first time rdwc

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ohio420fam

Member
This is my first time doing hydroponics I am 35 days from seed. This is my first post so help me if I miss anything.
8x 5gal rdwc top feed with 50 gal res .
As of right now
Ppm 722 using 0 ppm ro water
Ph I started at 5.7 after nutes and ph down and slowly rise every day .1 to .2 let it get to 7 once and started chasing but after reading posts stopped and just used nute changes and top offs to lower ph a tad and let top feed slowly lower back to 6ish.
Using floranova grow, rapid start lightly, root excel gold, and GH silica, with a dose of cal mag on top offs.
 
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blackforest

blackforest

Well-Known Member
ohio420fam said:
Sorry about the double pics. Lights are 1000w 7500k mh and a 8 bulb t5 6500k
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How do those roots look? I don't know if you need to use rapidstart and roots excel together. Are you using anything to keep pathogens away? Like a beneficial or a sterilizer? Also, how are you liking that flora nova? I used it in soil once and did not care for the results. It's a bit thick and opaque and have not heard of many great hydro grows with it to be honest. (Not saying the don't exist, chime in if you have had good results anyone). Roots are everything in hydro imo. Bright white thick roots that are always growing is what you are looking for. You might want to get a small oscillating fan for the girls in the buckets, and a tidy hydro room helps keep any unwanted bugs, bacteria, or fungus's at bay, and shows your seriousness and dedication as well. A small wet/dry shop vac is super handy and helps keep everything spiffy.
 
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ohio420fam

Member
Everything is a mess because I have very lil time to get in and out of my hideaway with out people seeing, so every min I have is spent in Lst and pruning, checking everything. getting water into it is hell. I have 2 osc fans in the room you just can't see em in the pics and a 240 cfm duct booster and duct run into the back of the room.
Its hard for me to get pics of the roots because of the way I have my top feed pipe run on top of the buckets, but all seem very healthy and about 8-12" long, all are white except one but it is stained a light brown from the nutes I think. No rot. I keep my RES in another room that is temp controlled really well my water temp is always right around 72.

I havent grown in 10 yrs or so and when I did it was in miracle grow soil so this is a big leap for me, I count myself somewhat intelligent everything I've dome up to this point has been self taught thru video and reading so I'm learning as I go. I havent delved very deeply into root zone health yet, skimmed the surface but its been alot up to this point, I have a fulltime life and family and doing what I've done by myself has been a feat
 
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ohio420fam

Member
About the flora idk one set of nutes from the next hydro shop guy pushed it on me and I knew GH was a good product from the forums. If anyone has anything to say I am open to all comers and info.
 
blackforest

blackforest

Well-Known Member
ohio420fam said:
About the flora idk one set of nutes from the next hydro shop guy pushed it on me and I knew GH was a good product from the forums. If anyone has anything to say I am open to all comers and info.
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Sounds to me like you know what's up. I give you a big thumbs up for the rdwc adventure. To be honest, imo, the most important part of rdwc or hydro in general is the condition of your water which leads to healthy roots, by keeping any bad pathogen growth at bay. You really should use a sterilizer (h2o2, bleach, zone, pool shock, et.) or a beneficial (tea, hydroguard, aquashiled (same as hydroguard)). Sterilizers require treatment every couple days, and beneficials can last longer. Both have their advantages. I use hydroguard with a chiller and get great results. Many people that do not use chillers and run higher temps in the 70's are successful with hydroguard as well. If you really get into rdwc, keep your eye out for a used chiller to keep your water temps in the mid 60's. It makes it a lot easier to keep everything sterile.

I use GH nutes, but use the flora series 3 part. It has 3 bottles. Grow, Micro, and Bloom. One nice thing they are transparent, so you can see if anything is growing/building up. In the beginning I use it as instructed, as in the ratios, but max out at 1.2 ec. During transition/flower, I use a modified Lucas Formula (micro and bloom only) in a 1:2 ratio and get to 1.2 ec through week 5, then ph likes to dive and I usually lower to .8-1.0 ec and 6.0-6.3 ph to finish. Flush the last week or so. Change out the water rez once a week and look for slimy buildup on air stones or air lines, or rez walls.

Also at this point I would not worry about pruning or cropping anything at all. They will grow exponentially from here and everything is a little solar panel. When the roots are really absorbing nutes, they should at least double in size in like a week. With that many, that close together, they are going to grow into each other like crazy. You don't need to top, or lst, or anything really. If the roots are good to go, you can practically flip anytime because they will explode and get huge. Good luck man, looks great!
 
OneHitDone

OneHitDone

Well-Known Member
ohio420fam said:
About the flora idk one set of nutes from the next hydro shop guy pushed it on me and I knew GH was a good product from the forums. If anyone has anything to say I am open to all comers and info.
Click to expand...
Flora Nova is Bomb
I'm running it right now. Very concentrated so it is probably the most affordable "liquidish" nutrient on the market.
What people around here don't seem to realize is that Flora Nova Grow and Bloom contain a Bio-stimulant pack that would cost as much by itself as the whole nutrient. Basically buy the bio-stimulants and get the nutrients for free!!

