Mars Hydro Grow Journal SP 3000: Blue Kush, RDWC, ScrOG

[KCCO 77]

The one I'd like to install would actually be for my kitchen. I found one which had the filters and membrane under the sink, and it also had a little tank next to it, which i guess just fills up over time so that when you ask for it out of the little tap, you get it (Is this what you mean by "...pressure tank and have it stored on tap"?

Exactly what I was talking about.

Is a "pressure switch" the thing that keeps the little tank full when the pressure is low? So on the incoming water line?

it keeps a certain amount on tap and pressurized. It’s probably a 10 L tank with it and it’s what I have as well.
In my application I make it work but I should really have 100 L holding tank for the amount I use.

To run this way I run a separate line to a Brute Rubber maid and get my water throughout the week. I use a booster pump to keep pressure up in the system to get it filtered in a timely fashion.

you may need a booster pump if you find your homes pressure won’t support it.
Most people on city water don’t have this problem and I’m guessing your on city water?
The more pressure you can put through the system the faster the water gets filtered.

 

[Sangmang]

My setup is in the basement because most of my weekly RO water is used down there for my growing. I run my waste line hose down my laundry sink. I’m on a well and waters free but if I wasn’t there’s a device in the grow store that turns waste water from 1 filtered and 2 waste to 2 filtered and 1 waste.

Not sure how or if it works but it’s cheap enough that if I payed for water I would definitely try it.

That sounds cool. I'm considering getting an ro setup but really don't like creating so much waste. I mainly need it because I have a high output humidifier that covers everything with a white film over time using tap water.

 

[KCCO 77]

That sounds cool. I'm considering getting an ro setup but really don't like creating so much waste. I mainly need it because I have a high output humidifier that covers everything with a white film over time using tap water.

Makes a huge difference in filter life in humidifiers. I use Ro in my grow humidifier as well as run a line to my house filter on my furnace. They r much cleaner with clean water used.

 

[KCCO 77]

Makes a huge difference in filter life in humidifiers. I use Ro in my grow humidifier as well as run a line to my house filter on my furnace. They r much cleaner with clean water used.

In saying all this my well water sucks and I run serious filters before I get to my RO.

 

[Sangmang]

The more I read this journal the more I like rdwc. At first i thought it would suck not knowing exactly what's in your res after plants consume feed but now I really like the idea of being able to monitor the ppm and know when and how much they're eating. Plus it's less wasteful than dtw.

 

[KCCO 77]

The more I read this journal the more I like rdwc. At first i thought it would suck not knowing exactly what's in your res after plants consume feed but now I really like the idea of being able to monitor the ppm and know when and how much they're eating. Plus it's less wasteful than dtw.

That’s why I grow it all RDWC, Flood and drain, aero, pro mix. I managed to incorporate all styles of growing into one cycle. Moms in soil, clones aero, veg flood and drain , Flower RDWC because I love it all. Try everything brother it’s all good and you only know what you missing if you try.

 

[GoogleGenie]

Exactly what I was talking about.

it keeps a certain amount on tap and pressurized. It’s probably a 10 L tank with it and it’s what I have as well.
In my application I make it work but I should really have 100 L holding tank for the amount I use.

To run this way I run a separate line to a Brute Rubber maid and get my water throughout the week. I use a booster pump to keep pressure up in the system to get it filtered in a timely fashion.

you may need a booster pump if you find your homes pressure won’t support it.
Most people on city water don’t have this problem and I’m guessing your on city water?
The more pressure you can put through the system the faster the water gets filtered.

Man, thank you! This has all been great. I'm going to start shopping around, and measuring up. I've got a friend who used to do some plumbing who might give me a hand with the installation if i need it - it's the installation of the pressure switch that sounds a little scary at the moment.

Makes a huge difference in filter life in humidifiers. I use Ro in my grow humidifier as well as run a line to my house filter on my furnace. They r much cleaner with clean water used.

I'm definitely going to be using RO in humidifiers now that you mention it, they must last so much longer - it's always the build up that kills them with tap. What's your well water EC/PPM out of curiosity @KCCO 77?

 

[GoogleGenie]

Ours under the sink is tapped right into the drain. We have one of those tanks as well. Not sure how it was set up as we had it installed with a water softener for the whole house when we moved in. It is a 5 filter system though, so I'm not sure how it effects the waste water in terms of quantity.

Funnily enough, I same across those on my internet travels too. They look interesting.

Have you got any tips on these water softeners? Anything to look out for/avoid?

 

[KCCO 77]

Man, thank you! This has all been great. I'm going to start shopping around, and measuring up. I've got a friend who used to do some plumbing who might give me a hand with the installation if i need it - it's the installation of the pressure switch that sounds a little scary at the moment.

