New to growing and thinking of going DWC? Don't

[DaFreak]

I use the classic sense of hydro meaning to deliver nutrient salts to feed the plants. I don't care what your medium is, if it's not organic it's hydro. Either you are feeding your plants salt or you are feeding the life in the soil. Just because it's in a pot doesn't mean it's soil. This notion that problems show up quicker in hydro (your definition of water as a substrate) and easier to fix is simply not true.

I did awesome in DWC when I first started, didn't have root rot till my third grow, lost that cycle, and the next till I found a trick that worked and I was taught a trick and never got it again. Back then no hydro stores or additives to deal with it and apartment only had 15amps of power so no chiller either. I mastered DWC and had many great years from it. But now I live in a legal state and I can just go to my dump and throw out the medium when I am done and oh my god, it's so much easier. I run 3 1000 watt tents now, time taking care of plants is about 1/3 compared to DWC. It would take hours at the end of the grow to clean my tubs, medium, net, pots. busting up my walls bringing the crap into my shower to wash them. Now I pop the old medium out and dump the new medium in and done in a minute. Plus less transplant shock for my clones. You can grow plants fine in a water substrate but we all know (or should know) that their roots like soil type medium better. That's really the point of all these mediums that allow us to do hydro but mimic soil.

DTW is also easier on my back to be honest. But that is just specific to my set-ups and it not inherent to DWC.

 

[Smokexbreak]

My first grow ever of ANY PLANT was a homemade RDWC. It was a smashing success. I could not have asked for more.
I think hydro for a beginner is good in the sense that if you fuck something up, you know it the next morning and you can relate that problem to an input.
In soil, it seems like your shit fucks up a week later and you are left wondering what input caused this. Just my .02$

Agreeeeed 100%

 

[DaFreak]

Agreeeeed 100%

Have you done hydro drain to waste? Because if you haven’t then you are speaking from a place of ignorance

 

[Smokexbreak]

Have you done hydro drain to waste? Because if you haven’t then you are speaking from a place of ignorance

Yep. Coco and rock wool. as well as hempys 100% perlite and then vermiculite/perlite mixes. I’ve used just about every technique and medium known to man.

 

[DaFreak]

I wouldn’t do coco just because of the number of times you have to water, but it’s very popular.

 

[Smokexbreak]

I wouldn’t do coco just because of the number of times you have to water, but it’s very popular.

I’ve got it hooked up to a 50 gallon reservoir on an auto feed system only part about it I dislike is I have to vacuum up the run off as where my hempy tent drains into a small 6” x 4’ flood and drain tray that drains down and into a drain stub in my basement. Freaking perfect it’s also hooked to a 17 gallon reservoir that is automated as well all I do these Days is fill my reservoirs mix nutes and check PH. Here’s my hempy set up.

 

[Nrk.cdn]

I’ve got it hooked up to a 50 gallon reservoir on an auto feed system only part about it I dislike is I have to vacuum up the run off as where my hempy tent drains into a small 6” x 4’ flood and drain tray that drains down and into a drain stub in my basement. Freaking perfect it’s also hooked to a 17 gallon reservoir that is automated as well all I do these Days is fill my reservoirs mix nutes and check PH. Here’s my hempy set up.

View attachment 4364719
View attachment 4364720

What medium are most using for hempy? Perlite? Perlite/coco? Promix HP? EWC?
What's the easiest medium with least amount of issues?
Anyone use straight promix HP?

I ran hempy DTW first grow and grabbed 3.5oz under screwin led.. I am on my 3rd grow..

What automated system are you using for feeding? I am looking at plumbing a autofeed setup.. I am using 1 nute throughout.. megacrop right now DTW in HP.. Max plants i run are 3 in flower..

Any help is appreciated.. I have a timewarpxc99 in front (pic) and swazi gold in background..

 

[Smokexbreak]

What medium are most using for hempy? Perlite? Perlite/coco? Promix HP? EWC?
What's the easiest medium with least amount of issues?
Anyone use straight promix HP?

I ran hempy DTW first grow and grabbed 3.5oz under screwin led.. I am on my 3rd grow..

What automated system are you using for feeding? I am looking at plumbing a autofeed setup.. I am using 1 nute throughout.. megacrop right now DTW in HP.. Max plants i run are 3 in flower..

Any help is appreciated.. I have a timewarpxc99 in front (pic) and swazi gold in background..

