Starting with DWC - What do you need?

[CreX]

Hi Guys! 

I came to see what is in this thread and found zero topics!!

So here i am to drop what little DWC knowledge and tips that i have.

So first up, what is DWC? Deep water Culture is what you would expect, big bucket full of nutrient solution that your roots are submerged into.

How does it work? Basically the roots absorb nutrients from direct contact with the water, and they get oxygen from a pump and airstone in the water.

Pro's

• Super fast growth
• Need the fewest parts to get going compared to other hydro setups
• issues are relatively easy to sort out

Cons

• Needs daily checks to keep water within acceptable parameters
• if there is a loss in power to the air pumps, the roots suffocate very quickly and can cause poor yields. so 100% uptime is vital

What do i need? - This depends on your budget, but even on a budget you can get everything you need for under 500 bucks

• Bucket - minimum 10l, maximm is as big as you want. preferably black to prevent light leaks to the root zone.
• Air stone - get air stones that have a plastic housing which makes them last much longer, or the ball shaped ones.
• Air pump - get the biggest one you can afford. More air, more oxygen, healthier roots
• Air hose - i always buy way more than i need due to the low cost
• Net pots - Depending on how many holes you have in your DWC lid and a few extra
• Preferred nutrients -  liquid nutrients are the way to go. Get a good 3 part nutrient solution for best results

and thats it! thats the basic basics of DWC. please ask stuff if you want to know more.

I have 8 years growing experience, with 5 years DWC hydro experience.

 

[highchome]

Is humidity a problem with DWC and other hydro setups? I.e. you have bubbling water in your grow room, does that not hugely increase the humidity and mean you are more likely to get powdery mildew etc?

[CreX]

So the humidity will only increase dramatically if you have a res lid that isnt adequately sealed. Now im not saying you need an air tight seal.. but if you have 10 holes in your lid, and you only use 5. the other 5 holes must not be left open.

As for general humidity after that, the plants transpire through their leaves just like a soil grow.

So if you have a good air intake and exhaust, and good air movement, then PM shouldnt be an issue.

i have been doing hydro for about 5 years now, and this is my first season with PM.

My bloom room is pretty small, but i have 3x 160l buckets full of water. My RH doesnt go above 50% if its a clear day... and then if its overcast and rainy i can see the RH climb to 60%. but generally around 30-40% constant.

So to answer you. No, Growing hydro will not adversely affect your RH, but growing hydro poorly will affect your pest management badly ie. powdery mildew, root issues, slow growth.

[highchome]

@CreX a few more questions if you have the time

1. How often do you change the water?
2. What daily checks and adjustments do you do?
3. Are your three buckets connected or fully separated? 
4. Do you heat the water or is the ambient temp in the grow room enough to control this?

Thanks

Edited May 27, 2019 by highchome

[CreX]

5 hours ago, highchome said:

@CreX a few more questions if you have the time

1. How often do you change the water?
2. What daily checks and adjustments do you do?
3. Are your three buckets connected or fully separated? 
4. Do you heat the water or is the ambient temp in the grow room enough to control this?

Thanks

Ask away!

1) I let my water go for up to 3 weeks, many hydro growers will change their nutrients out every 2 weeks. But i find that nearing the 4 week mark the plants become noticeably unhappy. so for me, 3 weeks is good.

2)I do lots of checks on the plants, ie visual inspection of the plants, check air temp and RH, but DWC specific checks are PH and PPM. Ph can swing wildly in smaller buckets and needs to be checked daily! if the bucket is too small, you might need to check and adjust your Ph more than once per day.

3)all fully separated, each bucket has its own airstones and pumps. You could connect them to make a huuuge DWC, but maintenance will be a b****. Also my 3 buckets get different nute strengths depending on the phase the plant is in, which i wouldnt be able to do if the res were connected together

4)generally the ambient temp is enough to keep the DWC res in the 16-26 degree zone, so if your room temp control is up to scratch then you should be fine. I battle in winter with res temp and depending on where in SA you stay you might need to raise the water temp in winter. in summer its the opposite, so i run my lights at night and dark cycle during the day to keep my overall temps constant.

[Trailblazer420]

I'm not growing DWC at the moment, however, I used a normal fishtank heater in the res to keep water warm enough. Generally the PH challenges increase when you're running a little hot with nutrients. As a beginner, I suggest you keep your ppm around 700 for vegging. In the perfect setup it is possible to run around 1200ppm but much higher risk of PH challenges. I ran 3 x 150L bins, 10 plants each, water change every 2 weeks without fail. If you monitor your levels you can stretch it longer depending on res size and nr of plants. Aeration is also a big thing, make sure you have enough bubbles :)

If your extraction is good, you won't need to worry about humidity. Both my tents are always in somewhat of a 'vacuum state'. I rely on the extractor to pull in fresh air.

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[SneakyDave]

Hi Crex I'm running a Dwc with 20L water and EHG grow micro bloom nutes and in the 2nd week of flower. Iv been wondering about the flush tho, I have Ripen and Florakleen have you ever used them and was it worth it or just a waste of time?

[CreX]

7 hours ago, SneakyDave said:

Hi Crex I'm running a Dwc with 20L water and EHG grow micro bloom nutes and in the 2nd week of flower. Iv been wondering about the flush tho, I have Ripen and Florakleen have you ever used them and was it worth it or just a waste of time?

I'm my experience, you need to have the environmental conditions right to get the most out of your bud... And if you want to gain properly from boosters, you need to be on your game. 

Saying that, iv never tried either of them... I have interest in them though. 

So if you have your shit together, I would say go for it. 

The ripen is a late bloom enhancer and the florakleen does what it says lol. 

I get great results without them... But give it a go and let us know

[SneakyDave]

@CreX thanks bud, been reading mixed reviews of ripen on the net so I'm gonna try it for 4 to 7 days and not the recommended 10 to 14 days then florakleen flush for 2 days

[Meepmeepza]

Thanks for the info guys. I see a lot off ppl talking in American forums of organic liquid compost tea???.... what is your take in that???

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[CreX]

Brother... You are talking the the tea meister himself

Take a look under the organic grow section... There are lots of topics on teas. 

Also, I built a vortex brewer and opened a grow diary for it, check it out and let me know! 

Ps - do you have the parts for a DWC? And do you have enough info to get you started? 

 

[Ill_Evan]

22 hours ago, CreX said:

Brother... You are talking the the tea meister himself

Take a look under the organic grow section... There are lots of topics on teas. 

Also, I built a vortex brewer and opened a grow diary for it, check it out and let me know! 

Ps - do you have the parts for a DWC? And do you have enough info to get you started? 

 

Link him your tea thread bruh

@Meepmeepza :