How to build and maintain your own custom bubbler DWC grow

8-7-07 Day #49 of Flowering.
Cab Temp: 77F
RH: 40%
Nutrient Temp: 75.6F
PPM: 1200
pH: 5.8

Hey there, It's been a while since the last post as I've been very busy. I know you are probably anxious to see some new pictures so here they are. The bud sites are getting very plump and we are very near harvest. The grandaddy purple strain is not known for its high yields but more for its potency. Yesterday we took a trip down to San Francisco to renew or medical script and also pick up some grandaddy purple at the clinic there to see what ours would have to compare to.

Anyways, the pictures that show full shots of the plants are good examples of what topping can really do for you. Rather than having one large cola at the very top of the plants that hog the majority of the light, we have several smaller mini-colas that branch out from the middle and get virtually equal amounts of light. We are right at the point where some of the leaves are starting to yellow and die.

To answer some of your questions horrorbusiness: yes, you can use what you linked to for your grow. That is actually what our grow turned out to be since our drippers aren't working too well lately. The bubbler system's water level needs to be just below the net pot for the entire grow. When the roots drop down they will just be suspended and dangling in the nutrients. You can go to the hardware store and buy a sanding bit that basically burns holes in plastic very well, or a regular drill bit works. As far as doing nutrient changes we have two extra buckets that we place the entire mesh pot into just like it were another system. The roots are fine to dangle in the bucket just don't let them sit too long. Happy growing!

8-10-07 Day #52 of Flowering.
Cab Temp: 78F
RH: 55%
Nutrient Temp: 75F
PPM: 126
pH: 5.6

Hey all, we performed a nutrient change today with pH balanced water and 1/2 tsp of hydrogen peroxide in each bucket system as we go into the flushing period. We plan on flushing for about a week and then we will harvest. We are basing this decision on the fact that over 1/2 of the trichomes are milky white (cloudy) on nearly all the buds, plus we are at day 52 and the bud sites are weighing down the branches pretty well. As you can see from the pictures we had to do some tieing which was relatively simple. All we did was screw some small screws into the lip of the net pots and tied string around them.

So far the bucket systems have held up ok, with one of the air stones coming loose, and for a week and a half now we have not had any dripping from the halo's. The pump is still working however, so we have been getting oxygen to the roots which is the important part. We will have to troubleshoot some things once this grow is complete but we are hoping it is just some clogged lines.

Here is some more

Wow those buds look totally amazing. Those trichomes are just packed on those buds. I'd kill for a few of those cuttings lol.

nice lookin buds.

Will have to how much you yield. I might want to give this strain a try.

hey thanks you guys, can't wait to cut them down.

BUDS BUDS AND MORE BUDS!!!!! wow thanks for all the great budshots!!! i like how you give us somethin to look at....

Awesome thread. I cant wait to hear the yeild. I am starting a similar system and hope I can get the results you are getting.

badass log dude, i cant wait to see the final product...wanna grow in a setup like that soon

thanks everyone for the comments, I will be sure to check out your grows and or logs if you have them in the near future. In the mean time, here are some pics to show you what stage in harvest we are in. We did a full flush for about 5 days total with water and hydrogen peroxide to get all the nasties out. We did some semi major trimming the night before the harvest to put the plants in somewhat of a state of shock. By doing this the plants start producing more trichomes as a result of the plant pulling "emergency" nutrients from less valuable parts of the plant to the buds. We have the entire plants hanging in a closet upside down with normal string. The closet is well aerated and also has the oscillating fan at the bottom on low. We are waiting to see signs of stems breaking not just bending this is how you will know your buds are dry enough. Here are some pics.

Nice job, Deft. Since you got new fan keep temps down, humidity down, and air MOVING. That makes it hell for them little mite bastards to survive in. And, since you are growing in garage, I would not worry about hanging a Hot Shot out there. Hell, 99% of the household cleaners and shit we use we aint supposed to breathe those fumes either. If you grow an extra thumb, take it down:D:D

Again, nice job and enjoy the harvest.

b0nger

We are currently in the phases of clipping / curing / smoking and the smoke is great! Very mellow and not too harsh at all. We can't wait to get a replacement vaporizer, but in the mean time its just blunts and bong rips! Here are some pics. BTW I still don't have any numbers on final harvest but we are keeping track.

