Older - Wiser & Stoned Enough To Try Hydro - Look What Happened!

[PakaCordova]

I am learning a lot about DWC from you man. and from the awesome people on this forum lending a hand. Well, minus the roof collapsing wtf is that all about! What are your water temps in your buckets? Wait, youre gonna be gone for a month? Had to re-read, May 28th youre taking off, I was gonna say, you havent harvested yet!

 

[McCdive]

Well Paka, that's why I'm leaving May 24th. Got to get the girls down before I leave. As mad as I am about the barn and all the other BS in my life, you can't take it out on the children. I'm sticking around long enough to finish them off. I'll let mom take care of my clone-doner, Pineapple Chunk while I'm gone. If it croaks, it croaks.
As for the water temps, they run around 70-72-73f. I took my air pump and have it hanging out of my bedroom window to use cold outside air. But even when it got down to 0 -10-20 degrees, the water never got below about 67-68. Come summer, without a chiller this method won't work for me. I just don't want to spend the money to keep running DWC. I have too many other summer options to screw with it. I'd like to do another round indoors with the rockwool, but that's going to be put on hold till I get back.
I don't want to over- simplify DWC, but seriously, a chimp could do this. I have done everything abusive to these girls and they just keep going! With just the GH Flora Nova- bloom, Cal - Mag & Bud Candy, (and Ph down) you just can't go wrong, man. You can't learn much from me that way. The way I mix nutes for the buckets is all wrong but it's working ALL rite!
Here's how fucked up I have been feeding the girls.
1st week: 1/2 strength of GH and some SuperThrive then Ph down. Left that in there for 2 weeks. Same for the next change. So by week 4 I had only changed the nutes twice. ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS. Vegged two more weeks, changing each week. BUT, first I Ph the water. Then I add the Bud Candy and Cal Mag. Then, with my TDS meter, I bring up the TDS till I have it where I want it. It's just that easy! Dispite what my raw water is coming g out of the faucet, I shoot for 800-1000 PPMs. This week I started with 1100 PPMs. WAY high, but I just can't argue with the results!
Of coarse non of this would be happening this well without a good light in the room. The PlatinumLED P-300 is jus a perfect match for the room size. I have absolutly no doubt, what-so-ever, that I can pull a pound off DWC and one plant with scrog. No doubt. I will be on that project in the fall.
In the mean time, you'll be in fantastic hands with the crew at . I wouldn't be here without them myself.
The biggest thing I've taken away from this first time DWC is; if you're going to do multiple plants, do a recirculating DWC. A larger rez would be nice and Less screwing around with the nute changes. For a single grow, it's perfect. Either way though, it's high maintenance. I keep adding nutes slowly till I can find that spot where the PH will stabalize. Haven't found that yet.
I'm trying the same thing out with the Rockwool grow. As of this morning, I think i have finally figured out what has been plaguing my girls for the last month - 6 weeks. I've been starving them! After going full strength on the nutes Sunday afternoon, this morning the leaves are all turning a nice darker green. I also have added Cal Mag @ 4-5 ppl. I was running around 2-3 ppl. I should have done that when I added the 600 watt panel. Live and learn, I guess.
I need to dissappear for a while and regroup. I do this every few years. Good for the sole. Went on a canoe trip a few years ago and ended up on the water for 3 weeks. Just meeting people on the river and enjoying life. (Actually I've done the canoe thing a couple times) When I'm done, I call a friend to grab my truck and come pick me up. Went to Tobago for a week - stayed 3. Went to Tampa for a quick weekend - stayed 3. Gone camping for a weekend and stayed a week or two many times! Lol. I like new people and solitude as well. The biggest thing that keeps drawing me back is my dog. I love my Morgan. He's a great dude. No wife, no kids, and work is hit or miss so why not? I can't be one of those clock - punching kind of guy.
Here's what's on the menue for my next grow: 1 World Of Seeds - Strawberry Blue (fem) sativa - outdoor grow. The medium will be Tobago earth and lighting by Mother Nature. If you get a smoke report from me, you'll know I'm loving life. Sun - Sand - Seas - SCUBA diving - Weed - Women - and a job that incorporates all the above. Would you come home?

