First grow plans- dwc

KingBootz15

KingBootz15

New Member
:leaf:Alright guys take it easy on me I'm new! I recently purchased some Bubblegun beans from Spliff seeds. I plan on growing these in a DWC system which holds 4 plants. I planned on only using 2 plants in my dwc setup due to it only holding 4 gallons of water and spacing between baskets is minimal. The lights I will be using are a 400 watt mh during germ and veg, and a 400 watt hps during flower. Onto the actual schedule and guidelines though.

Humidity- 50%
Temperature of water in res- 65-70 degrees F
Temperature of enviroment- 75-80 degrees F
Ph of Water- 5.5-6
PPM- begin at 100 end around 1000
Nutes- Unsure what brand I wanna use but heard it should be 20-5-5 during veg and 5-20-20 during flower
Water level- (First two weeks)- even with Hydroton (Weeks 3^)- Inch below baskets
All of the above I will check daily

Germination - Dampen a paper towel and place the seed inside the paper towel. Fold the paper towel onto the seeds and place on a plate. Cover with bowl and place in a dark warm area (80*F) and let sit for 2-3 days. Fill rockwell cubes with water and gently shake some of the water out. Place seed root down in to rockwell cube and place cube under light. Check moisture of cube periodically to make sure the seed is properly hydrated. When roots begin to show through the cube I should then place cube into DWC Setup.

Week 1-(VEG) 24 hours of 400 watt MH. Adding no nutes and keeping ppm around 100 (tap water). During week one I should check moisture of rockwell cube to insure it is staying moist from dwc. I am under the impression that during the first week or so the water level in the dwc should be level with the bottom layer of hydroton. Change water, checking daily to make sure they have the correct amount.

Week 2- (VEG) 24 hours of 400 watt MH. Adding minimal nutes to gradually increase ppm to 200(by end of week 2). During week two I should be checking to insure my roots are healthy and continue to keep the water level at the level of hydroton.

Week 3- (Veg) 18/6 hours of 400 watt MH. Adding some nutes to gradually increase ppm to 300.

Week 4-10-(Flowering) 12/12 with 400 watt hps. Adding some nutes to gradually increase ppm 100 per week. As said above I plan on checking my plants health daily as well as the humidity, ph levels, temperatures and ppm.

Drying - Begin by using one branch at a time and never let bud lay on flat surface for prolonged periods of time. Clip off all fan leaves and dispose of them, leaving a small stem, clip the buds and hang for a week or so.

Curing - Place buds in jars, wait a week and check the moisture of the buds. If wet take buds out and let dry a little longer, if damp leave lid open and seal at end of day.

As said in the beginning, Take it easy im new, but I think Ive done my research. Any/all helpful suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you think Im missing something or if I was misinformed on any of the steps. What do ya think, am I ready to grow?

P.S. I plan on growing in the crawl space beneath my house. Its temperature is usually around 60 degrees, do you think the lights will heat the area up enough, its about 25 ft wide by 15 foot long. I am also concerned about the amount of space in my crawlspace (about 4 ft of plant room). I can dig in my crawlspace about 5 ft, and I planned on placing res about 3/4 deep in dirt to keep water levels cool. What are some tips to keep my plant short? I know about the scrog method, is it simply putting chicken wire around the height you want it to stay? I know I missed so much shit so please inform me experts! THANKS:leaf:

Also- Plants are for personal use only and max yield is something I obviously as a first time grower am not expecting.
 
m420p

m420p

Well-Known Member
KingBootz15 said:
:leaf:Alright guys take it easy on me I'm new! I recently purchased some Bubblegun beans from Spliff seeds. I plan on growing these in a DWC system which holds 4 plants. I planned on only using 2 plants in my dwc setup due to it only holding 4 gallons of water and spacing between baskets is minimal. The lights I will be using are a 400 watt mh during germ and veg, and a 400 watt hps during flower. Onto the actual schedule and guidelines though.

