RacerX back at it again with Recirc DWC

Been some days since I was last year; months. Very busy to say the least. But I do have some stuff setup again. I started originally with 18 buckets a year ago, then to 12, now to 6. More plants does not always mean more yield. These will be trees. Vegged about 7 weeks (they are 3 weeks old now). Grapefruit, good genetics. No topping, no LST. Just some trimming of the inside canopy that doesnt get light.

IGS environment controller, 600 watt digital ballasts, no air cooling, 10,000 BTU Air Conditioner, CO2 supplementation (I match CO2ppm with nutrient ppm). Recirculating Deep Water Culture (DWC) hydro system with 40 gallon reservoir, 5.5" netpots, airstone in each bucket, and 35 watt large air pump (shit bubbles like fucking mad). The 3/4" water chiller is absolutely essential for this type of system, she keeps things at a perfect 68F even if its 85 degrees inside the room.

This will be my 5th grow on this system and its steadily got better and better. I expect to get the same yield results as last time, but with larger buds and far less plants. I would gladly sacrifice a little yield in order to further make things easy and simple.

Temps are 76-77F in the middle/end of the day, 65F in the night. Stays about 70-72F until the later afternoon. Right now I am only using 1 HPS 600 watt and 3 dual bulb T5 HO fluros. This keeps growth tight and stable and also helps the smaller plants catch up. I want equal sized plants and I tend to find that HPS can cause such fast growth that any differences may not be equaled.

I use only Grow, Micro, Bloom along with Hygrozyme as an additive. Hygrozyme is absolutely wonderful, helps break down nutrients even further for easier uptake, keeps pathogens out and roots clean. I am at about 750-800ppm. I am going slow. I plan on never passing 1200 this time, both with CO2 and nutrients. I usually tend to max everything out, but I'd like to try less this time. Again they are about 3 weeks old. The HPS was added last week. There is no air cooling, simply bulb hanging down there. Oscillating fans distribute the heat and air. I expect over 3 pounds from this room. In the end, there will be 4 600s before flowering goes into effect. The is lots of room to spread the buckets out, and slack in the lines has been left.

The last pic above is my mother closet. Purple Kush. Now here are pics taken a few days ago.

Looks great,

I will be watching this thread to see your progress.

One thing I want to point out. You basically stated "I am getting the same yeild as growing 18 buckets". Well you increased growing time by 3 weeks. This is an increase in electrical costs, time between harvests plus other minor costs that go with growing. All this is cutting into your bottom line.

Please don't take my critisizm negatively, I think it is great how you have taken growing to an art and wish to share it with others.

Looking forward to future posts keep`em coming.

Very nice, I will definitely be following this.

glad to see you back again

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Originally Posted by Jerry Garcia 2007

Looks great,

I will be watching this thread to see your progress.

One thing I want to point out. You basically stated "I am getting the same yeild as growing 18 buckets". Well you increased growing time by 3 weeks. This is an increase in electrical costs, time between harvests plus other minor costs that go with growing. All this is cutting into your bottom line.

Please don't take my critisizm negatively, I think it is great how you have taken growing to an art and wish to share it with others.

Looking forward to future posts keep`em coming.

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The bottom line is that I dont do this for profit. I am a medical patient. I enjoy the hobby immensely and have fellow patients who benefit from it. For me, ease is more important then saving some money on electrical costs.

This way that I grow, I use T5 lights for the first 3 weeks. I dont do the larger digital lamps until I am into flowering or almost there, which keeps costs down as well since its 12/12 then. Right now, my power bill is low. The A/C does not have to run much, and the water chiller is only about 450 watts. Its a very small price to pay, in order to have everything simpler and easier, with less chance of pests or mildew due to poor circulation or anything of that nature.

1 or 2 weeks is not much to me. For quick stuff, I would rather stick to tables or soil SOG. Recirc DWC I tend to veg way out and I can get 1/2 lb per plant. This time I hope for more.

That's a very tidy and CLEAN grow room! You set a great example.
The grapefruit- is that 'real' grapefruit or a Sweet Tooth type variety?
Your setup and plants both look wonderful.
It's nice to see you back.

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Originally Posted by stinkyattic

That's a very tidy and CLEAN grow room! You set a great example.
The grapefruit- is that 'real' grapefruit or a Sweet Tooth type variety?
Your setup and plants both look wonderful.
It's nice to see you back.

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According to the grower, it is "real" grapefruit and supposedly he knows the lineage for quite awhile. Personally, I have seen a few different phenos of Grapefruit and I would have been satisfied by any of them. The guy has a good reputation as well, and has an out of this world Sour Diesel some friends have been tossing around for awhile.

