Water Farm/DWC club [Archive] - Green Grass Forums

xcrispi

11-22-2006, 03:28 PM

hey bluebear -n- weedhound ,
good call for a thread of this type . esp. after all my questions to you guys and all the other w/f questions that all poped up at once here latley .

i'm using a w/f 8 pack w/ a homemade controller to recirculate the nutes so the ppm / ph stays consistant in all the farms . i'm using gen. hydro 3 part nutes 321 / 123 recipe w/ a tsp. of cal-mag added per gallon of nutes , i also just went out n got a 1 1/2 lb. container of koolbloom too for the last 4 weeks of flowering .

i'm using hydroton as my grow medium , and transplanted my babies into the system once 2in. rockwool cubes had lotsa roots poping out of em . i'm doing 4 d/p fem. blueberry , -n- 4 can. seeds fem. outdoor mix= cottoncandy/nycd x sage .

i now run the g/h supplied pump for driprings for 15min. on , 15min. off while lights are on . while lights off i run for 15min. on , 45 min. off .

2-1000w. hps. in cooltubes w/ 2 hurricane fans 1 pushing 1 pulling thru tubes . 4 farms under each light . i'm just started week 2 of flowering , all 8 have been topped n have just blown up huge w/ new growth n soon to be budsites everywhere . the indoor mix seems much more forgiving w/ nutes -n- light than the blueberry

this is my first grow w/ the farms . in past i made 5 gal. bubble bukts w/ a dripper in each run off a lil via aqua pumps in ea. bucket . quickly became a pita filling buckets everyday once flowering and they were using 1 gal. to 1 1/2 gallons a day -n- no res. and roots eventually plugging up the pumps . i had 6 buckets , worst buckets yield was 5-6 oz. -n- best was 15 oz. this took about 6 mos. start to finish . i bought thew/f system to try to eliminate these problems .

thanx for all help -n- input guy -n- gals .
xcrispi

BlueBear

11-22-2006, 04:53 PM

Wow the thread came alive over night. Well, for KD a typical bubbler/DWC is generally self contained in one bucket or a rubbermade tub with multiple net net pots growing multiple plants, if you want to connect other buckets to a main reservoir where you can mix you're nutes and check PH and refill water and so on than this called a recirculating DWC. The Water farms can be an individual unit consisting of one bucket or can come in an 8 pack with a controller and main reservoir whir you add nutes and water so it can be distributed to all of the buckets. But once the water/nutes leaves the controller in the Water Farm 8 pack to go to the buckets it does not recerculate back to the controler so it is not a real recerculating type system, but can be modified to be one.
Weed Hound I think it was you who asked about mediums, around here in my state people use lava rockes the red kind, but it needs a peroxide bath before using, know the measurements of water ratio if anyone is interested. Transplanting, well some people when transferring in any hydro system with net pots will sometimes start off in small net pots with their grow medium and as they transplant will just take the whole net pot and place it in a bigger one and have no problems.
Xcrispi sounds like you had a pretty good run in your old set up, hope that this run is comparable. As for your water temp problems I see a couple possibilities, 1. If you did modify your system to a recerculating system, can't remember if that was you, use an aquarium heater in the main controller. 2. With 8 packs, you could get 8 heating pads to put under each bucket, I know it sounds like a pain and probably would be, not too mention raise your electric bill some, but it is just a suggestion.
Well Adieu

xcrispi

11-22-2006, 05:06 PM

yep bluebear that was me , :)
water temps are 60deg at the coldest when lights out but , there's no snow on the ground here yet and will prob affect it greatly . first i'll try a res heater , don't wanna mess w/ 8 sep. heating pads as i'm tryin to avoid all the clutter in the room so there's no issues w/ me funkin anything up in there w/ the wheelchair .
do you have any past experience w/ kool bloom ? :confused:
they claim a 1/4 tsp. per gallon -n- the numbers are sooooooo high on the powdered stuff . i don't wanna burn em up . maybe an 1/8 th tsp. per gallon ?
peace
xcrispi :thumbsup:

BlueBear

11-22-2006, 05:35 PM

Hey Xcrispi, the Cool bloom is a bit strong and I would go with the 1/8 to start or approx 1g to 1.5 gram if you have a digetal scale and you may want to cutt back a bit on your main bloom in the process.
Hope that helps and I also have to keep the clutter down in my room because of disability, but it still turns into a jungle at times.
Adieu

BlueBear

11-22-2006, 05:39 PM

Also Xcrispi you will prob notice a increase in smell after the first couple of days with your strains after you use the CB so be ready.
Adieu

kdspecial

11-22-2006, 05:52 PM

thanks for clearing that up for me Blue bear ...

much appreciated...

kd

xcrispi

11-22-2006, 05:56 PM

cool bluebear , thx for the heads up on the stink ,
i found that the blueberry is already funkin up the house w/o even any flowers yet . we have a 3rd. hurricane fan and a good 6in. carbon filter on hand .
peace

BlueBear

11-22-2006, 05:59 PM

What do you think about your hurricane fans?
Adieu

BlueBear

11-22-2006, 06:01 PM

Oh Yeh KD not a problem and HK keep us updated on your grow. You said that you use a 1K in veg and a 1K in flower, why not use a 600W in veg and both 2K's in flower, just wondering?
Adieu

xcrispi

11-22-2006, 06:32 PM

hurricane / vortex fans are the only inteligent option out there
given they're 5 -n- 10 year warranty . i live on ssd. soc. sec. disability so moneys kinda tight , when i do go and spend a lil , i can't afford to buy junk .
i spent 2 yrs. reading up on overgrow before it was axed and there was soooo much good info i never even had to sign up or establish a user name . i knew the info i was looking for and i tried to learn from all the other folks mistakes because some of them can be incredibly costly . like buying junk equipment .
peace
your cuz
xcrispi

BlueBear

11-22-2006, 07:49 PM

Same with the SSI and so on and same with me on the intense studying. Seem to have some things in common, and I also think the same about the fans as you probably noticed in my post earlyer about fan salection.
Your Cuz Blue

Weedhound

11-22-2006, 08:33 PM

Wah! I tried to do a quote thingy but couldn't figure out how! Lava rocks...like the kind for a barbecue thing? Bear I am so dumb I need to ask you to be more specific in transplanting.....what do you do with all the roots hanging down from the net pot when placing it into a larger pot--beside not fucking them up? (Small) inquiring minds need to know....

PS X I tried some blueberries too and found the same problem as you...not as forgiving to mistakes as others. I have one russian-X bagseed group of seeds that are just monsterously easy to grow...couldn't kill them with a baseball bat....great buzz.

MisterE

11-22-2006, 08:58 PM

Hi I'm new to the board, but I've read it for a month or two now after I decided to grow myself a little something. I grew for myself back in the 80's, but not hydro until now.

I decided to make a recirculating DWC setup with the res. being a 20 gallon tub and the grow tub being a 10 gallon. Both started out dark, then I wrapped them 100% in good duct tape rated to block sunlight and UV rays. The res and growtub are connected about a half inch from the floor to each other using 1/2" black tube (with a quick disconnect in the middle to make cleanings easier).

I have the heavy duty GH airpump with 2 stones in the growtub and 1 in the res. Bubbles galore.

I am using tap water for now since I have no RO system yet. I have a continuous meter for TDS and PH monitoring (my water comes out between 250-300 PPM and PH almost 8!). The system only needs about 10 gallons when theres no roots showing, and now with the taproot in the water, about 8 gallons seems decent.

I also have a waterpump in the res with a tap off the 1/2" tube to 1/4" which instead of dripping, I decided to route into the growtub, "t" it, and run two short lengths of drip tube in a "waterfall" fashion. I can adjust the flow with a valve, so I keep it trickling nicely. This way, the system recirculates when I run the waterpump.

I germed 2 NLX seed in papertowels, then put them into rapid rooters until the taproot was an inch out of the bottom, then put the rapid rooters into 5.5" netpots with hydroton. I cover the top of the netpots with plastic plates with a slot and hole cut for the stem. Trying to block any and all light penetration.

The first week I had the system running and after PH Downing the water to a stable 5.8, I noticed after 2 days some white foam forming, and a stink as if you left a wet towel sitting for 2 days. I figured it was some algea trying to take hold because my PH was trying to slowly rise as well. Since I wasn't using any nutes at all yet for the seedlings, I got some H2O2 and kept adding it until the foaming was mostly gone, a little more each few hours until I had a nice clean smelling water again and the PH was stable again.

When my nutes arrived the other day (GH 3 part with Hardwater Micro), I drained, disassembled, washed with plenty of H2O2 and refilled with 8 gallons of water I'd been boiling and letting sit all week long, waiting for the big day lol.

My PPM and PH were as before, around 250 PPM and PH of 8. Since I've read that GH hardwater micro tends to PH down over the first 24 hours, I let it go overnight, but there was no PH down effect from it (I only used the amount for seedlings, which in my case was only 2 teaspoons total of each of 3 parts for 8 gallons).

I also noticed this morning (the res change was yesterday) the funky smell starting to form again already.. so I dosed in some more H2O2 which I was hoping I wouldnt need to. I've had to PH Down the heck out of it too, to get it down to 5.8. I was wondering if thats normal? I think I'm doing things right, I think you can see I did my homework. Do I now simply have to keep checking the res and adding H2O2 until it's nice and clean smelling again? What is a normal amount for 8 gallons to make sure everything is dead besides my plants, and is it possible this funk survived in my water even though I'd boiled and stored it all week until I had my 8 1 gallon jugs filled? Seems unlikely to me! Yet here I am asking anyway.

I was hoping to keep it all chemical except a drop or two of superthrive now and then. (I figured 24 hours or so after the H2O2 was applied, it would be plain water again and the superthrive would live). I'm not after anything amazing, just acceptable and healthy and hopefully fast growing.

Sorry for the long post and thanks for any input. :pimp:

ps: Oh duh, I'm only using an old 4 foot shoplight with cool white bulbs for now until I get a 600watt HPS with hortilux.

xcrispi

11-22-2006, 09:02 PM

hey weedhound ,
what russian strain ? do you know ? i'm lookin for something that feminised that'll put up w/ some crap . i might start lookin for fem. russian strains . w/ such a small plant count n length of veg. time i can't waste any time w/ males showin up . and until i get the waterfarm thing perfected i'm not looking to try cloning anything ?
i have another thread on here in seeds n strains looking for good resilliant fem. strains now .
thanx
-n-
peace

Weedhound

11-22-2006, 09:17 PM

Sorry X I mistated the russian-X--they are a russian thing (on the bag it said blue russian) but not feminised...Don't know what they are mixed with but I always throw a couple in the mix because you know they're going to grow and not give you any bs like the weenie types.....have looked at alot of photos and they are probably closet to some early girl or something indica-ish....I will take a photo and post it but it's pretty generic looking. It definitely doesn't come out with that lovely white frost like the white russian...am hoping to try breeding some soon so I don't run out....if it works I'll send you some if you like.....

Weedhound

11-22-2006, 09:38 PM

MisterE

11-22-2006, 10:07 PM

E if you are using tapwater you may well be fighting your ph level constantly (and uselessly) How are your plants growing in general? The problem with tap or well water is that you really don't know what's in it....yes you can say 250 ppms, but 250ppms of what? Coal dust? (j/k) Sounds as though RO water is in your future plan...you have obviously studied...IMO RO water is more important than it seems and I found out the hard way for sure. I have heard that having to use large amounts of ph up/down can cause its own problems with EC or something like that and too much H202 can be harmful as well. How much is too much? Well that's where the people who know things come in.....and it ain't me.

Yep I hear what you're saying about whats in the water. No clue, lol. I tell you this, whatever it is it's hard. It'll rust up a toilet bowl super fast, and theres so much limescale that I need to CLR my showerhead like 4 times a year. So yes, a countertop RO filter is in my future, but I'd like to get through this test-grow without it. The PH has stabilized for now after dosing it with H2O2 this morning, and some PH down. My total PPM is 450 right now, so it *should* not be too much acid I dont think.. Once the algea or whatever it is dies, it actually behaves really well. Getting to that point is the battle. I'm hoping I just missed a spot during cleaning.

I'll need to keep a much closer track of exactly how much I add in next res change for sure.

Well the plants started off slow, and put on more stem growth than I would have thought under so much blue spectrum light, but really I put them in the netpots too soon based on what I've read. They're doing better now, with nice healthy looking new green growth. This week should be the real test to see how they put out with some very small feeding. Because again, who knows whats in the water alone.

HK Slyone

11-23-2006, 03:57 AM

Oh Yeh KD not a problem and HK keep us updated on your grow. You said that you use a 1K in veg and a 1K in flower, why not use a 600W in veg and both 2K's in flower, just wondering?
Adieu

Sorry I did not make my self clear I have two flower rooms both with 1000W each so while one is on during the day the other is on at night so if I have two! Instead of every two months I have a harvest it can be every month!

The room is going to be set up this friday I have just cropped my outdoor plants.

I have the mother for the outdoor and I m starting Big bud or White widow dont know cos it got mixed up! The BB or WW is for the new indoor that I m setting up!

Once the room is set I will post pics!

HK Slyone

11-23-2006, 04:06 AM

Sorry forgot to say for veg I was planning to use 4ft Floros to get them rooted and then straight to 12/12.

My mothers will be under 1-2 400Hps depending how the look and how big they get!

Weedhound

11-23-2006, 04:07 AM

X here are some photos of my russian thing. Look familiar to anyone? Very easy grow. (Sorry about the lighting--only light in there)

PS Does tend to want to stretch and does great with topping....

xcrispi

11-23-2006, 04:11 AM

hey mister e ,
r/o water might be the ticket , but if you do get a r/o filter be sure to get some cal-mag . r/o filters will strip just about everything outa the water n you will end up w/ calcium n magnesium defencies .
hey bluebear , yes , lots in lots in common man, we need to kick it on im or in chat on here man . might learn lots from each other .
peace folks
happy turkey day
your cuz
xcrispi

BlueBear

11-23-2006, 04:50 AM

I think that you should try to replace the tap water with RO or distilled water. If that takes the smell away then you need to get some Cal Mag to replace any micro nutriants that were lost in the RO process. Are there any other nutes that you are using???
WeedHound, with the roots that are hanging out of the net pot that you want to sit into the new larger net pot you can try to kind of angle the roots into the new pots holes or you can drill some 1 1/2 inch holes in the new pots to sit the roots down threw or just make 1 2 1/2 inch hole right in the middle of the new pots for the thicker roots and drape the other smaller roots into the side slits. Hope that helps.
Adieu

MisterE

11-23-2006, 05:12 AM

No, no other nutes at all. Just plain water until 2 days ago, then very weak 3 part. I'm basically commited to it, but I'd like to spread out my expenses. Starting from zero is a pretty steep expense in total. Decent lighting and RO system is next, and that'll be around $500 or so total. I was hoping to get by using my standard water with the hardwater micro. Maybe when the plants get bigger and I use more of it, it'll help with the PH as it's been reported to by many sources.
I do plan to get a supply of calmag once I do get clean water though, definitely.
I'll monitor things very close until next weeks' res change before deciding to spend the extra sooner rather than later. I know it's worth it.

Weedhound

11-23-2006, 06:59 AM

Sure did! Thanks Bear. Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

BlueBear

11-23-2006, 02:26 PM

Hey bro you can just get some bottled distilled water to test weather or not it is the problem and also so you don't have to get a whole new RO system. I am sure that it is the water, and just think about buying some water from WalMart or something IMO.
Good luck.
Adieu folks

Weedhound

11-23-2006, 04:20 PM

That sounds like a good idea to me also....I agree with Bear that if you try it with some good water you'll be sold....the maintenance side of tap water alone will exhaust you....not to mention how much your plants will love ro or distilled water.

latewood

11-24-2006, 08:52 AM

all you need is a 5 gallon bucket. an aqarium airpump, some netpots, some hydroton, and some nutes. period. paint the bucket black on outside for algae prevention rez...If you want to use big rubbermaid tubs...that is OK, I use 10 gallon tubs for 1-2 plants.
Unless you have a good cloning system you shouldn't grow more than 1-2 plants in a tub, because the roots get all tangled up and once you sex and find males...you have to chop them off and leave the remaining roots, or else you damaged root system and shock the chit out of them. peace

don't try to grow more than you can handle...you will most likely run into problems keeping up with them. You will yield more allowing 1-2 healthy plants have more space to grow in. peace

MisterE

11-24-2006, 03:17 PM

I've been pricing some filters. Looks like $150 to $200 should get me near 100GPD. I should be able to hook it up "countertop" style with a simple adapter which I probably already own. Although many of them have clear filter housings which I'd want to light-proof also I suppose. (anyone got a link to a great RO filter with readily available replacement filters for down the road?)

