DWC Newbie !! BIG Time. Need urgent Advice to Save Baby!

R

RX01

New Member
Hi All,

I have a few soil grows under my belt and after some homework I jumped on the DWC train and then the train de-railed.

I basically went to the hydro shop and was told I didn't need hydroton and was sold a 3' rockwall as a substitute. I made a mistake :sad: big one!

The seed sprouted in peat and was moved to rockwool and then to the dwc netpot which was 1' above res. However... the splashes from the res made the rw really wet and I BELIEVE I over-watered the seedling. (what do you THINK??)

The seedling is real droopy but the roots have doubled since yesturday. Currrently the airpump is on a timer and in the corner of the bucket( to reduce splash ).

Should I buy hydroton tomorrow and try to re-transplant the rockwool?? Im really in need of you advice and would be very greatfull!! kiss-ass

Pls Take a look at my pics

Res is now ph5.7 & 0.68 EC

Thanks in advance : )


before the move to netpot, was looking good.
new start.jpg


now three days in the system
i will make it.JPGmore roots.JPGmy home.JPGno hydroton.JPGpump on lowest setting.JPG
 
justanotherbozo

justanotherbozo

Well-Known Member
...first i'd recommend you scrap the DWC and try coco hempy buckets instead, the growth rates are similar to DWC but it's passive hydroponics meaning no pumps needed.

...if you MUST stick with DWC then you do indeed need to go back and get that hydroton and not to try replanting the seedling but just to dump into the net pots so you can bury the rockwool under the hydroton.

...btw, those 3 inch blocks are meant to be used in an ebb and flow or flood and drain system, not DWC, the rockwool you'd need for DWC would be the starter cubes and you'd only need them to start seeds, ...and you're already starting seeds in peat pucks so no need for rockwool.

...it looks like you're just starting out with this DWC thing and i can tell you from experience that there is a learning curve that often requires some heavy losses along the way to mastering the technique so be ready, ...it's fun as shit learning it but it will sometimes break your heart too.

...frankly i still say do yourself a favor and do some research on hempy buckets, they are WAY more forgiving than DWC and if you've already got a couple of soil grows under your belt then coco hempy's will feel very comfortable to you.

...here's a shot of a couple of White Rhino's i grew in 2liter Coke bottle hempy's under a 400CMH that weighed in at just under 2 zipz each so just under a quarter elbow in 4 liters of coco.



and a couple bud shots, just because, lol.





...the point is that hempy's are the shit, they get awesome results and they are so freekin' easy it almost feels like cheating, lol.

peace, bozo
 
LivingCanvas

LivingCanvas

Well-Known Member
The rockwool is FINE. I am currently using hydroton and Delta 10 4x4x4 RW blocks in my UC.
Your issue is OXYGEN. Pull the cube out, put a layer of hydroton UNDER it, and once the RW cube dries
out, the roots will be able to breathe again. RW when it gets soaked contains very little oxygen.

Also, may want to back that light off a little bit until it gets bigger. I know its a fluorescent but it still
may be a bit warm for a tiny seedling.
 
R

RX01

New Member
Hi Guys, thanks for all the great advice.


Today I bought some PlantIt Clay Pebbles and Superthrive. Today, before the re-transplant, I notice a significant increase in the amount of root under the rockwool. One or two even touching res perhaps(sry forgot to take picture, over exicted)


Having washed the pebbles thoroughly and balanced the ph for 5 hours in water I went on to re-transplant. I gave the rockwool a light squeeze while being gentle and went on to slowly peal away bits of unused rockwool. Carefully I took as much as i could without going too close to the rw centre. I poured pebbles into the netpot, filling it just shy of an inch. Gently placing the now deformed rw on top and filling in the gaps. Then, I carefully watered the pebbles only not the peat with ph balanced Volvic water which had a bit of Superthirve (to help with distress). Finally, the pump is now on 24/7 at half power, which splash trace amounts of water onto the bottom of netpot.


I regret not taking a pic of the root growth prior to re-transplant. There were around 10 new roots poking from the rockwool. I'm certain this re-transplant was essential for the plant. Probably tomorrow the roots would have hit the res, but I was really worried about another over-saturation disaster. But the roots should now find there way back down right????


Also.... the large leaf featured below feel a bit... crispy?!? to the touch while the top new ones feel normal. Just a thought : )


Thanks guys all advice is welcome.


Some pics

after re-transplant.jpgre-transplant netpot bottom.jpgre-transplant netpot side.jpgstable temps.jpg
 
R

RX01

New Member
justanotherbozo said:
...first i'd recommend you scrap the DWC and try coco hempy buckets instead, the growth rates are similar to DWC but it's passive hydroponics meaning no pumps needed.

...if you MUST stick with DWC then you do indeed need to go back and get that hydroton and not to try replanting the seedling but just to dump into the net pots so you can bury the rockwool under the hydroton.

...btw, those 3 inch blocks are meant to be used in an ebb and flow or flood and drain system, not DWC, the rockwool you'd need for DWC would be the starter cubes and you'd only need them to start seeds, ...and you're already starting seeds in peat pucks so no need for rockwool.

...it looks like you're just starting out with this DWC thing and i can tell you from experience that there is a learning curve that often requires some heavy losses along the way to mastering the technique so be ready, ...it's fun as shit learning it but it will sometimes break your heart too.

...frankly i still say do yourself a favor and do some research on hempy buckets, they are WAY more forgiving than DWC and if you've already got a couple of soil grows under your belt then coco hempy's will feel very comfortable to you.

...here's a shot of a couple of White Rhino's i grew in 2liter Coke bottle hempy's under a 400CMH that weighed in at just under 2 zipz each so just under a quarter elbow in 4 liters of coco.



and a couple bud shots, just because, lol.





...the point is that hempy's are the shit, they get awesome results and they are so freekin' easy it almost feels like cheating, lol.

peace, bozo
Click to expand...

Hi Pal, definitely a learning curve and when I saw the little girl shrivelled up! It did break my heart


What litre containers did you use for those to two beauties? are they autos? Im too into dwc at the moment but I can Greatly see the advantage to using coco. I guess curiosity may have killed the plant hehe : )
 
Roweniii

Roweniii

Well-Known Member
I've only grown in DWC and had great results. Maybe this is too late to be helpful but you need to germinate your seed and then add it to the rockwool. Then you basically "plant" the rockwool in the pebbles/hydroton. As you described, I'd put a good base of pebbles, then set the rockwool in with the seedling and then fill in around the rockwool. I make sure the top of the rockwool is just a half inch or so below the top edge of the pot. Once my sprouts show an inch or so of height and start to be a bit more "stout" I fill in the rockwool around them, too. (I'm always a little paranoid about their safety when they're babies) ONce their roots really take off they'll outgrow the rockwool and spread through the pebbles. This provides a great medium for the roots to get the oxygen they need as well as do what roots are supposed to do: ROOT :)

I've got one girl growing in a cabinet in a DWC 5 gallon bucket with airstone and water pump right now and I've basically intentionally neglected her to see how she'd do. I give her water every now and then and have given nutes only 4 times (she's a week from main harvest) and the few buds I've taken off her have blown me away. (she may not produce as much as she could have but what she IS producing is frickin' awesome!) Point being that cannabis is really quite resilient and as long as the basics are taken care of, everything else is cream cheese Coach!
 
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