I am excited about the purple kush. The 2 clones had a rough beginning, as they didnt have a home until I got ahold of them. Put them into a rubbermaid, but pH issues and me not being home left them struggling. Finally got it under control. I will use these for a small SOG. Id like to see the product first hand before I invest a lot into the strain. However, from what I have seen, it is a light eater and I like its growth structure.

Good to see you back racer. I still have your #, still wanna hang sometime man? Always good to hang with locals and chat it up and exchange ideas.

Any updates Racer?

I fell in love with your grow and want to see how things are going! Flowering should be starting in the next week or two, right?

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Originally Posted by norkali

Any updates Racer?

I fell in love with your grow and want to see how things are going! Flowering should be starting in the next week or two, right?

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Why yes, they have started! Its been 2 weeks now. They are looking great. Here are some pictures to update. We added another 750 watt, this one with an aircooled hood that sits above 4 of the plants for supplementary light and as an air exhaust. Actually not runni Setting CO2 anymore, decided to skip it this grow and see what happens. So 1 vertical 600, 1 vertical 750, and one horizontal air cooled 750 along with 2 2-bulb T5HO fluros over 2 of the plants. Gets some light to the back of the plants that the vertical lighting doesnt get too.

I ended up with a crapton of extra clones, so I decided to put them somewhere. 750 digital with a 6" exhaust fan. As of right now, the entire closet area is filled with 1 and 3 gallons. Purple Kush and Grapefruit. Some have vegged for a couple weeks already, some will only get 1 week of veg (going into flowering next week). Time to flower the Purple Kush mothers as well.

holy shit dude!. that is the shit right there. I would give a first place prize for a fen huge bush.

going into the 4th week pretty soon. everything is looking real nice. Surprising enough, the plants with the most THC/crystal development are the plants under the T5 HO/750 digital HPS.

Couple more pics taken today.

Hah! Those are the size of mine, and mine are finishing in a week! What have you got? 4+ weeks left? :stoned:

Amazing. :greenthumb:

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Originally Posted by norkali

Hah! Those are the size of mine, and mine are finishing in a week! What have you got? 4+ weeks left? :stoned:

Amazing. :greenthumb:

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From when those pics were taken, 4 weeks. They are into the beginning of the 6 week now. I am feeling very good about yield estimates. One plant fell over despite being tied up and down. Whole plant with roots weighs about 50 pounds. The root ball snapped. Ill be cutting it down this weekend. Unfortunate but atleast I will get to try some early. Shouldn't affect the yield too much. Still 3+ pounds.

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Originally Posted by Racerx

...One plant fell over despite being tied up and down. Whole plant with roots weighs about 50 pounds. The root ball snapped. Ill be cutting it down this weekend...Still 3+ pounds....

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Unfortunate, DAMN! :eek: :jointsmile: lol....sounds like a monster.

any pics?.......this is an inspiring grow.

pics taken today

jeeze those are some monsters.

when i am older and live in a home with hopefully a good salary job, this is the kind of grow i want to have..you and crispi both have taken DWC buckets to crazy levels..medium sized rooms filled with light and ventilation and then HUUUUGE plants...man i cant wait to have all of that! good luck and enjoy the medicinal benefits of that harvest :thumbsup:


edit: you wouldnt happen to have a parts list and some made up directions for how you built your dwc system?i have 2 5 gal dwc i grow in, but they arent recirculating..the whole plumbing and sealing shit seemed really difficult, and since im only growing a few plants i can deal with not having a recirculating system....but if its simple and semi inexpensive, i would like to set one up

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Originally Posted by PdoubleOTY

when i am older and live in a home with hopefully a good salary job, this is the kind of grow i want to have..you and crispi both have taken DWC buckets to crazy levels..medium sized rooms filled with light and ventilation and then HUUUUGE plants...man i cant wait to have all of that! good luck and enjoy the medicinal benefits of that harvest :thumbsup:


edit: you wouldnt happen to have a parts list and some made up directions for how you built your dwc system?i have 2 5 gal dwc i grow in, but they arent recirculating..the whole plumbing and sealing shit seemed really difficult, and since im only growing a few plants i can deal with not having a recirculating system....but if its simple and semi inexpensive, i would like to set one up

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It is quite simple and inexpensive to build the buckets an recirculation. Its everything else that starts to cost money. The IGS environment controller computer, the 10,000 BTU air conditioner, the many osscilating fans, the air pumps, the 5 gallon things of nutrients, etc etc etc... Thats what costs money, so this system can be taken to whatever level you want.

