DWC?

[ibsippin]

so i been doing some research on DWC because im kinda curious on how it works. ive done some reading but still dont understand... are my roots going to be floating in water??? this avoids rootbound? and i assume you use coco?? anything else that you can add about your own experience with DWC would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[ibsippin]

ive been looking into this but something isnt clicking ( http://www.hightimes.com/read/how-build-two-bucket-dwc-system )
i understand the concept of this thing but i dont see how this will help the plant if the roots are not even touching the water yet. i know the roots will stretch until they reach what they need but idk... wont the plant die because it doesnt reach the water? i know these plants grow pretty fast, please clear this up for me, thanks

 

[GrowHydro2193]

capillary action by the media will naturally draw moisture to the roots

1) Basically start your plants in a small cube of coco or rockwool
2) Then put them inside of a big net pot of media (I prefer hydroton) in a 5 gallon bucket...they make them so they fit over the five gallon bucket
3) drill an entrance point for the air and put a tube through that entrance point (can be on the net pot or really anywhere through the bucket so long as its properly sealed)
4) attach air stone to tube inside bucket and air pump to other side of tube
5) Fill bucket with water at least until the water hits the media (may as well fill it up all the way until its touching the starter plug)
6) Plug in air pump
7) ????
8 ) Profit

If you have a controller bucket, use that to level the water. The roots will have plenty of air due to air stone

And don't forget about nutrients and pH, but that is variable to phase of growth

 

[GrowHydro2193]

Easiest/fastest = best way to grow

 

[GrowHydro2193]

Oh and in your link, that pvc pipe is way to big to be necessary...Just get a little 1/2" t with 1/2" tubing and connect them that way...plug the other side of the t until the day you decide to add on more buckets...they have end caps for the t's

 

[T.H.Cammo]

i dont see how this will help the plant if the roots are not even touching the water yet. ... wont the plant die because it doesnt reach the water? i know these plants grow pretty fast, please clear this up for me, thanks

The exposed roots that are hanging in mid-airt do get water! They get it by being constantly bombarded by the "Spray" of popping bubbles, this provides a constant supply of highly oxygenated water. If you have any doubt about how effective this is; just put your hand above the surface of the water,over a bubbler, (where the roots would be hanging).

 

[AlphaPhase]

Dwc is great. It's so simple to build a dwc unit and they are so versatile. You can use totes or buckets. What I like to do is use 4" or 5" net pots. I can start 4 plants in 4" netpots in one 3.5 gallon bucket and then to replant all I have to do is pick up the net pot and move it to it's new home. Using the same size net pots allows all the plants to be transfered to whatever system you want it in. I start plants in dwc and then transfer them to ebb n grow buckets once they have vegged enough.

You're going to get a lot of different opinions on how high the water level should be. IMO, I like to keep the water just touching the bottom of the net pot. Bubbles do pop and saturate the medium (if the water level is at the right height) but I just don't see the point in teasing your roots with a splash of water here and there, I find that roots will grow much much faster when they have the constant water supply (the point of using dwc in the first place).

I use hydroton as a medium but I am also starting to use rockwool croutons as well. Hydroton doesn't hold much moisture and it works well and is also reusable. But if the water level drops too low during the early stages of veg, they can dry out REALLY fast and your plant could die from underwatering.

The croutons hold a lot of moisture so I've learned that having a layer of hydroton at the bottom of the net pots will help the rockwool to avoid being over saturated. I am just starting to use these now so I don't have much more info on them.

ALWAYS have the water touching the net pot until roots are growing out of the net pot. You then can lower the water level if you want to, but it's not necessary. More water (higher water level) in the reservoir will help keep the water temps from fluctuating as much. You always want your water temps below 68 degrees. I freeze water bottles (or 2 liter bottles, depending on what size dwc res I am using). It's very effective at keeping the water temps down without buying a water chiller.

You also will 100% need to choose if you want to keep your res sterile with a product like Dutch Master Zone or bleach OR use beneficial bacteria to fight the bad bacteria. If you are not using a sterile or benneficial res you WILL get root issues. It might not be the first grow or even the second, but you will get it and your plants could die.

You will want 1 watt power air pump for every gallon of water you are using. For a 5 gallon bucket you would want to use a 5 watt air pump. I don't go by the LPM (liters per minute) as it's usually inaccurate.

Make sure the entire surface of the water is being agitated by bubbles to ensure plenty of oxygen is in the water.

If you follow these guidelines you should be very successful growing in DWC. It's a lot easier than many people think and the growth is phenomenal.

 

[dux]

After soil for the last couple years I'm going to do a couple dwc runs again...
It's simple, don't over think it!
When you start your little plants the water will be closer so the droplets hit what they need to.once the plants are rolling you can let the water levels drop...

 

[Beezcheeze]

Sm-90 has helped keep my roots happy and white. Which makes the ppants grow like crazy. Good stuff. I run undercureent recirculating deep water culture. Well I haven't run it yet going to take clones of mama soon.

 

[AlphaPhase]

I've heard a lot of good things about sm-90, what exactly is it for beezecheeze? I dig the square dwc pots, wish home depot had something like that. Here's my diy dwc stuff, I make lids that fit different amounts of net pots for however many seeds/clones I want to start. The dwc buckets I start my seeds and clones that will be transplanted to my flood table and the dwc tote uses 5" net pots and is used to Veg clones that will be flowered in my ebb bucket system. Don't mind the yellow gg4 clones, they had a rough patch and are just now starting to recover.

