Stick with COCO or switch to DWC?

[jamrockjay]

Hi there fellow ICers, i have a couple of questions that i would like help with. I am undecided on wether to stick with growing in coco or switch to DWC. If i stick with the coco i will be using the Atami wilma pots for the first time as i usually hand feed. i would say i have had not to bad results growing in coco and i havnt really faced any major problems using coco, would using the wilma pots improve my yield?
A friend of mine says i should switch over to DWC using the oxy pot, bubbler, auto pot or (whatever other names they can be called lol) as my yield would increase and my overall growing time would be cut however he has told me that it would take a bit more 'know how' than coco growing as he mentioned PPM's and EC readings which i have never used in my coco grows.
Would i be better sticking with the coco or should i switch to dwc?
My grow area is approx 1x1x2mtr's or for those who prefer 100x100x200cm's and i will be using either the 4 pot wilma system or a 4 pot oxy pot system under a 400w HPS, i should also point out that i will be starting from seed not a clone/cutting. Many thx


RHINOJAY lives on

 

[AndreNicky]

Stick to coco imo, Dwc is a big hassle and the only difference your probally gonna see is a slightly faster veg time. If u really wanna try it out i would make a little dwc tub for one plant and try it out your next go around

 

[FreezerBoy]

My interest in DWC was root porn. Once I tried it, the unbelievable ease of operation became the selling factor. However, I'm not doing pots, I grow directly in the res. Once dialed in, I "water" once every 2-4 weeks. Same with measurements. Best results for multi strains would come from multi buckets. Multi buckets being smaller would take more work. If you're growing single strains it could be just what you're looking for.

I'd say do a test run with a single 5 gal bucket and see how it feels. Feed nutes at 1/2 strength and pH5.8 (a $3 aquarium kit is all you'll need for this) If you like the results, then you can consider dropping bucks on an EC meter.

So much of this is dependent on grower personality. If I had to water on a semi daily basis, my girls wouldn't live out the month.

 

[Tanuvan]

The main issue with DWC is pythium resulting from an inability to keep the reservoir at a temp below 80 degrees. If you can't keep your overall temps below 80, you will be in for a world of trouble using DWC.

 

[MDT]

If you have a small grow, go with DWC. DWC systems will outyield Coco any day of the week. Try the ebb and grow or top drip if you're afraid of root rot cause of high temp.

 

[cannabudz]

Well, i've given both methods a go.. and i say Coco over dwc.. reasons being, that dwc had too many areas of possible failure. including water temp was too warm, root rot, leaks, humidity too high, and the list goes on.. I grew with coco for years, then switched to dwc to give it a go.. and the main issue i have is i always get a root fungus or fungus gnats when i use dwc/hydro or gullys dam up. So now i stick with coco/perilite (75/25). Not only am i saving cash, not running the dehumidifier,water chiller, pumps, added A/C on time.... I'm yielding very very good herb, and weight with coco.. just as good as the hydro method. I like things simple when i grow.. and having the grow area sounding like a factory with all the pumps, A/C, dehumidifier, ballasts, air purifiers, Fans, etc.. is damn annoying when i'm trying to spend some quiet time with the ladies..
Honestly i would only do dirt or coco on small (under 25 plants). there is a point of hassle i have,, if it takes me all day to pack pots with dirt, then thats not worth it.. i'd start looking towards dwc. Hydro is for a more massive production scale.. yeah, yeah, i know you can grow hydro in a shoe box, but its not its intended purpose.. So if your small, grow coco, and enjoy the simple ease of it.. If your looking to supply the town, then i'd opt for Hydro.. hope that helps.. , peace.

Cannabudz.

 

[MeltingPOT]

If you can control temps, try the DWC. FreezerBoy has great advice about growing DWC with 1 strain and a big bucket...If yer all about filling yer room w/ mini bubblers it can become overwhelming. I only run DWC in the winter, and my ladies absolutely love it...Best of luck
MP

 

[Murphle]

I wish Wilma Pots were available in the USA. They are kickass when it comes to hydro growing.Maybe run both to see what works/produces better for ya. Pretty tough to outgrow a dialed in hydro set-up. But you can get pretty darn close w/ coco.