My 10 gallon grow tub is only 2 plants. Even then I know they'll be crowded unless I train them away from each other.

When I do get to cloning stage, I plan to pick up some neoprene replacement plugs, and build my own from a small plastic container and lots of bubbles.

Incidently, the current water temp is 66 degrees, the room temp under the light is currently 73 degrees, and the room is about 5' x 7' x 8', and I have access to the attic through a ceiling hatch.

Whatever it is that wants to grow in my water seems to be a slimy brownish. I guess I'll dilute some bleach on my next cleaning and really kick it's ass and replace with good water and see how it goes.

Weedhound

11-24-2006, 04:37 PM

I have one that does something like 30 gal per day and it works great for my waterfarms (which I think needs about 25 gal for a res change) I heard you can get them for really good prices on E-bay....I have had some bad experiences shopping on E-bay so I don't shop there but perhaps you like the thrill....you really don't need 100gpd for your setup....I still like Bear's idea of trying some distilled first...see how you like it.....

Weedhound

11-24-2006, 04:41 PM

MisterE

11-24-2006, 05:10 PM

Yeah for sure I dont *need* 90 or 100 gpd. My thinking is longer filter life? Quicker filling? It's new to me. I could also drink it I guess huh ;)

I also dont care for ebay, never used it. I buy pretty much everything online though. A couple of sites have the Spectra Pure 90gpd for around $180. I was considering that one.

Weedhound

11-24-2006, 10:27 PM

Don't know about longer filter life etc....perhaps the more knowledgable could answer.... it should definitely fill faster...mine does about 2-3 gal hour.
Spectra pure is what we have (40gpd or something)...works great, screws right onto the faucet, nothing complicated. I also use it for my tropical fish and drinking water, coffee etc.... we also have super hard well water around here that will simply mummify everything it touches so I wouldn't be without mine.

PS Tried one of those water softeners first and it didn't work at all....cut out maybe 1/2 of the ppms in the water and ph was 10 in it.

BlueBear

11-24-2006, 11:28 PM

Too seperate root systems in one tub?? I can't remember if I read about this before or I just thought of it, but you might try blocking out each side of the net pots that are closest to each other with some soart of plastic so it creats a kind of barior so the roots don't go out that particular side of the pots towards the other net pot. Maybe it could help. Will try to think of some other possibilities. Also if you are not veging to long you may not have a real problem.
Adieu

latewood

11-25-2006, 01:48 AM

iI have been contemplating a divider for dwc for over a year and it is the one thing I haven't mastered yet.

RO filters are on ebay for $69.-89. bucks. When you buy expect it to take longer than advertised. I use a 35 gallon tub and fill it about 30 gallons, then measure by gallons into control bucket.

Weedhound

11-25-2006, 07:32 AM

I was sort of thinking of something along the line of a window screen--not the aluminum kind but the other ones...I can't think of what they are made of. Very small holes but the water can pass through I think....but how would you attach it to the inside of the bucket? My first thought was staples or something but, ummmm, that's probably a no.

BlueBear

11-25-2006, 08:20 AM

Hot Glue a butter fly/insect net around the bottem of the net pot??? I am just not sure if the bubbles would be disapated by the net.
Adieu

Weedhound

11-26-2006, 12:57 AM

Now that you say that I do think the screen along the inside would screw up the bubbles....there has to be a way! If I were to block off sections with a screen instead of the pots themselves I would have to have an airstone in each section to insure good 02. Thats makes me start thinking of another pump like the one that came with the farms...8 smaller airstones...getting complicated.....

BONG0

11-26-2006, 01:39 AM

Parts List:
1 bucket with lid - 3 Gallon or larger
1 aquarium air pump - Elite 802
2 feet airline
1 airstone (4" or smaller)
1 3" or 4" plant pot
2 cups gro rock or rockwool or gravel (clean)
Hydro Nutrient (more on what kind later)

OK, guys here it is. These instructions and details only apply to my conditions and circumstances. So some tweaking and alterations to some things may need to be made to make it work as well for you as it has for me.
In a nutshell - the plants basically hang in a nutrient rich solution with airpumps supplying much needed air to the plants roots. I've made a few modifications to the system and they make it really easy to set up.

The plants are started in the medium of your choice, rockwool (use small cubes), vermiculite, peat, etc. and transferred later to the pots.

As you can see in pic 'buckets' we will be using pails of various sizes and shapes. We use the lids of the buckets or you can cut one from plywood (not treated wood, just plain old 1/4" or thicker plywood). Almost any kind of container can be used. We prefer to use 3 gallon black buckets (purchased at a grow-store) or 5 gallon (20 litre) white buckets. You can use the 36 litre Rubbermaid tubs too. Just use the lid and cut 2 - 4 holes (two pots is best - four plants are just a little too much if you grow big plants). Other containers will work, and we've even taken to using smaller than 3 gallon pails for plants that still often yield 2 oz each. So you can experiment, just don't use anything smaller than 3 gallons to start - after your experience grows you can play. Make sure the containers are very clean and sterilize if possible. Bleach and water works well. And don't use transparent or see-thru ones, algae will be a problem. With white buckets some algae does build up but never enough to notice or worry about.

Depending on the size of pots you will use, you will need to cut a corresponding hole in the lid to accomodate the pot. It is probably best to use 3" or larger pots (depending on the size of plant you wish to grow). You can purchase hydro pots at the hydro store or just use regular green plastic ones you can buy in hardware store. You may want to cut a half dozen or so slits in the pots to allow more roots to come out, but it is not necessary.

You will also need to drill or cut a small hole for the airhose to come through. Make it tight if possible so that you can make sure the airstone stays off the bottom of the bucket.
Once you have the lid done, you can set it up. Put airline through lid (keeping off bottom) attatch airstone and airpump. Place lid on bucket. and fill bucket with nutrient solution (more later). Make sure airpump is running and you should see lots of bubbles coming through solution.
Watch for bum airstones - about the only maintenance feature of this system that is not perfect.

You are better off to start plants and have them either root-ready from cloning or a good set of roots from seed than to just plant them in rockwool in this system. Plants should have a well established root mass before placing in this system with full strength nutrient. Wait for the time when you would transplant them (in soil) to a larger pot and you can transplant your soil plants to hydro - just clean off the roots as well as possible (in lukewarm water) and place in system.
Take your pot and put a layer of rockwool or gro-rock on bottom, and holding plant in one hand so that roots just lay over rock, fill the pot with rock or rockwool to the top and make sure plant stalk is in the middle of pot for better support.

This pot can now be placed in hole in bucket lid. Make sure that the nutrient level in the bucket is at least 1" or 2" above bottom of pot, so that the roots you placed in the pot are sitting in the nutrient (Very Important) Otherwise your plant will dry up and die. It is also a good thing if you can position the airstone directly underneath the pot so all the bubbles hit the roots directly (A good thing!).

I find , with my limited but fairly successful experience, that root zone temps do affect growth. I use submersible aquarium heaters set at 20 celcius (68F) in hydro setups,. Or in winter only, heat mats under some pots. Another point of interest, is day/night air temp ratio. Try and keep dark temperature within 10 degrees of day(lights) temp. Eg 20C (68F) celcius min. - 30C (86F) max. The closer these two temps, the shorter the internodal distance, resulting in shorter bushier plants. Warming the water they grow in will usually give better growth. Obviously real cold is not good. I guess it depends..is there a foot of snow outside, I'd like my feet warm. But in the summer.... well... Anyway, thats just my observation, although several of the best books, have similar opinion.

The other point is about airstones. They make your plant live and they can kill them too! Check your airstone often, they will plug up and a dead airstone means a dead plant. Some say "never use airstones" I've never not used them. I've have always used airstones. They give my plants a real nice diffused air and I am not conviced that a airline from an airpump without an airstone will give the plant as much air as it could use. It does however keep the nutrient from going bad, but the plants love the thick blanket of air they get at the roots. So check them often!! One airstone is usually enough for a 3-5 gallon bucket. The airpump is on all the time. this helps prevent them from plugging up and gives maximum air.

As for ph, ec, etc. I Do Not Check These! I don't have to! We use plain tap water. Can't recommend this to everyone, but again, it works for us. For some reason, we've never had to deal with ph etc. It just doesn't factor in here for some reason. I've grown at least a dozen or more different strains using this system and never had a problem that was related to ph. It was usually either giving plants too much or not enough nutrient that was the problem.

With this system it's better to flower the plants small. You can do really big plants, but they require more maintenance and food as well. As an example, all plants grown in this system yield about 2 oz each. I've personally had plants as big as 4 oz. in a 20 litre pail. And Rubbermaid containers should yield at least 3-4 oz. Just my experience with our strains. No I don't bull#$%@ either.

There is not much else I can say about this system except that it works! I didn't believe it until I saw it. I had the idea in my head but had never seen it work. Till a friend turned me on to it. First crop got 1 lb under 1000 watts MH. From 4 Rubbermaids. That convinced me. So you can experiment, try a kiddies pool with a plywood lid - 6 to 8 plants and 6 airstones and WOW. Or try 4 rubbermaids under 1000 watts. Best of all just experiment.

BlueBear

11-26-2006, 10:03 PM

Thanks for the post Bong0. you may have to put this in the indoor section and rename it "Converting to hydro made easy." Only thing that I would be careful of when telling people about your set up is using the wood to cover the buckets or res for the fact that untreated and treated woods can carry chimicals that can perspire into the buckets and resses causing different problems, but still it sounds like your having very good success.
Adieu

Weedhound

11-27-2006, 02:03 AM

You got some nice sexy roots there Bongo.

xcrispi

11-27-2006, 03:28 PM

hey weedhound ,
more than 1 plant per container is like a cardinal sin . lol . i think roots will grow thru just about any type screen . i put my pumps in bio bags for fish filters to keep roots from growing into my pumps last grow , took like 3 weeks but they were in the bags already so i think they'd make their way thru a screen .
peace
crispi

rustafa

11-27-2006, 03:49 PM

what rating airpump should be used for a 5 gallon bucket DWC i see many pumps each with its own rating as well as duel pump outlet. really the question im trying to get at is do i need one pump per bucket or can i split a pump between 2 buckets or that not be sufficient enough and what ratings am i looking for per bucket.

907PokeSmot

11-27-2006, 03:50 PM

the rundown hehe :)

2 10gal rubbermaids with 6 pots each. with 4 4' fluoroe's for veg. for 2 months. then to the flower room whare they will be put into 30 gal rubbermaids. 600hps with a cool tube. and 6 42w cfl's.

grow rooms are really small. 2d x 2h x 4w for veg room. 2d x 4h x 4w flower. lst the crap out of em in veg. then scrog em in flower.

starting off with allot of plants. but thats till i sex these new ones. then down to 2 - 4 per rubbermaid. so this first cycle i will probly ony veg for a month

using AN sensi 2 part with piranha root enhancer for veg. then AN sensi 2 part with overdrive for flower.

2 dif strains. brainstorm "(skunk1 x haze) x whitewidow" other is Durban poison "sativa"

first grow with this. will see how it goes. been doing soil awhile. so experiment time we go :thumbsup:

BlueBear

11-27-2006, 06:06 PM

Nice to have you stop in 907, keep us posted on your grow. Hope you don't run into any problems with those 6 in one tub if I understood you right.
I will post the 5 gallon air pump size, don't have mine out, but will get it up if no one else does.
Adieu

907PokeSmot

11-28-2006, 11:14 AM

yea i hate that i have to put that many in 1 tub. but untill i know wich are females it will do hehe.

xcrispi

11-28-2006, 05:52 PM

hey 907poke smot ,
by the time you know who's male who's female all the roots from each plant will have intertwined and you won't be able to seperate them . you can try but any roots left from the males that are pulled will die -n- rot causing all roots in the entire container to rot . = imenent death to all .
peace
crispi

BlueBear

11-28-2006, 07:22 PM

Better soak that game/info up 907 so you don't put all of that work in for nothing.
Adieu

907PokeSmot

11-28-2006, 08:17 PM

aye i been thinking of the divider idea. also been thinking to take some clones early on and flower just to find sex. then get rid of the males befor i get a prob

Weedhound

11-30-2006, 09:20 PM

All right, new thoughts guys.....spoke to my hydro store guy yesterday and he had a few suggestions I wanted to toss out to see if anyone has tried this or has thoughts....he suggested using some sort of ebb and flow system for the vegging plants and using rockwool cubes instead of net pots as he felt that the roots would not extend themselves too far out of the rockwool cubes unless the cubes themselves were sitting in water as opposed to DWC where the roots would go nuts. I have never used rockwool...ideas, opinions??

BlueBear

12-01-2006, 10:15 PM

RW always has that potential to have PH problems, what about Rappid Rootters???
Adieu

Weedhound

12-02-2006, 05:41 AM

Hi Bear, I love my rapid rooters more than someone should but they only come in the really small seedling size unlike the RW. Does the RW have drainage issues and is that what causes the ph probs? I certainly don't need any more ph issues.

Also I just harvested my 3 plants and found that the roots were actually quite rootbound in the system and interfering with the drainage. I thought somebody mentioned drilling larger holes in the bottom of the top buckets or was that my imagination?

Feliz Navidad!

latewood

12-02-2006, 01:50 PM

Another question guys now that I just read latewood's thread....any ideas on how to keep roots from getting tangled in something like that? Would some sort of screen between them or something work? I want to build a setup like that to start my 8 seedlings off before I transplant them into the farms but didnt consider the tangling root thing....suggestions?
I am designing an DWC unit, that will have sub compartments with-in tub for just this purpose.

you know...all these multi-plant bubblers were really designed for vegetables that won't effect each other, and It causes this small problem with POT
p.s. Blue bear, Sorry I haven't followed your thread. I have been real busy. I will read over later and respond to several quesiton's posted here...peace

latewood

12-02-2006, 02:03 PM

RW always has that potential to have PH problems, what about Rappid Rootters???
Adieu
rapid rooters are too small.

He is right...If you use the 4x4 blocks the roots will fill the r'wool before they grow all over. In fact, many commercial growers use ebb and flow for their seedlings, and clones just for this reason. i loove raqpid rooters, but they are just starter p[lugs.

I have reverted to rockwool for all my cloning.

BB the ph problem with rockwool comes from recirculating bad nutrient solution through r'wool...If you use ebb and flow with proper ph soltion then the r'wool will do OK. I think Most have4 problems with r'wool due to overwatering...peace

xcrispi

12-02-2006, 07:58 PM

hey weedhound ,
yep i drilled all the holes to like a 1/4 in. diameter and added lots of extras too . word of warning tho keep all holes away from outside edges of the top pot , the roots being really close to the edges makes it a p.i.t.a to spin the top half as roots wanna get pinched between the 2 halves when you set it back in bottom half to rest .
peace
crispi

Weedhound

12-03-2006, 03:18 AM

Well i wll putting some extra holes in these things then...thanks for the tip about the holes near the edges....I can see roots being torn off due to that. Latewood I dearly hope you are planning to let us know how you do your setup....please keep us updated on that! As far the RW goes, how often should the solution be changed? I change my regular res once week during grow...does it need to be more for RW? Thanks people!

latewood

12-03-2006, 03:22 PM

NO extra work...rez change every 7-10 days is great, as long as you keep rez topped off with ph 5.8 water. I personally have not had the nightmare's that "respected" friends here have had with rockwool. If you follow a regimen and keep everything "shipshape" so to speak...I don't think you will experience problem's...that's just my opinion.

I only use rockwool in 2 ways. In DWC it worked OK, and OK in dutch leach trays...but I grew in dutch leach trays without it and got the same results. I don't see the need that justifies the expense of 4" blocks. I use small pieces of r'wool and starter cubes for cloning, but I prefer straight hydroton. It is reusable...over and over. You just wash it with Flora-Kleen at end of each grow (soak at least 24hrs) and throw it in the ready bin. peace

Again. the best thing I ever did to universalize my growing...was to buy a 3.5"holesaw. for 3.75" netpots. I don't worry about the netpot holding plant up...although it does a decent job. I know going in that I will have to support the plant after it get's big.

