First Time DWC W/ Water Farm Buckets

[GreenLeaf420]

This is my first Bucket grow ever. I have done tables before and had great results Soil ect... Then I seen the excellent results People were getting out of 4 bubbler plants with LST. So I Just purchased 2 8 pack Water Farm Bucket Systems. After 5 days I can see that I need to buy a stronger pump and more line cause I cut it all down. I'm running tap water 7.8 dropping it down to 5.8 to 6.3 W/ PH Down.

I set up the system without washing the Hydrotone and balancing the PH level of it. I did the set up and let it run for a day before balancing out PH levels and transplanting yet I am still having problems with PH. I go to the Rez and it's 5.8. I set the Ph in each bucket the day prior to 5.8 maybe 6.0. I checked them the following day and they were as high as 7.6 and as low as 7.2, WTF is happening will this balance out it take me 1 hr to set the PH in every bucket LOL...

I'm feeding the 1-1-1 8ml per gallon of GH Grow Micro and Bloom W/ Cal Mag and Hydrozyme and I foilar spray the W/ VHO (Very High OUTPUT) strongly recommended it makes them blow up. I transplanted from soil. They were in four inch pots there are two strains Train Wreck and Church. TW is strong as they get the roots were unbelievable when they were cleaned. Check out the Pic Below... Church seems to be a little more delicate and temper mental.

The water with these systems I'm very unsure and confused of.... Should the pumps be on constant with lights on? Or should they go on and off every HR? Do they belong fully open or should you regulate to a slow Drip? Then @ 12/12 what goes on with the watering is there any changes? Thanks for any help possible with the watering Technique. The Pic below show some yellowing on a plant do you think that could just be from the PH issue?

GreenLeaf420 Reviewed by GreenLeaf420 on 05-13-2008. First Time DWC W/ Water Farm Buckets This is my first Bucket grow ever. I have done tables before and had great results Soil ect... Then I seen the excellent results People were getting out of 4 bubbler plants with LST. So I Just purchased 2 8 pack Water Farm Bucket Systems. After 5 days I can see that I need to buy a stronger pump and more line cause I cut it all down. I'm running tap water 7.8 dropping it down to 5.8 to 6.3 W/ PH Down. I set up the system without washing the Hydrotone and balancing the PH level of it. I did Rating: 5

[pinky27]

lookin good man. good luck with the new grow set-up!

[Weedhound]

yes...the ph is a problem....you need to check and adjust it several times a day to keep it normal since you didn't wash or pretreat your hydroton.

Also keep in mind that constantly adding ph down (or up) can cause it's own issues by throwing your ratios off balance.....the ph adjusters are also higher in salts so you'll have to keep changing the water and rez fairly often to keep things stable....again until your ph straightens out.

And with no pretreatment or washing....that could take awhile.

good luck.

[GreenLeaf420]

Also keep in mind that constantly adding ph down (or up) can cause it's own issues by throwing your ratios off balance.....the ph adjusters are also higher in salts so you'll have to keep changing the water and rez fairly often to keep things stable....again until your ph straightens out..

WH thanks for that bad news :jointsmile::jointsmile:LOL ... OK Well now it's time to correct it what do you think? Maybe when I do a flush I should just open all 16 of them and pour 5 gallons into each pal to force clean the hydrotone. Ok maybe a bit to much. It's just becoming a pain in the ass is the hydrotone PH really high? What about the watering?

Thanks again WH

[Weedhound]

honestly I water mine 24/7 and I think you could too. The hydroton is plenty airy enough and I have not come up against overwatering issues yet (except for brand new seedlings.) Don't take everything apart.....just check ph as much as you can and keep correcting it. When I have come up against this problem (I HATE hydroton) I've discovered you just have to wait it out and then the next time soak the living crap out of the stuff. But for now just keep correcting as often as possible and change out your water every 4-5 days depending on how much ph up and down you have to use...(again...salts in those adjusters)

i think hydroton generally has a ph of about 7......too high for hydro right out of the bag.

If they were going to croak they'd have done it by now so I think you may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel here.

Got a LOT of buckets there.....hope your room is big enough to handle all that.

Keep the log updated....i'll check back in and make sure things are going ok if you like.

I still have a bunch of that VHO....been using the Liquid Light but I may make way back to the VHO myself.

[GreenLeaf420]

Got a LOT of buckets there.....hope your room is big enough to handle all that.

Keep the log updated....i'll check back in and make sure things are going OK if you like.

The room is 8x15 Sealed Complete W/ CO2 but not set up yet. The A/C's will be going in tomorrow.

WH your input is always Welcomed and Appreciated.

PH is still a major issue I went in to check the Babbie's @ about 1 pm PH was 7.3 dropped it down to 5.8. Checked it again @ 5 PM and it was back to 6.6-6.8 so back to good old PH Down.. I can't wait and never will make the mistake of not washing my hydroone... If you are reading this to learn always wash down your hydrotone and set the PH That MF @ the Hydro store told me that I did not have to worry about that. He probably has overstock on PH Down or stock in the Company::wtf:.

Today I worked in the one room for Over 5Hrs really really drained me. I'm currently using 3 Bell and Washington LR 1000 hoods they are 1000 watt hps. I brought the plants from under a T5 straight to a 1000. I stick to my methods of only the strong survive.. I'm talking brave Because My NY Diesel Sensi Star clones took off. The EZ Cloner is exactly what they say EZ almost dummied proof 5 days and roots popping.:thumbsup: To EZ Cloner.

Topped all Rez off today they were almost empty They both took 8 gallons each. I added Cal Mag & Hydrotone in 1 bucket and Bloom Grow and Micro in another one making the ppm's in the one 1100 to top out before a full Rez change. WH when you flush you drain all buckets complete? I will have to due to all the PH down... Well keep you posted will put up some picks tommorow...:jointsmile::jointsmile::jointsmile::jo intsmile:

[Weedhound]

whats your plan on draining them?

[GreenLeaf420]

whats your plan on draining them?

Good Question I thought about it. Do you fully Drain?

Thank God the place has concrete floors!!!! Maybe even a Shop Vac the lights will dry the floors right up......:thumbsup:

I don't know how else I would do it space is not a concern. The canopy of the lights is though. I really am having second thoughts on the two systems right now I was under the impression they were a little more user friendly. I mean the kinks in the lines, then having to cut them short so you get good flow and moving the fourth bucket to the first LOL LOL. Now I will need longer lines to add to it. I'm not giving up It's just a little more difficult then I though. I was looking @ this 30" pot Ebb and flow System That seemed a Little more easier Plus the recirculation would be great. I heard they changed these pots to a new Recirculating System. Owe well this will be a working thread if I have to put 5 Hrs a day. It will happen:jointsmile::jointsmile::jointsmile:

Why how would you change out all them pots?

5pm balanced PH to 5.8 returned @ 9 PM PH 6.4 Balanced back to 5.4-5.8 it will be 7.0 by midnight and I'm done for the evening... I need the A/C's. 2 more day of hell maybe even less if all goes well...

[Weedhound]

Hard work....good job....you should start to see them growing again soon. It's pretty easy to start getting obsessed with the ph and you shouldn't....just do the best you can.

Draining.....get a good water pump (like for ponds or aquariums) and go that route if you can....your w/f's are all hooked together and then to a central rez?

Let me look around for a pic....

[Weedhound]

Here are a couple of photos of the way I set my system up for recirculating.....but I'm only using two buckets instead of all of them.