Very nice.

thanks for the compliment, more pics to come soon. This stuff smokes crazy and when you smoke enough it is border line hallucinogenic! As you can see from the pics they aren't the biggest nugs in the world which can be expected from a 400W. We were very please however, to even get the denseness that we did from the lower bud sites. There was hardly any lower bud sites that went to waste due to not getting enough light. We owe this to the simple fact that since we did pH and PPM checks twice daily and each plant was subsequently rotated / moved we had even light dispersal to nearly all of the buds.

those are some very nice buds... very crystallized. Are you making hash? IS this ur first grow? describe the taste and smoke and high... It should be close o cured. How much do you have left?

I DONT USE AIRSTONES ANYMORE, THEY CLOG AND STOP PRODUCING THE BUBBLES THEY DID WHEN NEW AFTER ABOUT 3 WEEKS FOR ME AND I CANNOT GET TO THEM TO REPLACE THEM . SO I TRIED THIS AND MAN IT WORKS LIKE NOTHING ELSE CAN! YOU JUST MAKE SUER YOUR FEED LINE GOES TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BUCKET AND PIERCE IT ABOUT 3 INCHES UP AND JUST PUSH YOUR AIRLINE THROUGH AND WHEN THE PUMP STARTS IT MAKES BULLBES JUST LIKE AN AQUARIUM POWER HEAD/VENTURI DEAL! IF YOUR AIR PUMP IS RUNNING YOU GOT BUBBLES, BUBBLES, BUBBLES. A PLUS TO PUTTING THE FEED LINE TO THE BOTTOM IS IF YOU PUT A BALL VALVE RIGHT AFTER YOUR PUMP INLINE YOU CAN SHUT OFF THE WATER FROM BACK SIPHONING WICH I FIND A GREAT PLUS BEAUSE WHEN I DO NUTE CHANGES I JUST LET IT BACK SIPHON AND IT DRAINS MY BUCKETS NEARLY DRY SO I GET A COMPLETE NUTE CHANGE AND IF THE POWER GOES OUT I JUST TURN THE VALVE OFF AND NO OVERFLOW. I JUST RECENTLY REPLACE THE BALL VALVE WITH A 1 INCH SPRINKLER VALVE WICH IS NORMALLY CLOSED AND PLUG IT IN TO A 24 VOLT TRANSFORMER FROM RADIO SHACK, WHEN ITS PLUGGED IN THE VALVE STAYS OPEN, IF POWER GOES OUT IT AUTOMATICALLY CLOSES PREVENTING OVERFLOW FROM BACK SIPHONING, THATS MY 2 CENTSCHECK OUT MY GALLERIE FOR A IMAGE, ITS NOT THE BEST BUT IT WILL SHOW YOU:smokin::thumbsup:

Hey Earthy, I knew you would check in when the final yield came! Anyways, we are not making hash but will probably just use the keefer screen to get keef for as long as we can. As far as the taste, my little sister said it tasted like "tricks" the cereal, it smokes very smooth but is very potent. I would say it is some of the smoother weed I have smoked in recent months, even from the clinics. The high is very clear at first and heady, and then transitions into a full body high with slight hallucinogenic effects if smoked in excess. To answer your question, this is not my first grow it is I think my 5th or 4th but it is the first in a recirculating bucket system. Here is the details and some more pics:

Total Yield: 3.8oz

Just read the entire post, Thanks DD for the meticulous notes and photos you have inspired me to get back into hydro.:thumbsup:

One more question, did you think of trying latewoods GH formula?
I had great results with it in soil.
http://boards.cannabis.com/hydroponi...rt-calmag.html

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Originally Posted by socialistpete

One more question, did you think of trying latewoods GH formula?
I had great results with it in soil.
http://boards.cannabis.com/hydroponi...rt-calmag.html

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Nice looking nugz Deft ,
Plan on another grow soon ? Cooler fall / winter temps will make things much easier on you and most likely increse yields .

