were saved. Time will tell.

Those air pots might be great, but I find watering them a pita! Shoot me an invite when u fire up your new journal. Good luck!

Yeah it was a tough go in DWC. I really think my biggest problem and main cause of the root rot was the high water temperature and not having HG/cannazym when I started. My lights were on 5pm-11am and in the morning a i found the temperature at 75*F/76*F more than a few times. I also messed up using the same PPM/EC tester on both DWC set ups (mother/clones) without sterilizing it which would have transferred it. Root rot never really goes away just kept at bay after roots recover from what I’ve read and experienced.
I don’t want o go through this again. I wasted lots of time and $$ on this DWC but the knowledge I’ve learnt is priceless and very interesting. I will be trying it again after this air pot run and better equipped with a chiller and new tent!
ive been meaning to use coco in these. I have enough left over pro mix BX I can use but do you think or suggest coco will give me better results and less headaches with watering? I’m using the scale my pots/plant watering method right now so I don’t over/under water them and I’ve heard bad reviews about these pots when it comes to watering (they dry fast) is this true?

 

[Spitz]

I’ve never used Promix. I’m a coco and soil guy. I think Promix is a peat based soil?? You’ve got everything you need to run “hydro for dummies”(coco). I just figured that’s where you’d go. As for the pots, its not really that they dried out, it’s that it took me forever to fully saturate them. I’d have water coming out the sides. If you’ve got the patience, I think they’re the way to go. I’ve got a few in the attic I may bust out again some day.

Think I have got some browning on my clone roots again. Lol. Do you have another journal up?

 

[HunterHunt]

Dont worry about the res temps and just run beanies. Hydroguard works wonders and is very easy. I dont care if its 99.99% water, the other .01% has the good stuff if that's the case. It has saved my grows many times and is cheap for me to get. Just run hydroguard as directed and you will have zero root issues. Root rot is fairly easy curable with beanies but you have already scrapped anyway so make sure you have some when you start fresh. Clones look great. Beanies help with rooting as well and you can mix up one gallon with beanies when you water.

 

[420ragz]

I’ve never used Promix. I’m a coco and soil guy. I think Promix is a peat based soil?? You’ve got everything you need to run “hydro for dummies”(coco). I just figured that’s where you’d go. As for the pots, its not really that they dried out, it’s that it took me forever to fully saturate them. I’d have water coming out the sides. If you’ve got the patience, I think they’re the way to go. I’ve got a few in the attic I may bust out again some day.

Think I have got some browning on my clone roots again. Lol. Do you have another journal up?

Yeah it’s a peat moss based soil. I’m really leaning to using coco though. Only good stories I’m hearing from it. No I haven’t got the new journal up yet soon as I see the first roots In the clones I will start it.
good luck with that, you should try soaking the clones with just plain ROH2O and HP solution then leave them in saturated in a solution mix just off just ROH2O/HG/cannazym/white shark, with the air bubbler on. It helped me for the first time. It came back 10 days after I changed the solution again..

 

[GoogleGenie]

Whether you go promix or coco, I'd give some thought to how you will water. Hand feeding is time consuming and quite demanding sometimes, but if you have the time then it shouldn't be an issue. I use a dropper now on a timer. I found a dripper manifold for around £20 (I think this sponsor sells them too).

In terms of which medium, I'd recommend going with that But i love Coco, so i'm biased

 

[420ragz]

Whether you go promix or coco, I'd give some thought to how you will water. Hand feeding is time consuming and quite demanding sometimes, but if you have the time then it shouldn't be an issue. I use a dropper now on a timer. I found a dripper manifold for around £20 (I think this sponsor sells them too).

In terms of which medium, I'd recommend going with that But i love Coco, so i'm biased

Lol biased..you’re opinion goes a long way dude. For you’re manifold how often and how long do you water. Is there a specific formula you use. I’ve noticed 1ml of H2O is equivalent to 1g so I’ve been using a scale to know exactly when to water and how much.

 

[GoogleGenie]

Lol biased..you’re opinion goes a long way dude. For you’re manifold how often and how long do you water. Is there a specific formula you use. I’ve noticed 1ml of H2O is equivalent to 1g so I’ve been using a scale to know exactly when to water and how much.

It really depends, there is a bit of trial and error, and also adjustment when they start to drink more.

I usually aim to feed 3 times a day, with as little run off as possible. The aim to try and keep the coco at least barely moist, but not over saturated. Coco should never be allowed to dry out. It will cause salt build up and will damage/burn the roots.

Also, when I hand feed, I use 100% coco because it gives good aeration even when initially saturated, and requires feeding less frequently to keep coco moist. However when I use a dripper or any automation with coco, I use Perlite also (60/40 Coco/Perlite). This is to ensure good aeration and that the coco isn’t oversaturated due to multiple feeds per day. It does mean more run off though.

Hope this make sense and doesn’t confuse And I’m not saying this is the only way, it’s just the way I do it.

 

[420ragz]

Clones have been doing good. Still no roots showing through the rockwool cubes but the leaf tips on most of them have started to turn yellow which is a good sign that roots have developed and are growing. The last of peat moss clones showed its first root on day 18 which is later than most of the clones I’ve ever done. It shows signs of overwatering which I think is due to the peat moss. It retains more water than the rockwool. The first peat moss clone is doing fine. The growth progress is slower than I expected and I’ve been having better growth rates and success cloning using rockwool to date.

 

[420ragz]

I’ve never used Promix. I’m a coco and soil guy. I think Promix is a peat based soil?? You’ve got everything you need to run “hydro for dummies”(coco). I just figured that’s where you’d go. As for the pots, its not really that they dried out, it’s that it took me forever to fully saturate them. I’d have water coming out the sides. If you’ve got the patience, I think they’re the way to go. I’ve got a few in the attic I may bust out again some day.

Think I have got some browning on my clone roots again. Lol. Do you have another journal up?

If it’s one thing I have a lot of it is patience . I’ve been thinking about setting up a drip (ring manifold) to irrigate them. I’m going to get 1 and test it out to see how it works. Adjusting the time and length of the drip to get the best performance for 50% saturation will be test. This is almost like hydrological engineering!