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Help with new RDWC build

S

Substitute

Member
Plants are 3-4ft tall after 5 weeks and it's time to switch to flower. Forgot to mention that for veg, I only use 14-15 hours of light, to save on power. I start the light at 14hrs...then move to 14.5 after 3 weeks (to mimic the increasing daylight) and then to 15hrs if I have time before flower. Trained big plant down the other day cause it was getting too big. Canopy is evened out a bit...and still have some adjustment for the height of the light.

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Top down view
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J

John LOQUE

Member
I think it's late to switch to flower, i mean they are very big already!!!
Imagine in 2 months.
Nice set up, and nice conditions!!!:yummy:
 
S

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Member
It's only been 5 weeks! I'll just keep tying them down. I'll make sure to keep temps reasonable.

Now's the perfect time...when they're bigger. My old buddy grew nice big plants with big buds, rdwc....like 15 years ago.
Before I ever heard of it.
 
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A shot showing how I'm tying down the tops and holding branches up on the big plant. I also had a low water level in the bucket after the big plant. I couldn't figure it out for a bit, but then checked the big plant roots and they were clogging the pipe...causing the low water level in the plant after it. The roots grew all down the piping. Removed them and boom the water level came up before my eyes. :)

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S

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Member
It's officially a jungle in my basement. Plants are 4-5ft and one week into flowering. Any top that gets within a foot of the light gets tied back...so I'm constructing kind of a vertical setup with the tops circling the light.

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A 6 week old hydro stem compared to a 4 month old soil stem!
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S

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Member
John LOQUE said:
Yeah man! Hydro can give awesome results when everything go fine.
What are the temp setting? And RH?
Click to expand...


My canopy is probably 77F-78F. At least 12 inches away all the way around. I feel by hand and move branches. Too hot...too close, etc. Don't know RH. Probably high cause it's been raining! Flowers are just starting to show.
 
S

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Member
Ok...maybe someone can help with this one. Plants are flowering...everything is looking good...except my ppm's jumped out of nowhere. I was adding 5-600ppm top offs....and not really checking my system ppm. Then the other day I check system ppm's and they're 900! Plants are ok...not showing any real signs of stress. I figure it's something to do with the change to flowering?

The ppm's have always been more or less in the same range as my top off ppm's. 5-600.
 
J

John LOQUE

Member
How often do you change the whole rez? If you add top offs to keep a constant PPM reading it's not necessary. You should change the whole rez when they have all drunk or after 10 days max. After 10 days, nutes become like toxic and the plants don't take it.
 
S

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Member
Well...I kept my first res for a month then changed. I think you might be right tho...they probably could use a whole system nutrient change.,,it's been 2 or 3 weeks. Strange how the ppm's jumped for no reason.


Edit: Woke up today (18th) and system nutrient pH is at 4.0? Even tho all I've been adding is 5.5? So decided to do a complete system change. Got weird things happening with the ph and ppm's suddenly in flowering. Plants are still growin good...look good. :)
 
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BigPhil

BigPhil

Well-known member
Veteran
I think you're plants are drinking more water and not so many nutes. That's why you're ph is low and PPMs are higher. You need to check the ph and ppms every day and write it down in a pad or something
 
S

Substitute

Member
I was checking everyday for a long time but i stopped because it was always the same...so I figured why bother! It was just recently when I decided to look and see that I found them at a low pH and high ppm.

That's what I was thinking that they're just using water, and the nutes and pH down started to build up in the system.
 
J

John LOQUE

Member
I don't know rdwc but i know dwc quite well, and i don't watch often the PH or the ppm. I check PH often only when i change something: water (location), PH down (new brand), and that's all. But i know that when they have drunk enough nutes, when they want a fresh mix, they look a little droopy, and the PH is low. Like 4 or 5. And it's not dramatic, but i use a chelated nute brand, and it help a lot. With chelated nutes, the PH does not matter as much as with classic nutes. Maybe it's only merchandising, why not, but for me it works. It's Nutri Nova. And i use NFT Super Mix. And Ph down when i make a new mix, and that's all, i almost never check any thing, except when there is a problem. I don't use ph meters, they can be wrong, and then it's dramatic!!!
And i run low ppm, like 500, no additives. A fresh mix every week.

I like your grow. Mine is not the jungle like yours, but it was lights problems, other kind of issue. Next will be better! Next is always better, no?
 
S

Substitute

Member
John LOQUE said:
I don't know rdwc but i know dwc quite well, and i don't watch often the PH or the ppm. I check PH often only when i change something: water (location), PH down (new brand), and that's all. But i know that when they have drunk enough nutes, when they want a fresh mix, they look a little droopy, and the PH is low. Like 4 or 5. And it's not dramatic, but i use a chelated nute brand, and it help a lot. With chelated nutes, the PH does not matter as much as with classic nutes. Maybe it's only merchandising, why not, but for me it works. It's Nutri Nova. And i use NFT Super Mix. And Ph down when i make a new mix, and that's all, i almost never check any thing, except when there is a problem. I don't use ph meters, they can be wrong, and then it's dramatic!!!
And i run low ppm, like 500, no additives. A fresh mix every week.

I like your grow. Mine is not the jungle like yours, but it was lights problems, other kind of issue. Next will be better! Next is always better, no?
Click to expand...

I am using chelated nutes and run about 500ppm as well. My plants never look droopy tho...they look constantly pumped.

Yes..hopefully next is better!
 
S

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Member
Buds are forming. :) 2 weeks into flowering. Did some strategic defoliation to expose more of the bud sites to light.

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Fan Leaves - defoliation
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