Idk about best medium for it. I use 100% perlite and can’t complain. I use a water pump ran to 1/2” tube to create a manifold that feeds 6” halo rings at each plant. My waste falls in the black tray and down and out into a drainage stub that was for a toilet in my basement when we bought it but we never finished the basement so I cut it flush with the concrete and put my tent on top of it to use for fencing waste from my tent.

 

[DaFreak]

Again, you can get the same result and do it easier just by going dtw. Not to mention save of head room, Obviously you don't really need your system up like that, you must not be cramped for space.

 

[Nrk.cdn]

Again, you can get the same result and do it easier just by going dtw. Not to mention save of head room, Obviously you don't really need your system up like that, you must not be cramped for space.

So what would be your dtw setup? Indifferent on the medium?

Handwater? Drippers? Gravity fed?

Thanks for reply(s)

 

[DaFreak]

I have a preference for Pro-mix because you don't need to water/feed as much as coco. I don't go on vacations for weeks so no need to automate so I just hand water but I have it done to a science and can water 3 tents with 4 plants in each tent in 30 minutes every 3 to 4 days or so.

Fill my bucket with hose off of the washing machine hookup,
fill the pots using an electric kerosene pump
use a shop vac to suck out the run-off from the trays
pots sit on stones so they don't stand in run-off
I use propagation trays as collection trays as I had a bunch around and they are perfect to put 2 five gallon pots in each.

Get about a pound and a half per 1000watts with 2 weeks veg and 65 days average flower depending on strain. Green crack is stupid quick around 55 days.

 

[Nrk.cdn]

Again..thanks for reply.. U using promix HP or BX?

I really enjoy the simplicity of DTW as i am a lazy gardener.. I had to leave for 12 days so i just used blumat classic to water..plant suffered a little but remained alive..

I do see some growers dialing in gh waterfarms with great success..

I made 2 SIPs with 5 gal buckets..with HP added..i guess a flush every 3-4 weeks is pretty do-able..

In sept..i have 2 clones i will do a side by side..5 gal SIP and Dtw.

 

[DaFreak]

Bx

 

[70's natureboy]

I have a preference for Pro-mix because you don't need to water/feed as much as coco. I don't go on vacations for weeks so no need to automate so I just hand water but I have it done to a science and can water 3 tents with 4 plants in each tent in 30 minutes every 3 to 4 days or so.

Fill my bucket with hose off of the washing machine hookup,
fill the pots using an electric kerosene pump
use a shop vac to suck out the run-off from the trays
pots sit on stones so they don't stand in run-off
I use propagation trays as collection trays as I had a bunch around and they are perfect to put 2 five gallon pots in each.

Get about a pound and a half per 1000watts with 2 weeks veg and 65 days average flower depending on strain. Green crack is stupid quick around 55 days.

So DTW is growing weed in buckets of Pro Mix? Eureka, that is ground breaking! I don't think it's all that ground breaking; been there, done that, still do that once in a while to remind me how slow they grow. I grew in buckets of Pro Mix for over 20 years with good success. DWC upped my game considerably. I won't be going backwards. I don't miss buying Pro mix and lugging buckets of pro mix out of the house either. There's still nothing wrong with noobs starting out with Pro Mix though.

 

[DaFreak]

lol, whoever said it was ground breaking? Again, if you grew in drain to waste and it was slow....it was you. Bad growers blame the style instead of themselves.

 

[DaFreak]

So I thought I would show what I got going on. This is a 4x4x6 tent with a 600 watt for veg and 1000 watt with an eye hortilux for flower. Pro mix BX in 5 gallon plastic pots. I use GH 3 part, recipe on the bottles between 700 and 900 ppm and between 6.3 and 6.5 pH. Scrog screen for some minor training and support. Pots sit in propagation trays on top of inch and a half stones. 900 ppm is actually a little too strong and I should back off a little but damn if it isn't 10ml 20ml 30ml with 3 gallons and it just makes it so easy. This pic is 4 Green Cracks from clone vegged for exactly 14 days and at 33 days flower. Other than the pots and stones which I reuse, I spent $12 on the medium for this garden each cycle. Once the grow is over I pull out the old medium, dump in the new and I am ready to grow again. I will get somewhere between a little over a pound and a pound and a half a closet. I call that good for lack of love I give these girls. There are many people who get much better yields obviously, but that's not the style, that's me. First time grower should be able to hit close to a pound.