Enjoy, people, Andy.

 

[monstercroper]

just a little note, res size and numbers of plants also depends on veg time, for example, I can have 1 plant in my little 15 liter bucket and yield 300+ g but with longer veg time, unless if its a monster crop then veg time reduce by like half, I can also fit 5 to 6 clones in to the same bucket, and yield the same amount, with much less veg time...

I prefer smaller buckets, few reasons, easy to move around, with or without water in it, needs more frequent changes but its a good idea to change weekly once it passes 3 weeks flowering, I don't know about anyone else but I do find my ppm raises at times and that is no nutes, from my research, our girls go to toilet just like we do, and the toxins are coming out of the roots, in to the solution, hence ppm is still higher than day one even tho you topped up only water with 0ppm

 

[McCdive]

Hi MC. The reason I would use a RDWC for multiple buckets is primarily to buffer problems. An analogy would be my fish tanks. My 90 gal tank is much easier to take care of than my 20 gal. Things change fast and can be drastic with a small tank, while a larger one slows the change down so you can see it coming and deal with it before it becomes a big problem.
I'm totally sold on the DWC method for indoor growing with all the right things in place. The single down side to it, I think, is that it requires more room. More room for plumbing and equipment.
I suppose you could put a few clones in a pot and scrog after a short veg. That would be an interesting grow. Hey, if you have the clones to play with, why not??

 

[PakaCordova]

Im sold. I will be buying some DWC components very soon. The only thing I have to worry about is the high temps in my upstairs grow room. I might put a window AC in but thats a cost i would rather avoid. I have some other ideas that I want to try out and if that works I will share my results setup so other people can benefit from it as well. The ppm's and ratios and correct levels throw me off but I might be over thinking it and hyping myself up when in actuality its not as bad as it may look from the outside. Sounds like your vacation is much needed and well deserved. Have fun, we will all still be here awaiting your return and ready to join you on your next adventure in growing!

 

[PakaCordova]

Hi MC. The reason I would use a RDWC for multiple buckets is primarily to buffer problems. An analogy would be my fish tanks. My 90 gal tank is much easier to take care of than my 20 gal. Things change fast and can be drastic with a small tank, while a larger one slows the change down so you can see it coming and deal with it before it becomes a big problem.

On the same note, I read that larger reservoirs are OK with multiple plants of the same strain but you never want to mix multiple strains in one res because some strains may require different levels of nutes or supplements and could adversely affect the other plants that are thriving under the same conditions. This is all hearsay but I guess it would make sense. My first go-round will be with 5 gallon buckets, maybe 3 plants just in case I completely screw things up I wont have all my eggs in one basket.

 

[McCdive]

Yep. Don't overthink it. I went into it with low expectations and a basic hydro knoledge and killed it first time. A pleasant surprise, for sure. Keep it simple and it will treat you well.
By the time I leave, this journal should be done and the buds will be in 62% pack storage containers. It will be nice to come home to a full pipe when the time comes. The only thing changing is my latitude and longitude, not my attitude. I'm gonna plant in kinder climates
Those pics should be awesome!
Note: I'm jonesing so I dried a couple buds off the PC and smoked some last night. Yuck! Lol Flushing is a must!!! You can really taste all the crap in the buds. The trics are mostly cloudy, at best, but the buzz was pretty intense. Within half an hour I was tearing up my fridge! Lol. That's something I really need since I'm 20# under weight and can't gain it back. I'm hoping this helps that.
So dive in, Paka. Nothing ventured - nothing gained. And hey, at least if it's not for you, you have almost nothing invested in it.
Good luck, my friend, Andy.

 

[McCdive]

That's where I first got in trouble, Paka, was mixing different strains. But in my case it was because they are in a shared, single block of rockwool and can't be isolated or flushed on their own. I suppose DWC is the same that way except you could isolate any bucket you want at any point if you had to. For flushing or what ever. But yes, single buckets are fool proof that way.

 

[McCdive]

To be clear, I wS comparing rockwool recirculating to DWC.

