First time DWC grow closet

[Legal Yooper]

Hi all, my first time here and growing hydro or growing at all in the last 10+ yrs. Now that I'm legal and with hours of research I've decided to try a DWC in my closet. Please feel free to chime in at any time, I appreciate any help.. The closet should be big enough even for a flower room which I haven't set up yet. The opening to the attic is in 1/2 of the closet and I plan on tapping into my bathroom exhaust for ventilation.The closet will be split in 1/2 making two rooms 8' X 5 1/2' X 2 1/2'.

I germinated some decent bag seed for my first trial. Once they popped 6 were put into Grodan starting blocks and right in the DWC and 6 are just left in the blocks sitting in a smaller tub on hydroton. It's only been about 36 hours and one is starting to show while another appears to already have a root poking through the bottom of the net pot. It almost looks like a long white hair so its either a root or something that didn't get cleaned out of the hydroton.. lol.. Time will tell.

I also rescued a female from outside which I transplanted into dirt to try cloning. The poor thing was nutrient starved but still has a decent look to it. I did LST (low stress training) to try and get some of the branches big enough to clone. It has started flowering and I'm hoping that being under the flourescents 24 hours on will bring it back to veg. growth, will this happen or is it too far along in its flowering stage?

For reservoirs I'm using rubbermaid totes that I spray painted black. Water will be coming from a well w/a ph of about 7. It took me a day to stabilize the ph at around 5.5. Evertime I added enough ph down to get it in range it climbs back up in a few hours later. It seems to have stabilized now. I'm only using the drops to test the ph for now but can see a pen meter in the near future. I also have no idea what the TDS of my water is. Can't afford a meter yet, so again time will tell. I hot glued two long airstones from Walmart under each row of net cups. The air pump I got from the local hydro store and there are plenty of bubbles. The hydro guy talked me into Foxfarm nutes, I only purchased the grow formula and mix it a little weaker then recommended for starts. Is this a decent nutrient and/or what would you recommend for a first time hydro grower?

If everything goes well I plan to turn one side of the closet into a flower room w/400 hps and cool tube hood. Any and all comments are welcome.

 

[caseyg2007]

Looks good for the basics. Definately gonna need to get an RO system eventually for that well water. I'm almost 100% sure your water is gonna be to hard for the DWC. Well water usually comes out over 300 PPM and is a pain to keep the ph stable. A britta filter might help, but I would save for an RO system. They are usally about 70-100 for an ok one. 200 for a good one. 550 for a top quality one.

 

[Legal Yooper]

Thanks for the reply caseyg2007 The hydro guy said the same thing about getting a RO system. How will I tell if the water is too hard?

 

[gumball]

get a water test done and see what your ppm is along with calcium and mag and other minerals in the water. call some local pool places they may do the tests for free

 

[tip top toker]

Not saying an RO system wouldn't be a benefit, but here's my two pence. I use water straight out of the tap, no sitting overnight, and never PH it once i've done it's initial mixing. My canna nutrients state on the back that they are designed to work with ph fluctuation and not to alter your ph after you initially set it. I have no problems or burns or deficiencies that i can see of.

 

[Legal Yooper]

Thanks tip top toker and gumball. Didn't even think of a pool place to get water tested, will defiantly look into that tomorrow. What nutes are you using tip top?

 

[tip top toker]

Alternatively i'd have thought any water filter company would happily drive out and test it under the pretense of a possible sale

 

[Legal Yooper]

PH has stabilized. 4 of 6 seedlings have popped. Rescued female is starting to bend toward light.
Chemistry water test is $18, closest water filter Co. is over 80 miles away. Just realized the hydro guy sold me the wrong nutrients He was well aware I was doing hydro and sold me nutes for soil, I should have payed way more attention and will bring my glasses to read the bottles before I buy, sucks to get old. Not a total loss will use it for the rescued female.

 

[Legal Yooper]

PH was a little high. From what I've read this is normal in DWC because of the air. Added a touch of ph down. Seedlings didn't show much growth today compared to when they shot up. Some have purple stems, some don't. It was bag seed so could be different strains. It's only been a day and I'm already wondering if somethings wrong

I haven't mentioned my first attempt at cloning. I actually cut the main stem of a female. Stuck it in cloning gel then through a hole in the grodan cube so the bottom stuck out about 1/2" and added the hydroton. I had it in a homemade bubble sprayer out of a coffee can. It never wilted and appears to be alive. Because the water in the coffee can was so hard to keep ph balanced I put it in the DWC.



