One for the newbs: cheap and simple hydro, but very effective

[Dr. D]

Hi BOZWELL, im thinkin too much air pressure wouldnt be to good on your delicate roots..especially if the nute solution was at the point of frothing..my last bubbler run i had probs with the pump which wasnt emiting much air pressure at all but i still had good results..
Im would like to be able to test the amount of oxygen in the nute solution and will be looking into it..i dont think you could have too much oxygen but i do think you could have too much air pressure...peace

 

[BOZWELL]

cheers D I think Ill go with loads of fine bubbles so its more of a fizz than a foam

 

[GanjaJedi]

Mmmmmm fizzing nutrients ahgghghghhghg

 

[Farmer John]

I use these simple methods too bro, very good read this thread for everyone, andthe results are fantastic even with GH flora series, I am amazed, wait until I show you my Amnesia99.. Good read!

 

[savonavo]

what was your feeding schedule, and what exactly did you use at what times at what concentrations?

 

[russia]

might be a stupid question but how loud is the bubbling in a dwc????
my grow cupboard is in the bedroom and my missus will kill me if she has to listen to bubbling all night.

Im serious about dwc after reading this thread and would like to try it in the new grow room that im setting up
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=22185&highlight=russia
the door in the pics is about a foot and a half away from the misses head
hence the question.

looking to run 4 average size bucket (12-15 litre) dwc's. would the pump below be ok. Thinking of buying one of these
http://first4fish.co.uk/product_detail.asp?id=81&cat=16&range=28
super silent aye, any one got one??? are they silent??? fucking hope so.

anyone know where to find a tutorial to build a cloner using the same principle as dwc???

nice thread by the way, just the motivation ive been looking for.

Thanks

Russia

 

[ram_ray]

Hi doc D, im a real noob to the growing world, and im gona grow from skratch, i got a 600w and a 100w light, not sure wich 1 to use :S and i got a fan/carbon filter and six computer fabs 2 keep evry thing cool, but i was woundering at wen i should transfer my plants to the hydro system....and i probs sound reli stupid but once you put in the water what else do u add??? sorry if u have explained this b4 but it would reli help me! fnx

 

[Dr. D]

russia hey there is a certain amount of noise comin from those pumps and if you are sleeping close to it you will here it, but there are ways around that like hanging your pump so it cannot vibrate against anything, the pump in the pic looks like it wll do the job just fine..go for it.
ram ray...if you have your seedlings cuts established into cubes hen you can get them into the net pot and into the water with a weak nutrient solution and a root stimulator if you are using one..

Bozwell check these pumps out they kick ass very powerful..noisy as hell too but i have it hung from a bungie now..it vibrated through the whole house before i hung it

im running 8 stones off this but im sure i could run nearly double that iv had to restrict the flow on her as it is...peace il get an update of the new set-up soon need to get some pics..

 

[Dr. D]

Time for some updates with pics..same set-up as usual just some different size and shape buckets 8 in all and this time the net pots are smaller and the holes much bigger..i have noticed this to be better for the roots imo.
Iv noticed the roots are less restricted than with the small holes and come into better contact with the environment in the bucket. The water level hasnt even been up to the pots and they look like this

after around 7 days..to this at ten
...
Heres a quick run down
Strains
Skrum
Cheese
Sour Bubble
Shit
Dankouver
Nutes
Bio-Bizz Root Stim which i will no longer be using its just not really suitable for this tyoe of hydro system it collects on the sides and bottom of the bucket even in small amounts
AN Sensi-zym
Vita-Link grow and bloom
Vita-Link Buddy this is their bloom stim which im gonna try out instead of Top-Max, iv heard good things about it.
They are under a 600 hps and have been veggin for about 11-12 days and have just had their first day 12/12..due to them being sat around for too long they wernt in the best shape before goin in they have all picked up now and are lookin good apart from the Dankouver which are just startin to look better .
Heres the Cheese

Skrum


Shit



Thats the large Sour Bubble at the back there she is gettin a nice size now and the gnat larvae are all gone thanks to the Gnat-Off which worked very well with no ill-effects to the plant or roots..il update some more as they progress..any questions comments criticism's feel free...
Nearly forgot the vitals
PH sat at 6 but has been rising slightly due to the Root juice
CF 12-14 on the lower end for the Dankouver
I added 5ml per litre of the Sensi-zym and they loved it but i will be using it in smaller amounts from now on...
I also added 1ml per litre of the Root juice when i filled the buckets...peace

 

[Blackmelo]

Hey hey Dr, D.
I really need to thank you for this hydro setup. This is by far the easiest and best explained method I have come across.

Switching to hydro would mean learning alot of new shit again but I think I might just try it out with just one pot and see how it goes.
You have made this plan a reality. cheers

Just a few things I want to be absolutely clear on before I start. Hope some1 can help me out.

1. As far as I know ph should be in a range of 5.6-5.8 .
This brings me to my next issue. Will I need a ph meter?
Does a ph meter last longer than 6 months or do u need to replace them alot?
(I use tester solution at the moment)

2. Will I need an EC meter? If yes, what are ideal ppm levels for the different growing stages of the plant? (some1 had a great chart once but I lost it )

Edit: ok found the right levels and some charts.These two pages helped me out most:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=17794
http://www.angelfire.com/cantina/fourtwenty/articles/profiles.htm

3. What does sensi-zym do. Do you recommend it+ why?

Edit: ok found out what sensi-zym does, good for removing old roots. any other recommended attitives?

4. This one has been asked a few times but not aswered yet so pls some1 answer it.
How often do you feed per week or do you feed by judgement instead?
Also, do you just add the nutes straight into the water or do you add the nutes to the amount of water you top the bucket up with.
In other words, do you only feed when you top up the bucket with water?

