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

[hehateme19]

Well it seems as if maybe Im the only one reading or asking questions on this thread..........but whatever maybe someone will help me out. You see I am new with the hyrdo deal, but it seems really easy.

So like I said before is am running a DWC setup just like this one, ..........................but my new question is............Once in bud (or once major roots are established in Veg) how high do you keep the water in bucket??? I am using 5 gallon buckets with large net pots (no res, change the water frequently) and the roots already reach to the bottom (very thick) so how high should I have the water on the roots??? Like I said the plants are doing EXCELLENT, best Ive ever grown, but I would like to make sure I am offering the best possible scenario for growth. So any advice from ANYONE would be greatly appreciated

 

[Grasso]

Hi,

a crude approach is to double EC of the tap water. But plants are satisfied by 70 micro Siemens if nutrient elements are properly rationized as shown in http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=67698 I guess the bucket should be half full, or if we give a range let us say one to two thirds!

To start there should be water all the way to the net pots then when the roots get to the water you can let it drop .

Grasso

 

[mofreak]

water level

water level

i did this with great results but i also had a water pump inthe res top feeding the plant. do you eventually lower the water level or let the roots submerge?

 

[hehateme19]

Thanks for the info Grasso. I have begun keeping the water level at about half way up in the 5 gallon bucket. Seems to be working out great.


Mofreak: I let my roots go into the water and it is working out great.

I have recently upgraded from a circular air stone (in the 5 gallon bucket) to a 3 foot flexible air diffuser. I purchased it at my local grow store for about $6 or $7. The airstone was getting a little clogged up with nutes so I hear this is a better way to go. So if you are just setting up a system I would suggest the flexibe air diffuser, it works great and seems to produce more bubbles than the stone (using the same pump)

 

[ibjamming]

I'm making 2 of these things and I want to get a "sanity check" first, before I commit any plants to it.

I bought that "ready made" 5 gal lid/net pot they sell to go on a 5 gal pail I already have. I also bought those expanded clay balls to go in the net pot.

I also bought an Elite 802 - Two outlets. Pressure of 3.5 psi with a minimum air output of 2,500 cc/min. per outlet everyone says it's good for a 15 gal aquarium. I also got some "dispose a air rock" aerators to go with it. They're about 1 1/2" long and 1/3" thick.

My question is...is this pump good enough for 2 buckets? I tested it today and it didn't look like the picture I saw here where ALL the water was "boiling". With mine, I have large bubbles (the airstone box says it's small bubble) that come up, make about a 4-5" "bulge" on the top of water and I can see a nice circulation. The water isn't ALL full of bubbles, just a column about 3-4" wide. Is this enough? Do I need a bigger pump?

Thanks...I want assurance or someone to teel me to stop now and get a bigger pump. I saw someone here mention a 60 gal pump...mine is 15...

Thanks guys!

 

[loco81]

nice job man thanks

 

[Dödsknark]

Very nice thread. Hmm, think I alreday posted that.

Anyway I got a question and don't want to start a thread about that so here goes.

Does the roots need the bubbles or just the oxygenated (sp?) water? Could I have a big tank with bubbles only going on in let's say one side? Would roots grow well on the other side?

Thinking about doing a rectangular bubbler for acouple of clones and trying to figure out how much bubbles I'll need.

(yeah, I've never done hydro...)

 

[DJXXPLATINUM]

my first bucket!!!

my first bucket!!!

i just put one of the buckets together,with another one just waitin for the russian diesel i just popped, the sour diesel i put in the first bucket has doubled in a week!!! i don't have a ph tester yet but i will get it tomorrow!!!! that way i can pump up the nutes!!! watch for a thread called "diesel five ways", i have chem haze diesel(rez's), triesel(strawberry d x nycd x alpha d), yummy diesel(yumbolt x alpha d), apophis(chemdog x nycd) x chemdog, and russian diesel(ak47 x sour diesel)!!!i bid on the sour diesel ibl's that were on the 420 auction but bowed out when they got up to $250!!!!or it would have been a six diesel grow!!!!peace djxx

 

[blazer09]

how do u put a seed into that pot with those balls

or how do u get to the point in the above picture?

