Deep water culture - Easiest way to change water without hurting roots/ making a mess

Grampa

Grampa

Active Member
I started a DWC not long ago and its time to change the water again. What have you learned about changing water that makes it easier. How do you drain the water? Keep the roots safe? Do you just switch it out with a new bucket? to minimize root hang time? Maybe you just drain the water out of the buckets? Spill your secrets.

my DWC is done with 5 gallon buckets and net pot lids.
 
Hugo Phurst

Hugo Phurst

Well-Known Member
I have an extra 5 gal bucket.
I simply lift the plant out of it's bucket and sit it in the spare, then I clean and prep the original bucket.

If you're worried about your roots, you could partially fill the spare bucket with water and a treatment like "NoShock".

That's what I do each week for 5 buckets and 2 Totes.
 
Grampa

Grampa

Active Member
That is exactly what i have been doing. I have one extra bucket and clean one reservoir at a time, refill it and replace it with a used to be dirty bucket until they are all clean. Thanks for letting me know im on the right path. rep for you.

Any other tips are appreciated here.
 
Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
I use a $10 hydro pump feeding into a garden hose that reaches to my bathtub. I have too many buckets to actually switch them all. The pump is small and fits into the bucket without hurting the roots.
 
Grampa

Grampa

Active Member
Heisenberg said:
I use a $10 hydro pump feeding into a garden hose that reaches to my bathtub. I have too many buckets to actually switch them all. The pump is small and fits into the bucket without hurting the roots.
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so you dont change or clean the buckets when you replace the water? Thats how understanding this. Is it ok to do that for an 3 1/2 - 4 months?
 
BigBuddahCheese

BigBuddahCheese

New Member
I top off my buckets monitoring ppm, only change every 3 weeks in flower. Never in veg.

Nute companies and growers who follow like sheep are the only ones that change weekly, or they are overly anal.

Ya empty bucket is my way also, roots love the air for the time they are in the empty bucket so I never rush and take my time for the plant to breath and dry out a bit.
 
Grampa

Grampa

Active Member
BigBuddahCheese said:
I top off my buckets monitoring ppm, only change every 3 weeks in flower. Never in veg.

Nute companies and growers who follow like sheep are the only ones that change weekly, or they are overly anal.

Ya empty bucket is my way also, roots love the air for the time they are in the empty bucket so I never rush and take my time for the plant to breath and dry out a bit.
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Fantastic! I was hoping someone would post something like this! I didnt see the need to change so often.
 
Heisenberg

Heisenberg

Well-Known Member
Grampa said:
so you dont change or clean the buckets when you replace the water? Thats how understanding this. Is it ok to do that for an 3 1/2 - 4 months?
Click to expand...
Mine do not go into buckets until they move to the flower room. So the most my buckets go without cleaning is 2 months. I do not keep a sterile res, but rather populate it with beneficial microbes. I change my water every 14 days.

Once harvested my buckets get a 5 min scrub and rinse and often immediately go back into the flower room.
 
ThegrowerMOJO

ThegrowerMOJO

Well-Known Member
Heisenberg said:
Mine do not go into buckets until they move to the flower room. So the most my buckets go without cleaning is 2 months. I do not keep a sterile res, but rather populate it with beneficial microbes. I change my water every 14 days.

Once harvested my buckets get a 5 min scrub and rinse and often immediately go back into the flower room.
Click to expand...
i agree 100% also exposing your roots to air is not harm full but help full usually let my dry for about 5-10 minutes seems to help me with rot (i've never had it) also i use the same pump method and have got blasted many times on this forum over it.still the simple fact is it's the easiest way to do it.what little salt buildup that remains doesn't seem to affect anything.When i clone i use same dirty old scissors and just snip stick in gro-dan then to the dome,i don'''t remember the last time i lost a clone.so don't believe all the hype you hear about everything having to be sterile in growing .
 
Bigz2277

Bigz2277

Well-Known Member
Also found while rooting nutes can help speed the process up they are not 100% required. my last 5 clones were taken without the use of my clonex (i was out) and they poped roots a day or so later than used with clonex.
 
Grampa

Grampa

Active Member
awesome. I stopped using gel and powder too the exact same way. I was out and didnt remember to get any.
 
BigBuddahCheese

BigBuddahCheese

New Member
Ya I had clonex start to almost rot my stems, dunno but I stopped using it, before they could root they were like mush. I started using without it and roots in 7-10 days no questions, just KLN and bit of nutes in water.
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
Plumb them all together with electrical conduit PVC fittings and washers or o-rings instead of purchasing expensive bulkheads, and save a small or large fortune by building your own system that way. Enough to probably to go on a vacation, lol.

You can run lines + rig up floats to keep the water level of the system/res in check, with or without an RO system, and even add nutrient\PH dosing systems and even pumps to auto drain for almost full automation. Depends on how fancy you wanna get.

The amount you save by plumbing your own containers together instead of forking out for some alien RDWC type kit could practically buy all the highest tech gear you need to automate it.

Honestly though, I wouldn't set up too sophisticated of a system in a rental with a killer landlord that could pop in any moment!
 
M

MedicinalMyA$$

Well-Known Member
Grampa said:
I started a DWC not long ago and its time to change the water again. What have you learned about changing water that makes it easier. How do you drain the water? Keep the roots safe? Do you just switch it out with a new bucket? to minimize root hang time? Maybe you just drain the water out of the buckets? Spill your secrets.

my DWC is done with 5 gallon buckets and net pot lids.
Click to expand...
When running DWC I would use the 5 gallon buckets with handles, elevated off the ground, and a drainage hose underneath. The hose would be held upright by the bucket handle and if the hose was clear tubing it would double as a water level indicator.
 
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