I use nothing but the Flora Nova and Tap Water. GH recommends you add nothing else accept Floralicious Plus if you want the "total" package. No other supplements.
5ml per gallon is all I need in veg
Your nitrogen is probably a tad high depending on what calmag product you are using
 
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ohio420fam

Member
On the size issue I was really thinking of starting my 12/12 soon, like I said I havent grown in this type of setup before and I was somewhat nervous about size. My plan was to move the buckets 2.5' on center and build a scrog table over them straight down the middle of the room. My light issue is covered somewhat I have 4 1000w switchable and a 600 digital but I'm going to need light for another veg room and idk exactly what to do.
 
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ohio420fam

Member
So cant take pics of roots right now buy I did just check them and I'm glad I did. Somehow my timer on my pumps turned off and i had no recirc last night, a Cpl of my girls drank all their water last night almost 2-3 gal. Only a inch of water in 5 buckets. All of the roots on the plants are long and white some stained but when the buckets are emty they lay on the bottom.
I do have a question about my flood and drain, I checked for root growth today and some are finally poking out an inch or so. Should I raise the cup up so that the roots just touch the water lvl to try and make them stretch or should I just put them at that same lvl they have been at?
 
O

ohio420fam

Member
A
blackforest said:
Sounds to me like you know what's up. I give you a big thumbs up for the rdwc adventure. To be honest, imo, the most important part of rdwc or hydro in general is the condition of your water which leads to healthy roots, by keeping any bad pathogen growth at bay. You really should use a sterilizer (h2o2, bleach, zone, pool shock, et.) or a beneficial (tea, hydroguard, aquashiled (same as hydroguard)). Sterilizers require treatment every couple days, and beneficials can last longer. Both have their advantages. I use hydroguard with a chiller and get great results. Many people that do not use chillers and run higher temps in the 70's are successful with hydroguard as well. If you really get into rdwc, keep your eye out for a used chiller to keep your water temps in the mid 60's. It makes it a lot easier to keep everything sterile.

I use GH nutes, but use the flora series 3 part. It has 3 bottles. Grow, Micro, and Bloom. One nice thing they are transparent, so you can see if anything is growing/building up. In the beginning I use it as instructed, as in the ratios, but max out at 1.2 ec. During transition/flower, I use a modified Lucas Formula (micro and bloom only) in a 1:2 ratio and get to 1.2 ec through week 5, then ph likes to dive and I usually lower to .8-1.0 ec and 6.0-6.3 ph to finish. Flush the last week or so. Change out the water rez once a week and look for slimy buildup on air stones or air lines, or rez walls.

Also at this point I would not worry about pruning or cropping anything at all. They will grow exponentially from here and everything is a little solar panel. When the roots are really absorbing nutes, they should at least double in size in like a week. With that many, that close together, they are going to grow into each other like crazy. You don't need to top, or lst, or anything really. If the roots are good to go, you can practically flip anytime because they will explode and get huge. Good luck man, looks great!
Click to expand...
When adding in beneficial or sterilizers how does that effect your ppm and if it does how do you handle/calculate that into your nutes? I would think those would take away from your nute lvls?
 
firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Check.my diy screen thread for an easy to build scrog that mounts to bucket lids.

If your setup is remote think about bigger containers. Get bigger containers regardless actually.

I just switched a couple monsters from 5 gal buckets to 18gal sterlite $5 totes from walmart. Took a jigsaw and sliced a hole into it and took the same netpot lids and put it in. Added an extra air stone for good measure.

Best $5 I ever did for them. 5 gal buckets only hold 3 gals of water. More water the better as it acts as a buffer against pH and feed swings.

For instance...These totes hold 9gal. I coulda put more but if I was using 3 gal 9gal was simple math. 3x what I was using. That extra 6 gal is a lot.

Id normally fill at 5.8@680(1.36EC) at this stage of flowering (week 5). Next day its be 6.4@570. These new totes I set at 5.8@680 and next day it was 5.9@670.

This is important because A.) Less maintenance and B.) Plants arent sitting outside pH range which means plants can use all the nutrients. If you are going out of range overnight your plants arent using the nutrients and are still drinking water which will increase the concentration of nutrients to water. Then your feed raises and tips burn. Root issues hit. Its just not good. And the only way of handling it is constant upkeep and feeding low to begin with.
 
O

ohio420fam

Member
firsttimeARE said:
Check.my diy screen thread for an easy to build scrog that mounts to bucket lids.

If your setup is remote think about bigger containers. Get bigger containers regardless actually.

I just switched a couple monsters from 5 gal buckets to 18gal sterlite $5 totes from walmart. Took a jigsaw and sliced a hole into it and took the same netpot lids and put it in. Added an extra air stone for good measure.

Best $5 I ever did for them. 5 gal buckets only hold 3 gals of water. More water the better as it acts as a buffer against pH and feed swings.

For instance...These totes hold 9gal. I coulda put more but if I was using 3 gal 9gal was simple math. 3x what I was using. That extra 6 gal is a lot.

Id normally fill at 5.8@680(1.36EC) at this stage of flowering (week 5). Next day its be 6.4@570. These new totes I set at 5.8@680 and next day it was 5.9@670.

This is important because A.) Less maintenance and B.) Plants arent sitting outside pH range which means plants can use all the nutrients. If you are going out of range overnight your plants arent using the nutrients and are still drinking water which will increase the concentration of nutrients to water. Then your feed raises and tips burn. Root issues hit. Its just not good. And the only way of handling it is constant upkeep and feeding low to begin with.
Click to expand...
New 18 gal totesWP_20160612_001.jpg
 
firsttimeARE

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
With a pump for rdwc that would increase a bit. You should be fine but id definitely look into a chiller. Just a matter of time.
 
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