As far as multi-dwc system...I am almost to the point where I may concede that I need an injection molded rez to pull off my ideas. peace. I will keep you all posted.

MisterE

12-03-2006, 06:30 PM

Has anyone ever tried using Shoe Goo to make water tight compartments? Or is it too toxic?
It's a shoe repair goop that is water tight and is even usefull to repair fishing waders and such.

If it's not too toxic, you could construct inner chambers with it pretty easily I would think. It comes in clear and black.

BlueBear

12-03-2006, 08:18 PM

I am thinking about doing a special order from a plastics molding company to get the set up I want, but don't have a spacific place to go with, because I want to find somebody that others have gone threw.
Adieu

BlueBear

12-03-2006, 08:22 PM

LW with the 3.5 net pots, I know folks who drill a few holes in the edge of the net pot and screw it into the bucket and use wing nuts on the other side for a quick release in order to avoid having to do the tying up stuff.
Adieu

JackdaWack

12-03-2006, 08:49 PM

u would be weary of rust and metal erosion, + its more work. Not an bad idea though.

Weedhound

12-04-2006, 04:06 AM

Now there is another thing I would not have thought of ...support for the pots. It's so nice to get all this info BEFORE I start rather than after and have to backtrack (like I have to do now with drilling holes in the farms) and correct things later. Wish I could offer some suggestions but I am much better at sucking out info from others' brains then coming up with any of my own....

BlueBear

12-04-2006, 07:00 AM

That's what all of us are here for.
By the way, quick question, what are the cloning methuds you guys use before putting into your buckets???
I have a bubble cloner, but am thinking about just cloning in perlite and transfering into the bucket, I know it can be done, but I just want to hear about some methuds and find out what everyone prefers. The thing with the bubble cloner, it is easy, no need for a dome, or a bunch of misting, but I think that taking care of my soil clones on a daily bases is theraputic or something for me, the constent checking and misting and waiting is gradifying to me, perhaps I am getting a little odd in my hybernation up here in the mountans.
Adieu

latewood

12-04-2006, 01:14 PM

I have just bumped many cloner threads...yeaterday. But I have reverted to good old r'wool in a tray and I have found that it is less work and cloning % is almost 100%...I built a box out of 1 level of a plastic shelving unit...add a standard light receptacle to top and screwed in 45w cfl...I cut clones and place in soaked and shaken r'wool 1x1" plugs, and fill tray with 1/4" of water. spray clones w a no-wilt product, then leave alone except for a mist a day for about a week, and roots everywhere.

My alternative method is to take cuttings, dip in cloning gel;, and put directly into netpots filled w/wet hydroton...insert into any hydro system, and they will root in 7-10 days. spritz a couple times a day

latewood

12-04-2006, 01:14 PM

Oh yeah...If you want to glue something in your rez...Use aquarium sealant...peace

BlueBear

12-04-2006, 07:45 PM

Cornelius

12-05-2006, 05:11 AM

what kind of water do you want in your bubble cloner?

latewood

12-05-2006, 02:58 PM

LW I use that anti wilt, do you spray or dip. I have only tried dipping, but wonder if I would have better results spraying and have you found that some strains can still wilt with the spray. Also, do you think that the MG shine spray is as affective as that expensive bottle of anti wilt??
AdieuI just spray...Zandor dips his...It is just a matter of opinion...(Z says he saves a lot of product dipping.)(I on the other hand am a little wasteful, and don't want to spend the extra time storing or dumping unused product, so I spray) NO difference in results!

I never had a clone fail due to using leaf shine...Also, Schultz rooting powder works well. You don't have to buy expensive gels. Both available in garden centers

If you dump a little of both products in a cup...they look and feel the same...Waxy! remember these are similar products that are used in making the produce look and last in the grocery stores...In fact I think that is exactly where no-wilt came from. I only procured no-wilt because one of my hydro suppliers sent me the wrong package and this was my payback for handling package to correct customer.

BlueBear

12-18-2006, 04:12 AM

OK, here is a girl that I rescued from a friend who had her in coco coir and I put her in a bucket about a week ago. She was beet up IMO when I got her. Now I can't decide if she is worth throwing into flower or if I should just clone her. She is a BigBud x Skunk number 1
Input is appreciated.
Adieu

rollone

12-18-2006, 06:19 AM

Bring'r back to par, and clone er. Never know what you might be sitting on :)

If I may...(havn't read the entire thread but...)
W/F are one of my favs! Homemade I should say. 5g and a 3.5g. Good amount of root space. Really just a DWC w/ top feed. IMO this combination is like penutbutter-n-chocolate :) Both fuction well together.
Maybe it's just me,...but I've been able to produce much better result's using these then with any other type of cultivation out there.
A while back I've even done a comparason(sp?) on OG using these and a aero bucket. These things won out! Hands-down! However I let the high-tec side of this get ahold of me and decided to try out an aeroflo 60. Waste of money IMO(although the money does come back ;). Not very fond of letting my plants share their privot area's together....if ya know what I mean? Same deal with ebb-n-flow....although I do like EnF. I soon sold the unit and returned to W/F's. If ya have the space these things are great.

BlueBear

12-18-2006, 06:28 AM

Thanks for the input. Do you just run indavidual buckets, or recirculate from a res?
Adieu

latewood

12-18-2006, 06:00 PM

I run individual buckets...

also for water in your cloner...you just need regular water...ph doesnb't matter when there are no roots. add a couple drops of superthrive or a B-vit, or GH bloom, or LK. Not necessary, but doesn't hurt either.
And yes BB...If it is alive and female...flower it...buddage is buddage peace

bud luv

12-18-2006, 08:49 PM

Here's a nice 'lil 12 bucket (soon-to-be) recirculating drip ring setup.

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=95268

I love the drip rings, bitches take off in those things. I might add an airstone into each bucket too, making each bucket a super hybrid hydro method.

xcrispi

12-19-2006, 02:51 AM

hey weedhound ,
about the extra holes in the top of the waterfarm containers man , w/o them roots will plug up the small holes they poke when orig. from gen. hydro . when this happens everything that drips from the rings will eventually overflow the top container that holds the medium n make a hell of a mess of your room . here is a pic. of 1 of the containers i modified and a pic. of the results . aka "root porn" . :D

xcrispi

12-19-2006, 03:11 AM

wanted to add a cpl. pics of how i went about making my farms recirculate .

at the end of each row of waterfarms i continued on w/ a t- fitting instead of ending the row by using a 90deg. fitting and ran them into a 5 gallon controller type bucket containing a small via. aqua 120 gallon per hr. pump pushing the nutes back into the resovoir via. the line in the center of the controller bucket and bringing fresh nutes back to farms via. gravity refilling the buckets .

in doing so i managed to stabilize the ppm. and p/h so all buckets were = , and also cured my problem w/ the cold resovoir temps by adding a heater in the resovoir .
peace all
crispi :)

BlueBear

12-19-2006, 04:28 AM

Hey Xcrispi, do you think that the growth in the W/F is as vigurous as it was in the DIY DWC buckets? With the modifications you made is it easier to maintaine the W/F system compared to the first set up??
Thanks for checking in with the WaterFarm/DWC club.
Adieu

PigSnout

12-19-2006, 10:41 AM

I put in a waterpump and 1/4" tubing in my waterfarm setup to recirculate the water also.

Question - Is the following being too cautious?
The main res is a little larger than the waterfarm bit still holds about 3-4 gallons of water tops. I put the nutes in the res in stages. Not talking about micro first, wait awhile then add bloom and so on, I do that. But I'm afraid if I put the full amount of micro in first in the ~3.5 gallons of the main res it might be too high a concentrate when it first hits the roots. By the end of the first day all the nutes are in.

xcrispi

12-19-2006, 04:14 PM

hey bluebear ,
i think the growth in the w/f is = to or better than my old DWC buckets .;)

the maintence w/ the waterfarms is sooooo much easier than the old individual 5 gal. DWC buckets . if you look in the pics. w/ the pump bucket , the 2 black outside lines that bring the nutes back into the waterfarms and pump bucket , these lines now have a shut off valve between the first set of farms and the resovior itself , once a day we shut them and turn the pump in the bucket on high and it pulls all nutes out of the waterfarms and pump bucket and puts everything back into the resovior so we can check p/h and ppm once a day in just the 1 container and when done just open the valve n gravity refills everything on it's own . :D

once every 7-10 days we pump everything into the resovior and put a 1000gph wayne submersible pump in the res and run a hose down the floordrain and empty it for nute change , we just top it off w/ p/h'd water between nute changes .

i happend to find someone on ebay w/ the 8 farm set up but w/ the texas controller bradnew and unused for 220.00 delivered and was a private auction? someones mom or significant other musta said NO WAY ??? :mad:

i only use the bottom half of the texas controller / resovior and don't utilize the float valve. the res. , 4 farms , and pump bucket hold like 16 gallons total . we ended up only using 4 of the 8 farms this run until we get all the bugz worked out of it . which i think we have . :)

i'll add pics. of my home made DWC/drip combo buckets in the near future . i think thanks to the ease of the waterfarms the old sys. is retired for good now though . lol
peace
crispi :greenthumb:

BlueBear

12-19-2006, 07:49 PM

Hey Xcrispi, thanks for taking the time to explaine all of that. I am thinking about the W/F 8 pack as well and considering your modifications. I still need to go back and read how you made it into a recerculating set up. Can't remember if you talked about it on this thread or not?
Well, I got so many things going on IMO. I just started a coco run using GH coco coir and I am doing a side by side run with the soil grows to see if the coco will blow it away and par with hydro like they say, along with a few other coco transplants and about 20 plus soil and a couple DWC things cooking as well. They are all mostly test grows with different strains and systems so I can really get down to deciding what system I really want to role with and what strains are the most consistant and desirable for me and my goals and life style.
Adieu

MisterE

12-19-2006, 08:48 PM

Sounds like a nice setup to me. I think I've got it.
bottom of res -> valve -> farms -> remote bucket -> top of res

Full recirculating. Plus when you turn off the valve, the pump will send ALL liquid back to the res where you can then do a good solid PPM and PH check.

It's almost like a waterfarm/recirculating dwc/flood drain, lol :)

So xcrispi, why havent you added some aero sprinklers you lazy bum? :D hehehee

:pimp:

xcrispi

12-20-2006, 01:38 PM

hey mr. E ,
you got it , exactly. super simple,super effective. DWC / drip , ebb-flo hybrid sys. ? i guess . no aero sprayers yet E , soon tho , but not in this sys. . next project will be a 5 gal. bucket aero cloner so i don't havta keep messin w/ feminised beans . maybe keep a mom in a c-13 - 250 hps. cabinet i don't use anymore . last go at it was in individual self contained buckets n was a p.i.t.a . i'm just the mind behind my grow , mrs. crispi is my hands , i lost all fingers on my right hand and my left is contracted into a fist from an auto related explosion a few years back . i wanted the new sys. to be as easy to take care of as possible as far as up-keep n maintence for her .;)
gotta be good to old girl , been married 16 yrs. today . :)

hey bear ,
yep your a busy bear , i keep up w/ all my fav. ppl. man , latewood , weedhound , brooke , stinky attic , and yourself . hell you got hoes in the attic , in cabinets , dirt , co/co coir . you've got a harrem going on man .
lil side note bear - do you have plans in the future for any blue pups ? mrs. crispi n myself would be seriously interested . :question:

keep an eye on bud luv's new gro log too ,
really nice system , he's gonna scare himself it's gonna work so well .
he'll have his own private jungle in no time . :greenthumb:

peace everybody
the crispis :jointsmile:

Weedhound

12-20-2006, 05:22 PM

Hi guys, works been busy....X thanks for the photos of the waterfarm holes...I need more than I have definitely you obviously have a lot more room for your roots to come through and they look happier than mine did. ......I do the exact same thing with the recirculating thing that X-does which I love....pulliing things out w/pump and for me pouring it back in the top of the big controller after checking ppms and ph. The newer solution (correct ph etc) flows by gravity back into the each w/f. Every 7 days, completely change solution. In pulling the "older" solution out daily it seems to make a HUGE improvement in the clogging of my drip rings...pulls out the little bits of crud that work their way up to the ring holes and block flow; in addition to knowing I am putting in ph and ppm correct water in daily.....I really love this and growing is fun again rather than back-breaking.

I would have bet money that Bear's dog was a chocolate lab so now I have to ask X....what kind of dog is that on your photo?

xcrispi

12-20-2006, 05:42 PM

hey weedhound ,
i been switchin bk n forth w/ avatars . the white 1 is all pit , black brindle is neo mastiff , n current 1 is a pit throw back i felt sorry for . she kinda reminded me of msn's i.m. happy dog avatar .
peace
your cuz
crispi :jointsmile:

MisterE

12-20-2006, 07:03 PM

Well happy anniversary then, Xcrispi!

That setup sounds good. I dont want to go that large, since I dont own my home. I do have some shut off valves, but for now all I do when I need to drain is jam a spare hose into the water pump outlet and thats that.

I think I may try to take a clone later today. I have a folgers plastic coffee can with a hole for a 1 inch airstone, and a 3" netpot. I have cloning gel and planned to take a cutting, trim it underwater, into the gel, and directly into the hydroton with furious bubbles and a drop of super thrive (and some cobbled together humidity cover). Think that'll work?

xcrispi

12-20-2006, 07:24 PM

hey E ,
don't see why the cloner won't work man .
only thing missing is the expensive name . thanx for the congrats man .
peace
crispi

BlueBear

12-20-2006, 09:34 PM

Yeh E, that should work. Weed Hound, that is a papered red nose pit on mine. Xcrispi, I am a little blown away by your accident. I feel for you bro. I am completely disabled myself, but I get the job done along with my wife's help, and just have to work around my disability. I still take care of the garden 80% of the time though and you know what? it is therapeutic for me and helps me to stay productive. I can still use power tools and so on so at least I can do allot of the manual labor.
As far as the dogs, I don't have anything in the mix right now. I have been trying to take some time off this last year because I get burnt out working dogs especially with the disability, always cleaning kennels/yards, keeping them separated, diseases, shots, barking and more.
Well, happy anniversary, much respect to you and yours
Adieu for now

Weedhound

12-20-2006, 10:53 PM

that last line sure sounds familiar to me. What's with the pit popularity thing? Those dogs are so 80's!!

BlueBear

12-20-2006, 11:22 PM

Weed Hound, what did you mean when you said that the last line sounded familiar?? Guess it flew over my head. With the pits, can be very compact, don't really shed, low maintenance, loyal, tuff as nails, smart as a whip and have had them since I was a youngen.
Also, Smokies Trans AM is so 80's but I wouldn't mind having one, along with the Dukes General as well, hopefully Daisy would come along for the ride, LOL
Adieu

bud luv

12-21-2006, 12:02 AM

Proud to say that I'm fully recirculating.

A $20 submersible (130gph) from home depot keeps everything moving nicely in a 12 bucket, approx 35 gallon setup.

Happy Holidays to everyone and congrats on the Anny Crispi.

Weedhound

12-21-2006, 02:25 AM

I'm a vet tech bear, have been for years years years....the whole dog thing; kennels, feeding, the hair....FAMILIAR! I love the pits myself and used to have a few but too old now....me that is....energetic dogs....bulls in china shops....happy, happy dogs

BlueBear

12-22-2006, 02:47 AM

Hoping LW drops in, but perhaps someone else can answer this too. What is the hardest, highest PPM of water that you want to push when using the GH 3 part?? I know that they make a hard water applacation, but I am wondering with my PPM of 130ish if I can still reap the bennifits of the 3 part or if I am too hard, LOL??
Adieu

latewood

12-22-2006, 05:31 AM

sorry I don't have an answer for you, but I will try and spend some time to look it up...I'm spoiled with nice well water and an ro unit. Never had the hard water problems...sorry

Any hydro store should be able to help you right off the top of their head...just find one with a toll free# and give'em a call. peace

BlueBear

12-22-2006, 05:55 AM

My store says it's fine, but they arn't allways giving the best advice. I will look up a stor though like you said and give it a try. Better Grow usually has some good stuff, hopefully their info is as good as their products.
Adieu

latewood

12-22-2006, 10:39 AM

here you go...calcium and magnesium is what determines the hardness of water. Water hardness is detemined by mg of cal/mag per liter
So it has been determined that "hard water" with 100-150 mg of calcium per liter would be great for mmj. below 50 mg per liter is considered "soft water".

