single bucket DWC guide?

[Sandnut]

what are optimal water temps?
68ºF

what kind of air pump should be used? is there a formula per bucket size?
I go 5X the res. 10 gal pump for 2 gal bubbler. 60gal pump in 12 gal DWC

how often are nutes applied?
Often as needed. I go 10 weeks and more without adding nutes

how often do you need to clean the bucket?
Between grows

how do you avoid getting root algae?
Don't put it in. Avoid organics and kitchen sink recipes. Grow, Micro, pH Down and tap water are all you need

how high should water levels be?
Netcups with seedlings or new clones should be submerged to the halfway point. Mature plants use a 1-2 inch airgap between cup and waterline

which nutrients do you think works best?
GH Flora Series worked well enough that, I never bothered trying others.

are air pumps noisy? which one would you recommend?
Yes. Not "Whisper" brand, they're loud.

what bucket size would you recommend per plant?
I use an 18 gal tub with 12 gal nutes. I can leave the grow for up to 3 weeks. The smaller the res, the faster the disaster.

What kind of air stone? small or large bubbles?
I like the big bars or large flat stones as they don't float. Aeration comes from surface turbulence. The best aeration comes from waterfalls, no air bubbles at all. The airstones true function is stealth. Small bubbles are quiet, big bubbles (which provide excellent turbulence) are darn loud.

Hi, as im instrested in starting a single bucket DWC grow im trying to find as much info on this as possible but it seems that its all spread out on this forum, I know its suposed to be the easiest grow style but I think we could need a DWC guide for all people that want to learn it and be failproof, would appriciate if someone could make one.

with answers to basic Questions.

everything you can think of, tips and tricks,

I'll keep filling this list as we go

 

[Herbal extasy]

This is most simple I have encountered so far. Fatalii Simple Bucket Hydro
Look thread at my sig, how is project going. I would tune up size of buckets. Ladies are very thirsty and 10l(practically 7-8l) is not much for them. 15l bucket should do better.
Silent, easy to maintain, reliable(so far). I cannot even imagine filling my cabin with bubblers because of their noise. No algae at all during this 2 month. I wash up bucket with water and my hand when I change nutes. I usually change nutes once in week when there is only like 1l left, don't apply them, because I do not have EC meters. I use ½ Lucas formula. Even that fry up tip of leaves. I check up things everyday(1min), but only work with garden once in week(30min). Call me lazy, if you like.

 

[Sandnut]

This is most simple I have encountered so far. Fatalii Simple Bucket Hydro
Look thread at my sig, how is project going. I would tune up size of buckets. Ladies are very thirsty and 10l(practically 7-8l) is not much for them. 15l bucket should do better.
Silent, easy to maintain, reliable(so far). I cannot even imagine filling my cabin with bubblers because of their noise. No algae at all during this 2 month. I wash up bucket with water and my hand when I change nutes. I usually change nutes once in week when there is only like 1l left, don't apply them, because I do not have EC meters. I use ½ Lucas formula. Even that fry up tip of leaves. I check up things everyday(1min), but only work with garden once in week(30min). Call me lazy, if you like.

very helpful +rep lazyman!

 

[kotton_mouth]

hey sand
im pretty much doin the same thing im useing a 5 gallon. i got my air pump at wall mart for 6 bucks and its pretty quiet. im told by friends that the pump will burn out after about a mounth due to no stop use so they recomend getting a extra cuz the plant will die quickly if theres no pump. im useing a larger buble stone. as for nuites i hear flora works great that is wat i plan to get on friday. an buket size per plant id but i was told not to do more then one in a 5 gallon because if one gose male well good luck seperating the roots.

im a newb but i got this info wen i asked the same questions good luck bro hope it helps

i second the notion to make a dwc 5 gallon guide with tips and tricks

 

[FreezerBoy]

what are optimal water temps?
68ºF
what kind of air pump should be used? is there a formula per bucket size?
I go 5X the res. 10 gal pump for 2 gal bubbler. 60gal pump in 12 gal DWC
how often are nutes applied?
Often as needed. I go 10 weeks and more without adding nutes
how often do you need to clean the bucket?
Between grows
how do you avoid getting root algae?
Don't put it in. Avoid organics and kitchen sink recipes. Grow, Micro, pH Down and tap water are all you need
how high should water levels be?
Netcups with seedlings or new clones should be submerged to the halfway point. Mature plants use a 1-2 inch airgap between cup and waterline
which nutrients do you think works best?
GH Flora Series worked well enough that, I never bothered trying others.
are air pumps noisy? which one would you recommend?
Yes. Not "Whisper" brand, they're loud.
what bucket size would you recommend per plant?
I use an 18 gal tub with 12 gal nutes. I can leave the grow for up to 3 weeks. The smaller the res, the faster the disaster.
What kind of air stone? small or large bubbles?
I like the big bars or large flat stones as they don't float. Aeration comes from surface turbulence. The best aeration comes from waterfalls, no air bubbles at all. The airstones true function is stealth. Small bubbles are quiet, big bubbles (which provide excellent turbulence) are darn loud.

 

[Sandnut]

thanks alot of for very contributing posts

 

[firefox]

saved me asking a lot of them questions .nice one FB.