I have done this system as small as 4 plants in a 5x5 closet with wonderful results. The # of buckets is completely up to you, and this will detirmine your size of reservoir and the type of water pump you use.

The parts necessary for recirculation are 1/2" hose, 3/4" hose, 1/4" hose, 1/4" 90 degree barbs, 1/4" straight barbs, 1/4" air hose (I use clear as it differentiates between water and air), 3/4" Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain) bulkhead fittings (for the buckets and reservoir, 1/2" E & F bulkhead fittings, as many 3/4" and 1/2" 90 degree elbows, on/off valves, and T fittings as you need. Finally you need your water pump and your reservoir(s). For a much more detailed list of construction and parts, search my past threads in the Search function.

For 4 plants, I used a 350gallon per hour pump, which is excessive but I had it laying around. For only 4 buckets, youd be fine with a 200gph but its nice to get a bigger one incase you expand in the future (since magnetic drive pumps dont wear out any faster even if they arent putting out their maximum output). I would use a 20 gallon reservoir (A rubbermaid tote works great), as it fits easily between or amongst the 4 buckets. The pump sits in the reservoir, pumping the water into the top of the buckets via the 1/2" to 1/4" line. The water sprays against the 6" Netpot, keeps the medium and rootball wet, and adds water. The 3/4" line recirculates the water back to the reservoir via gravity. You must have your reservoir the same height as the buckets because the level of water in the reservoir determines the level of water in the buckets. This takes a few tries to get right.


The absolutely most important part about DWC and Recirculating DWC is your water temperature. You can have everything else absolutely perfect but if your water temp is not controlled, its a good chance you will have problems. That is why 68 degrees F is your golden number. This is the best combination of available dissolved oxygen in the water that will keep any pathogens from forming and keep everything very clean. Anything cooler and you will stunt growth, anything hotter and you will most likely run into root rot. For this reason, I use a 1/4 horsepower water chiller for my big room. This can lower 150 gallons of water by about 15 degrees, meaning it can lower 75 gallons over 30 degrees. It works absolutely amazing and is the single best purchase I have made.

That being said, I have completed more then one recirculating DWC grow without a chiller and with great awesome white roots and good yields. However, I kept the temperatures very very low in the closet (usually between 60-70 degrees F), I used an 8" fan to exhaust (thats a lot of CFM for a small closet), and I put ice in the reservoir anytime it got warmer then 68 degrees. Sure, the water got as high as 75 degrees plenty of times but if you keep things clean, use a supplemental cleaner like Hygrozhyme, you will be fine.



The latest pictures. Started the 8th week yesterday. Flushing for the last 7 days. Just water.

PS. Ive never had a leak problem because of a seal. Ive only had flood problems because if you grow your plants too large and dont check the roots often, they can grow INTO the return line (despite a root filter) and clog the line, overflowing the bucket.

ANYONE running a large hydro system that has potential to overflow should look into Flood Alarms. They are incredibly cheap (i got mine for $2.50 each!!!!) and they can make an audible alarm or they can shutoff a 110v receptacle (its just a little GFCI circuit breaker) . This is perfect for me, since I just plug my Water Pump into it so if the alarm goes off for a flood, the water pump stops recirculating. The plants can be ok for 1-2 days like this as long as the airpump continues.

I promptly set these up ever since I came home to 2-3" of standing water in my hydro room earlier in the year.

Here are a few pictures of one of my recirc-DWC grows without a water chiller. I yielded 1 pound per light, 1/2 pound per plant, strain was NYCD.

The last 2 pictures are of a previous grow using the recirc DWC. Gives you an idea of the different ways you can grow DWC.

beaaaauuutiiifullll..ok see im running a 2.5x2.5x4ft closet area with 2 5 gal DWC buckets at the moment with airstones..when ichange nutes, i just mix the nutes in two seperate 5 gal buckets, then just move teh whole plant in to the buckets....its easy and inexpensive, and works well for now since ill be moving out of this place before too long...once i get more money over summer, im gonna build a nice sized box and have me a scrog grow going with a miniture DWC grow..thinking something similar to the emily's hydroponic system things..they are about the size i want to do, and with two trays of those going, lots of little buds=weight

What was the yield with previous setups

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Originally Posted by cture

What was the yield with previous setups

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depends on the strain, whether CO2 was used, etc. Last big grow yielded over 5 pounds, a G13 cross, with 3000 watts and 12 plants. One before that was about 4-5 pounds with 18 plants. Ive done a small 4 bucket system and yielded 2 pounds off that, 1200 watts.