 

[Beezcheeze]

Looks good! Idk what the sm-90 is exactly but it makes the whole room smell so clean and good. And it keeps the roots white I guess it's steralisong the nutes and killing any beneficials but mine seem so much happier with jt. I lt has a very high ph so a lot of down is needed.

 

[Tone5500]

I love DWC I clone in areo then transplant to dwc areo hybrid then flower straight dwc large tote , so easy and don't even have to fuck with them for days ,

 

[Dankfactory]

Sm-90 has helped keep my roots happy and white. Which makes the ppants grow like crazy. Good stuff. I run undercureent recirculating deep water culture. Well I haven't run it yet going to take clones of mama soon.

DWC is the Grail of Hydro. I've run both bennies and "sterile" with H202 ( slang term.not even close to sterile of course)

http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927306
As an aside, here's the msds for Triethenolamine, one of the main ingredients in SM90.
Sure, it's a popular product, but dig a little deeper past the "great smell," that everyone champions, and it's suddenly not so righteous anymore. I would personally never run that shit in my Res.

 

[Beezcheeze]

I'll read it sometime. Probably have already. Ive read some complaints or people saying its overorices and not worth the money. But my roots tell me otherwise. And just how much my plant is growing now tells me it works. I run General hydropinics nutes but run into root slime often. I don't know much about bennies or what part of gen hydro nute feeding chart has the bennies in it. Or what additives to try that are beneficialls. So the sm 90 helped me

 

[Dankfactory]

I'll read it sometime. Probably have already. Ive read some complaints or people saying its overorices and not worth the money. But my roots tell me otherwise. And just how much my plant is growing now tells me it works. I run General hydropinics nutes but run into root slime often. I don't know much about bennies or what part of gen hydro nute feeding chart has the bennies in it. Or what additives to try that are beneficialls. So the sm 90 helped me

Nobody has suggested that the product doesn't "work" in regards to pythium free roots.
However, when a chemical is known and clinically proven to cause cancer and kidney failure, among other debilitating illnesses in laboratory animals( the mere fact that the product is being tested on animals is a dealbreaker for myself personally, but that's for another topic), then I'll pass on the chance that there is still remnant poisons in my buds.

 

[Beezcheeze]

Lol well shit I love my white roots so much! But cancer on the other hand... What would you use to sterilize? The hygrozyme didn't work for me just slimed things up.

 

[Beezcheeze]

I'm going to use during veg cause they stay in the same water for a month. But maybe I'll use soemthin not so toxic during flower

 

[AlphaPhase]

I started using pool shock about a year ago (calcium hypochlorite). It's basically the same thing as "clear rez" and is similar to bleach but much more effective.I always use pool shock in my aero cloner and that lets the temps to be able to be in the 75-85 degree range with no issues what so ever. It can also be used in a hydro res and works great. It keeps the roots perfectly healthy until harvest and is the cheapest thing to use for a sterile res. I also have been using DM Zone here and there and it seems to work just as well (so far).

To make the pool shock solution.

Mix 1 gram of pool shock (shock n' swim brand, main ingredient calcium hypochlorite) per 1 gallon of water. Then use 30ml (2 tbs) per 5 gallons of res water.

For my bigger res I mix the pool shock directly into the res water. 0.5gram per 50 gallons or 0.25gram to 25 gallons, ect. I highly recommend the pool shock.

 

[Beezcheeze]

I started using pool shock about a year ago (calcium hypochlorite). It's basically the same thing as "clear rez" and is similar to bleach but much more effective.I always use pool shock in my aero cloner and that lets the temps to be able to be in the 75-85 degree range with no issues what so ever. It can also be used in a hydro res and works great. It keeps the roots perfectly healthy until harvest and is the cheapest thing to use for a sterile res. I also have been using DM Zone here and there and it seems to work just as well (so far).

To make the pool shock solution.

Mix 1 gram of pool shock (shock n' swim brand, main ingredient calcium hypochlorite) per 1 gallon of water. Then use 30ml (2 tbs) per 5 gallons of res water.

For my bigger res I mix the pool shock directly into the res water. 0.5gram per 50 gallons or 0.25gram to 25 gallons, ect. I highly recommend the pool shock.

Awesome man I will have to try this. I just finished making my cloner and my rdwc undercureent 4 bucket setup for veg. Flower areas are pretty much done. Taking clones this week I think and it's on!

 

[Dankfactory]

Lol well shit I love my white roots so much! But cancer on the other hand... What would you use to sterilize? The hygrozyme didn't work for me just slimed things up.

Dude you are absolutely NOT supposed to use Hygrozyme in a DWC Res.

My method: and I have Zero issues with slime:
The foundation: A Chiller. I know this investment is not cost effective for most, but know this: chilled water holds a higher DO( dissolved 02 content) than ambient growroom temperature water. This means that your plants will experience substantially more vigor and explosive growth than room temp reservoirs, and bacteria basically don't stand a chance at colonizing. Chilled for the Win. All other DWC methods are inferior without a chiller. Period.

H202 at 1mL per Litre every couple days. I should note that I simply add this step by default, and have never not used H202 in DWC. I'm of the persuasion that, since my recirculating system is chilled, the H202 isn't necessary, but I have no issues so it remains in the regimen. If it ain't broke..

Water changes. I do a 20% total volume water change weekly.

This routine, in part, stems from another hobby of mine: saltwater aquaria. Water changes and chilled water are a must in that world, and I find them to be pertinent in DWC. The hobbies are very similar, although aquaria is light years ahead of the grow world on water quality techniques and lighting especially.
Good luck.