 

[jamrockjay]

Thanks all for all the imput, as im only going to be growing 4 plants for personal use i think im gonna stick with the coco using the wilma pots and have them on a drip feed and see how i go as they say dont change it unless its broken lol



RhinoJay lives on...

 

[Hydro-Soil]

If you'd like to keep things simple and run multiple strains in a single DWC bucket, stick to GH FloraNova nutes at 8ml/gal (Lucas Formula) in RO water only. (Not distilled or tap)
You can also use the 3-part but it doesn't have the professional mix of additives like the Nova series does.

You won't have any nute issues with any of them. I've yet to come across any and I've run lots of bagseed and a number of hybrids. You WILL have problems if you use anything other than RO water and full Lucas Formula strength.

My first SWC had 72 wonderful, lucious and healthy plants at one time in the same res, all Lucas Formula. At least 20 different strains that could be differentiated by sight alone (bagseed). Was quite a sight to behold.

Never...... no, that's not right...... Always be sure to shake your nutes completely before mixing. Yeah.... that's what I meant to say.

 

[Suby]

I've heard alot about coco being the revolution in growing and I must say for ease of use it is exceptional, my result were solid.
The only problems users have I find is dialing in their nutes, if you hand water every single day and use a coco specific nute that has added humic acid and Ca and Mg then you will be golden.
You'll have to water every day but you could use a reservoir and a run to waste system.
Both system require ph adjuting and measuring ppms, if your not your robbing yourself of the coco's potential IMO.

Where bubblers kick serious ass is when you want to grow fewer large plant, I've grown huge trees in a measly 5gallon pail I rigged with an airstone, lightproofed, and kep the reservoir cool.
There are few tips in this department, keep the air pump in a cool room (I had mine outside in the winter that was cool), add hydrogen peroxyde to the res, make sure the pail is light proof, use ALOT of air.

If it's for a room grow then your room temps should be optimal and bubblers won't be a problem.
In a cab grow heat can be an issue and coco will be your savior.
With coco you'll also have medium left over, it can be used 3 times if properly cared for and flushed properly.
Water is easily disposed of in hydro, hand watering coco will have you mixing nutes every day.
Use RO water for bubblers ( amust really), you can use a mix of RO and tap water to a measure of 150ppm's in coco for the added Ca and Mg not to mention Fe.

Measure the pro's and con's and make your mind up based on your particular budget and setup and time of course.

Peace
S

 

[jamrockjay]

Thanks for ur input Suby i have decided to stick with the wilma pots and grow in coco with a perlite mix and put them on a drip feed. i have never checked for ppm's or ec and i wouldnt know where to start with them. all i check is ph and keep it at 5.8 i know i can get a wand/reader for the ec and ppm's i think i will have to look into one of those and also look into how to up/down the ec and ppm's as i not got a clue.



RhinoJay lives on

 

[Suby]

Some would say that ppm's isn't as important as ph and to a degree I would agree.
As long as your ph is stable then you can judge if you are under or over feeding by looking at the plants.
If you do know the ppms and are using a reservoir it makes addbacks to the res easier.
Also if you test the runoff you can guage how well nutrients are being taken up.
Say you feed them in them with a ppm 800 and runoff comes out 900 then your plants are using more water than nutes meaning you should lower the nutrient content.
If you water at 800 ppm and runoff is lower than that your feeding is optimal, it's a trick I would use in hydro and I'm confident it's a good indicator in coco as well.
One thing to remember with coco is to water until you get a little runoff every time, it will wash out the salt buildup from the coco.
I would skip the perlite completely, coco is just as porous and you want the medium to hold as much moisture as possible as opposed to soil, coco has a cationic exchange matrix that inetracts better with the rootzone.
There's tons of info in the coco forum to get it all dialed in.