There you go. Now find the mg per liter of your water and that will let you know where you stand on the hardness of your water

xcrispi

12-22-2006, 03:48 PM

hey bear ,
w/ G/H 3 part they don't even recomend H/W micro unless ppm. out of the tap is over 200 ppm . ours is only 80ppm. here , 130 ppm. doesnt sound all to bad . if it aint broke don't fix it ? let us know what all you learn on this matter . i saw your other thread n looks like your headed towards a r/o sys .

i hear ya w/ no pups in near future , lotsa work , like 8-10 new kids all at once . lol . much respect back at ya bear . yes this has been much help in my recovery , not just the med. aspect of it , but the theraputic side of it also .
thanx all for anny blessings.
peace
your cuz
crispi

Weedhound

12-22-2006, 05:19 PM

Weedhound

12-22-2006, 05:21 PM

And bear....you can bet your ass I wouldn't cry if I had a nice Trans Am either....;)

latewood

12-22-2006, 06:07 PM

My well water is about 160-180 ppm which isn't bad...in fact my hydro dude recommended trying it before buying an RO system...the problem was in the fluctuating ph that I never could control for very long without the RO water....worth every pennny to me for that reason alone:)
that's exactly what I experienced from my well water...great water, but caused the ph to fluctuate consistantly...peace:smokin:

xcrispi

12-22-2006, 07:34 PM

bear didn't mention any p/h flux. tho guys ?
he just asked if water was too hard to obtain max results using g/h 3 part nutes .
peace
crispi

latewood

12-22-2006, 09:44 PM

yeah and I answered that, but another member jumped the thread...what's the big deal???I think everybody got answered...

BlueBear

12-22-2006, 10:46 PM

We're all good, I like all of the info always, sometimes that extra input shines a light on other factors that may not have been taken into consideration, and who know's who else is reading threw the thread and something clicks for him or her and solves a problem that they may have been dealing with and just couldn't begin to figure it out or where to start.
Adieu

Weedhound

12-23-2006, 03:44 AM

True true, lots of times it's the details that make the difference in the end...and it's usually something I didn't consider until it is pointed out by someone else. Ps X.....like that dog there and latewood's got a new avatar too.....

latewood

12-23-2006, 06:37 PM

my point exactly...my, my if we just stayed on topic around here, alot of info would be bypassed, Happy Holidays

Weedhound

12-24-2006, 01:49 AM

so true latewood! Merry Christmas Everyone!!:areindeer:

xcrispi

12-26-2006, 05:09 AM

merry x-mas to the bear family, and everyone else of course . :noel:
hey bear finally a half assed pic. of our room for everybody , a look at our set up . we started 6 beans hoping to get 4 good ones for w/f , all 6 germd . the best 4 went into w/f , the other 2 i didn't have enuf heart to scrap . they're in pots of soiless mix in middle of farms .

the 4 in farms were veggd for 5 weeks topping them at the 4th week . the dirt plants were not topped. they are all in the fifth week of flower now . 4 d/p blueberry , 2 indoor mix mutts .

i'm noticing not quite the bud mass i'm used to w/ other strains w/ this blueberry , not gonna be any forearm sized stuff .:( more of a nugz type plant . very dense tho n much more tricomes on the blueberry than the mutts . the 1 blueberry in dirt has turned really purple in the last week . is this a phenotype differnce or might the w/f blueberries turn purple too ? the loss in yield might not be such a bad thing as long as it's got wicked potency . not to mention maybe not having to tie up all the heavy branches to the ceiling like last grow . :thumbsup:

gen. hydro shoulda made w/f round to damn it . woulda been easier to spin the top pot every cpl. days if you didn't havta pick em up to do it .:mad:

hey latewood - no bad karma , i hope ? i just didn't completely understand your answer i guess ? i did learn dif. between hardwater/softwater n the paticulars as to why . i just didn't see it as a concrete answer to bears question if 130ppm. was to hard to fully utilize the g/h 3 prt nutes . "thread jumping" ??? :confused: because i refered to blues other thread on the r/o sys. ? i'm just here to learn all i can man and maybe help somebody in the process , maybe make a friend in the process .:)

hey weedhound-sweet job bro. i'm a big animal lover . well dog lover . i'm looking into training n running therapy dogs at our local hospital right now .

tryin to get good close ups of flowers too but our camera sux .
peace
your cuz
crispi

Weedhound

12-27-2006, 05:46 AM

Nice plants X!!! And nice buds too! (even tho they look a little fuzzy).

Weedhound

12-27-2006, 05:52 AM

That's a nice grow room you have there too....how tall are those babies? A friend of mine and I used to run our dogs down to a nursing home years ago once a week....very informal.....extremely rewarding all the way around. These days its lots more work...more rules...testing dogs for health reasons etc.......but still just as rewarding if you can get it up and running.

xcrispi

12-27-2006, 05:53 AM

hey weedhound ,
i'm kind of a techno. retard lol . i don't know how to shrink pics. via a photo shop program . i do it via the camera itself n i lose all photo clairity this way . = fuzzy pics. lol
peace
crispi

latewood

12-28-2006, 08:46 AM

hey all...I don't have animosity against anyone...sometimes I get in a hurry and don't clarify things as well as I should.

BlueBear

12-28-2006, 07:12 PM

Hey Xcrispy and the rest of the gang, happy late Xmas. Xcrispy hope all was well with you and the Mrs. for the holiday. Well you got some pics up, will have to have my wife look at them and describe them to me a little better.
Seems like you have put in alot of work despite your condition and I applaud you.
So with your grow right now, do you just think that it is the strains that are looking like they are producing slower or do you think that it is the W/F??
Well, good smoking to you and yours.
Adieu

xcrispi

12-28-2006, 10:26 PM

hey folks ,
i found lotsa pics. n helpful info on the waterfarms at that i/c.com site bear , much thanx for the line on sooooo much more info . :thumbsup: i'm gonna havta bootleg some of their pics. -n- tips over here for everybody . ppl. makin manifolds verses running farms in chains to = out p/h -n- ppm . i still think recirculating them is the answer tho . i don't even remember who to thank for that tip ? :bonghit: < too many of these maybe ? i wanna say weedhound .

weedhound - w/f girls are prob. a good 40in. tall + the height of the farms themselves . the 1000's are still reaching the bottoms of the plants tho , we removed the wings/reflector from cooltubes n don't try to keep the lights over the canopy , you look at room pics. they're down between the row of girls . the lil nugz at bottoms are as far along as the ones up top .

bluebear - 3 out of the 4 in waterfarms are blueberry , the 4th. is the mutt cross and is filling in like they did in the last grow , much better than the blueberries . lack of fullness/yield isn't the fault of the waterfarms it's def. the strain . it might be a blessing in disguise tho. tying all that mess up to the ceiling so they don't fall over was a huge p.i.t.a . looked like some mini krusty stuff going on w/ all the strings . also if the blueberry is as potent as it looks 2 pounds of funk is always better than 4 pounds of junk . meds. will just last me longer .:D

i'm gonna havta start a thread -n- pick everyones brain as to a strain that has the best of both worlds w/ potency -n- yeild both . any idea latewood ? etc... :what:
peace everybody
crispi

xcrispi

12-28-2006, 11:20 PM

hey all ,
instead of running farms in chains n dealing w/ p/h -n- ppm flux.
i saw someone on another site try to fix it this way - creating a manifold . it probably makes for much easier rearranging of farms as the girls grow too . i'd add an extra t fitting opposite the valve pictured to go to a 7th. bucket w/ a pump so it recirculates still tho .
peace
crispi

latewood

12-28-2006, 11:23 PM

best of both worlds...anyone can have a favorite. I just burnt an ak-47 cross called fantasma, and I got a head rush...

It depends on what you are looking for, there are so many breeders of good genetics.

In answer to your question. I have had a few favorites over time.
NYCD=KIks Azz Sativ

Fantasma=AK-47x Good body and head

Skunks...Well I ran across a California Orange Bud and Skunk#1 x burmese f'in incredible last year and that was smooth sweet and trippy.

Point is: You get good genetics from a trusted source and grow simply and safely until you learn to grow a healthy crop, and keep trying...each plant you grow is going to show different characteristics, and some of that characteristic is attributable to how the plant was grown. i.e...what type system?...soil or hydro?...what type of lights, nutrients, environment, etc.

Well that's my take. Read the characteristics of strains/crosses offered by a seedbank and that will lead you to the the type of middle of the road effect that you desire...I never knew it until I experienced, truly, the effects and differences between "true" Indica and Sativa strains. I Like Sativa's. I like the mind blowing, better put it down effect of a dominant sativ phenol. funny thing, when 1st experimenting with different strains/crosses I always had the misconception that "medininal" effect would be a better "high"...Not necessarily true...Everyone is different and have varied opinions on the topic; Perhaps others will chime in on this thread. peace Sorry for rambling.

Weedhound

12-29-2006, 03:30 AM

That's a point I always wondered about with the seedbanks...why some strains were conisdered "medicinal" and some not. What (in the seedbanks' view) makes a good "medicinal strain?" I'm really only beginning to discover the difference between strains and the highs associated with them.....having fresh mj vs stuff that may have been around for god knows how long....an am only now beggining to appreciate the variety. (now who's rambling)

X your blueberries look terrific! The color change in the one is exactly like you see in all the cool photos! All your plants look great!

xcrispi

12-30-2006, 04:41 AM

nobodys rambling , neither 1 of ya's . ;)
i agree w/ you latewood . it might take alot of trial -n- error before 1 find one that trips my trigger in all the aspects i'm looking for . potency-yield-right med qual.-etc... i really would like to try a sativa strain = 3-4 hits -n- O.M.G "what'd i go-n-do effect" . but i only have 6ft.2in. of headroom in growroom -6in. for cooltunes -16in. for height of farms = 48in. for plants . sativas can be monsters w/ height . L.S.T the hell out of em ? :confused:

weedhound - the definition of a med. m/j strain is probably very , very broad . just because of a suposed high thc level is a weak way to judge it -n- from what i've seen that's what most seedbanks are going by from the looks of things . most thc % ratings of 18% or better are refered to as med. strains more often than others .

i'm missing 9 digits -5 fingers/4 toes and have serious neuro. probs. due to shooting and phantom pain etc... i find a stronger body buzz helps this . i'd be willing to bet what helps me might not do a damn thing for someone like bear w/ vision probs. or glocoma , sooo many dif. healing properties . the old adage "kill the brain ya kill the pain " is B/S . there's too many dif. physcical and psychological effects on us .

prob. why we're seeing soo many newbie kidz posting stuff about not getting high sometimes , i think they're expecting the same effect everytime but don't get it , either because of dif. strains - or - indica/sativas diff effects .

might take quite a while to nail down what's best for me . like latewood said everbodys dif. my asking others prob. isn't the right way to go about this ? maybe trial and error sorta till i hit it .:o
many thanx as always for any and all input , answers -n- suggestions .
peace
crispi :greenthumb:

Weedhound

12-30-2006, 03:22 PM

Just because I am nosy and curious what major thing do you notice when you get relief from mj vs standard painkiller? I know that in animal medicine pain control is just now becoming a huge thing....after all they were just animals before and now they are hairy little people. Anyway, there are huge discussions about different pain recepters etc..with different drugs blocking and releasing different chemicals from different neurotransmitters blah blah..and some of the bigger "guns" they use actually will cancel each other out by working on opposite recepters. I'm also wondering with cannabis how much harvesting at different times would affect the final result in regards to how it would work for you (or others). I'm know I'm jumping the thread here so I'll understand if you folks are not amused by this and I'll take my thread-jumping elsewhere and never speak to any of you again (j/k)

xcrispi

12-30-2006, 05:55 PM

hey weedhound ,
i try to chop em when trics. are 50/50 . i get shooting pains / electric pains . ya feel it start up around like your shoulder and it'll shoot down the arm and end up where fingers are m.i.a . same w/ my legs / feet now that crispi's got the 3 toed sloth option . lol .

m/j w/ a good body buzz kinda creates the feeling of when your hands or feet fall asleep n tingle like mad . the tingling sensation overpowers the pain . you don't really know if your actually still hurting or not .

script narcs. do the same for me but w/ apitite loss , the shitz , upset stomache etc... not to mention longterm affects on kidneys -n- liver . no more oxycottin , ms cottin , percocet , vicodin , etc... shits addictive and will kill you over extended periods of time .

as far as harvesting at dif. times , i've never tried. always when 50/50. i guess cause it's what i've been taught ? old -n- set in my ways ? if harvested at 100% amber i'd prob. be the worlds largest couch potatoe -n- never get anything done . i've always done 100% indica or indica dominant strains though = kinda couch lock anyways . stinky attic and latewood are kinda leaning towards sativas which i might try next .

peace all
crispi

mackSwell

12-30-2006, 07:41 PM

I'm on my first hydro endevor, 10 gal rez, 1 plant, DWC. Details here:

http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=92745

I have a couple of possibly useless comments to add! *grin*

On avoiding root tangle:

I was thinking that setting up a plastic divider might work... In my 4 plant system it would be like this: 2 large pieces of rigid plastic, each cut most of the way down the middle and stuck together to form an X. A bazillion tiny holes drilled in the plastic to allow for flow. An airstone in each section. Checking the roots daily and, with fingers wet with rez solution, tease away any from the holes. I think they still might try to work their way thru the holes though.

My other thought on this is cheesecloth. Make a little tubular tent around each pot with a few layers of cheesecloth, open at the bottom, airstone inside each tube. The roots very likely will get entangled in their own cheesecloth tube, but it would be tough for them to get thru it.

Probably ought to soak the cheesecloth in pH balanced H2O first - I'm not sure if it would effect the pH fresh.

On medicinal mj:

I have a bevy of back problems, and take morphine and oxy for pain. Indica-heavy strains work just as well, with benefits of being non-addictive & easier dose control. I pay little heed to seed bank's distinctions on what is medicinal and what is not - Ya use what works for you, and if it is lower THC, you can just use more and/or water cure it.

Happy bubbles to all!

latewood

12-30-2006, 11:56 PM

good thread. I mentioned thread jumping, but not in a negative way...We have always believed here a Cdot that info comes from all directions...
OK. medicinal is generally an Indica, and so we all try Indicas 1st...But, Indicas are not the "High" Most are looking for. that is Sativa...

I always read Indica, "medicinal", "couchlock", "body stone"...Sativ, up
high, and as mentioned above...the trichs determine how up or how much couchlock effect. The earlier you harvest the more up high. the longer you wait the more couchlock effect.

Now don't go chopping your plants early...You need at least 1/2 cloudy-1/2 clear to harvest and enjoy the effect.
I usually flush when I see amber trichs, then harvest within a week. With good genetics I cannot finish a joint...And...Keep in mind that once trichs turn amber, they are deteriorating...Oh yeah...Zandor would find me remiss if I didn't add; Trichs are only the receptacle or, they show the potential for thc production...they are not themselves thc.
clear-they have little thc...
cloudy-they are full of thc...
amber-they are dying.

later.peace.latewood

Weedhound

12-31-2006, 10:47 AM

What do you mean about the trichomes latewood? I though they WERE the THC. Are you saying that the cloudy/amber etc inside is the thc? I never knew that!

Mack, I like your idea of the plastic with the bazillian holes but unfortunately it has one major flaw in my book.....it takes work and I have a very strict rule against that. As far as the cheesecloth I'm wondering as to whether it would break down after awhile of floating around and spread little bits everywhere in the res. But it did give me another thought.....I haven't used coco but doesn't it come in those strips that you could wrap around the pot. And I'm not if it would help hold the roots back but if it could even slow them down so that you could remove the plant without ripping off any roots......

latewood

12-31-2006, 12:39 PM

Here is an excerpt from J cervantes, Indoor Marijuana Horticulture, "the Indoor bible"; Capitate-stalked glands (trichomes) (looks like a golf tee or post with knob at top), have the highest concentration of thc and are the glands to watch...when the trichomes develop a spherical head and are still transparent is the best time to harvest...
(Now this goes against what some of us were taught, or believe, HUH?)
Senescing Glands starting to turn brown and get smaller, they are decomposing and thc content diminishes. make sure to check buds over the entire plant to assure maximum amount of mature trichomes...

I am sorry weedhound...you are right. I didn't clarify, but I was taught that the development of the stalked gland/trichome was/showed the potential of thc (a vessel)...the cloudiness shows it there..., but this excerpt is from one of the gurus, so once again, It is all a matter of opinion and/or clarification at some point...peace Hope this helps.

