Scorpio's Try At DWC - Input Please

Chris Scorpio

Chris Scorpio

Well-Known Member
Member of the Month
July 2018
So debating on trying my hand at some DWC, maybe down the road RDWC

I want to try a single 5gal Bucket and maybe go as many as 6 down the road, but one to start. I have 6 starts, like 2 weeks old, in hempy Now so am close to ready to do a side by side Test with the DWC and Hempy

Any input would be great

See these ALL in one on Amazon
DWC.jpg

DWC.jpg



Im sure the Pump isnt the greatest But seems a way to start. I may make a trip to the Hydro store and see what he has. I have a 5gal Orange Bucket but need the Lid, Net, Pump and 1/4" line, and air stone

a couple questions

Is a water level needed. Like blue hose on Pic above

Say a 4week old veg plant, how often do you add water?

Do you swap out water every 7 days?

Is there a big Benefit to a RDWC over DWC system

Im sure Ill have more but just started researching


Graciass
 
Thanks all

Just wanna learn the right way starting out
Not a lot of room to go full blown yet so figured a good time to try it
 
I started out in buckets like that one.

They work great.

The blue hose is not needed with the 6" tops.

You can just slide the top over to look inside.

If you want a good cheap pump for one bucket I would go with a Tetra Whisper or if you want to run up to 4 buckets GH Duel Diaphragm is a great pump.

What do you plan on using for nutes?

I use Botanicare Kind with z7 water treatment and tap water.

The z7 keeps everything clean and protects the roots from all kinds of bad stuff.

With a good size plant at the beginning of flower it can drink a gallon a day easy.

So you will need to top off at least every other day.

You could get a 7 gallon black bucket that could go 3 or four days between top offs if you wanted.

When I go out of town. I will hook two buckets like in your pic together and then I can go up to 5 days with no issues.

Mid size plants work best for me. They will yield 6 to 10oz's.

I would rather have two mid sized ones then one big 16oz one.

That makes them easier to work with.

The water never last 7 days unless they are very small.

So there is no need to change out the water.

I just keep an eye on the PH and PPM.

If it starts to go off I just drain off the rest instead off topping off and then refill.

I never need to wash anything the whole grow.

The z7 takes care of that. I got a AA Transfer pump from Amazon for $20 that I use to move the water from one bucket to another. It makes it all very easy and fast.

I started on in dirt and I will never go back...

Once you get dialed in with DWC it will blow your mind how fast,easy and clean it is.
 
DukeO said:
I started out in buckets like that one.

They work great.

The blue hose is not needed with the 6" tops.

You can just slide the top over to look inside.

If you want a good cheap pump for one bucket I would go with a Tetra Whisper or if you want to run up to 4 buckets GH Duel Diaphragm is a great pump.

What do you plan on using for nutes?

I use Botanicare Kind with z7 water treatment and tap water.

The z7 keeps everything clean and protects the roots from all kinds of bad stuff.

With a good size plant at the beginning of flower it can drink a gallon a day easy.

So you will need to top off at least every other day.

You could get a 7 gallon black bucket that could go 3 or four days between top offs if you wanted.

When I go out of town. I

will hook two buckets like in your pic together and then I can go up to 5 days with no issues.

Mid size plants work best for me. They will yield 6 to 10oz's.

I would rather have two mid sized ones then one big 16oz one.

That makes them easier to work with.

The water never last 7 days unless they are very small.

So there is no need to change out the water.

I just keep an eye on the PH and PPM.

If it starts to go off I just drain off the rest instead off topping off and then refill.

I never need to wash anything the whole grow.

The z7 takes care of that. I got a AA Transfer pump from Amazon for $20 that I use to move the water from one bucket to another. It makes it all very easy and fast.

I started on in dirt and I will never go back...

Once you get dialed in with DWC it will blow your mind how fast,easy and clean it is.
Click to expand...
Incredible info my friend

Is the z7 needed?

I'm using AN Sensi pH perfect nutes now, may try the GH nutes but not sure yet


DukeO said:
When I go out of town. I will hook two buckets like in your pic together and then I can go up to 5 days with no issues.
Click to expand...
How do you hook them Together, meaning One is nutes, and drains into the Other as the plants drinks nutes?
 
Yes the z7 or some kind of thing like it is needed.

Hydroguard would be my second choice.

I am sure there are other things out there too.

Without something like that in just one days time you could lose the plant to root rot or slime and you never know what day it will strike.

That is the other side of how fast they grow. Everything happens fast.

I lost many plants at first and it was a bummer...

But with z7 in the water those issues are in the past for me.

I got a 1/2" nipple that connects the two hoses together and I rotate the fitting down to the side.

I just mix up a big batch of nutes and fill the buckets up(2" below the basket) and let gravity do the rest.
 
DukeO said:
Yes the z7 or some kind of thing like it is needed.

Hydroguard would be my second choice.

I am sure there are other things out there too.

Without something like that in just one days time you could lose the plant to root rot or slime and you never know what day it will strike.

That is the other side of how fast they grow. Everything happens fast.

I lost many plants at first and it was a bummer...

But with z7 in the water those issues are in the past for me.

I got a 1/2" nipple that connects the two hoses together and I rotate the fitting down to the side.

