Water Level in DWC?

[LiquidMagik]

I have read many places that when the roots have not grown through the netpot you want to keep the water level 1/2" above the bottom of the netpot, and when they have grown through, keep the water level 1/2"-1" below the bottom of the netpot. Now, I never see with these figures how far into the netpot you are putting the plant...Do you put 1" of hydroton in the netpot, the plant on top, and then surround with hydroton? Or is that plant resting on a larger layer of hydroton? Basically I guess the question would be how far below where you're actually putting the plant do you want the water level when transplanting to a DWC? With the above, 1" of hydroton in the bottom of the netpot and keeping the water level 1/2" above the bottom of the netpot would give the actual distance between the water level and the plant to be 6". Thanks!

LiquidMagik Reviewed by LiquidMagik on 10-26-2006. Water Level in DWC? I have read many places that when the roots have not grown through the netpot you want to keep the water level 1/2" above the bottom of the netpot, and when they have grown through, keep the water level 1/2"-1" below the bottom of the netpot. Now, I never see with these figures how far into the netpot you are putting the plant...Do you put 1" of hydroton in the netpot, the plant on top, and then surround with hydroton? Or is that plant resting on a larger layer of hydroton? Basically I guess Rating: 5

[turtle420]

Ermm.... head spinnin'.

I think you're missing... um... well,... let's take another route.

Forget the math... let's go with the "why".

The reason you're filling up the water level xx-inches below the netpot, is because you don't want to drown your roots...
So, you place your plants yy-inches into the hydroton/rockwool/choped-neutrons medium, and place that hovering OVER your water level... not touching.

Now, your air bubbles should rise to the top of the water line, and "pop".
When they "pop", they will "spray" the bottom of the netpot with small water dropplets... enough for wetting the medium... the plants growing, and dolphins singing.

So, it doesn't really matter if you're placing a plant 5 inches into the medium, then hovering above the water line...
Or if you're placing a small clone 0.5inches into the medium, then hovering...

It's the pops I tell ya'... the pops

Please let us know if this helped anything at all, or just made matters worse. We appreciate your feedback.

[rustafa]

i was wondering the same thing after reading the post should the bubbles be popping on the medium correct.

Ex. if you have a 6" net and have the medium covering 2" of the bottom should the bubbles still only be hitting the bootom of the net? would the plant still get its nuted or would you have to raise it a bit more ???? i dont know if this sounds confusing or not but i can see how it can.

[LiquidMagik]

Still unsure, better question might be...If I'm starting out with putting my water level 1/2" above the bottom of the netpot- in the beginning when the seedling is small and its roots are not showing through the netpot, then how much should I layer the bottom of the netpot with hydroton before putting the seedling in?

[GluteusMaximus]

Simple question to answer.

When placing the plant in the netpot, there should be a small layer of rock below the plant stem inside the netpot. This way the stem isn't exposed directly to the splashing water. The netpot should be elevated slightly ABOVE the waterline but still close enough to allow the popping bubbles on the surface of the water to splash the bottom of the netpot. The rocks in the netpot will wick up the necessary water to the plant stem, and the roots that grow will eventually crawl out of the netpot and down into the reservoir.

I recommend placing as much of the stem in the netpot as possible while leaving one layer of rock below the stem. I do not recommend allowing the stem to remain below the waterline once past the clone stage.

[LiquidMagik]

Thanks much! I had germed in rapid rooters, so I was going to place the RR directly in the bubbler. Heard they're a little better than Rockwool for DWC purposes.

[plastik]

roots in the water is perfectly fine. it is going to happen sooner or later. the water from a bubble setup can only pop so high, and you can't keep lowering your res levels so the roots don't go into it...sooner or later, your bottom part of the netcup, where the roots come out, will be completely dry because the root mass will get large enough to block it from splashing that high...it will still splash mostly on the center roots, but not the ones coming out of the sides of the netpot. a good rule of thumb is 2-4 inches below the netpots. the bubbles coming up from under will be used by the roots within the water. so it won't overwater them. bubble buckets are a method of DWC. meaning deep water culture. the water is pressure pumped with oxygen, making it more aerated, and the flow keeps the water from going stagnant. if you have to, add a stronger air pump and more airstones, even if it is overkill, to be certain that there is enough oxygen being pumped in to keep your roots healthy. once you have that setup properly, you'll see the good growth rates, and there will be no need for timers...and the only work you will have to do is check the PH and change/clean the res.

[Cyclonite]

Yea like 97% of my root mass is under water....as long as you have lots of bubbles its ok. You do want some air roots though...setting that distance makes the roots grow faster (looking for food) into the nute mix.

[Gart79]

I've just taken one of my soil plants and put it into deep water culture. when I plucked the soil - caked root mass from the perfect soil mix, and thinking in terms of the age old saying - "in for a penny; in for a pound", I cut the perfect root mass short, washed it clean of soil, then placed the perfectly healthy and well looked after plant into the deep water system I had just purchased. I had got the ph, and nutrient level right, so those avenues of disaster were at least closed. After awhile the plant started to droop, and I began to think it was on its way out! But when I came back to take a peek at the condemned plant, I was pleasantly surprised, as it had REALLY taken off!!! Iâ??ve never seen anything like it! However, this was quite short lived phenomenon, as around six hours later the plant began to droop again, this time it got progressively worse! Now I have what I think is a dying plant on my hands! I donâ??t think there is anything that could happen that might save its life, apart from taking cuttings, which I have already done. Interestingly, and despite me making sure the ph was 6.4, the ph had changed itself to 7.1 overnight! The only thing I can think of is that maybe (despite the high aeration achieved with DWC), the fact the roots had been cut, and the fact that the ph had become neutral (making it easier for mould and germs), might mean that the roots have become / are becoming rotten before my very eyes!!! Iâ??m sure there'll be a lesson learned when this is over. By the way, on the topic of water level, the level is not too important (medium half submerged, water lowered slightly to achieved higher aeration after roots emerge), as the water medium, in which your roots grow in is aerated, so roots are supposed to live in it, however, if that water didnâ??t have a bubbler in, the roots would die.

[Cyclonite]

6.4 is not a good hydro PH that's for soil....you need to shoot for 5.8 and having the PH off won't rot the roots that's probley a temperature issue....that is the most critical factor 60-70 any higher and you will slow growth and get root rot any lower and growth slows. CHILL YOUR RES!!!!!!!