Hey SocPete ,
Don't give up n this stuff yet bro. , I was watchin you at that "Other" site giving this a try . LOL. And yes Latewoods recipe rocks - I just got a 19 oz. plant in 1 of these buckets , and used his recipe at 1/2 strength in my dirt plants and got 3.5oz. plants in 3 gal. pots . :thumbsup:

Peace Guys
Crispi :jointsmile:

Any objections, let me know and I'll de-stick it, but this is a fabulous thread.

I'd like to make it a sticky in Hydroponics actually now that your harvest is in- would that be all right?

Hey stinky thanks for stopping by! I don't mind if you use it at all as a sticky, hopefully people can benefit from it both the ups and the downs.

On a side note, I would also like to point out why it is never a good idea to try to estimate your yields with MJ. Our original estimates were in the 7oz range and to quote myself that was a "conservative" figure. In the long run we only ended up getting 3.8oz which is a huge difference in yield. What did we learn? that knowing your strains origins and specific flowering, yield, and growth patterns when available, are a must have for a serious grower. We grossly underestimated how much of an impact different strain types have on your overall yields. Our last grow was in an ebb and flow like I mentioned in the beginning of the thread and was much less efficient in almost every aspect. We wanted to perfect every weak point we found through trial and error in our last grow and thus came up with the DWC recirculating pots. So with that in mind, we were under the impression that this grow would be much higher yielding but lo and behold, less yield.

Before I start to sound like I am being a downer I would also like to say that this weed is far superior to anything that came from the plants during our last grow. The density, flavor, smell, and texture are all four times as good as the previous harvest. This is just an example of when quality is more desirable than quantity. On that note i'll remind everyone that we grow for personal use so obviously its different strokes for different folks.

Deft I was wondering if you could elaborate on how to build your own halo drip setup I.E. hose sizes and the basic principles of using the air pump to get the water from the drip ring. I have all supplies i would probably need available to me at work. I actually had a Waterfarm setup that I bought when I had my first apartment but that was 10 years ago and I can't remember how it worked. Anyways any advice would be great.

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Originally Posted by deftdrummer

On a side note, I would also like to point out why it is never a good idea to try to estimate your yields with MJ. Our original estimates were in the 7oz range and to quote myself that was a "conservative" figure. In the long run we only ended up getting 3.8oz which is a huge difference in yield. What did we learn? that knowing your strains origins and specific flowering, yield, and growth patterns when available, are a must have for a serious grower. We grossly underestimated how much of an impact different strain types have on your overall yields. Our last grow was in an ebb and flow like I mentioned in the beginning of the thread and was much less efficient in almost every aspect. We wanted to perfect every weak point we found through trial and error in our last grow and thus came up with the DWC recirculating pots. So with that in mind, we were under the impression that this grow would be much higher yielding but lo and behold, less yield.

Before I start to sound like I am being a downer I would also like to say that this weed is far superior to anything that came from the plants during our last grow. The density, flavor, smell, and texture are all four times as good as the previous harvest. This is just an example of when quality is more desirable than quantity. On that note i'll remind everyone that we grow for personal use so obviously its different strokes for different folks.

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A good saying is "Don't count your chickens before they've hatched." I have this problem too.. its real hard to estimate yeild. Once you get a good setup you can add CO2 to the mix. Proper co2 injections can speed up the flowering time and lncrease bud mass by about 33%. Also tweeking your nuterient/addditives regimine will help yeild. I was growing with a 600w and i though i was gonna harvest at least 10 ounces... (600watts should grow 600grams)... well by the end of the harvest we only ended up with alittle over 6 oz. After that we added a sugarwater co2 generator and a new horilux bulb and the next harvest we grew some very good dank bagseed that i was really excited about. Well we ended up getting 9 and a half from 6 plants. This is still half of the full potiential of that light. I think if I had some high yeilding genetics or if I grew scrog I could get a pound every 2 months. My next grow im thinkin about doin hydro... and maybe getting one of those hydrohuts... those are cool.

what is, ' latewoods GH formula' any links?

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Originally Posted by Joe Budden

what is, ' latewoods GH formula' any links?