Humidity- 50%
Temperature of water in res- 65-70 degrees F
Temperature of enviroment- 75-80 degrees F
Ph of Water- 5.5-6
PPM- begin at 100 end around 1000
Nutes- Unsure what brand I wanna use but heard it should be 20-5-5 during veg and 5-20-20 during flower
Water level- (First two weeks)- even with Hydroton (Weeks 3^)- Inch below baskets
All of the above I will check daily

Germination - Dampen a paper towel and place the seed inside the paper towel. Fold the paper towel onto the seeds and place on a plate. Cover with bowl and place in a dark warm area (80*F) and let sit for 2-3 days. Fill rockwell cubes with water and gently shake some of the water out. Place seed root down in to rockwell cube and place cube under light. Check moisture of cube periodically to make sure the seed is properly hydrated. When roots begin to show through the cube I should then place cube into DWC Setup.

Week 1-(VEG) 24 hours of 400 watt MH. Adding no nutes and keeping ppm around 100 (tap water). During week one I should check moisture of rockwell cube to insure it is staying moist from dwc. I am under the impression that during the first week or so the water level in the dwc should be level with the bottom layer of hydroton. Change water, checking daily to make sure they have the correct amount.

Week 2- (VEG) 24 hours of 400 watt MH. Adding minimal nutes to gradually increase ppm to 200(by end of week 2). During week two I should be checking to insure my roots are healthy and continue to keep the water level at the level of hydroton.

Week 3- (Veg) 18/6 hours of 400 watt MH. Adding some nutes to gradually increase ppm to 300.

Week 4-10-(Flowering) 12/12 with 400 watt hps. Adding some nutes to gradually increase ppm 100 per week. As said above I plan on checking my plants health daily as well as the humidity, ph levels, temperatures and ppm.

Drying - Begin by using one branch at a time and never let bud lay on flat surface for prolonged periods of time. Clip off all fan leaves and dispose of them, leaving a small stem, clip the buds and hang for a week or so.

Curing - Place buds in jars, wait a week and check the moisture of the buds. If wet take buds out and let dry a little longer, if damp leave lid open and seal at end of day.

As said in the beginning, Take it easy im new, but I think Ive done my research. Any/all helpful suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you think Im missing something or if I was misinformed on any of the steps. What do ya think, am I ready to grow?

P.S. I plan on growing in the crawl space beneath my house. Its temperature is usually around 60 degrees, do you think the lights will heat the area up enough, its about 25 ft wide by 15 foot long. I am also concerned about the amount of space in my crawlspace (about 4 ft of plant room). I can dig in my crawlspace about 5 ft, and I planned on placing res about 3/4 deep in dirt to keep water levels cool. What are some tips to keep my plant short? I know about the scrog method, is it simply putting chicken wire around the height you want it to stay? I know I missed so much shit so please inform me experts! THANKS:leaf:

Also- Plants are for personal use only and max yield is something I obviously as a first time grower am not expecting.
Click to expand...
Big thing I didn't catch is what is your water source, RO, tap, well water, distilled, rain?

Biggest tip for keeping your plants lower is LST and SCROG. I wouldn't use chicken wire, you want bigger spaces no smaller than 3in x 3in imo.

Looks like a good start but you can never do enough research. Definitely should figure out your nutes. I'd suggest dynagro.

As for the height issue, I had to deal with about the same height in my attic but with a 1000 hps and without a scrog, I was playing hell keeping them from getting burnt. I'm sure if you do a scrog you'll be fine with your 400. As they reach for the light, you can just pull them down however far you want through the screen.
 
