First RDWC grow and build *pics

To start off I have had a few successful crops using soil and coco, but I decided to delve into the hydro realm this year. So I was gifted a hydro farm set complete with reservoir. It worked well in veg but was limiting. Thus began my endless hours upgrading my current system. I first added air stones to each bucket as well as the top and bottom of the res. After this I wanted the water to move around a bit because I was starting to get a little root rot. So i plumbed it up with 1 1/2in pipe with diy bulkhead connectors and added a pump to cause a current and recirculation.

This is what I ended up with


For the root rot I first treated with 35% H2O2 then added house and garden multi zen with the next res change. I am in week 2 of bloom and just started to switch to bloom ferts. I use general hydro 3 part (Only use micro and bloom) with liquid and dry koolbloom cal mag protekt and the enzyme.

The strains are 6 x purple arrows (Indica dom)
1 x ace of spades ( really bushy so thinking bcs pheno)
1 x cheesquake

Again this is my first attempt at hydroponics aside from diy aero cloners, so any input is appreciated.

what did you use for your diy bulkheads?

guerrilla medic said:

what did you use for your diy bulkheads?

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i used 1 1/2 in conduit male and female adapters(.77cents ea) and 2in rubber I rings from parts store.

What are some opinions on floralicius plus?

I would think part of the root problem is the white buckets, light gets right through those. It's best to cover or paint them.

Good looking set up, Going from soil to this you will be amazed how fast they grow. I would put a screen over them and do scrog..Keep water temps down and dont get happy with nutes and you should have smooth sailing.

I like the conduit connections..I use some 2 inch bulkheads made for tanks. There like 5 bucks a piece but they are 100% leak proof.

superstoner1 said:

I would think part of the root problem is the white buckets, light gets right through those. It's best to cover or paint them.

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The Buckets are tan in color as they are hydro farms. Think the root problem was from stagnant water. That is why I added air stones and re-circulation.

savana said:

Good looking set up, Going from soil to this you will be amazed how fast they grow. I would put a screen over them and do scrog..Keep water temps down and dont get happy with nutes and you should have smooth sailing.

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I know. I am only two weeks into bloom and I already have buds the size of marbles. Not to mention they grow in size incredibly fast. I am liking hydro a lot more because of the control you have over the environment and root zone. Next time I will be adding more holes in the inner buckets for better drainage.

Any suggestions on sweeteners or nutrients in general?

i have experimented with all kinds of different boosters and enhancers in the past(including floralicious plus) and i get the best weight using a custom regimen of gh micro and bloom. i usually never get higher than 1.4 ec during peak bloom(weeks 3-6).

guerrilla medic said:

i have experimented with all kinds of different boosters and enhancers in the past(including floralicious plus) and i get the best weight using a custom regimen of gh micro and bloom. i usually never get higher than 1.4 ec during peak bloom(weeks 3-6).

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What is this secret recipe? 1 to 1?

lol 1 to 1 works, but my best results have come with 4:3 micro to bloom until 2wks into flower then 4:3 bloom to micro. sometimes i go full lucas during peak flower for a week or two depending on the strain and how the plants are looking. i fiddled around adding dutchmaster silica to this regimen a couple runs and hygrozyme for some others but never really see an increase in gpw over just using micro and bloom.

That is about what I use. I use 2:1 micro to bloom in veg and opposite for week 3 on of flower. I have found that using both liquid and dry koolbloom helps with my yield. Guerrilla Medic, do you use any cal mag? I am having a little yellowing that seems like a mag deficiency even though I am supplementing with botanicare calmag. My ph is solid so I don't believe it is a lockout. Again this is my first hydro grow.

i generally dont use any extra mg but i have experimented with epsom salt at times. are you using ro water? years ago when i was using ro water i used to have to add calmag plus but once i went to tap i didnt need it. how much kool bloom and when are you using it? back when i first started dwc i was running lucas and adding floralicious plus and liquid koolbloom in flower and i remember hitting .83 gpw. however, i have hit right around .83 a couple times in the last year without anything but micro and bloom.

No just running tap. My tap out of the faucet is less than 70ppm. When I add koolbloom I only add about 2.5ml per gallon because I am only on week 2 of flowering. I think I am going to with the lucas formula and add the koolbloom.