 

[70's natureboy]

You've got a nice set up DaFreak. Nice and simple and not overcrowded. I see way too many overcrowded grows. It just wastes time and resources. I run four 5 gal buckets per 600 using GH and others at around .7 - 1.5 EC and get 16-22 zips. When I'm done I re-use the rocks and buckets; air stones and tubing last 5-10 grows. A gal of Floranova lasts me at least 3 grows of 12-16 plants. Not much money there either. I would do Pro Mix again if I could dial it in to get those results. The biggest draw back for me is the veg takes a good 2 weeks longer. I will agree with you, I stand corrected, your system is better for a noobie.

I'm kinda doubting your 14 day veg though. When did you start training it through the screen? How tall do you grow them before you put them in flower?

 

[DaFreak]

14 days they are around the 8th node or so to the screen, I lollitop and tuck for the first 2 weeks of flower and then just let them go. Some strains obviously like it more than others.

My weak point is mothers. I abuse the shit out of my mothers and the clones are sub-par. I used to mono crop and take cuttings from veg rooms/tents but now I’m trying to keep 7 strains and I just don’t have the time. But it’s a trade off I make to have the variety. My gut is telling me to learn how to grow soil mothers but I’m stubborn when it comes to soil.

 

[yummy fur]

So they guys growing better weed then you in dtw? You’re not worried about them?

I think I can convince you that you're in fact wrong with regards to the 'easiest for a beginner' because you have not really given it a full analysis. Try and criticise my set up if you can or tell me what problems you think newbies would have with it. The easiest best grow for first time growers is my own designed Shallow Water Culture, that needs no air stone just an 8W pump and you're done. I'm currently doing a test grow in it. Just made from 3 stacking 25L tube and a couple of foot of tubing. It's nothing revolutionary it's just that it does what it says on the box, impossible for a first time grower to not get a fantastic result. In the test set up below there are two plants. You could put four in that I reckon but you need to keep them trimmed.

It also has it's own self supported scrog so you can move the scrogged plant around.

This would also be a good for clones, you can just cut them off the mother plant and shove them straight into the clay pellets next to a jet. No need for hormone dipping for roots, although I guess it can't hurt.

@DaFreak
I did awesome in DWC when I first started, didn't have root rot till my third grow...

Root rot is not possible in a SWC. But the problem to solve to get the best out of your plant is not to stop the roots from going bad, but how to make them as fibrous and large as possible.

This is what good roots structure looks like and that is just in the pot, the roots that come out of the pot then sit in a shallow pool which has been cut off the above shot, but you can see it here both the shallow pool and the pot roots are enough on their own but this gives you as a side benefit extra redundancy. You can see why you don't need to fuck around with air stones or peroxide, this is the airiest substrate possible each stone is filled with air, separate to the air that is continually dragged through. You don't even need to aerate the reservoir, I did at first not wanting to take a chance but I realised it's pointless. BTW this auto produced 18 zips in two harvests of 5 and 13. This is the second harvest of 13

FFIW, I just use the 3 part GH and no cal/mag or any other additives.

 

[yummy fur]

View attachment 4365587
So I thought I would show what I got going on. This is a 4x4x6 tent with a 600 watt for veg and 1000 watt with an eye hortilux for flower. Pro mix BX in 5 gallon plastic pots. I use GH 3 part, recipe on the bottles between 700 and 900 ppm and between 6.3 and 6.5 pH. Scrog screen for some minor training and support. Pots sit in propagation trays on top of inch and a half stones. 900 ppm is actually a little too strong and I should back off a little but damn if it isn't 10ml 20ml 30ml with 3 gallons and it just makes it so easy. This pic is 4 Green Cracks from clone vegged for exactly 14 days and at 33 days flower. Other than the pots and stones which I reuse, I spent $12 on the medium for this garden each cycle. Once the grow is over I pull out the old medium, dump in the new and I am ready to grow again. I will get somewhere between a little over a pound and a pound and a half a closet. I call that good for lack of love I give these girls. There are many people who get much better yields obviously, but that's not the style, that's me. First time grower should be able to hit close to a pound.

Here's my very first Auto grow, and my first design attempt, using a two part shallow water culture, but I've since eliminated the spray on the roots and enlarged the substrate but even that gave me 13 zips of OG Kush with a 2 x 3 foot scrog and a viparspectra running about about 280W at the wall.