KingBootz15

KingBootz15

New Member
Thx for the reply mp, I guess I planned on using distilled water at first and then probably switching to tap water. Guess I haven't really researched whats best, any suggestions? I understand when changing the water levels and adjusting the ph or adding nutes you should remove plants from dwc and never expose roots to light. On a partial side note, being that I plan on growing in my crawl space, there is usually some excess water down there (reason I have a sub pump). Would it be a bad idea to get the water from the sub pump, it would essentially be rain water. An idea I just had would be since the humidity might be relatively high down there I might need to run a dehumidifier. I could use the dehumidifier as a water source couldn't I? I would assume this water would be fairly pure.
 
m420p

m420p

Well-Known Member
Well I just wrote out a paragraph and it got deleted so here's the short story:
Your water source is a very important part of hydro. If your tap is from the city, you'll need to let it sit out for a day or two for the chlorine to evaporate. Also check the ppm of that water. You may need to add some cal/mag to it if it is low. If you use distilled, like I do, or RO, you definitely need cal/mag to restore the base minerals like cal, mag, iron, etc. at the right ratios. I'm sure the water from your dehumidifier would be clean but you would still need to add some cal/mag to that as well. As for that excess water in your crawl space, I wouldn't even think about it. Your water should be clean and crystal clear. Rain water is ideal taken off metal roofs with a gutter system that leads to 50 gal. barrels with filters.
 
W

wcrazy78

Member
I have a 400 watt that 400 mh or hps is like the sun in a small space it will light up your underside of the house like it's a UFO ready for lift off...lol I started the same set-up as you the 4 shot I now have a lid that is 1 holer, she be a drinker and bigger than expected so be prepared to work on the fly. My Pineapple Express is two weeks into flower drinking 2 gallons+ week. I love Botanicare pro grow and bloom nutes very good stuff...your res temps seem ok be sure to use aquashield if you want to evade the root slime. Also be pro active in keeping mites and pests away it will happen if you don't try tro think ahead. Go ask your grow shop what they have in terms of pre-pest treatment (Power Wash, azarol(sp)). Good luck with your grow! I might be concerned with light leaks at night...your crawl space must have ventilation somewhere and being outside you will have pests. Like I said be ready to be dynamic. Also watch your PH regularly as plants use water and certain nutes it will bounce a little.
 
KingBootz15

KingBootz15

New Member
Guys, I want to first say I highly appreciate the speed and effort you have put in! First at MP, I live in the suburbs of Cincinnati and the tap water runs at 100 ppm even, Im assuming I should still let the chlorine evap? Also when should I begin to add cal/mag, I wasn't thinking of adding any nutes until end of week 1 or 2.

Crazy, really glad someone on here has used a similar setup! At least I know its been tried before, ha. My crawlspace is pretty sealed up and is definitely light proof as I have tested it before I tried to grow.. Thank god because as you said it was leaky as hell at first. The pest control is huge though, didn't really think I would have to deal with any pest for some reason ha. Going to the hydroponics store tomorrow to check out what they got.

My new idea of a water source is having a dual res setup. My thoughts were having one res for my plants and another res attached to it so I could test the ph, temps..etc Ideally the two would be connect with a valve setup so when I have the water in the non plant res prepared I could flow it into my plant res(draining the remaining water in the plant res). This would make it so I didn't have to expose the roots to as much light and also so I don't have to keep taking the lid off to check the ph, ppm, etc. I pictured it somewhat as a lighter works, two res. in equilibrium with one another, I could check the water levels and such without having to tamper or stress the plants. Haven't really looked around that much to see if anyone has tried it (gonna do that now). Anyone ever heard of something like this or have any ideas/problems that might need to be addressed?
 
KingBootz15

KingBootz15

New Member
Forgot to add the fact that I work for a gas company and can get CO2 cheap as shit ( about 50 cents for 300 cubic ft). Would it be a bad idea to use this as my bubbler in my res, does CO2 do any good to the roots or would it be better to pump the environment Any ideas of what levels of CO2 are best for plants, or if this is something I should just avoid in general. Also I can get damn near any gas for cheap, would it be better to use something else as a bubbler or environment additive? Can't thank you guys enough, cant wait to start this thing up in the next week or so. You'll have to keep in touch to see how she goes!
 