I just mix up a big batch of nutes and fill the buckets up(2" below the basket) and let gravity do the rest.
Click to expand...
Perfect

Ya I go camping so being able to leave for 3-5 days is a must

Again, great info, thanks
 
Whats up everybody. Thanks for inviting me to the party! Looks like you got the basic materials already. I would take that black bucket and wrap it in foil/reflective tape as it will help keep your tez temps in check. High rez temp-bad for roots. Hydroguard or Z7 is a must. Both together even better. (Using both Not necessary tho.)

You can use tap water that has been sitting out and bubbling for at least 12hrs for declorination longer is better. Even so tap water can still give you trouble. Distilled or RO water is best. I go to Wal-Mart and get the big 5 gal filtered water.

A water level Indicator is more for convenience. You'll have to slide the lid back and ways to check ph and ppm anyways so you'll be able to see how much is in there.

Until the roots break through the bottom of the net pot you'll want to top water once a day, no more than twice if you were doing small amounts. Once the roots hit the water top watering is no longer needed.

Ideal range ph range for dwc is 5.5 - 6.5, the sweet spot being 5.8/5.9. Its good to let the ph dift a little to hit the whole nute range. Calcium and magnesium being in the lower.

Some people change their water every 7 days, some go as far as 14. I personally clean out my buckets every rez change. I rather take the 10 extra minutes and know that there's no excessive or settlements or what not.

I feel like I'm forgetting more than I'm telling so if you have any more questions feel free to slide me a PM. GOOD LUCK :welcome:
 
Bowl Nugz n' harmony said:
Whats up everybody. Thanks for inviting me to the party! Looks like you got the basic materials already. I would take that black bucket and wrap it in foil/reflective tape as it will help keep your tez temps in check. High rez temp-bad for roots. Hydroguard or Z7 is a must. Both together even better. (Using both Not necessary tho.)

A water level Indicator is more for convenience. You'll have to slide the lid back and ways to check ph and ppm anyways so you'll be able to see how much is in there.

Until the roots break through the bottom of the net pot you'll want to top water once a day, no more than twice if you were doing small amounts. Once the roots hit the water top watering is no longer needed.

Ideal range ph range for dwc is 5.5 - 6.5, the sweet spot being 5.8/5.9. Its good to let the ph dift a little to hit the whole nute range. Calcium and magnesium being in the lower.

Some people change their water every 7 days, some go as far as 14. I personally clean out my buckets every rez change. I rather take the 10 extra minutes and know that there's no excessive or settlements or what not.

I feel like I'm forgetting more than I'm telling so if you have any more questions feel free to slide me a PM. GOOD LUCK :welcome:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info

My water just sitting in an open 5 gallon bucket was about 71-72 degrees ambient room has been around 78 so I think my water should be good but I definitely will keep an eye on it as the summer temps increase but the tent will stay cooler so hopefully so will the water

I'll have z7 this week, then I'll be good to go, I hope...lol
 
Chris Scorpio said:
Thanks for the info

My water just sitting in an open 5 gallon bucket was about 71-72 degrees ambient room has been around 78 so I think my water should be good but I definitely will keep an eye on it as the summer temps increase but the tent will stay cooler so hopefully so will the water

I'll have z7 this week, then I'll be good to go, I hope...lol
Click to expand...
Keep in mind you'll be in an enclosed area with a light source. Depending on the light, things could get warm, Even with an exhaust can. Also keep your air pump in another room or out of the tent/closet to prevent it pumping warm air into your bucket. It'll help more than you think.
 
Bowl Nugz n' harmony said:
Keep in mind you'll be in an enclosed area with a light source. Depending on the light, things could get warm, Even with an exhaust can. Also keep your air pump in another room or out of the tent/closet to prevent it pumping warm air into your bucket. It'll help more than you think.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I was Thinking

Im going to run a test. Soak the Hydrotron, fill the bucket, and run it in my tent to see how the water temp responds

Are there cheap but good chillers? incase the 115deg summer get the water to warm
 
My $0.02 on when to change water. The first time in my garden is usually around day 15. That gets them into to the small plant stage.

Then it's every 7 to 10 days until they hit the "thirsty" stage. By thirsty I mean drinking the entire volume of the bucket in less than a week, usually every 4 to 5 days in my garden.

Example, I keep a four gallon level in each bucket. In bloom at 4 to 6 quarts per day i am changing water frequently. Especially with 8 buckets and every plant drinking at different rates.

Oh yeah, did I say taking notes is important. :rofl:
 
So really really really liking the DWC

Here is the DWC girl
IMG_20180508_111652~2.jpg

IMG_20180508_111652~2.jpg



Hempy Girl, same Strain and age, Huge size difference
MVIMG_20180508_070052~2.jpg

MVIMG_20180508_070052~2.jpg



Im headed to the Hydro Store today for Net pots, more pumps and air stones, maybe even a water pump, not sure yet

Have a few tubs to start my grows in. One for starting my seedlings then the ability to move them to a bigger tub
IMG_20180508_105326.jpg

IMG_20180508_105326.jpg



Really appreciate all the help everyone


Fun Fun Fun
 
You guys created a new monster....... :eek:
 

Similar threads

tryan2grow1
Air pump size for DWC
Replies
16
Views
16K
tryan2grow1
tryan2grow1
dadums
Switching to DWC
Replies
1
Views
461
pr3tti
pr3tti
9
Re feeding DWC
Replies
1
Views
1K
CO Finest
CO Finest
R
Want to build DWC and looking for recommendations on how you set up
Replies
3
Views
826
sneekymofo
sneekymofo
T
pH issues - 1st DWC setup
Replies
7
Views
2K
Bill284
Bill284
Back
Top Bottom