Mack. I have thought about dividers like that, but nothing with holes would help, in fact they would hinder the roots due to roots growing into holes..anyway; I think the answer lies in a recirculating individual but communal dwc rez...I am sure that a mold of some sort will have to be made for the idea...At least for my design.

Weedhound

12-31-2006, 06:47 PM

Yes it does pretty much work out to the same thing all in all...whether they are or "contain"...THEY ARE THERE which is all we care about. Have any of you folks harvested when all the trichs were clear and if so how did you like it? I always heard that was a big no-no; no offense to JC. And the roots growing into the holes would be my worry too....I'm way to lazy to keep track of them---I want plants that grow, harvest and roll themselves into a good j all by themselves. There would have to be two layers between them I would think--one permanent and one that could be removed with the plant.

xcrispi

12-31-2006, 08:50 PM

WOW ,
jorge sure threw some conterdictive shit out there for us huh ?:confused:
well weedhound , just so happens all the trics. on the blueberry are all clear . i'll cut 2-3 budz. off of that plant -n- mark it . i'll dry the nugz -n- cure in my usual fashion . when the remainder of that given plant is 50/50 milky/amber i'll chop , dry -n- cure . i'll tell ya which - clear or 50/50 has the best effects .
sorry your threads all shot to hell bluebear .lol. w/f-dwc etc... now huh ?

back on subject ,
sup mackSwell ? someone else had all these thoughts about dividers , screens etc... in pg. 1 or 2 of this thread , i think ? :bonghit: and we all tried to steer them away from it . unless they're clones or feminised beans . BAD DOG !!! i was too lazy or high to go into greater detail earlier in this thread ?

3 yrs. ago during my last sog dirt grow i bought a "larry n misty's" 6 pot drip sys. off ebay. ;) YEP i ain't afraid of ebay either - to start my hydro explorations . i knew damn good -n- well 6 plants wouldn't fit in a 10 gal. rubbermade cont . so i did 3- in 3in. netpots . figured i could yank males in time . notttttttt :( . 2 girlz + 1 guy = 1 huge root system , in just 3 weeks too - but i had a 1000w. hps -n- not incadesents . the male was cut back as far as i could w/o killing it and put a damn brown paper grocery bag over him . looked like the unknown comic n shit . 1 bubbleberry female -n- 1 bubblegum female w/ lotsa lst n 1 toping got me 15 oz. 9 ounces of smoke -n- 6 ounces of seeds.:mad:
the pump got burned up in rez. by roots growing into pump . i took a piece of pantyhose n put pump in it . no dice = roots grow thru pantyhose. i tried a bio-bag from a whisper brand fish filter nope = roots grow thru bio-bags too . i'm convinced roots will grow thru everything .

1st thing i did after that grow was rip that 10 gal. tub apart n make a 5 gal. drip bucket out of it . 1 plant per bucket .

i took the time to read your thread too . i used dyna brand nutes my first 2 hydro grows too . i now use g/h 3 part w/ better results . yes , hempdepot has come thru for me in the past too . that's where my fem. mutt crosses came from . looks like you need to invest in a ppm. pen even if it's just a cheapie . i think mines a sunleaves -n- was only about 40.00 . a lil hps. hid too. i'm interested in the blueberry you have too so keep us posted .
peace
crispi :greenthumb:

latewood

01-01-2007, 07:06 AM

funny...my 1st bubbler was 1-10g rubbermaid 4 top like larry and misty's (basically copied it)...LOL and; I just did a clone grow in it for old time sake...really! I had 7-8 clones goong to waste...So I said what the hell? I threw the strongest 4 in the tub and got a 1/4lb out of it...I neglected it, and deprived it of nutes...I would dump the leftover whatever from the main plants...and I didn't get big buds, but I got 1/4 lb...so you can grow clones 4 to a tub...flower at 2 weeks of veg following rooting.

Hey I want to say to all. I always preach 3-part because I have found. after experiment with a lot of brands; i.e. Advanced nutrients (even VooDoo Juice)...pure blend pro...Which I love, but PBP is organic and doesn't provide the yield of 3-part. I also, as posted recently elsewhere...Quit using additives,with the exception of calmag+...I use ROwater; And Occasionally some Liquid Karma for rez health. Superthrive 1/4tsp per gallon; I find helpful for Stress; starting/propagation, spritzing clones and seedlings. The point being...My yield and roots and taste is better than ever...Simple and sweet

later

C. Dizz

01-01-2007, 06:27 PM

Hey, i got a question for you all really quick. I have a 1/4hp water chiller and have only used it on my Aeroflo 60 that has a 40gal res, where I set the chiller at 68. I hooked up a 360gph pump to the chiller so it cycles pretty quick.

Now, Im doing a smaller scale 6 site, recirculating DWC grow, with the controller bucket 5gallon. I hooked up my chiller to the controller, using the same 360gph pump, but Im not sure what temp to set the chiller to, considering that the controller bucket has to circulate out to all other 6 buckets. What do you think I should set it too? Thanks.

Weedhound

01-01-2007, 07:18 PM

Sorry C, I don't know anything about chillers so can't help you there. Well it's nice to know that X-C has done all the work for us in regards to how "not to grow". I'm glad you said that about the pantyhose because I would have bet they would have worked and if that's about as fine a screen as anything I cant think of. So now I am thinking of a solid barrier between the plants and perhaps some sort of screen towards the bottom of the barrier only. Yep, starting to sound like a custom thing as latewood said.

Now there's a picture for y'all as well.....the unknown comic alive and well and living in X-C's grow room.

xcrispi

01-01-2007, 07:53 PM

lol weedhound ,
been playin for 18-20 years off -n- on . no shame in crispis game . you can make lotsa mistakes in 18 yrs. when i started the only resource i had was ed rosenthals m/j growers bible . no internet back in the day . hell atari 400/800 -n- comodore 64 were the computers of choice . lmao . i'd just as soon have ppl. learn from my mistakes instead of making them all themselves .

hey c-dizz ,
if i were you i'd set up my system first w/o any plant life , just water. set chiller at a given temp. and put an aquarium thermometer in the bucket furthest from the chiller . you'll know the bigest temp. chg. you might encounter between the chiller and all buckets . from my reading on here about 65 deg. is the happy spot and point that water holds the most oxygen . i've never played w/ a chiller before but this would be my starting point .
peace
crispi

MisterE

01-01-2007, 08:12 PM

I think you could be fairly certain your whole system would be darn near the setting your chiller is set for based on your pump size.

If you're pumping 360 gallons per hour (minus whatever distance it's going etc), the number of times per hour the whole system replaces should be plenty to have almost even temps in every container.

I'd also confirm it with a remote thermometer like xcrispi says, then you'll have a real good idea after half a day where your temps are at all the time.

mackSwell

01-02-2007, 08:14 PM

Weedhound: *chuckle* Yah, work. *wrinkles nose* And the cheesecloth may indeed break down. Maybe sometime I'll just throw a piece into the bottom of my rez and see what it does over time.

Latewood: Holes probably would be trouble, (though with daily check of roots and turning of pots so roots tangle among their own might help) and no holes would be like having individual buckets. Yep - Communal rez is probably the thinking (wo)man's way to go.

XCrispi: *laugh* Well, sorta they did... But the cheesecloth part was new, as was the point of adding individual airstones so that you don't have to worry about screen/divider breaking up your bubbles. *Ppbbblllt* *wink*

I did some LST yesterday & today to Champ... Photo & ramblings at:
http://boards.cannabis.com/showthread.php?t=92745&page=2

BlueBear

01-02-2007, 10:49 PM

Hey, if you can, set the chiller in the res a little cooller than you want in the buckets because the buckets will creat a warmer water temp since they are under the lights and the fresh recerculating water from the res will off set that warmth. I read a thread yesterday that said 59D is the most proficient water temp for O2 max. Only thing, not all strains will take to temps that cool while others will thrive like no others. I would set the chiller at about 62D and test the buckets directly under the lights and if they are staing under 68D then you are in good shape. I would do the test after leaving lights on for 12 to 18 hours or even a 2 day trial, a test with lights on and lights out.
Hy gang, been busy so haven't had much time to post.

C. Dizz

01-03-2007, 04:44 AM

Thanks for the input people. Im sure running the chiller at like 60 would sufice to bringing all 6 buckets in the low 60's range. Im actually lowering the chillers input pump from 360 to a 185gph considering my res/controller bucket is a mere 5 gallons, not the 40 gallon res i had it dialed to for the previous system.

But heres what im wondering. A while ago when I last ran a Recirculating DWC, i used a pump in the controller that pumped water up through a 1/4" line splitter that split into 6 1/4" lines. Each line ran to each of the 6 buckets lids, so the recirculating system pumped from the controller, through the lines to all 6 buckets, and flowed back through the 1/2" tubing that connected all the buckets to the controller. (same as the recirc. dwc that was explained on a OG how to)

Now, I want to make the recirculation tubing different. As in, instead of the 6 line splitter, I want to run it through 2 lines of 1/2" tubing, that connect 3 buckets on each line, so the the buckets would all be inline. I think this would work a little more efficent what do you all think. Thanks. :smokin:

Pic 1: Is how I used to run it.
Pic 2: How I think I should make it now.

xcrispi

01-03-2007, 05:20 AM

hey c dizz ,
out of the 2 options you have there i like the 1st best . it can flow up to 3 times as fast back to the controller bucket w/ 6 inlets verses 2 , you can run pump faster = recur. faster .

i have kinda the same set up as your pic. 2 . but not ebb n grow . i just recur. mine 24/7 to keep p/h -n- ppm. the same in all buckets . i only have 2 rows of 2 buckets though . not 2 rows of 3 . when i set mine up like this i had worries of nutes being pumped from the controller to my rez. and right back down to the controller again -n- not drawing the nutes out of the buckets so well . i dyed plain water w/ foodcolors and ran sys. w/ a 120 gph pump at 3/4 the way up and it took 20 min. to draw all tinted water out . the longer the rows of buckets the longer it'll take too . when set up this way also there's very little room for movement n spacing/rearanging the buckets too .

my next grow i'm gonna try the manifold i posted the pic. but modified a lil . gonna have t fittings on all 4 corners and 2 valves . that way = 2 lines from rez. to plants and 2 lines into controller so recur. faster and each bucket has more range of movement cause you can run any length tube from manifold to the bucket then .

peace
crispi

latewood

01-03-2007, 09:43 AM

keep in mind as the solution circulates and circulates...that in itself will cause rez temps to rise from the warmth of the pump...

xcrispi

01-03-2007, 07:10 PM

hows everybody doing ?
well it's the begining of the 6th week of flower now . no new probs. except our poo poo digi-camera . can't get a decent pic. to save my life . new camera / new photographer ? anybody w / tips ? it's a vivatar 3915 w/5 mega-pixel . and 2 x digital zoom . atleast you can see the diff. in filling out/in i was talking about between the mutt on the left and the blueberry on the right . even w/ hps lights out we can't get anywhere near a good closeup w/o overexposure from flash , room light on and flash off=too dark ?
peace
crispi

Weedhound

01-04-2007, 12:10 AM

KLUNK! That was me hitting the floor in a faint from the beauty of both of those. And X-C, don't call it a mutt. Call it a mongrel.

MisterE

01-04-2007, 01:27 AM

Plants look awesome, xcrispi!
There should be a "landscape focus mode" slide switch on the front of your camera. Make sure it's on the setting that looks like a little man icon, not the mountain icon.

Also according to the manual for your camera I'm reading online, the digital zoom is only available when you have the LCD on, so make sure it's on when you try to zoom in with it. Also you have to be set to 2560 x 1920 mode for digital zoom.

Not sure what else to tell you, here's the link: http://www.fixya.com/support/p218414-vivitar_vivicam_3915_digital_camera/manual-15206/page-1

C. Dizz

01-04-2007, 06:42 AM

This is for latewood and anyone that uses float switches: I was interested in using a float switch in my controller bucket, connected to a pump in a small res to auto level off my controller bucket. So i did a search on float switches and saw latewood made a thread saying how good they work.

I got one just like the one pic'd in latewoods thread but I have a few questions. Do I just drop the float switch into the controller bucket, and plug my pump (submerged in a res right next to the controller) into the piggy back of the float switch power cord, set the level, and it should just trigger the pump to pump the water into the controller everytime the level drops?
Also how is the level set for the switch? Thanks alot. :rolleyes:

latewood

01-04-2007, 09:12 AM

Yes plug pump into piggyback, then you connect the cable to the float to somewhere near the top of rez...you adjust the length of your float cable to fit your rez size...too long a line and float won't get to angle to shutoff and it overflows...float must rise above cchord to shut off.

I would just put both rez' in the tub and hold the chord near the top of rez and try out system...just adjust the chord so float rests just above top of low waterline(for DWC)...or just above pump...So pump never runs dry(for drip systems). once you determine where you want the cable attached. use some type of fastener to hold it there. your drawing is about what ity would look like

C. Dizz

01-04-2007, 06:33 PM

Thanks, so I just attach the cable and float switch in the controller bucket so its just able to float ontop of the desired water level, then when the water level drops, the switch would be suspended since it dosnt have the water high enough to float on, so its just hanging by the cable, thats when it triggers the pump to pump the level back up right? Thanks so much for your help.

Also, I'll be finishing my DWC this weekend and moving it into my room. I had to start from seeds this grow, thats why im doing 5gal DWC to get bigger plants, then Ill save a mother and be able to run my aeroflo60 with clones next time. But this grow should be dope, I got DP Blueberry (10pac fem'd), and as soon as theyre germ'd Ill be placing them into a little gh rainforest sprayer to unsure them a good rooting. Then once theyre rooted in theyre net cups all I do is take them out of that system and drop all 6 into the DWC.

My main room (flower room) is crazy, its 5'wX7'lX5'h, 100% sealed, using plastic sheeting, then 100% mylar'd, 15k btu AC unit, C.A.P. co2 ppm monitor/controller hooked to a co2 regulator/tank, de-humid', (4) 600w HPS in cool tubes, ducted in 2 6" lines to (2) 310cfm elicent inline fans. Ill post pics later today.

latewood

01-04-2007, 11:45 PM

No...It actually should still be floating...be careful not to leave cable to long...float will follow water level down...then when it reaches a certain depth determined by length of cable it will turn on pump...pump will stay on until sw. is above where cable is attached...(you might have to use a piece of irrigation tubing or somethin to slide the cable into, so you can fasten that pc to the top of rez)...if you just attach float cable to top of rez above desired waterline...the pump might not cut-off....Goodluck, Can't wait top see it in use

xcrispi

01-07-2007, 06:34 AM

hey guys ,
thanx weedhound and misterE for the ego boost lol.
also to misterE for doing the camera homework i shoulda done . i never even read the directions E i'm a bad dog. i cant use either of my hands much so i relied on mrs. crispi to read cam. instructions since she's the one snappin pics.