 

[DarkGreenGoo]

Looking good man. My hydro is kept to Coco for similar issues you are having. I am not a fan of PH drift, as it can cause a host of issues.

I calibrate my PH meter every feeding just to make sure.

 

[McCdive]

4/11/15

Not much happening with The Three Amigas so tomorrow I'm going to start flushing. The buds are showing mostly cloudy on one and partly one two and I'm just going to do it. I know I've gained a huge amount of knowledge this grow in the last 5 1/2 months. I'm ready to end this grow. Not sure if I'm going to use Flora Klean or not. I'm on the fence there.

The DWC girls are still going beautifully. I had to raise the light in the closet by using two 3/8" oak dowl rods to take it to 1.25" from the ceiling. The dang buds were plastered to the bottom of the light, but this is it. I can't go any higher. (well, you know what I meant!)
Well, while I was up there I decided to go ahead and Back Build (bee-yulled) To Puff The Yield!!! Hahahahahahah. It's my party and I'll Snip if I want - Snip if I want to - Snip if I want to.... I did the Master Kush last week sometime and I did the Pineapple Chunk today. Got a couple pics of that too. (there is a before, after, and then side shot of the same bud. I'll separate them with a few spaces from the others. I just shake my head to think what this little room would be putting out now if I had used 1 bucket and a scrog. Sigh. I'm stunned by the completely opposite ways these two girls are growing compared to their sisters. Anyways, still doing the Ph balance dance and keeping the nutes around 1100 ppm TDS. Temps 73-79f.
On to the pics:

That's it for this weeks installment of As The Girls Grind Me Down.



No.....no it's not. The DWC girls are really making me proud, man. For those of you out there that find a newbie that wants to give Hydro a try, this has to be the absolute easiest and cheapest way to get%2

 

[McCdive]

4/11/15

Not much happening with The Three Amigas so tomorrow I'm going to start flushing. The buds are showing mostly cloudy on one and partly one two and I'm just going to do it. I know I've gained a huge amount of knowledge this grow in the last 5 1/2 months. I'm ready to end this grow. Not sure if I'm going to use Flora Klean or not. I'm on the fence there.

The DWC girls are still going beautifully. I had to raise the light in the closet by using two 3/8" oak dowl rods to take it to 1.25" from the ceiling. The dang buds were plastered to the bottom of the light, but this is it. I can't go any higher. (well, you know what I meant!)
Well, while I was up there I decided to go ahead and Back Build To Puff The Yield!!! Hahahahahahah. It's my party and I'll Snip if I want - Snip if I want to - Snip if I want to.... I did the Master Kush last week sometime and I did the Pineapple Chunk today. Git a couple pics of that too. (there is a before, after, and then a side shot of the same bud. I'll separate them with a few spaces from the others. I just shake my head to think what this little room would be putting out now if I had use 1 bucket and a scrog. Sigh. I'm stunned by the completely opposite ways these two girls are growing compared to their sisters. Anyways, still doing the Ph balance dance and keeping the nutes around 1100 ppm TDS. Temps 73-79f.
On to the pics:

That's it for this weeks installment of As The Girls Grind Me Down.



No.....no it's not. The DWC girls are really making me proud, man. For those of you out there that find a newbie that wants to give Hydro a try, this has to be the absolute easiest and cheapest way to get your feet , well, wet, as it were.
( Note to self: explore the idea of opening the first ever Hydroponics supply store in Trinidad/Tobago...) Lol. Second note to self: Check local Cannabis laws first!! lolol
On a personal note, I'm going to be looking into a crew of local winkies to see about salvaging the tractor barn. That of I just grab some neighbors up and do a barn raising/salvaging party. There's talk of one for the neighbor down the street that lost his barn and some cattle in a fire last month. People still do that around here, and I love that about this little hole in Ohio I'm in. I know it would lift my spirits to lift my barn! I'd sure like to get that tent up and going the minute I get back. We'll see what I can do. I'm usually pretty good about setting my mind to something and getting it done. It's simple, really. The secret is money. If you have it, the little things just disappear.
I ordered a bubble hash washing machine off eBay and it came in a few days ago.... crushed, of coarse. That Black Cloud just keeps following me around. Got some shitty seller that apparently only checks his email once a day and for 10 minutes. I respond immediately and I get nothing for another 24 hours. Happened again this morning. Dick.