m420p

m420p

Well-Known Member
KingBootz15 said:
Forgot to add the fact that I work for a gas company and can get CO2 cheap as shit ( about 50 cents for 300 cubic ft). Would it be a bad idea to use this as my bubbler in my res, does CO2 do any good to the roots or would it be better to pump the environment Any ideas of what levels of CO2 are best for plants, or if this is something I should just avoid in general. Also I can get damn near any gas for cheap, would it be better to use something else as a bubbler or environment additive? Can't thank you guys enough, cant wait to start this thing up in the next week or so. You'll have to keep in touch to see how she goes!
Click to expand...
No, don't do that. Roots need oxygen, leaves need CO2, for the most part, not saying either one doesn't use the other but you get what I mean. If you get CO2 cheap I would look into sealing a little room down there, buying a tank, regulator, and timer and running some CO2. Is a investment but if you have the money you could be growing monster buds if you know what your doing.
 
m420p

m420p

Well-Known Member
KingBootz15 said:
Guys, I want to first say I highly appreciate the speed and effort you have put in! First at MP, I live in the suburbs of Cincinnati and the tap water runs at 100 ppm even, Im assuming I should still let the chlorine evap? Also when should I begin to add cal/mag, I wasn't thinking of adding any nutes until end of week 1 or 2.

Crazy, really glad someone on here has used a similar setup! At least I know its been tried before, ha. My crawlspace is pretty sealed up and is definitely light proof as I have tested it before I tried to grow.. Thank god because as you said it was leaky as hell at first. The pest control is huge though, didn't really think I would have to deal with any pest for some reason ha. Going to the hydroponics store tomorrow to check out what they got.

My new idea of a water source is having a dual res setup. My thoughts were having one res for my plants and another res attached to it so I could test the ph, temps..etc Ideally the two would be connect with a valve setup so when I have the water in the non plant res prepared I could flow it into my plant res(draining the remaining water in the plant res). This would make it so I didn't have to expose the roots to as much light and also so I don't have to keep taking the lid off to check the ph, ppm, etc. I pictured it somewhat as a lighter works, two res. in equilibrium with one another, I could check the water levels and such without having to tamper or stress the plants. Haven't really looked around that much to see if anyone has tried it (gonna do that now). Anyone ever heard of something like this or have any ideas/problems that might need to be addressed?
Click to expand...
For sprouts I run my water to about 200 ppm with cal/mag. So if your water is at 100 ppm, add cal/mag until it hits the 200 ppm or whatever amount you want. Once I start adding nutes and they get bigger, I bump my water and cal/mag up to 250-300 ppm and possibly more in bloom.

Hope you can keep the humidity down down there if it's that wet. Ideally you want it 45-60 %. I'd watch for mold once you get buds on them.
 
KingBootz15

KingBootz15

New Member
Definitely gonna be checking the humidity every day, hoping my ventilation system and a dehumidifier can do the trick. Being that you said the roots need oxygen, how does it sound having pure oxygen as a bubbler? The CO2 setup is something I already have, modded it to work with my soda stream lol. Gonna move it down in the crawl sometime soon.Gotta check up on the levels of CO2 I should be pumping in, not sure if there's any way of actually measuring the amount of CO2 in the air though. EDIT: Just checked up on the CO2 levels, im under the impression that 10000 ppm or lower of CO2 will cause no ill effects on the plant (although max uptake is around 2000 ppm). Also read that feeding the plants CO2 during lighting periods can cause plants to double or triple in size (pretty pumped to hear that being that I get the shit for free basically).
 
m420p

m420p

Well-Known Member
KingBootz15 said:
Definitely gonna be checking the humidity every day, hoping my ventilation system and a dehumidifier can do the trick. Being that you said the roots need oxygen, how does it sound having pure oxygen as a bubbler? The CO2 setup is something I already have, modded it to work with my soda stream lol. Gonna move it down in the crawl sometime soon.Gotta check up on the levels of CO2 I should be pumping in, not sure if there's any way of actually measuring the amount of CO2 in the air though.
Click to expand...
No, you don't want to run "pure" oxygen to the roots. You can supply them with too much, just like you can do with the CO2. Don't try and go overboard with ideas, your environment and making sure your nutrient solution is straight should be your top priorities. Then add extras but don't go overboard.
 
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