Latewood-- ???
i've been using your 3 part formula on this current grow w/ the exception of the use of a lil koolbloom . i bought powder verses liquid . how come my ppm. never raises any after i put the coolbloom in the resovior ? in fact the ppm actually drops a lil from it ? i have no fear or it burning the girls as i'm only giving them 2 tsp. in 16 gal. of nutes .
thanx
crispi

BlueBear

01-08-2007, 08:46 PM

Hey LW, WH and Xcrispi as well as the other folks who are now posting on here.
LW, going to get some 3 part today and start your reg, question, I can't remember if you said you use TopMax or OverDrive or anything like that for a Booster?? If so, what is the application??
Xcrispy I have some BB on the way along with some AK 48 and some BBxTraneWork, on the BB with it being in the same res as another strain, have you had any problems feeding it since it can be so picky?? Are you feeding it LW's 3 part?? You like it so far?? How often are you changing the res on your system and what do you find to be the optimal PH during the first 4 to 5 weeks of veg and flower in your W/F set up??
Thanks for the answers, I am thinking about going out and picking up the 8 pack, but not absolutely sure yet, I have been over worked lately and want my next system to be as low maintenance as possible. This coco is doing good, but I have to water everyday to do it like I want and I pulled my DWC buckets because of temp fluxes in the room and I didn't want to have aquarium heaters along with air pumps going to and frow throughout the room to regulate water temps. I figure if I do the whole 8 pack I can modify it and just do 1 aquarium heater in the mane res if needed. What are your thoughts bro. Right now since I plucked the DWC and placed in hydro the growth is picking up, but like I said I don't want to have to water everyday, it is time consuming and I end up using much more nutes.
Adieu

xcrispi

01-08-2007, 11:05 PM

hey bluebear ,
i'm using latewoods formula + just a hint of koolbloom . i wish i woulda found L/W's recipe before i bought a 6 gal. jug of all 3 lol. 6 gals. of grow is gonna last a lifetime . plants look really happy though . i change the resovior every 7-8 days . i really don't think the blueberry is as fussy as i had read or thought it was gonna be . it was heat stress in the begining . as far as optinum p/h for 5 weeks of veg . i dont know . the sys. was screwy for first 2 1/2 weeks due to not recirculating . last part of veg. ph was 5.8-5.9 . i'm trying to keep it a lil lower than that for flower like 5.5-5.8 .

i wouldn't buy the 8 pk. again if i had it to do all over again bear .
i'd buy the drip coloums / driprings seperate for 10.00 a bucket and make my own system . these w/f containers being square sucks too . next grow i'm getting 3gal. buckets that stack inside 5 gal. pails and drill the hell out of em . = round w/f so we can spin em to expose new pts of plants to the light . picking the inner net pot up to spin em cause of being square is b/s -4ft plant easy 36in. across weighs prob 40-50 lbs. and no headroom . i just want mrs. crispi to have to rotate em / no pickin' em up .

i don't use the resovior or float valve like your suposed to either .
30 gal. garbage can would work just as good . i have the bigger round texas controller and only use the bottom half w/o the float valve , i have 2 air stones in the resovior and 1 sunmersible fishtank heater in the resovior itself set on low and recirculate the system constantly .

i gotta add usually between 1-3 gal. of just p/h water to resovior everyday , and p/h whole nute mix once a day due to .2 -.4 rise every 24 hrs. n thats it . i drip every other 15min = lights on , and once an hr. for 15min.= lights off .

you can save yourself money doing it yourself -you can still use hand tools .

peace
crispi

BlueBear

01-09-2007, 12:37 AM

Thanks X, I will have to keep all of that in mind. I guess we are all doomed to the world of DIY when growing this plant.
Hope that you and the Mrs are doing alright. Thanks for all of the input. If you ever want to get rid of that TX controler let me know.
Adieu

Weedhound

01-09-2007, 02:42 AM

I'm not sure I would buy the 8 pack again either as it is a fair amount of work but honestly I haven't really thought about other growing other ways (areo etc) If you are looking for a "turn-key" system I would probably says it is pretty good as far as having pretty much what you "need" but I completely agree with X-C about modifying it right off the bat because what you "need" vs what will make your life easier on a daily basis are definitely two different things. I'm on my way to work so can't think right now but will try to put together some thoughts on what things are the most work about it when I can. Some of the obvious have been mentioned but there are other things....cleaning the whole thing out after a grow is a bitch and a 1/2.... give me some time to shake the rocks out of the brain.

latewood

01-09-2007, 07:09 AM

nobodys rambling , neither 1 of ya's . ;)
i agree w/ you latewood . it might take alot of trial -n- error before 1 find one that trips my trigger in all the aspects i'm looking for . potency-yield-right med qual.-etc... i really would like to try a sativa strain = 3-4 hits -n- O.M.G "what'd i go-n-do effect" . but i only have 6ft.2in. of headroom in growroom -6in. for cooltunes -16in. for height of farms = 48in. for plants . sativas can be monsters w/ height . L.S.T the hell out of em ? :confused:

a sativa clone will allow you to flower after you root, then veg for two weeks...plant should be over 3-5 feet max inc/bubbler...and If so. do as I do. bend the top over. this causes a monster fat elbow of buds to grow. see attachment 1

weedhound - the definition of a med. m/j strain is probably very , very broad . just because of a suposed high thc level is a weak way to judge it -n- from what i've seen that's what most seedbanks are going by from the looks of things . most thc % ratings of 18% or better are refered to as med. strains more often than others .

medical marijuana is defined by the characteristics of different strains...some effect anxiety better then others; As well some plant help peolple manage chronic pain better. Potentially all strains can be mmj.
It is not , what strains are mmj or good for mmj? It is; What are the different effects of each and what area of relief does that strain provide? make sense

i'm missing 9 digits -5 fingers/4 toes and have serious neuro. probs. due to shooting and phantom pain etc... i find a stronger body buzz helps this . i'd be willing to bet what helps me might not do a damn thing for someone like bear w/ vision probs. or glocoma , sooo many dif. healing properties . the old adage "kill the brain ya kill the pain " is B/S . there's too many dif. physcical and psychological effects on us .

prob. why we're seeing soo many newbie kidz posting stuff about not getting high sometimes , i think they're expecting the same effect everytime but don't get it , either because of dif. strains - or - indica/sativas diff effects .

might take quite a while to nail down what's best for me . like latewood said everbodys dif. my asking others prob. isn't the right way to go about this ? maybe trial and error sorta till i hit it .:o
many thanx as always for any and all input , answers -n- suggestions .
peace
crispi :greenthumb:You mentioned wanting to grow a sativ, but you have height issues. do this. see pik. I decided to do a thread on the effects and results of this technique.

xcrispi

01-09-2007, 07:32 AM

hey latewood ,
thanx man . i just noticed the 90deg. sativa tip 2 pages back . how long does it take to recover from something like that ? week- like when topping ? i 've been looking for afg./ sativa strains like you and stinky attic both suggested . maybe strawberry cough 80 sat/20 ind i think ?
thanx man
your cuz
crispi

latewood

01-09-2007, 10:07 AM

I am going to do a thread on the idea. It seems to go crazy after a couple of days. you oughta see all the frickin Budsites I got going on.

I tell you...every grow, I get better results from tweaking and such, but I am experimenting this grow as always.

The topic of this grow's experiment...Bend break height management and pruning (light pruning). I am trying to weigh the effects of taking damaged and dying leaves...I am seeing how the airflow and extra light effects the lower immature growth. In fact, I am thinking of setting up side lighting as a rule in order to harvest maybe twice as much, because in my estimation, growing large bushes, 1/2 the plant produces 1/4 of harvest, and if you could get the lower growth as fat as the upper growth...Now that would increase yield I would guess 50% turn a 1/4lb yield into 6 oz...later,.sorry just spouting off.

BlueBear

01-09-2007, 06:50 PM

I think it was on PG I read a thread where a fellow always did a 3 part harvest, top, middle and then bottom in a three week incrament and would pull as much off the second two chops as the first main chop.
Adieu

Weedhound

01-10-2007, 04:07 AM

lw if you added side lighting what kind would you use? I'd love to know how that affects your yield etc.... I lst'd for the first time with my last grow and was extremely impressed by the results so I'll definitely be doing that again.

Before I started growing I really knew only two "kinds" of mj....indica and sativa (not to mention not knowing the difference between the two really) and am just know exploring the different strains etc....believe me I had no idea of all the possibilities out there.....a large part of the reason I'm not ready to work on cloning yet....too much other stuff to try. :yippee:

testsubject421

01-10-2007, 08:52 PM

so i use the same method as bongo and never have had any probs (one thing is if you grow big make sure you have a big res or youl be watering once a day or more?!) i use 400 watt hps 2 per room 4wx6lx8h one vegi room one bloom room i use foxfarm mostly i also use bc bloom stuff i also use superthrive and 35% food grade h202 i have 3 1/2 gal buckets that my local creamery uses for ice cream i get them free with lids i just need to wash ;)
i use dip & grow for my rooting hormone i put in 1x1x1 rockwool and wait till roots come out the bottom and then into the net pots i use hygromite if i need to balence my rockwoll i use tap water and i do tds test when i have probs otherwise i dont bother i use large shalow rubbermaid tubs for my rooting pan (i fill with clones then i water as neded) i keep this up on a shelf higher than my lights so they get extra heat i yeald about 2 oz per plant in 3 months from cuting of clone to harvest (i try not to let them get to big or its a lot of work) i use a few diferent strains some i got from friends some i bought a rhino seed i bought barnys sweettooth and my god its awesome!!!!!!
i bought nirvana papaya and it sucked i bought shaman its awesome also it wold be a good out door its huge and lankey nice purp buds tho if any questions ask i can take pics also.......but i can be lazy!!!
sorry about typos im at work and speeding thru this

Weedhound

01-10-2007, 09:36 PM

Love that name 421!

C. Dizz

01-15-2007, 03:32 AM

Whats up guys, just thought I'd show you my imaculate room before I have to dis-mantel it, ha. I'm moving in a month so all the equiptment has to be packed back up and either stored away or sold. I also got to take down all the mylar and makeshift walls, ceiling, etc.

Heres the rooms specs:
6'w X 7'l X 5'h (210sqft)
100% Sealed with plastic sheeting
100% Mylar covered
2400watts (4) 600w HPS Cooltubes
Connected to 6" Ducting
Ducting powered by (2) 310cfm Elicent 6" Inline Fans
15000btu Air Conditioner Unit
De-Humidifier
CO2 PPM Monitor/Controller
Connected to CO2 Regulator/Tank

The Main System was the GH AeroFlo 60, with 1/4hp water chiller.

Being 100% sealed the room maintained 70f degrees, 40-50% humidity, and 1800ppm of CO2.

Heres the pics, I already took the system out. Peace :smokin:

latewood

01-15-2007, 05:02 AM

http://hygronomics.com/forum1/index.php?action=forum

Hey c.Dizz. If you want to offer your equipment for sale...You can post it at this site in the barter or co-op section. I am sure It will move if it is posted for people to see.

BlackBliss

01-15-2007, 01:01 PM

Thats some nice lookin equiptment for sure!!!!
Have a good one ;)

latewood

01-15-2007, 09:43 PM

yeah, I was thinking the same thing.

someone aske dabove what I use for side lighting?...anything!
4'fluoro
cfl's
400w vertical MH
250w hps

you just have to manage, but I think about 8-12 cfl could be great, but you have to monitor your heat issues.

last night I went to the farm and it was 84degrees...but when I knelt to the floor, it was cool about high 60's lower70's below the canopy...hmmmmmmmmmmmmm new input fan is doing a good job. peace

BlueBear

01-16-2007, 01:13 AM

What were the temps like before the fan and how is it set up??
Adieu

Weedhound

01-16-2007, 01:16 AM

That was me asking about side lighting but wah I don't want to deal with heat issues cause with winter and this cold snap I'm already having them.....the room swings back and forth. I will keep it in mind though for future grows; i could get some of those lights that clamp on and attach them easily. :)

BlueBear

01-16-2007, 03:11 AM

LW, have you looked into swamp/evaperative coolers for cooling the room over AC?? I read up on it on another board and the guy was really pushing it. They take less than half the power of an AC and cost half the price. The only thing I really wonder about is if they push the humidity up a buntch since they are water fed.
Weed Hound, what are you going to do with the summer heat?? Another thing from talking about those 600's on that other thread, if I down sized from 2K to 1200/2x600's then I would have an extra 800W's on my breaker box to run a portable AC if I couldn't get the temps down in the summer. But at this point I am thinking that the 2x600's should run cool enough to make do with some venting and a possible evapertive cooler if they are all the are cracked up to be.
Adieu

latewood

01-16-2007, 05:18 AM

Evaporative Coolers are great if you live in dry climates. You need humidity which swamp coolers provide; And, they do a good job cooling...

BUT in humid situations...You will rot the garden. I have just recently taken a very serious look into buying a "swamper" and researched this option, but I live in a very humid climate...

So I just bought a new digital wall unit with a reversable-recyling turbo air function, and a timer...LOVE IT!...that will save me about 50-100 bucks a month I bet.

weedhound...they don't get that hot.

BlueBear

01-16-2007, 06:12 AM

LW, how many BTU and watts is it? Is it just localized to your grow area? Did you instal it in an exsisting AC area or did you install it in a new area??
Adieu

seasoned vet

01-16-2007, 06:58 AM

has any one had any luck with a scrog set-up and the 8-bucket w/f system? or even 2 or more single bucket w/f scrog?

working with a small space but wanna go big.

thx

latewood

01-16-2007, 07:27 AM

scrog would work great with waterfarm...

BlueBear

01-16-2007, 09:10 AM

You need to make sure you have a way to flush/change out your buckets though because the screen can make it a little tricky.

xcrispi

01-16-2007, 09:19 AM

has any one had any luck with a scrog set-up and the 8-bucket w/f system? or even 2 or more single bucket w/f scrog?

working with a small space but wanna go big.

thx

hey seasoned vet ,
take a look at a thread called "lovely ladies" by justaseed . he's awful damn good at scrog , very tallented - 3yrs. practice . he gets 12 oz. out of a lil 400w. hps. using a 2 x 4 ft screen , he was talking about a 1000w. scrog .
a 1000w. waterfarm super scrog would be the shit !!!!
peace
crispi :greenthumb:

BlueBear

01-16-2007, 06:29 PM

There are some of those over at IC using water farms.
Adieu

Racerx

01-16-2007, 07:48 PM

has any one had any luck with a scrog set-up and the 8-bucket w/f system? or even 2 or more single bucket w/f scrog?

working with a small space but wanna go big.

thx

I am currently doing a scrog with 16 buckets (well actually only 12 of the buckets are screened, the other 4 are simply tied down, love experiments). Ill give you some input in a couple months. They just got the screen recently. Its not a waterfarm system but it is recirculating DWC with 5 gallon buckets. I think the waterfarm system might be to close together. Our buckets are about 21" away from eachother (center to center), the waterfarm look far far closer, but Im sure you could change that.

HowBigSuperBig

01-16-2007, 11:54 PM

Hey guys, new member here. Been following the hydo threads for some time now and decided to finally post. Almost everything I've learned has come from this site. Heres what I'm working with: Cloned unknown strain in DWC Recirculating fill and partial drain that is in 2- 5 gal buckets with makeshift net pot and RIVER ROCK for my medium (was that a bad idea??). 5.5-6.0ph. 3 part GH, LK, Calmag+, SensiZym, and big bud. I am also using a stainless steel cooling coil that sits in my rez and every two hours a pump runs cold water through the coil. This means I have to keep a cold cooler on the side. This has been my most time tedious task but from what I can tell has been benifitial. It keeps my res temps 64-70. Early on I was using an aluminum coil and did not see and negative effects from using the AL in my res. but I found that AL can be corrosive so I changed it out for the SS. Thank God for winter, to keep temps cool I draw cold air in from outside. temps stay 66 at night and 75-82 at during the day. The concept I struggled with was designing a method where I could grow SCROG but at the same time allowing the buckets to be removed for cleaning without affecting the plant itself. Basically I came up with a hanging screen. The key is to have a wooden frame that the screen is attached to so that when hung from the ceiling or where ever it is rigid and can support the plant and roots. I cheated and used an old dog/baby safety gate which could have dubbed as my screen too but I also attached some chicken wire. I grow in an extra shower that is painted white and it lets me drain stuff with ease. Also, instead of growing the plant UP through the screen, (mainly because the clone grew to a foot before I decided to try scrogging it) I laid the plant over sideways on the screen and continued to tie it down with plastic zip ties. Then I used three hook screws in the top of the bucket where the net pot sits and connected those hooks to the screen so that when I unhook the potter bucket and remove it, the net pot, roots, bucket top and plant hang from the screen. Before spreading the plant sideways on the screen I topped it, waited a week+ and then FIMed it. After the plant began to grow out and cover the screen I topped it an additional 2 times followed by FIMing to reduce stretching and to thicken it up. It got so crazy with 'tops' I was crisscrossing them back over each other. While aligning and placing shoots I would from time to time break stems or pinch stems to slow certain areas of growth. NOW that I'm flowering and I can clearly see the stems and buds where breaking and pinching occurred and the stems are huge. Early on I even accidently broke the main stalk right at the base from the screen laying on the plant before it was strong enough. The result was a huge main stem. HUGE stem= better supply of nutes. After about a 2 month veg with 400w MH I started 12/12 HPS. I used some side lighting during early phases of flowering. Once she stopped stretching after going into flowering I cut all the zip ties to let the stems fully develop and to allow the plant to breath better. With criss crossing so many stems leaves were smushed together. Anyway, after they started to put on more weight I used string to lift the stems off the screen and make almost a blown of branches. This let every bud site receive more even light. I'm on day 55 of flowering. I've been off N for about 12 days now. Just high PK. I've had some sort of def. for some time now but have not been able to correct it. I think it may be root rot because my roots are pretty dark with some blacker looking areas. Starting from the center of the plant (which is the newest growth) it started to turn yellow and it moved out from there. It happened when I left for a week and the res temps went up for that week. Its so late in flowering now its too late to do anything about it. The buds are a little airy but then again it is alot of bud for one plant, plus I think I have that def. which effected the grow. With all this talk of watching Trics for prime harvest. If I look at the trics on the top of finger leaves some are amber but if I look UNDER them, some are clear, some are cloudy still with little to no amber. So basically, where am I suppose to be looking? I've been cutting off a couple little leaves near the top of the buds and looking at them with a 60X mag, the radio shak one someone posted up. (works great). Anyway, I just wanted to share my experiences. This turned out to be super long, holy sh!t. Sorry to ramble. I'm going to post some pix of my setup. Its been saying server busy for a while.