Apparently this is not enough evidence for the man. I don't know. Maybe I'm just being unreasonable again.
Okay. now I'm done. Peace, people. I'm going to go get Nama- the fucking - stayed out.

 

[Dutty Panty]

Which one of the three amigos is Steve Martin. I love popping my head in here I have respect for you always trying to improve and it working.


Your so called black cloud I have as well with eBay.

 

[McCdive]

 

[epsilon]

So my next stop after popping my head in here to see how things were doing will be Google to see what the hash machine is all about. On another note, pretty excited, got an opportunity tonight to trim my very first harvest! Not my harvest but good experience either way. I'd post a pic but it's not mine so... good to see you may be getting some help with the barn though! Neighbors are great, sometimes. Ha, after we got done tonight the neighbor was outside cleaning up (they're moving)so we ended up chatting, got a quick tour of the house and somebody goes, "gzzz somebody musta hit a skunk, I've been smelling it all afternoon!" Lol glad it wasn't my house! Note to self, seal a room and install carbon filters to avoid alerting the neighbors! I like to learn from other people's mistakes whenever I can...

 

[McCdive]

Thanks for the chuckles, Epsilon. Lol
Try YouTube. "Bubble magic". I'd explain it, but you'll get it in 60 seconds of watching a vid. Stupid-easy hash.

 

[Subnoise]

Poor Andy can't catch a break. What kind of machine it's that? I seen bad reviews on the cheaper ones. I had to drop some extra coin to get a legit bubble magic machine and 3 runs with it I have no complaints. Hope the sun comes out soon for you buddy. The dwc room looks great my man.

 

[McCdive]

The brand is "Manatee", Sub. For what that's worth. Cheap. 169 bucks with shipping and a 8 bag filter. Meehhh. Disposable. The sun peeked in for a second today. The seller sent me an email addy to send him pics at 7:30 am, by 8 he had responded with. " I'll send another today" that was it. No 'want the old one shipped back' or 'keep the damaged one'. I asked, he didn't respond. Bad seller.

I went ahead and started flushing last night on the RW girls. The fence leaned towards using Flora Kleen. I'll run that a couple days and switch to water for a week. The Ph is shooting up in the rez today. Strait water and Flora Kleen and the pH was 6.2 and tonight it's at 7.8 I don't know if this is going to give me any trouble, but I figured it's just flushing so.....

The DWC girls have grow up two of the four inches I managed to squeeze out of that room. That's it. They've hit rock ceiling.

Be strong, and prosper. Andy.

 

[Subnoise]

I use florakleen to man just like you said couple days then straight water. Just with coco so far though so don't know the effects on a resivour yet. I will find out in about 6 weeks though. Not like that does you any good right now.

 

[McCdive]

4/29/15

I am so fucking pissed with this photo uploading and filing system that I am giving up posting pics. Absolutely nuts trying to sort it out. Just spent 4 hours fucking with it and I'm done.

Okay. I flushed (see pic)
I chopped (see pic)
I dried (see pic)
I trimmed and jarred (see pic)
I made canabutter (see pic)
I upgraded my DWC room with more lights and fan controls! (see pic)
I re-worked my veg/clone box with a new hood and light and two fans. (see pic)
I re-potted Henrietta to a 3 gal pot and LSTing the hell out of her! (see pic)
Didn't get the yield I was hoping for, (see pic)
but I learned a shit-load. Maybe 5 oz. of pretty good stuff and 2-3 oz of trim. (see pic)
Guess I'll be back to report on the DWC girls are done flowering and they are in the jars. Sorry, but this whole picture business is fucked. No editing, no being able to remove pics when you see they are the wrong ones or whatever, not being able to see the file names or dates when you are trying to add certain pics to a post. You can't see the damn things to begin with (stupid thumb nails) so you struggle to get any order to them.
Yep, done. Thanks for watching, Andy.