What's new
  • Please note members who been with us for more than 10 years have been upgraded to "Veteran" status and will receive exclusive benefits. If you wish to find out more about this or support IcMag and get same benefits, check this thread here.
  • Important notice: ICMag's T.O.U. has been updated. Please review it here. For your convenience, it is also available in the main forum menu, under 'Quick Links"!

1k RDWC grow

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
This room is my newest room and its still in the construction phase, but I had to rush to get it to a point to where i could actually move the plants in. I will finish all of the construction by the time I start flowering.

The room is 4x4x8feet. The hood is a Radiant 6 inch air cooled hood with a 1000w bulb. the room has four 5gallon buckets that are hard plumbed to an external res. that is an 18gallon Rubbermaid container. Each bucket has its own feed line. This room has its own air pump.

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
These Four Bluemoonshine's had over grown the space that they where in and where in need of a new home.

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php
 

overbudjet

Active member
Veteran
Raise your air pump over your water level (flood issue),also insulating your bucket will help with water temp,have you ever try water fall instead of air pump?Put some water proofing on your floor too,in hydro you will need-it !For peace of mind i will also add overflow drain to each bucket(roots blocking drain will cause flood).
 
Last edited:

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
I haven't had any problems with the air pump flooding. I have used this style/brand of air pump for like the past 5-6 years, and I have not had any issues with flooding from this style of air pump.

The air pump is what works for me in this system, and the more air that the roots get the more robust that they will grow.

Roots can cause drains to clog, But that does not mean that they will clog the drains. I will mention more on this later

I don't have to worry about water temps so insulating the buckets isn't an issue for me.
 

medicalmj

Active member
Veteran
Lookin good!

How highs your water level? and do you have anything on end of 1/4 going into bucket? Looks just like the system I gave up for a minute. Except I used 3/4" black poly tube for returns and black buckets. Also, I experimented w lower water levels and put a sprayer on end of 1/4 tube. Used threaded red ones, which made it a hybrid areo/rdwc. Got rot over summer, too warm maybe not enough DO, maybe the power outage(no airpump). But when it works, it works, but u know that.

Also, are you gonna lollipop em? If not holy shit your gonna have lot little stuff to deal with. Not that that's a bad thing, just HATE trimmin that lil shit, lol!
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
I try to keep the water level as high as possible. I could keep the water levels at the same level in the buckets by placing a riser on the return line. But I am kind of liking the water level having a high and low point over a day or two.

the only thing I have on the end of the feed lines are a barbed L, which I placed on as a stopper to keep the feed lines from pulling out or the buckets.

I got to the point that I don't like any of the poly tube as a return line. You use barbed fitting most likely with the poly tube which reduce down the I.D. of the tube where the barbs are which reduces the total possible amount of water that can drain through that spot.
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
Here are a couple of shots of the Res.

I do have a spot already set up on it so that I could add another line, like an over flow line if its turns out that this system needs one.

picture.php


picture.php







This is actually day Four of 12/12 since the start of the flower cycle. It actually would have been day five, but It took me longer then expected to get the door finished and they got 8 hours of night once the door was in place.

picture.php


picture.php
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
These are pictures from today which is day 10 of 12/12. They are getting big now, I've lost count of how many times I've raised the light and the tallest one is 4.5 feet counting the bucket. I'd like to take some pictures of the roots on these girls, but they require two hand to lift them up and then I'd still need to hold the camera and push the button.

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php
 

NuggPufr

New member
wow those are large net pots. does it help with root growth at all having more surface area? mine are like 4 or 6 inches in my bucket. space looks nice. how are your temps in such an area?
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
wow those are large net pots. does it help with root growth at all having more surface area? mine are like 4 or 6 inches in my bucket. space looks nice. how are your temps in such an area?

Yes, those are indeed some large net pots, they are 10 inch net pots. I've been using the 6 inch ones up to now. I have seen improved root growth with the use of the larger net pot.
 

vangaurd

Member
Woow my man great going so far, question though have you given thought to pruning some of the larger fans? for some people its out of the question so i am wondering where you are with it?
 

medicalmj

Active member
Veteran
I try to keep the water level as high as possible. I could keep the water levels at the same level in the buckets by placing a riser on the return line. But I am kind of liking the water level having a high and low point over a day or two.

the only thing I have on the end of the feed lines are a barbed L, which I placed on as a stopper to keep the feed lines from pulling out or the buckets.

I got to the point that I don't like any of the poly tube as a return line. You use barbed fitting most likely with the poly tube which reduce down the I.D. of the tube where the barbs are which reduces the total possible amount of water that can drain through that spot.
Thanks for the follow uo info! And yes, I did use poly tubing w barbs. In the future when I plan better i will be hard plumbing the sytem. You are a step ahead of me on that issue. Looks good!
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
Day 15

Day 15

We are now at day 15,

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


I went and trimmed the lower branches a couple of days after flipping them to 12/12 and I am now seeing that I need to trim them up again, including some stuff that I missed from the last trim session.

I changed out the nutes in the res yesterday. I went and upped the ppm from around 800ppm to 1100ppm.
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
Thanks for the follow uo info! And yes, I did use poly tubing w barbs. In the future when I plan better i will be hard plumbing the sytem. You are a step ahead of me on that issue. Looks good!

I should also add in that I turn then a 1/4 turn a day, but some times its every other day that I actually get to being able to turn them. Turning them does several things, it helps the buds to form more evenly, it also helps to spin the roots around which it think would help to prevent any root from going down the drain lines.

I have also noticed that with a round bucket if you have your drain on the bottom and the line feed coming in at the top you get the water spinning around in the bucket as water is added to the top and it drains out the bottom. This seams to help cause the roots spin around and form a more rounded root ball.
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
Haven't been able to get around to an up date for a little while due to being ill.

Now some pictures from day 32,

picture.php


picture.php


picture.php
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
Hello every one :wave:
Here are some pictures from day 36
Its hard to tell from the pictures but the two plants in the back are taller then the two in the in the front.


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php


picture.php
 

benjuanman

Active member
Veteran
Wow man your plants seem to be thickening up well now. Nice to know that the 10inch pots are better then the 6's. I'm assuming that's because there would be more surface area for the roots to pop out from before reaching into the water?? I grow in 6's myself but grow more per square foot. Keep the pics coming anyways dude. Peace
 

Ganoderma

Hydronaut
Mentor
Veteran
Yes, i too assume that the 10inch will be better because it allows more root space for the roots to fill in, which could have a positive influence on the yield. I've tried for years to get the roots to fill out and fill the buckets with the 6inch net pots, and its only been since I switched to the 10's I've actually seen the growth of the roots that I've been trying for. I want to take some pictures of the roots and post them, but I'll need to find a friend to help me before I can actually take pictures of the root ball on these.
 
Top