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Dude... scroll down

GOOD ALL MATE

damn dude

hey def , great setup & grow :thumbsup: i have a question 4 u . your drip rings (halos) , where did u get them ? my area doesn't have a hydro store close , so i've been ordering off the net & i haven't been able 2 find one set yet . was wandering if u could shoot me a the website u got them from ? thanx for any help :thumbsup: smokedaddy :rastasmoke:

we got the halos from a local hydro store, dont know what they are called on the net. We have since stopped growing and all of our stuff is for sale on the local craigs list. Check your craigslist

What I need help understanding is keep the system clean. I'm not sure exactly what needs to be done. Does the water have to be changed daily? Or do the hydrotrons I would like to setup some sort of hydro in the upcoming months.

hey all. I am new here but hope to post soon. I like the grow and am doing something similiar on a much larger scale.

General Hydroponics make the drip rings (halos) and can be easily ordered online for like 10 bucks.

I have 2 of these setups and I use them to keep 2 moms. I am new to them but like them a lot since I can run them 24/7 w/o needing any timers for my pumps.

In regards to cleaning, I reccomend using Clearex by Botanicare. It basically breaks down salt buildups and leeches your medium. I do it about once a month.

I have grown GP twice now, once indoors and once out. I must say that the product is close to the best but the yield is not. Usually only about an ounce per plant can be expected when growing multiple plants under an single light 600W or less.

I grew it with 3 600W HPS and only got about 11 oz from 16 plants. YIKES that sucked.

No more Indicas for me. Now all I grow is trainwreck and Critical mass. I have a massive CM grow coming in 3 weeks that is under 4 X 600W HPS systems. I added the 4th HPS light in the middle of week 5 so it may not help as much as having it earlier in the grow but what can you do right? I am hoping that I get close to 2 lbs from 16 plants. I have heard of people getting more from this many lights but we will see.

Since I will more than likely not post here I just wanted to make a few comments about your grow.

All in all you did a very good job and anytime you can come away with a good final product regardless of yield that is to be commended.

Things to improve for next time (if there is once since it sounds like you sold all of your shit):

Temps temp temps!!!!! Gotta keep them lower to get more yield. I learned in this hot bullshit CA summer that A/C is a must. Adding a 12,500 BTU in wall A/C was hands down the best thing I have ever added to my grow. YOu will be amazed at how much better things go when this is implemented. Not only does it keep temps awesome it also helps to remove humidity which helps with mildews and other things that can make your grow suck. Another thing it does is helps to keep res temps lower as well which all the roots to to take up more nutes. Lower water temps = more O2 in the H20.

I guess this may not apply but I find that tying plants down is huge in getting better yields. By reducing the overall height of your canopy you are able to get much better penetration to the middle levels. All of the lower growth should be trimmed away completely by the 3rd or 4th week. This may be hard though because you guys relied on the portabilityof you system which obviously would not work with static tying.

Topping in flower and not in veg is also huge. From a TON of experimentation I have come to the absolute conclusion that an FIM top Should be done to all cola and cola-like branches between the 2nd and 3rd week of flower. Be sure that when using the FIM that you actually nip the tip of the bud otherwise the top will not be as effective. I have had so called experts call me downright crazy for doing this but I have run 2 controled tests with 2 Critical Mass grows and the jury is out on this one. I wish I had done these 2 things with my PGD grow as I am sure that I would have gotten a lot more yield. You will be amazed at what happens when you do these 2 things. Between the 2 though the tying is the biggest and most important. By manipulating you plants to grow sideways much more growth can be exposed to light.

Anyways I am ramblimng...

Again congrats!

whats the difference between a clone and a seed?

damn i just finished the thread. nice plants and cool tat (panther). my dad has the same exact one on his chest. lol i guess all pot heads think alike

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Originally Posted by solid6

whats the difference between a clone and a seed?

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A seed takes a month to start vigorous veg. growth. A rooted clone takes a few days. Seeds all have genetic variants... clones are all genetically identical. Clones are good because once you find your favorite plant you can keep growing that exact same plant. Clones also cut a about 2 weeks out and yeild better 9 times out of 10.

You answered my question excellently, thanks a lot

ok so i know just a little about hydro but thats where i want to go for growing. anyways, i am just having a haed time understanding how the water gets to the halo.

now i know u have an dual air pump that pumps down to the bubbler, but how does the water get to the halo for the drip system? does pressure build up in the bottom and push water to the top or what? im confused on how that works thank you very much in advance

you need a water pump to get the water to the halos

later D:S5:

its actually an air pump.