A few questions, I have been checking the PH regularly and adding PH down or more water to correct. Once/if things get going is it OK to add the PH up/down when the plants roots are in the water. Should I be adjusting the PH while the plants remain in the water?

Not much to see here but here's the seedlings



So what do ya'll think am I nuts or does this have a chance of working?

 

[Legal Yooper]

This is awesome, most of the seedlings have a root about an 1 1/2" long. The lil babies are very lush green, the stems are thin and a reddish purple. Hopefully the color is due to the strain, the clone is a different strain and so far doesn't have a purple stem. The clones bottom leaves have lightened and maybe wilting just a tad. Curious to see if a main stem can be cloned.

Gonna drop the water tomorrow to about 1" below the net pots... Gonna hold off on adding any nutes, still haven't had water tested or decided which I want to go with. If my research is right they can wait until the first set of leaves are devolped before being fed. The seedlings that were started in the grodan blocks only seem to be about a day behind but are lookin OK. Save and sound in their own rez...

Had to buy some gak today I really hope this works... IF anyone see's I'm on the wrong track please don't hesitate to let me know.. Peace!

 

[Legal Yooper]

Did a little too much LST on rescued female I'm gonna name Katrina, she's been through hell... Main stem kinked about 4" from top of plant, wasn't real serious and I'm hoping she'll bounce back. Gonna give her a week or so before doing anymore LST. She also appears to still be trying to flower even after being under 24 hr. light for 4 days now. Flowers have really nice white hairs and are already curving to the light. If she goes back into veg for a couple weeks I think she'll be a fun plant to grow under proper light/care.

Can anyone tell me about how long it will take for her to go back in veg. state? ATM she has small popcorn buds full of white hairs, I'm guessing she was about 2-4 weeks into flowering when put under the 24 hr. light. I can't seem to find alot of info. on this and would appreciate any insight..

As for the seedling, they seem to be doing just find, noticeable growth daily. Water in one rez has been lowered to about 1/2" below net pots. All but one have root through bottom of pot varying between 1/2" to about 4" long. Being totally new to hydro it just amazes me that the roots will grow in water. Peace!

 

[gumball]

Normally 2-3 weeks to reveg, but that's varies of course.

You gonna give us some pics soon??

 

[Legal Yooper]

Thanks for the reply gumball, I too ksome pics yesterday but can't get them uploaded. As soon as my ISP unrestricts my bandwith I'll get them uploaded.

Everything is lookin good. A couple have started their next set of leaves...

Made my first seed order today, White Widow and Northern lights... Trying to decide on a light for the flower room, pretty much sold on a 600 HPS w/ cool tube hood.

Here's my plan for ventilation, please let me know if you think it will work or not... I have a large 4" squirrel fan that moves a ton of air. I can easily attach 6" duct to it.

I want to have the intake from outside the room going to the squirrel fan which will blow air into each side of the closet (using tees w/ a damper on the end to control air flow, if needed) and into the cool tube which will be vented into the attic to the bathroom fan vent pipe. I'm hoping to be able to vent the flower room through the cool tube by removing the glass.

OR,

Have the squirrel fan at the other end and use it to vent/ exhaust the two rooms and cool tube. So, the question is should I blow air through the cool tube or suck the air through it?

decisions.... decisions... lol.. Any insight or comments are appreciated... Peace!

 

[Legal Yooper]

Busy day in the garden... First water change in one of the totes.... filled seperate rez and ph balanced, 17 gallons of water took 3 TBSP then 1 more an hour later to stabilize. My new pen meter shows the well water at 134 ppm. Temps are running around 70, humidity around 50%

REZ A,
Rez was overall still clean, sides of tote did have a light sliminess.
Purchased GH Flora 3 part nutes, mixed 12 tsp of each (grow, micro, bloom) to 15 gal. water, ppm=547, which may be too high for young plants, PH around 6.. will keep a close watch

This is the rez I inadvertently added foxfarm dirt nutes to in beggining, I only added a slight amount, ppm was at 267 before change. This is also where the most growth has been. Most have big broad leaves. On one, the first leaf is so heavy the plant can barely support itself. May have to support it. There is slight air movement to help strenghen the stems. The roots are forming nicely..