 

[Octothorp]

just ordering the pieces for my DWC setup now

 

[fistonxx]

how often you check the PH for this setup ??

 

[nola]

I'm really restricted in grow space. I've been growing in soil and restricting plant size by using smaller pots. Is there a way to do this with hydro?

I like the approach and I'd love to try this method.

 

[nekoloving]

I thought id do this thread to show newb growers and growers new to hydro just how simple and cheap it is, before i start this is a pic of my last plant in this style of hydro growing..it goes by many names oxy-pot, bubbler bucket, dwc(deepwaterculture)...


this was Mr Nice Shit it was vegged for two weeks from clone and yielded 90 grams of bud..u can see the extensive root system u get with this style of growing....Right the how too...u will need these following things for ur bubbler


small amount of hydroton balls£4, u can use perlite and other media too but i lkie the clay balls best,next u need a net pot 50 pence,

u will need a bucket£1 or any container that wont let light thru and has a lid

i had to cut a lid from another container
u u need to cut a hole for the net pot to sit in, as u can see, next up is an airstone(this airstone was £4 its ceramic) and air pump£12 and some silicone piping to connect them


this is a cheap and very effective alternative to the airstone its porous pipng and u can do wot u like with it and it is very cheap bout £2 a metre, im using this on this one cuz for some reason my ceramic is not workin properly oh and last but not least a rooted cut ready for veg
best to start cuts in a cube but this is in a bubbler cloner...so its simple stick ur airstone in the bottom of the pot

fill up with water and nutrient solution ..i use a root stim to start..then turn on ur pump


then fill ur net pot with hydroton and place ur cut in there

then voila stick the net pot in the lid and place lid on the bucket

to start with have the water level touching the bottom of the net pot until the roots start going down into the water..it also helps to get a little fish tank thermometer to keep an eye on the temps..my temp was 16 c mostly last time and i had no probs but it shud be higher 20-22c...the only thing i havent included here is nutes thats for u to decide there are so many..i use Vita-link and b'cuzz or bio-bizz bloom stims...so there it is very simple effective and cheap il post pics and info as the plant progresses any q's feel..peacefree to ask...peace

add in an aquarium cooler?

 

[CalcioErba2004]

I'm really restricted in grow space. I've been growing in soil and restricting plant size by using smaller pots. Is there a way to do this with hydro?

I like the approach and I'd love to try this method.

Yes just get the appropriate size tub and follow the docs instructions. most of this stuff you can find at your local garden store/hardware store/pet store. things like air pumps and bubble wands you can get for cheaper at pet stores than at garden stores. you are going to want to get a lot of bubbles so get the most powerful pump you can afford.

 

[Beowulfagate]

That's pretty much the system I'm running, except I have 4 gal square buckets. Where do you find the porous tubing?

 

[Beowulfagate]

I have a little algae growth, is that because I use white buckets?

 

[lasko]

Depending on the size of container you use you can grow trees mate. also, they can be hooked up together and connected to a res to make the maintainence easier.

Great thread dr D
I have a question - how is related yield and size of reservoir in DWC
How much litres should i plan on 1 plant? 20 l for 4 plants / sog no veg will be ok or better more?

tnx
lasko

 

[Dr. D]

I have a little algae growth, is that because I use white buckets?

Hey Beo yes im running white buckets and had the same problem, just cover em up as best you can as long as you block the buckets from direct hps light you will be ok or if you can paint em or completely cover em with blackout..

lasko 20 litres for 4 plants shud be just fine as long as you dont veg em too long a week to ten days shud be plenty...Peace

 

[forester]

Hey Dr D. I may have missed it earlier but what wattage and type of light (HPS i assume...) did you use for the girl in the pic?

Im thinking I might give it a bash under CFL but if you have proven it works another way, I wont waste my time.

Cheers

 

[Dr. D]

Hey that plant was in a small cab under a 400 hps so it was getting quite alot of light....Peace