HowBigSuperBig

01-17-2007, 12:00 AM

here are some recent pix. They are about done but I just dont want to do the deed before they are ready.

BlazeIdo

01-17-2007, 01:18 AM

Welcome to Cdot. Those are some trichy buds

Weedhound

01-17-2007, 03:33 AM

Very nice setup and SUPER nice buds!!!:)

BlueBear

01-17-2007, 09:17 AM

You can harvest in stages, meaning finding the areas which seem to be more ripened, and for the most part, the buds which are closer to what the top of the plant would be if sitting vertical will be the most fineshed IMO.
Sounds like you have put alot of work in, and yes the week of high temps may have did you in with some root rott.
Keep on keeping on.
Adieu

HowBigSuperBig

01-17-2007, 10:26 PM

Yea I was thinking about doing a staggered harvest. If I do harvest buds that look done and leave others to pick later, would I start the flush at the same time? This is my first 'official' grow so what I dont get is, will the buds continue to mature through the flush phase?

xcrispi

01-17-2007, 10:45 PM

hey super big ,
budz will continue to mature , the plant is using up it's stored resources
while just getting h2o . i've got 3 blueberry that are going to be harvested sat . and i see a dif. in hairs n trichs on a straggler mongrel plant that too is only getting h2o . but will be harvested approx. a week or so later . it's turning a lighter shade of green but it's still finishing .
peace
your cuz
crispi

Weedhound

01-18-2007, 02:29 AM

lol, what's official about it? :)

HowBigSuperBig

01-18-2007, 03:52 AM

well, officially its my first serious grow. I've messed around before with throwing seeds in some dirt and gotten little buds off of it but I knew nothing of PH, PPM, Nutes, etc. Its official cuzzzzzz.....
What really blows is I dropped and broke my PH meter last night. Last week+ of flowering and I cant get a new one here for at least 4-5 days.

HowBigSuperBig

01-18-2007, 04:14 AM

nevermind, tore it apart and soldered it back together. Its working fine now. phew...

Weedhound

01-18-2007, 04:35 AM

You can buy some cheap ph test strips or ph liquid tester to keep on hand in a pinch....very cheap....at aquarium stores.

Racerx

01-19-2007, 07:24 PM

dwc club represent!

Weedhound

01-20-2007, 04:45 AM

Cool room! What's the square footage of the entire room? Sure looks like a nice setup!

boss30349

02-11-2007, 11:31 PM

Whats the earliest anyone has planted a seedling inside of a WaterFarm bucket system??

xcrispi

02-12-2007, 07:55 AM

Whats the earliest anyone has planted a seedling inside of a WaterFarm bucket system??

I try to start beans in 2in. sq. r/w cubes n get a cpl. sets of leaves on em before putting em in farms . Week - 10 days from a bean .
peace
crispi :jointsmile:

xcrispi

02-12-2007, 08:51 AM

Hello folks ,
I'm back to help continue bashin -n- crashin on all the faults we've been finding w/ the G/H Waterfarms and fixing and modifying them as we go along .

About the only thing left from G/H now w/ my w/f are the actual coloums/pressurised tubes and driprings . I went to a 3gal. bucket inside a 5gal. bucket for the added ease of spinning the plants as needed w/o having to pick them up to do it . This uses about an extra gallon of hydroton which will probably make for a larger and happier root sys. also .

I only run 4 Farms at a time w/ the big dual diaphram air pump from G/H so the valves on the manifold were hardly open at all to power driprings last grow . So we added an airline to each Farm going down the pump coloum down into the lower res. and an airstone . Now were gonna reap the benefits of both DWC and Drip systems and make that big pump work a lil harder.

Other changes in the next grow will be the addition of the LiquidKarma to Latewoods 3pt. G/H recipe . I followed his recipe to a T last grow minus the L/K <-didn't have any- and had incredible results . 3lbs. outa 4 plants . 3/4 lb. per bucket just like he said . I also got my new Limited Edition "Pampered Chef" turkey baster to measure hydro nutes . <- Thanx L/W . LOL .

Crispi ordered 3 new strains from GSA -> "The Church" , "Nexus" , "Sour N/L X Nev. Haze" anyone know anything about them ? We put together a new clone cabinet and are gonna start playing w/ it and my 250w c-13 cabinet in search of a strain w/ crazy potency before trying out the new Super / Waterfarm Hybrids . Got enough meds. for a year now anyways .

Peace all
G/B
The Crispis' :s3:

doco

02-12-2007, 09:14 AM

xcrispi

02-12-2007, 10:10 AM

I just ordered a 8 bucket WF system to make my first attempts at hydroponics. This thread has been an amazing source of great info and I cant wait to get it going and make some of the great mods that have been shared here. I'm using Xcrispi's excellent recirculating bucket method (ordered a eco plus 396 pump - should be enough?) and Im going to snag his ideas with the shut off valves to drain the whole system to check tds/ph etc. in one bucket to keep it uniform.

Anyway, Thanks to all who have contributed here!!

Hey Doco ,
Is that Eco 396 an adjustable output pump ? all i have in the lil 5 gal. controller bucket is a $7.00 via / aqua 302 . On full blast its only 120 gph w/ 12 in of head . When on full blast in 2-3 hrs time it drains the 5 gal. bucket faster than gravity can refill the controller bucket and inturn runs the pump w/ bucket dry -n- roaches the pump . I run the lil pump at 50% prob. 60 gph. w/ my sys. of 16 gallons it gets recirculated aprox. 4 times an hour .

The 1st. very important improvement is opening up all the lil poked holes in the brown netpots . i use a 3/8 drill bit . Weedhound forgot to in some of hers man and roots plug the lil pissant factory poked holes fast . The engineer at G/H needs a good kik in his jimmy for that stupid design . Eveything dripping outa the rings eventually overflows n floods your room once holes are plugged . Once this happens how do you fix it w/o killing the plant in the containers beyond me ?
good luck w/ em Doco , you can grow some amazing bushes in em
Peace
The Crispis':S5:

doco

02-12-2007, 10:00 PM

Thanks Xcrispi for that response - I checked and that Eco Plus pump was not adjustable so I ordered another, a Via Aqua 306 adjustable which can do 0-596 gph. The reason I wanted a little more powerful is that I will be feeding it back into the the top res and need the head to be at least 3-4 feet...hopefully I can adjust the via aqua to be a good balance. Thanks again - you probably saved me a week of headache and maybe a smoked pump! :D

doco

02-13-2007, 07:34 AM

Ive been thinking about the recirculation modification aspects of these waterfarms and I see some great ideas but a thought occurred to me was about the "T" s that connect the buckets together. In that configuration, maybe more water is being recirculated much more through the connecting hoses than though the buckets themselves?

The thought I had was to add another connector to the opposite side of each bucket and have the solution actual draw through the bucket on it's way down the chain to the recirculating bucket. I've attached a drawing to give a better idea. What does anyone think?

I would think that it would maintain a contestant ph and ppm through the entire system this way, whereas in the standard WF "T" system I think the water in the buckets recirculates much less often than in the hoses, since the T' feeder hosed essentially form a straight line and water travels the path of least resistance.

Am I just high???

xcrispi

02-13-2007, 05:43 PM

Smart thinkin Doco ,
I thought the same thing too , i dyed the farms themselves w/ red food coloring and recirculated the system and it took 20 min. to draw all the red outa the farms and replace it w/ clear water from res.
Keep in mind the more you tie these thingz together the harder they are to rearrange n move around as the plants devolop .
also man set up entire system w/o plants or nutes n run it for a day to see if theres any probs . I dont use the top half of my controller either . The float valve lets water transfer from top to bottom so slowwwwwwwwww . be careful w/ the big pump .
Peace
your cuz
Xcrispi

doco

02-13-2007, 07:05 PM

Just to be on the safe side with the pumps, in addition to the bigger adjustable one, I also ordered the exact one you recommended.

I do plan on using the controller and the resevoir together....I see that BGhydro sells a 3/4" float valve...maybe that would solve the slow transfer from res to controller? Maybe even add another one so there are two valves to fill the controller??

Thanks for your help!!

bud luv

02-14-2007, 12:45 AM

doco -

like Crispi, I only use 120 gph pump for recirculating, but I'm running 12 buckets. If it's good for 4 and good for 12 it will probably be good for your 8.

With a stronger pump, you also run more of a risk with quicker water movement that the "new" water wouldn't make it into those "T's" into from the main water line. Having less GPH means less negative pressure in your connecting lines, and a higher likelihood of the contents of the bucket circulating out, IMO. I wouldn't worry about having two holes in the bucket, with just one hole my ppms and phs stay fine, especially with the $1.39 shutoff valves from the reservoir.

how big is your reservoir? can you have the 9th bucket with the pump in it at a lower height than the rest of your growing buckets? As long as you have a height difference and a good sized res, you shouldnt even need float valves or texas controllers or anything like that, at least I didn't. With 12 buckets and 6th week of bloom, you can still skip 2-3 days without topping off -- can't beat that.

It's weird that GH doesn't sell the HF with simple netpots instead of that top bucket, the more holes the better IMO, especially if you're doing a DWC hybrid.

3 gallon netpots: $3
5 gallon black buckets: $5
GH HF kit: $12

for anyone-
for 20 bux each you can DIY a HF that'll work great. All u need is a good strong air pump for about $60 that can power up to 16 farms. 8 x $20 + $60 + $10 for 1/4 inch tubing and fittings and you've got a 8 piece high performance HydroFarm for $230. For another $20-$30 you can make it recirculating. Not to mention that you can get a 50 gallon reservoir from Target for about 8 bucks, instead of the 13 gallon res that comes with the pre-packaged 8x setup. For those without a hydro store near them you can't beat the convenience of the pre-packaged deal, but DIY-ing will save you money and get you a higher-performance system in the long run. My local store will even drill all the holes for you and give you a 10% discount on everything, plus no shipping $.

bud luv

02-14-2007, 01:00 AM

these are at about 5.5 - 6th week of 12/12.

Colas the size of your arm, and growing. lol. No CO2

doco

02-14-2007, 04:15 AM

Great idea with the dye test Xcrispi!! I'll try it....sounds like I won't need to mess with the "T"s though...20 mins to recirculate each bucket sounds fine. I'm only going to use 4 buckets so it should be good and I'll use the Via Aqua 302 as you both suggest.

Also, elevating the buckets and the res but not the recirculating bucket also sounds like a great idea Bud Luv.

Why do so many people not choose to use the WF Res/Contoller combo??

Thanks for all the helpful advice for this hydro n00b.

xcrispi

02-14-2007, 04:49 AM

Hey Doco ,
I have the texas controller . By only running the lower half i save myself 15-20 gallons wortha nutes every week to 10 days . Budluv said what i couldn't get out w/ the faster recurc. speed isn't always better . lol .
Peace man , you should have no probs.
you do awful well just in a hut . lol
Crispi

doco

02-27-2007, 04:10 AM

Thanks for the encouragement xcrispi and everyone else too!! I've got all the gear together now and will put the system together for testing next weekend. I've still got to flower a Kush bush thats been vegging for 4 months so I'm a couple months away from starting the waterfarm in production but I'm stoked thats it's in the works for the near future.

These threads have been so helpful...I wouldn't have even tried it if I wasn't able to learn so much from all of you.

I'll post pics next weekend when its all together and running in my kitchen.

doco

02-27-2007, 04:13 AM

By only running the lower half i save myself 15-20 gallons wortha nutes every week to 10 days .

Thats the best reason I can think of - thats a lotta dough over the course of a grow too.

xcrispi

02-27-2007, 12:09 PM

Sweet Doco ,
Budluv -n- R-piggys grows are about done . You'll give us somethin new to watch . I hope ? Atleast as far as farms / dwc is concerned . Lotta ppl. disappearing . I sure hope Bluebear comes back . :( He was like a Big Brother .

I won't even get the chance to try the new gen. buckets I made for prob. 9-10 mos. Last grow for me was enough to stoke an elephant , everything I grow is medicinal / for myself .

So I'm playing w/ genetics -n- a cloning cabinet so hopefully the next bucket grow for me will be 4- Identical Aryian Super Plants . I really wanna find something w/ the right med/ qualities i require and insane potency .
What all have you grown in the past Doco , and what can you tell me about the strains man ?
Peace all
Your Cuz
Crispi :jointsmile:

doco

02-28-2007, 07:46 AM

I'm just learning cloning too xcrispi - kinda had to learn fast when I broke a small branch off one of the Mangos a while back but after a rough start she made it and is now re-vegging nicely.

I just took six more clones a week ago, 2 Jedi and 4 Troublemaker (Hindu Kush X Master Kush) One of the Kush seems like its not gonna make it but the others look like they will be fine. The Jedi are to replace their mother as mothers because I nuked her by too much nutes (very light feeder apparently). It's odd because the Mango I'm doing in the hut are a Jedi X Chrystal cross and they have very good appetites.

The Doco's Hut thread is my first real indoors grow so you've witnessed the entirety of my indoor experience from start to finish! I used to grow outdoors when I lived in the bay area 20 years ago but I didn't know genetics or anything then...there were always great Humboldt seeds floating around tho.

I'm just stoked to be growing my own medicine too. Soil was fun and now I'm ready to experiment with some new challenges!

Where has Bluebear been anyway?? I always liked him too and he tolerated my n00bism well enough.

Weedhound

04-03-2007, 03:22 AM

Bump for Scarlet.....kind of a look through but I recall getting some excellent ideas and suggestions here.

doco

04-28-2007, 04:27 AM

OK, so here is my recirculating waterfarm finally. I based it on many of the tips & tricks I learned in this thread so I wanted to introduce it here first.

Since it is in a HydroHut mini I'm only using 4 buckets (only have a 400w anyway) and a 5th bucket with a Via Aqua 302 pump in it to recirculate back to the main reservoir. I did an illustration to show the flow.

I transplanted these Pure Power Plant from a bubbler I had going in another cabinet and they had mad roots already - I hope they make the transfer OK - this is my first attempt at hydro so it's all a gamble.

hydrocannabis

04-28-2007, 05:02 AM

damm thats looks great now. but its gunna look even better when they get bigger.
so R they seedlings or clones.

well good luck on your grow.

doco

04-28-2007, 06:19 AM

I wish I could say that these are clones but I got wanderlust and wanted to try new strains so I dug into my stash of beans for this one. I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and pray for females. I'd go to the cemetary at midnight to swing a dead cat over my head 12 times too if I thought that would raise f/m ratio.

I forgot to include the res pic. The bottom tube feeds the waterfarms, the one going into the top res is the recirculated stream. I have it outside the hut to help keep temps down - well, that and there's no room in the hut.

xcrispi

04-28-2007, 02:04 PM

Way sweet setup Doco ,
Esp. the fact that all cells/bukts are = distance from the heart/pump bukt . Nutes and PH will never ever get the chance to differ from bucket to bucket . Very neat clean set up man . :thumbsup:
Good luck w/ it i'll def. be watching .
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:

evlme2

04-28-2007, 02:44 PM

xcrispi

04-28-2007, 03:28 PM

I just bought a waterfarm 8 pack and im wondering what is with the un-even nutes/ph from bucket to bucket that you guys experience? Why does it happen and how does recirculating the mix fix the problem? I didnt wanna have to constantly fix a system, especially for all the $$$ i paid for it.:mad:
Do i have to recirculate or can i just tie the end 2 buckets to eachother to complete a loop?