REZ B,

No water change, was started a couple days after rez A.. No nutes were added at first and PPM was 134 .Added 6 tsp of each nute to about 18 gallons of water. PPM 307. Most of the plants in this rez haven't dropped their roots yet, they are also a definite different strain with thinner and shorter leaves. Hoping to see more growth with the adding of nutes..

Kartrina is healing and trying to veg under her own cfl's. She has perked up a lot since rescue. Just gotta remember not to over water her. Have been misting her daily in the mornings. She absorbs it in a matter of minutes

Still unable to upload pics but I've been taking them... Peace!

 

[Legal Yooper]

Everything's going good except my patience... Katrina suffered a lil nute burn from showing her too much love, she will be on a strictly water diet for awhile. Plants are showing good growth. Experimental clone has root through net pot, doesn't look the greatest but it did root

Pics taken about a week ago,



Pics taken today



Katrina about a week ago after getting tied up



Katrina's hairs have since been turning golden brownish... She is starting to go back into veg mode... Still showing growth especially on the lower branches that never got good light...


Both Rez's have been maintaining well. Root growth just amazes me being a first time hydro grower, Each plant has its own unique root pattern. Rez w/lower ppm is showing slower but improved growth. This is also the rez that houses the clone, it root poking about 2" below net pot...

I used the smaller hydroton and 4" net pots.. Unsure if the small pots are big enough to finish... hard to imagine handling 6 full grown plants in one tote lid while cleaning and doing maintance... Transplanting to bigger net pots (if necessary) will be hard in before long without destroying tote lid, Considering an ebb and flow table for flower room thinking it may be easier/better for bigger plants but will more then likely stick to the DWC throughout this grow.


This is an open journal and I encourage any and all comments, good or bad, I'll weed em out and appreciate the knowledge

 

[gumball]

glad to see everything, and it is looking fairly good. my only comment is the roots will become intertwined so tightly packed into the small tote. my recommendation is to get them out and more space, or flower like now. the roots will slow to grow once they show preflowers. but still very nice, +rep


edit: you must spread some rep around before spreading it blah blah blah

 

[Legal Yooper]

Thanks gum! Still researching what other do w/totes. I'm still a couple weeks out from getting my flower room set up. Seriously considering a bucket for each one when they go into flower.

Any DWC growers out there willing to give advise? Please Is root tangling a bad thing when they are in the same tote? If a males roots are inner twined with a females and male is cut will the males dying roots affect the female, does the males roots need to be removed?

 

[Legal Yooper]

Researched most of the day on root tangling and root rot in DWC. Had to check my roots so snapped a couple more pics. All the roots are looking good except one has a small dark spot just under the net pot. Hard to see in the pics..

Roots in rez A


Clone and roots... Seeing I cut the main stem not sure I should be calling it a clone it's more of a re-rooted plant then a clone... Is there a term for this??? I accomplished my goal of making roots from a cutting, Happy days



Random shots, Check out the first set of leaves in the first pic... instead of having 3 leaves it only developed 2 on one side, hard to explain but hopefully you can see it in the pics..



Questions;
1) If root rot goes uncured will it spread to the other plants?
2) How long before I should start sexing the plants? These are bag seed and started to make sure I could make things work, seems to be going good, have I passed the critical stage of wondering if my water and skills are good enough to try bought seeds?
3) I'm new to this... how does it look? What would you consider doing different? If you think I should scrap the whole tote/DWC thing (or anything else) and go to dirt please don't hesitate to say so, I can take it
4) They look a lil wild and like their going to be tall plants, but I'm new, what do you think?

If you got this far thanks for looking and please don't hesitate to give your opinion. Peace & Happy Growing!

Preview is showing the pic of clone at the bottom of post not where I put it... It's the one w/yellowing...

 

[gumball]

Researched most of the day on root tangling and root rot in DWC. Had to check my roots so snapped a couple more pics. All the roots are looking good except one has a small dark spot just under the net pot. Hard to see in the pics..

Roots in rez A

Clone and roots... Seeing I cut the main stem not sure I should be calling it a clone it's more of a re-rooted plant then a clone... Is there a term for this??? I accomplished my goal of making roots from a cutting, Happy days

Random shots, Check out the first set of leaves in the first pic... instead of having 3 leaves it only developed 2 on one side, hard to explain but hopefully you can see it in the pics..