I'm definitely going to be using RO in humidifiers now that you mention it, they must last so much longer - it's always the build up that kills them with tap. What's your well water EC/PPM out of curiosity @KCCO 77?

700 TDS straight from the well. 900 after the softener then it goes though a carbon block to uv light then to the house and to the Ro system

 

[KCCO 77]

Ours under the sink is tapped right into the drain. We have one of those tanks as well. Not sure how it was set up as we had it installed with a water softener for the whole house when we moved in. It is a 5 filter system though, so I'm not sure how it effects the waste water in terms of quantity.

We aren't using it for this grow as it just doesn't have the capacity to keep up with how much water we are using.

I always tell people, it is the wettest damn water you will ever drink.

R you on a well? Your Ro is after your water softener? You can run a line off your feed line to a storage tank ( I use a brute garbage can). This allows you to gather water in the off hrs of any r available.
Here’s my T from my feed line

The clear line is all my growing. It goes to this shut off valve

This now is like a hose and is great for filling jugs , mixing dilutes for the res, ect.
From here I add another line to it a night time or whatever needed to fill this up to 150L

Into my storage tank / garbage can for mixing 150L res changes

From here I pump it into my res fully mixed. I do prefer to mix outside standing up. This way allows me never to lift water manually lmao.

 

[GoogleGenie]

The more I read this journal the more I like rdwc.

I take that as a compliment @Sangmang thank you

At first i thought it would suck not knowing exactly what's in your res after plants consume feed but now I really like the idea of being able to monitor the ppm and know when and how much they're eating. Plus it's less wasteful than dtw.

The learning curve can be a little steep. It can be great fun. Like everything I guess, it does come with its headaches. The "emergency evacuation and sterilisation" of your system - that's always a fun one I joke, i love it - even the bad!

 

[GoogleGenie]

You have an awesome setup man!!

R you on a well? Your Ro is after your water softener?

No i'm on city water. The water comes into the house and straight into a boiler, everything comes off of that.

You can run a line off your feed line to a storage tank ( I use a brute garbage can). This allows you to gather water in the off hrs of any r available.

From here I pump it into my res fully mixed. I do prefer to mix outside standing up. This way allows me never to lift water manually lmao.

Man i would love the space for something like that. One day. Right now I'm running rain water up stairs. But now i could use an upstairs tap with my portable RO, which will do wonders for my back!

I guess for me to come off like that I'd come off between the RO and the little tank? Which is actually near my back door, so i could potentially run to a small tank outside...It's given me some more to think about.

 

[GoogleGenie]

That’s why I grow it all RDWC, Flood and drain, aero, pro mix. I managed to incorporate all styles of growing into one cycle. Moms in soil, clones aero, veg flood and drain , Flower RDWC because I love it all. Try everything brother it’s all good and you only know what you missing if you try.

I totally agree. Try it all. I also don’t do it all RDWC. I’ve found a mix that works for me, I incorporate coco because I love it, and it suits my small veg space, one of those things, works for me, may not for others. I Flower in RDWC, maybe last week or so of Veg.

 

[copperrein]

Coco clone to DWC Net pot​

My next run I'll still be using Coco clones, but I'll be using the majority Hydroton in my net pots. This is the process I go through when going from Coco clone to DWC net pot with Hydroton.

I like my clones nice and rooted/almost root bound when i transplant them. This one is pretty root bound, so what i tend to do in this case, is gently pick apart the roots in the corners and where they are on top of each other, then, sprinkle Great White on the roots and place on an inch high bed of Hydroton.

Note : staining from the bennies and coco might make roots appear brown - they're perfectly healthy though

IMG_6172.jpg GoogleGenie Feb 15, 2021 Blue Kush - Coco clone to DWC

IMG_6170.jpg GoogleGenie Feb 15, 2021 Blue Kush - Coco clone to DWC

And fill in the pot with Hydroton. Then I pace them in my starter DWC system.

IMG_6174.jpg

• GoogleGenie
• Feb 15, 2021

DWC Starter system

This is just a box with 4 holes for my net pots and 2 air stones. It's great for when the ladies are small and for getting the roots into the water ready to go into a larger system.

I use this system when i use a majority Hydroton where i need to hand feed regularly or setup a dripper. It makes it easier to keep an eye on the roots and make sure they make it into the water below. When using Coco this isn't necessary as I water the Coco once a day and within a few of days the roots, as some of you remember, will look like this

IMG_5318.jpg

• GoogleGenie
• Jan 13, 2021

I'm not expecting this with Hydroton. I'm expecting the roots to find their way down directly through the Hydroton and build in the res, instead of in the coco. So these girls will do most their vegging in DWC, instead of Coco.

How much of the coco eventually escapes?

 

[KCCO 77]

You have an awesome setup man!!

No i'm on city water. The water comes into the house and straight into a boiler, everything comes off of that.