Sup Evlme ,
The plants living in the sys. use dif. nutes at dif. rates so ppm. in cells is always dif. I dont know why ph changes from cell to cell but it does also .

As far as why to recirculating the sys. - It'll be the biggest improvement you could prob. make besides drilling out all those b/s lil poked holes to like 3/8 in and adding a whole bunch more of them . Recirculating it cures ph flux , ppm flux , and stagnent res. probs . Take a 5 gal. bucket of water n let it sit for a week to 10 days w/o airstones or recirculaing and smell it . mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Not a pretty smell . Plants don't dig it either .

Dont wanna constantly fix a sys ??? Then do it all now , and all at once like Docco just did <- smart man . Learning from all our mistakes , trials , and errors so he didn't have to make them all himself .

Loop at end of 2 rows does nothing . Look at the pics G/H shows of their sys . Only 2 cells ever get true new nutes -> the first 2 buckets in each row . the further away from res . you get , the more fukd up the ph , ppm get because it's just passing old played out nutes further down the line till it gets to the last set of cells .

Take this for what you will . I wasted some money too , but am now blown away w/ my results after many changes and a cpl. of floods . :)
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:

evlme2

04-28-2007, 03:47 PM

xcrispi

04-28-2007, 03:58 PM

Thanks for clearing that up xcrispi. My setup is similar to docos' in that ill be using only 4 buckets. Well, i have 2 grow areas', veg and flower so four in one spot and 4 in another.
How often do you recirculate or do leave the pump on all the time? (the one in the recirc bucket)
Thanks again.

Sup ,
I use a 120 gph. Via aqua 302 pump - like 7.00 at petstore or lots of em on ebay. I run it 24/7 w/ no probs. it's designed to be used for a fishtank so continious use isn't a prob.

Also with a cpl. pet cocks / valves between the res and 1st cells you can close them once a day and the pump bucket will put the nutes all in the res for you to chk. ph and ppm once a day , when done open valves and sys fills itself via. gravity .
Peace
Crispi :jointsmile:

latewood

04-28-2007, 04:16 PM

you are not jumping anything...to me jumping is when a member start a convo w/another in a members thread, and ignore the ortiginal convo altogether. Most of us talk about a wide spectrum of off-topic subjects in long threads like this, because that is how you learn. Peace

all I know about effects is that when my hip is chronically out of place, anbd pinching nerves which causes my neck to ache...Nothing other than a great DOOB will throttle the pain. Peace

Perhaps someone with more MMJ experience can answer further. LOL Peace

Weedhound

04-29-2007, 05:41 AM

Nice hut Doco! I hope you're growing short plants tho.....:stoned:

doco

04-29-2007, 06:02 AM

Thanks Weedhound, I was just checking out your waterfarm too. Looks great! I love the tip about the raincoats too.

This is the third grow in this hut and I top them at least once so hopefully it's plenty of room - first time in hydro tho. I want the best light penetration I can get from my little 400w and topping seems to be the easy way to do that. I think a 1000w is in my near future.

I'll keep stopping by your grow thread and start one of my own as soon as I know these guys transplanted and adjusted ok. :thumbsup:

kushkorea

07-14-2008, 08:14 AM

growing in 18 gallon rubbermaid with 3 airstones 5 plants and dynagro 7-9-5 with ph balance at 5.9 and 400 watt hp bulb will it work?

elskeetro

07-15-2008, 07:20 PM

growing in 18 gallon rubbermaid with 3 airstones 5 plants and dynagro 7-9-5 with ph balance at 5.9 and 400 watt hp bulb will it work?

Yes that will work.

Depending on how big your plants are, it's gonna get real crowded quick. also, with 5 plants sitting in the lid of the container...it's a bitch to take the lid off, keep the roots safe, and change the solution, check pH, etc. i'd suggest buying an identical 18 gal tub to set the lid and plants in while you are changing water.

another option would be to set the tub on a riser of some sort and install a valve to drain the res. then you could just open the valve, drain the old solution, close the valve, add new solution.

I just harvested 4 plants in a 14 Gal DWC. They came out really great. nice big buds. 4.75 oz dry weight. While it was my best grow so far, i have moved away from the single res and moved to 5 gallon buckets. It's way easier to move the plants around and changing solution is a breeze.

i'm not sure about your nutes. i like the GH 3 part. but the rest of your setup sounds similar to what i just finished.

good luck

Skeet.

SAP420

08-16-2008, 01:35 AM

How do the waterfarms connect to the tubing to the controller. How do you flush your system to do your weekly or biweekly nute changeouts and flush. Usually I take each farm to the bath tub and rinse each one out and mix nutes seperately. I am seriously thinkin hard about getting a controller with the recirculation system upgrade but I need to know how much of a bitch it is to change out the nutes when using a controller and do I still need to take each farm out of the tent like I have been doing or is there a whole other method for flushing and remixing new nutes??? Also do I keep a whole fresh nute mix going in the controller or just ph'd water that will keep the reservoirs topped off (if I'm not doing a recirculate method). If I am doing recirculated setup, What do I have in the controller since all the nutes and water is constantly flowing from farms to controller to farms?

markgreene

08-22-2008, 03:34 PM

Hi, I too am new to dwc, but have huge plants. I use 3 18 l oxypots and 3 rubbermaid clones that hold 20 liters. A couple of things:

1) do the plants really mature faster?

2) do you have to change the water regularly, as half the liquid is replaced weekly anyway

3) I use canna aqua and it costs a bloody fortune, with rhizotonic, flora and veg a and b, cannazym, cannaboost. Any cheaper options that are also good?

Thanks

horton

markgreene

08-22-2008, 03:36 PM

I forgot, I also have to cut a male out in a 2 mesh setup. Ideas?

Booyagrandma

08-29-2008, 01:45 AM

Doco, I don't mean to flame but you should have your water flow dirction changed, your looking for the water fall effect when recirculating dwc, then you can cut out any air pumps for the water fall creates enough DO, far and foremost I do hope the best of that great looking system, cheers

PS I use a 1000+ gph pump with my bucket system for dem trees

tasermebro

09-01-2008, 08:31 PM

I have heard of the waterfall method as well form Heath 9tree grower)I love growing trees!what is your tree method set up?I'm thinking of gowing dwc with 5000watts vertical style 8-12 plants

d4twamp

09-02-2008, 10:11 PM

I like the house and garden line the shooting powder at the end makes the buds swell

D:S5:

Booyagrandma

09-19-2008, 04:25 AM

I need some ideas on a drying system, want screens.

And I need some ideas on a stand system to keep my babies up, they just about all fell over today with weight issues. So they got chopped 3 days premature.

THanks
booya

xcrispi

09-19-2008, 01:19 PM

d4twamp

09-30-2008, 08:25 PM

Hey All in the Recirc. DWC Club,

I'm setting up a recirc. dwc system, I was gonna use 5 gal buckets until I found these 10 gal buckets: my ? is I'm thinking about using 1 inch tubing for the drainage of the buckets,. Do you guys or gals think this will be enough or should it be larger. I was gonna go 3/4 in. for the 5 gal. but don't know if I should double the drainage for the double in size bucket. the buckets are the same height as a 5 gal bucket but they are 18 inches wide. any thoughts or help would be very appreciated

thanx D:S5:

Weedhound

10-07-2008, 06:21 PM

where's X-Crispi when you need him? He'd be the perfect one to ask. I believe he uses 3/4" tubing for his and likes it much better than the 1/2 inch.

Even in my larger buckets D4 I'm perfectly happy with 1/2 inch tubing so I wouldn't be the right one to ask.

I suppose though, I would ask how you are going to recirculate....with an air pump or a water pump? That may change how large you need your tubing to be.

d4twamp

10-07-2008, 06:26 PM

Does anyone still visit this thread, am I all alone here, Somebody, Anybody, please just gimmie a lil help...lol jus' playin..

I got some 1 inch ebb n flow outlets for the drainage but I couldn't find any 1 inch valves went to 3 hydro shops.. so I bought a bunch of fittings and a pvc valve at Lowes and some bucket lids w/ net pots I forgot to get the 1 in. tubing but I did get the 1/2 inch tubing I needed... I guess I gotta stop smoking before I go shopping for parts, I always forget something

My fridge just took a crap on me this morning so my mods to the cultivation station and the building of my 1st DWC system might have to wait longer. AAAAARRRGGH I can't stop daydreaming of getting this back up and running so much that I can't sleep, but it gives me ideas for inventions to patent for the hydro retail market, hopefully one day.

Later D:S5:

d4twamp

10-07-2008, 09:41 PM

Ok if I'm using 2 10 gallon buckets in a recirculating DWC system and I was planning on growing say a SNLxNH and a MASTER KUSH would you guys and or gals recommend me running them each w/ their own res or could I run them off the same res without too many issues. I was just wondering if I should separate strains per reservoir, as some strains might be heavier feeders than others...any thoughts would be very appreciated. thanx in advance

later D:S5:

d4twamp

10-07-2008, 09:47 PM

WH I just saw your post after posting.. I was thinking of doing it Xtra Crispi style with a controller bucket, but still contemplating my options. I just don't wanna have build it twice so I've been researching this for alooooooooooong time.

D

Charles U Farley

10-07-2008, 10:36 PM

Hey d4twamp,You and I are in a similar position.I have been researching setting up a dwc system for almost 2 yrs now (probably time I got off from the pot and did it huh?).From what I have read and seen it would probably work best for you if you took both buckets and ran them off from a single res.From my non-experienced vantage point it looks as though this simplifies nute changes and adjustments,your just working out of one controller res which can be linked to dozens of buckets.

I had a bucket and cover with a 6"net pot just laying around along with some Hydroton.I drilled a couple of holes in the cover dropped in a couple of airstones and got the set up going.I rinsed and soaked the hydroton,submerged the plant until the roots were almost completely free of soil and then with the net pot in water I placed the young roots (Stinky's idea,thanks for the hint)on top and covered the rest with the clay pellets.This plant was about four inches tall compared to others it sprouted up with that were 18"-24" after two months.I figured what would it hurt if the little one didnt make it.To my suprised after a few days Im seeing some pretty amazing growth.its making me wish I switched to the "dark side" years ago.Sorry I didnt mean to hijack your thread.Hope this helps.i would say just keep looking in this site and others,there are some great and informative tutorials out there.Good luck to ya,take care and be well,and most of all be safe.

xcrispi

10-07-2008, 10:40 PM

There's drawbacks either way .

My reason for 1 controller = simplicity .
But if you grow more than 1 strain it's hard to keep everybody happy as far as nute requirements .

I used 3/4 in. fittings / plumbing and found that I can recirculate the system so fast that the root systems get pushed over to the outlet side of my buckets and then the system can't recirculate anymore :( So find a happy medium as far as recirculation speed .

I spin my inner buckets 90 degrees everyday too or roots still grow down the tubing and plug shit up . I think the only way around that is like 2in. pvc drains like Shaggys crazy system .

Good luck man .
Crispi :stoned:

d4twamp

10-08-2008, 12:39 AM

X to the C,
glad to hear from you do you think the 1 inch outlets & tubing I bought would be good or overkill for the drainage on those 10 gal. buckets I posted a few posts back.

I agree about it being hard to make more than one strain happy in one system. So in your opinion I'd be better off having a separate res for each bucket?

I'm thinking of putting a valve on the tube coming off the pump, so I can control the amount of water flowing thru the system.. would this also increase the dissolved oxygen in the nutrient solution...

thanx for the help XC your grows have been inspirational for me.. when is your op gonna be back up..any more grow logs of your system

D

xcrispi

10-08-2008, 06:17 AM

Q - Do you think the 1 inch outlets & tubing I bought would be good or overkill for the drainage on those 10 gal. buckets ?

A - In my opinion there's no such thing as overkill when it comes to drainage . I would have gone w/ larger myself but I found blk. 3/4 in. rubber hose that is way more flexible than whatever the G/H stuff is made of , and it was cheap as hell when bought in a 100 ft. spool .

????? Did you find grommets for the 1 in. stuff you bought ? I've seen ppl. tryn just silicone fittings and not use grommets = leaks , headaches , and possible saftey hazzards . PLEASE tryn keep all cords , air pumps etc... off the floor incase of flooding etc...

Q - In your opinion would I be better off having a separate res for each bucket ?

A - I've done both SNL X N.H and M.K . They were very close as far as eating habits / nute requirements . I'd run 1 res. to begin with just to make it easier on you . There's always time and room to expand as you go on . I'm still making changes and improvements to my system . I'm gonna try the 10 in. netpot lids next .

Q - I'm thinking of putting a valve on the tube coming off the pump, so I can control the amount of water flowing thru the system.. would this also increase the dissolved oxygen in the nutrient solution...

A - The $7.oo via. aqua 302 pumps I use are adjustable right out of the box , But you do have the right idea - most pump manufacturers warn to never restrict a pumps intake flow , just the outlet like you want to do . I don't think O2 levels will change though . I run airstones / bubble wands in my res. and in the bottom of each individual bucket .

Q -Thanx for the help XC , your grows have been inspirational for me.. when is your op gonna be back up..any more grow logs of your system ?

A - I'm always growin something . Lifes thrown me nothing but curveballs and change ups this past year . I haven't had the time to give a hydro grow the attention and love it needs so everythings been in soil lately . I've been sitting on 9 new strains I've never done before too . As far as grow logs etc... we'll see what happens after the election Nov. 4th and see if MMJ passes in my state = 1 less thing to worry about .

Peace bro.
Crispi :stoned:

d4twamp

10-09-2008, 04:12 PM

Crispi, thanx for taking the to time respond to my ?'s...

I don't have grommets...I actually bought 1 inch ebb and flow outlets that have the rubber seals and 1 inch tube barb built in, like this:

d4twamp

10-09-2008, 04:38 PM

Good to hear about the SNLxNH and MK has grown in your setup with close to the same nutrient uptake...I just didn't want to put a gluttonous and light feeder together and be either starving one strain so the other doesn't burn or burning one strain so the other can get it's fill. so this is good to hear...

Any reason why your switching to the 10" net pots, do you find the 6"ers to small, as I just bought some 6"ers myself...

I hear you about curve balls and change ups this past year. I've seen quite a few knuckle balls and have had to take a few bases this year as well...All we can do is hang on, and stay right there in that batters box and keep on swingin...

Hope all is well with you and yours, and I thank you once again CRISPI for your help, and both direct and indirect contribution to my skills and knowledge base when it comes to growing this most wonderfully amazing of plants..

D:S5:

Weedhound

10-09-2008, 04:45 PM

I've mixed the SNLxNH and MK together as well and found them to be pretty equal feeders. They both pretty much went to the top of my ppms which works out to about 1800-1900 (including supplements) for each of them.

d4twamp

10-09-2008, 05:01 PM

B-E-A-UTIFUL I knew I could count on you too Weedy to chime in. Great to hear someone else has run thees strains together, without issues.. I will sleep a little better at night knowing that's one less portion of food, I don't like on my plate...lol...

Do you think the SNLxNH might be a good prospect for my outdoor hydro attempt next year..

D

nlkush

10-09-2008, 07:15 PM

i am used to growing in coco with a drip system on a timer.

i got a few sets of w/f and thought i would check it out. I did all the mods that needed to be done. i drilled new holes to get them daisy chained together. also got it recirculating on a pump. i am running 4; 8 pot systems. each is its own system. i am in hydroton as well.

i took 32 cuts from mothers and put in easy cloner. after a few weeks of root growth i transplanted to w/f. put them in the room under 4 600 watt lights.

here come the problems

1) ph is all over the place. spiking a point a day. think this is due to the hydroton not being properly washed. so i changed the water in the rez. still getting the problem.

2) plants look good at first, then started to droop. so i cut down on the watering reg. it went from always on to 15 on 30 off. the palnts are still drooping and showing signs of burn. either lights to close ( i just move them up) or fert burn( so i cut the rez mix in half with water to cut ppm down)

i may look that i may loose this crop already. any suggesting would be awesome. i can also submit pictures later on after work. i am really frustrated. i have been growing for years and never had problems like this.

do you think from the cloner to directly into the w/f under 600 was a bad idea. they went straight from cloner to hydroton then into room to veg. temp in the room is 77 and the water temp is 67. the 600 watts are bout 2 feet from the tops of the w/f. not sure what other info you need. i am using all AD nutes. i am also using some super thrive, stimulater, nitrozyme as addons. the ppm of the water is around 600 - 700.

any help would be great.

thanks