Questions;
1) If root rot goes uncured will it spread to the other plants?
2) How long before I should start sexing the plants? These are bag seed and started to make sure I could make things work, seems to be going good, have I passed the critical stage of wondering if my water and skills are good enough to try bought seeds?
3) I'm new to this... how does it look? What would you consider doing different? If you think I should scrap the whole tote/DWC thing (or anything else) and go to dirt please don't hesitate to say so, I can take it
4) They look a lil wild and like their going to be tall plants, but I'm new, what do you think?

If you got this far thanks for looking and please don't hesitate to give your opinion. Peace & Happy Growing!

Preview is showing the pic of clone at the bottom of post not where I put it... It's the one w/yellowing...

1) dont know what you mean by uncured?
2) when you say sexing, do you mean force darkness for a few days or putting in 12/12 then back to veg once they show sex? i dont like those methods personally. i think just go to flower and then go from there. but if you want to sex like mentioned above, maybe another week, you dont want the roots to get tangled and possibly be a problem if you have to pull a male.
3) i think your first DWC is rockin!! maybe a few to many per tote, but that is what everyone else does at first so it is easy to be led into that at first. you mentioned ebb & flo. if you think you can build it, and you have the space, then go to that for flower. you could use your totes to veg for 2-3 weeks then have time to place in an ebb & flo flower room without root space issues.
4) they may just be stretching for the light. just lower the light down until you see adverse reactions.

how much space and what light do you have for flower? you may want to LST, you could get a tie or 2 into the netpots without problem until you transplant them to there flowering home. or top them if you choose.

 

[Legal Yooper]

1) dont know what you mean by uncured?
2) when you say sexing, do you mean force darkness for a few days or putting in 12/12 then back to veg once they show sex? i dont like those methods personally. i think just go to flower and then go from there. but if you want to sex like mentioned above, maybe another week, you dont want the roots to get tangled and possibly be a problem if you have to pull a male.
3) i think your first DWC is rockin!! maybe a few to many per tote, but that is what everyone else does at first so it is easy to be led into that at first. you mentioned ebb & flo. if you think you can build it, and you have the space, then go to that for flower. you could use your totes to veg for 2-3 weeks then have time to place in an ebb & flo flower room without root space issues.
4) they may just be stretching for the light. just lower the light down until you see adverse reactions.

how much space and what light do you have for flower? you may want to LST, you could get a tie or 2 into the netpots without problem until you transplant them to there flowering home. or top them if you choose.

Thanks again bro I appreciate your reply.
1) By "uncured" I'm asking what will happen to the other plants IF one has root rot and it is not fixed or remedied (either by destroying it or peroxide or any other means of curing the root rot)

2) You kinda answered my question, if I understand correctly it comes down to a personal choice of either vegging males and females together until time to reduce light and once they show their sex then removing males
OR
sending all to flower early watching closely and once sex is determined remove males and re veg remaining females risking the chance of hermis and adding stress to the plant...

If I got it straight I am going to pre flower early and remove males ASAP so I can get some good feminized seeds going and not have to worry so much about males. I can only grow so many plants legally and don't want to use space for males...

3) Thanks for the compliment, they really do seem to be doing well. Pretty much set on the DWC for this grow... Ebb and flow is a definite option in the future, wanna get the basics down first. My research has shown as many as 6 to mostly 4 plants per 20 gal. tote and they did nicely, the root entanglement never came up but I still need to do a lot more research. Thanks for the heads up.

4) I keep the light about an 1" above them... Light was only raised for maintenance and pic taking.. I totally agree, light as close as possible w/out adverse reactions..

My set up consists of a his and hers closet in my bedroom... each side measures approx. 5' long x 2' wide and 7' tall.. One side will be veg the other flower.

Initially I was going with a 400 hps for the flowering side but since have decided on a 600 hps w/cool tube... From my little past experience and everything I've read the more light the better...

The closet is on an outside wall and the attic entrance is also in one side of the closet making venting the cool tube easy... especially since I found a good size squirrel fan to move the air.. I have a wood shop w/dust collector in my garage that I'm using as a reference. I'm hoping this set up will exhaust both sides of the closet (veg/flower room) and the light... For me this is my biggest worry... ventilation...

Thanks for your input it is appreciated!