Man i would love the space for something like that. One day. Right now I'm running rain water up stairs. But now i could use an upstairs tap with my portable RO, which will do wonders for my back!

I guess for me to come off like that I'd come off between the RO and the little tank? Which is actually near my back door, so i could potentially run to a small tank outside...It's given me some more to think about.

As long as you get your friend (plumber) to explain everything it’s real easy and I have no doubt you’ll figure it out.

Iv moved mine 3 times so once you figure it all out you get a ah ha moment and boom it’s on the move again lmao

 

[Michael Hunt]

Funnily enough, I same across those on my internet travels too. They look interesting.

Have you got any tips on these water softeners? Anything to look out for/avoid?

Honestly i don't know much about them other than we have some terrible tap water here and it does a great job at making it significantly better. Other than that and i have to fill a container on the side of the house with 160lbs of salt every 2 months or so. It is city water not well water but i grew up on well water with a very similar softener and had a similar effect. When it runs out of salt, you can feel it in the shower.

I’ve tested our tap water after the softener at about 265ppm. Before it, its definitely higher. Cant remember the numbers though.

R you on a well? Your Ro is after your water softener? You can run a line off your feed line to a storage tank ( I use a brute garbage can). This allows you to gather water in the off hrs of any r available.
Here’s my T from my feed line

The clear line is all my growing. It goes to this shut off valve

This now is like a hose and is great for filling jugs , mixing dilutes for the res, ect.
From here I add another line to it a night time or whatever needed to fill this up to 150L

Into my storage tank / garbage can for mixing 150L res changes

From here I pump it into my res fully mixed. I do prefer to mix outside standing up. This way allows me never to lift water manually lmao.

We’re on city water. But its really bad. Sulfur smell and a ton of line buildup on EVERYTHING. Even with new plumbing. I really do like that idea. But it would actually add heavy lifting to our routine in our situation lol. Getting a filer set up on our closet that i can hook our hose to and it should be good enough.

 

[Bionic Chronic NZ]

Day 37 Flower​

Hey guys

This morning, the readings were:

PPM : 440
PH : 5.8

EC is down and PH hasn't moved overnight - that's what we want to see. Beautiful.

Shots from this morning:

IMG_6208.jpg

• GoogleGenie
• Feb 17, 2021

Blue Kush Day 37

Audrey Coming along nicely

IMG_6209.jpg

• GoogleGenie
• Feb 17, 2021

Blue Kush Day 37 - Audrey

IMG_6210.jpg

• GoogleGenie
• Feb 17, 2021

Blue Kush Day 37 - Audrey

IMG_6212.jpg

• GoogleGenie
• Feb 17, 2021

Blue Kush Day 37 - Audrey

Later (or tomorrow) I'll be topping up with a solution of ~0.8ec/400ppm. The same recipe as my last feed.

My RO system arrived yesterday and I have that working. I couldn't find an efficient worktop one, so i ordered reasonably priced a 3-stage RO system, I'm just going to mount it to a board so i can use it when i need to, as I'm just using a diverter valve on the tap. I'm so impressed with it though that I'll be investing in a permanent one for under the sink in the kitchen.

I also did an experiment with my cat, who went for the RO over regular tap every time.

Thanks for the nudge to get one @Tokin Roll

Absolutely delicious in here mmmmmm yummy. The girls are looking healthy, well and booming... so congrats man. It’s great following your journal as I’m learning different skills from you re your growing methods. I think I might have to give it a go in the future but anyway have a smoking hot day!

 

[GoogleGenie]

How much of the coco eventually escapes?

Hey @copperrein

Not as much as you'd think. The coco and roots comprise of a ~6cm(2.3inch) cube. When the rootball is nice and tight it kinda holds the coco together. Then with 2-3inches of clay pebbles under and around that coco itself in the net pot, very little gets into the res. Some gets in when the roots move, but not enough to cause a problem.

I'll be switching to Eazy Cubes instead of my own pots next time, these are made of compressed coco that @Bill284 told me about. With those, even less Coco will get into the res.

 

[GoogleGenie]

Absolutely delicious in here mmmmmm yummy. The girls are looking healthy, well and booming... so congrats man. It’s great following your journal as I’m learning different skills from you re your growing methods. I think I might have to give it a go in the future but anyway have a smoking hot day!

Thanks man, much appreciated!Smoking up as we speak after a long day.

With your skills mate, it wouldn't take you long to adjust at all. I'm glad there is something of value in here that might be useful for you. Hope you're having a sweet day too!

 

[GoogleGenie]

As long as you get your friend (plumber) to explain everything it’s real easy and I have no doubt you’ll figure it out.

Iv moved mine 3 times so once you figure it all out you get a ah ha moment and boom it’s on the move again lmao

Thanks again @KCCO 77. I'll be getting him over as soon as this damn lock down ends, in the mean time i'll start shopping around