Multi-Plant Recirculating DWC Test

[Mr Smith]

Hello I am Mr Smith and I wish to share my newest DIY set up. This grow test should be alot of fun and the system is not hard to make. The diy is pretty much a homemade copy of this grow setup.

Okay, Under current is a form of Deep Water Culture growing (DWC). Each individual plant site has a bubble-stone in it to keep the water in the grow bucket highly oxygenated. In addition, all the buckets are connected to one another and run back to a control bucket/reservoir. A steady current of water passes through all the buckets of water, back to the reservoir, and through the buckets again. Here's a cool video that shows one in action:

The Under Current Hydroponics System by Current Culture H2O - YouTube

Here's a diagram of how it works:

I recently did a 1 plant test and that journal is complete. 1 Plant DIY Recirculating DWC Test
I will be using the same controller/resevoir from that test and kitty litter containers to hold the plants.

I painted the containers black because roots don't like light. After the system is complete I wrap each container with bubblewrap foil insulation I got from Lowes.

The plants were grown from seed in a simple bubbler made with a tote and some airstones. The plants are DNA Genetics cateract kush placed in 3 inch pot nets.

Just put them in the machine, day zero in flower. 10/2/11 is day one in flower.

The 4 plants in the black buckets are being grown in a ebbngro and are just sharing the grow room.

 

[ThatOneGuyy]

Looks awesome. I wish I had that kind of space to work with. I've been interested in Hydro for awhile but not many new journals on them so I'll follow along.

I lurk the older more popular hydro grows but they take awhile to catch up on so i feel weird posting anything. Considering im still pretty fresh to this site. lol

 

[Kotton Mouthe]

Count me in dude. I love this kind of set up. Good luck sir.

 

[Xlr8]

Hi Mr. Smith -

+rep on getting this going. Love the idea, and I've been wanting to do this one for a while too.

Couple of questions: Are you using the same pump as cch2o does? Also, are you running a filter in-line like they do? Looks great so far.

 

[onegramperwat]

This is my next project, thanks for showing me the way. your other diy projects are so on the money. Im in. here comes the trees.

 

[Mr Smith]

Thanks for the rep and the likes. I watch a few grows and say very little myself. I feel like I walk on eggshells when I am posting in other journals, guess I'm shy.
The pump is a utility mag 500. Produces a true 500gph. Don't think the size really matters in this type of setup but its only 5 plants for now, I'll expand later. No inline filter, no filter at all. If I have pump trouble I'll install one in the future.

 

[Propa Gator]

DIY hydro. These journals journey through advanced learning.

Thankyou Mr Smith. I always rep you when I discover that I can, again.

 

[OG13]

Count me in for this one too.

 

[Mr. Krip]

I'm in!

 

[SteveHman]

You're always a step ahead of me. An undercurrent is my next big project. Totally subbed!

 

[Magic beans]

Pulling up a couch!

 

[Propa Gator]

I don't see the bulbs yet. Four bare biggies in the gaps should rule.
Grams per watt counts as much here as mpg for a dragster. More better bud = low ET

If you get just 8 zips each, your 2.5 lbs is worth 10k in my hood wholesale.
<1800 kwh costs <$300 @.15 each, individual results may vary slightly.

 

[Mr Smith]

I am sorry but this will be a more traditional grow. The 4 plants in the ebb gets a 600w hps and the 5 in the dwc gets a 600w mh and a 600w hps over hanging the in hoods. The ebb might loose the 600w once I am further along in the darkstar project and I might have to add a lightmover with expand a lamp addon. Too soon to tell, power management depends alot during a seasonal change and a ac unit is still active until the first frost.

This means there is a total of 1800w of overhead light that might get reduced to 1200.

The plants in the ebb are in day 19 flower as of 10/4 and the plants in the dwc are in day 3 flower.

If this test grow does well I will expand to ten or 12 units and really put on a recirc dwc grow show. As of now this is only a test grow but I hope for good results and this to be a easy grow.

 

[onegramperwat]

This is awesome your doing this grow. My last grow had a DWC bucket in it and really produced. Been trying to do something that has multiple DWC buckets. This idea is it. Are u using peroxide? Nutes?

 

[Mr Smith]

One part nute Dynagro bloom, dynagro protek, and foxfarm's microbe brew, rootdrench and sledgehammer. I'll get to how much next nute change. Can't use peroxide cause I am trying for microbial habitats at the root zone. If I was going to use peroxide I would just dump a big bottle of it every waterchange. My system measured at 35gallons running and waterchange is 30 to 32 gallons.

 

[Twelve12]

Following along to see another flower explosion.

 

[Mr Smith]

Great to have ya.
This is a pic of day 5 in flower

 

[Xlr8]

Hey Mr. Smith -

They certainly look healthy and happy!

What are your temps like - you're not running a chiller are you? Seems like the biggest challenge with DWC is typically res. temps - are you having to deal with that at all or are your ambient temps pretty tame?

I would imagine the aeration and circulation (dumping back to brain bucket/res) will be providing plenty of oxygen to the solution, so you can probably get by with a bit higher solution temps if needed...

Nice start.

 

[Mr Smith]

Room temp still gets into the upper 80s. The chiller is connected to the dwc but is placed outside of the room. I agree with you about res temps, it can really play a large factor in dwc.

 

[GodSpeed]

Hope u don't mind me taking a seat mr smith.
Read older journals of yours this will certainly be a master class.

Good luck and +Rep for sharing with us folk.