Quality and not having to use any pesticides or Neem-oil the entire grow, has become more important to me. I expect to make 3 pounds out of this current room, which would be essentially be 3 pounds off of 1350 watts, since the overhead extra 750 watts was only added in the last couple weeks.

NEXT GROW...I am going to experiment with 10 gallon buckets in hopes this will allow even bigger trees. We weighed a root mass, it was close to 30 pounds. Just the roots.

Your plant pictures with the red tipped leaves... Porno.

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Originally Posted by Completely Stoned

Your plant pictures with the red tipped leaves... Porno.

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Haha, yah.

and RacerX: MORE PICTURES FOOOOOL!!!

I will have to snap some of the finished product. Cut everything down today. It was ready. My first impressions of the overall product and weight were conservative it seems. I am estimating over 4 pounds. A few plants seem to have yielded nearly a pound. Granted it is not dry, I have done this long enough to know how much moisture is going to be lost. I have counted well over 100 buds that are the size of a Coke can. I know that even if the maximum amount of moisture leaves them, these will all weigh atleast 7 grams each. Very conservative.

I did not realize how large the lower buds were. Many were hidden from view. The largest one ended up a little smaller then my forearm. She weighed wet, 3 pounds.

My one plant that fell over a few weeks early is done, dried, and a little cured. The smoke is not rough, but doesnt have much taste or flavor due to the high level of nutrients the plant had when it died. However, despite finishing nearly 4 weeks early, it yielded a 7 ounces of herb that is not half bad. In fact it gets me quite stoned, although there isnt as much medical pain relief as I would like.

And for the sake of some pictures, some old stuff.

I really like your dwc setup man.I have one I'm starting to setup at the present moment.I just needed to know if it necessary to drain the bucket or can you just continue to add water to your bucket.

Wow, they really fattened up. They look Beautiful :jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by tasermebro

I really like your dwc setup man.I have one I'm starting to setup at the present moment.I just needed to know if it necessary to drain the bucket or can you just continue to add water to your bucket.

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If you are doing a single "Non-recirculating" bucket then I would consider draining it out once in awhile. The reason I do not drain any of my water and just add water is because my system uses between 120 and 75 gallons of water right now and it is recirculating. If you have only 5 gallons of water sitting there in a bucket or a 20 gallon Rubbermaid, there is much more chance for nutrient salts to build up and for pathogens to grow. Therefore with a single bucket system, I suggest draining. However if it is recirculating, I strongly believe you do not need to ever drain except to clean the pipes and to switch to flushing. When I go from Veg to Flowering, I no longer change water either since I dont immediately change my feeding schedule.

That all being said, I have 2 Purple Kush mothers that I put into flowering about 4 weeks ago and they are in a 20 gallon Rubbermaid bubbler, no recirculation. Ive never drained the water once and they have been alive for 14 weeks? I only add water once or twice a week. Why do this work well? Because my water is an average of 60 degrees and the closet the plants are in averages about 55-60 degrees and it is ventilated. Its just not possible for any type of bacteria or pathogens to grow in water that is so cold and honestly I dont mind the slower growth you get from the colder water. I made well over 500 clones from the mothers so over the weeks so even if they only yield an ounce Ill be happy.

Thank you Hate. I am very happy with the end result. Cant wait to smoke it. Really stoked on the results without CO2. I honestly am not sure that this grow i could have done better with CO2.

I see man, you know your stuff real good.I'm planing on growing 2 hindu kush cuttings.Each will have it's on 20gallon rubbermaid container.I'm going for max yield because it will only be two plants.I guess every I will just the water and nutes every 3 weeks.

Some pics of the some of the buds cut down and on the way to drying. The last picture is some Purple Kush, a mother I flowered that is in a DWC bubbler.

omg racerx..... simply beautiful!!!

props to you my friend!

peace and good pot

That 4th picture next to the HPS is making me drool :jointsmile:

and your avatar is making me barf.....

Yowzaaa, Damn thats some dense lookn bud.. i wish i could do this linda set up but it takes too much water and my tape water is no good so I would haveto buy distilled water by the barrell or buy an expensive RO system, wonder if i could get results lik that from a soil grow? Peace and Clap..clap...excellent grow bro

you can definitely get amazing results with soil. for some people, soil is better and easier. for me, hydro is better and easier and I like controlling the environment as best I can.

these pictures are all soil. so far the most i have yielded from soil is about 1.5 pounds per 600 watt lamp. with soil i found that a sea of green (not perpetual harvest, just densely packed short plants) yielded me the best results.

Do you remember how many plants you had in the sea of green pic under 1 600 watt hps? and also do the side budz get any light or you just consentrate on the top budz in the sea of green method? Ollie