I know that is alot of questions but it would take me ages to find the answers and I know all you hydro guys know these answers.

Much appreciated.

Edit: I can see its not going to be as easy as just adding a bucket to my grow room lol.

Puff puff pass

 

[darkside420]

Good questions Melo, im in the same boat. When starting seeds in rockwool do you take them out before they go in the waterfarm or leave them in? these are questions im dying to know also and the search engine isn't working real well. Appreciate the info.

 

[Farmer John]

Looking great bro, I was just thinking about throwing in a couple C99's that have now vegged for a week and are about 15-20cm "tall" but theyre so branchy that I have to test how big yield they give if I force them when theyre small, gotta say that hydro kicks ass I only keep an eye on ph and stick to the basic GH formula but now I have to ry Lucas formula..how often do you change/add nutes?

 

[savonavo]

I have a question Dr. D.

I have had my DWC bubbler hydro setup running for almost 3 weeks vegging now yet they still dont have the amount of roots your showing at days 7 and 10?

Is this because of your root stimulator? I have a bit of roots but not as much as yours do at 10 days? Are your nutes just much better or what?

 

[Dr. D]

Blackmelo to answer your questions
1. Yes it would be best to have a ph meter..iv had mine for over a year and it still works fine..you could use the solution but the meter is just so much quicker and easier.Also with Vita-Link nutes 5.5-6.5 ph range seems to work fine.
2.It does help to have an EC meter yes but you can do without it..but if you follow what im doin here you shouldnt see any probs. I just like to keep an eye on things in case of fluctuations. I wouldnt worry about amounts for now just follow what it says on the bottle gradually keeping low to start with then increasing slightly when comin up to max flower growth then dropping off after that..you dont want to over complicate things to start with, just keep it simple.
3.Yeh Sensi-zym is great stuff, improves the health of the root zone..the roots love it..im still experimenting with it.always learning..constantly experimenting and posting my results here.
4.I add nute when i top up with water as and when needed just add them with the water i dont do a whole nute solution change unless i have problems, just top it up with the required nute strength.
I think youl find it quite simple when you get it goin i did, just make sure ou dont over feed..remember its best to under feed than over.

Darkside when starting in RW just add the rockwool cube to the net-pot and surround it with the hydroton and the roots will continue to grow into it then into the water.

Hey FJ i dont change the nutes unless i have any problems but with the nutes and additves im using now its all sweet so i just top and keep an eye on the EC and which is nice and stable..i havent even changed the nutes over from grow to bloom on this run im just adding the bloom nutes on top..also if i do have a problem like i have had with the Dankouvers on this run..they didnt regain to health as fast as normal when goin into this system(they had been sat for too long before goin into the buckets) i just give em plain water for a couple of days then add the nutes again..they are a ok now..

Hi savo that could be down to a number of things..yes it could be the root enhancers or it could be temps or the nutes you are using and the ph..what are your vitals?
updates comin soon i am now at 8 days 12/12 and everything is lookin sweet..peace

 

[zolar]

great info I've seenm bubblers in other places but this thread with the ongoing answers lots of newby ?'s new to hydro and indoor but have lots of experience w/veggies and greenhouses does anyone know where to get square 5 gal/. buckets

i have 1 square 4.5 gallon container from a big package of deli cat cat food and it fits
spaces much better than round ..... am using coir in net pots and my ph keeps climbing up to about 7.5-8 am using foxfarm nutes for both soil and hydro
the grow big is the soil variety is this whats playing with my ph? should i mix my own up from peters 10-10-10 epsom salts h2o2 and trace minerals and use that till i bloom ? have access to several garden local garden centers but no close hydro shops.. Oh by the way i put my airpump on top of a piece of flat packing foam on a shelf and as long as it doesn't touch any thing on the side its real quiet !!

 

[BOZWELL]

Pump size?

Pump size?

I want to run 3 45l bubblers what size air pump do I need also who makes the best quality ones? cheers

 

[Dr. D]

Hey BOZWELL, im not sure who make the best quality pumps Haliea seem to be a popular brand..
Are you running one plant in each container?
How many air stones do you plan on putting in each container?

 

[Dr. D]

Update

Update

Hey all il update with pics of the same plants to show you how much they have grown and stretched going into flower im at 21 days 12/12 now but these pics are from earlier in the week..Wednesday i think.
First up the Skrum



As you can see she has grown fast she has good vigour stretches well too

This one is the Shit not much stretch..but lookin very good seeing as iv had to hack a good portion of the roots off due to a problem which il explain about soon when i get some pics up to show you how the roots shouldnt look

This one is the Cheese, she had a good spurt on too with similar growth to the Skrum but not as much stretch..sorry you can see her growth scructure that well

This is one of the smaller of the Dankouver..il focus on these four plants mainly (but i will put in some of the others as and when) with pics of roots to follow and my theory on my root problem.
I have started adding a bloom stim which is a new one i decided to try from the Vita-Link range called Buddy iv heard good things about it so i thought id give it a try and have noticed a difference after 24 hrs of adding it..peace

 

[BOZWELL]

Hey BOZWELL, im not sure who make the best quality pumps Haliea seem to be a popular brand..
Are you running one plant in each container?
How many air stones do you plan on putting in each container?

YES ONE PLANT (LARGE BUSH)
what would you recommend air stone wise I want lot ov bubbles..lol
cheers

 

[JH151399-OG]

if one were growing in a 3 1/2 ft to 4 ft. cab, would it even be wise to use DWC? I'm just looking for 2 ozs (1 plant under 150 w HPS). So would the DWC be overkill and/or too much of a hassle to fiddle with if one only is looking for a couple of zips and only has 3 1/2 - 4 ft of headroom?