 

[stoney917]

theres not much to bubble buckets to make a guide but freezerboys the guy to do it. his last post pretty much says it all. only thing i can add is that the compressor style pumps are much more reliable and that u should keep the airpump above ur bucket not on the floor next to it that will prevent it from getting water logged if somthin does go wrong. if possible keep a fan on the pump or locate it away from the grow to keep it runnin cool, and keep the air its pumpin out intour bucket from raisin ur bucket temps. if the pump is in a hot grow room its only gonna pump hot air into the bucket. if the pump is noisey hang the pump so its not sittin on the floor. hangin the pumps helps alot with noise probs. those r some of my pointer for ya. FB if i left nething out please correct me.

 

[kotton_mouth]

im doing a simlar grow and i also have a few questions???
1.how often do you flush your bucket?
2.wat do i use to clean it?
3.how offten do i need to get new rocks?

 

[FreezerBoy]

Thanks for the kudos but, let's remember, there's more than one way to skin a cat. This just happens to be mine

im doing a simlar grow and i also have a few questions???
1.how often do you flush your bucket?
2.wat do i use to clean it?
3.how offten do i need to get new rocks?

1 Between grows
2 Scrub with salt and a damp sponge, followed by THOROUGH rinse
3 I don't believe Hydroton expires. For small time users, stir the rocks under running water in a spaghetti colander till clean. Soak and stir for a few minutes in a 5% bleach solution. Rinse VERY well.

Note the Hydroton is entirely optional. It's simply there to keep the plant from falling into the tub. Many use neoprene pucks rather than net pots and let roots hang exposed. Such plants will need to be secured to trellis or ScrOG to keep their weight from pulling them into the tub.

 

[ShroomDr]

Heres how i started.


















LST with 14g solid state wire & washers

 

[kotton_mouth]

@shroom awsome pics dude thats a nice started setup i have a fuw questions????

1. wats up with the washers i dident get thet??
2.the alumin at the top of your bucket is that nessery???

 

[HempAlchemist]

there is a good sticky about DWC
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=13327
DWC is a feast, cheap, easy hydro setup that shows great results. all you need to do is keep water at proper temp and your good to go

 

[jm420]

Heres my first I think it cost all of 20 bucks plus 20 for micro and bloom pulled about 6 oz for my first attempt

 

[ShroomDr]

@shroom awsome pics dude thats a nice started setup i have a fuw questions????

1. wats up with the washers i dident get thet??
2.the alumin at the top of your bucket is that nessery???

I fixed the image links in my previous post, they now go to the full size pictures. Here are the two with the washers (and the last few have 20+ washers as a weight).





The washers are just there to hold the wire down (which is holding the plant down). I was also using velcro tape and string to bush that girl out. I have since moved on to coco, bamboo stakes, and zip-ties (Vertical lighting with flat vertical plains FTW).

The foil is not necessary. I thought it may prevent radiant heat from getting down to the reservoir, but in hindsight in this is more theory than practical application. If anything it was probably adding a small amount of Al and adhesive to the reservoir.

 

[kotton_mouth]

tru that. that is wat i was thinking it seems the foil on top worked???

 

[kotton_mouth]

hey guys i got a 400 watt hps light!!!! i was wondering how high to hang it from the baby anyone have any ideas????

 

[Think Green]

OK...I'm in on this. I got into Dwc right off the bat. I have tried the single res style for 6 or 8 plants. & I have also tried 5ga single style buckets. I have finally settled on 3ga buckets. I run 6 at a time under a 600 hps. I use the lids that have 6" netpots built in. Both buckets & lids are Abs black plastic as to keep out light. It has been proven that the more air (bubbles) the better so I run a 88 lpm commercial grade air pump for all 6 buckets. The airstones are about 2 1/2" dia. & 4" long, 1 per bucket. My hood is air cooled to help with temps but through the summer, bucket temps rose to mid to high 70's. I've definitely noticed a big difference with lower temps...I.e. Winter time. I have used both tap water & r/o water. I bought an r/o system & never looked back. My tap water came out @ 500-550 ppm so I needed it. I've also settled on gh nutes. 3 Part series coupled with Cal-Mag & Liquid Kool Bloom. It has also been my experience that cleanliness is vital to help ensure root health. Especially when using tap water as it may be prone to chemicals & other bacterias that could potentially be harmful to your plants. I clean my buckets once a week. I have gone as far as to develop an excel spreadsheet to track notes, lineage & other important info about my strains. I also use an excel page to document my feeding & other modifications made to my garden. Date, nute schedule, ppm's Ph & all the other grow room data. Having said all that I will post a few pics of my grow as to be evaluated by the readers of this thread. If I have missed any vital practices for Dwc, please tell me.

9/16:

9/16:

10/13 Day25:

88lpm Pump:

Bubba Kush, Day 28:

Another Bubba Kush, Day28:

The White, Day28:

And lest we forget roots:

TG

 

[uptosumpn]

Yo sandnut, thanks for starting this thread!!!!! As you know I'm about to venture into the wide world of DWC, (sick & tired of soil!!) and this couldn't haved come at a better time!!!!!! +rep!!

@Think Green, just effin lovely...you have something simular that I wanna do..(as far as # of buckets)...??'s How much sf is that you got those 6 in???? I am planning on getting 8 buckets for a 17sf space, (a grow tent) and I was wondering if that's to much or just fine.....and how big of a pump I would need for those 8 buckets??? I was also gonna use 5gal buckets, but those 3gal look more manageable...(i'm growing big yield autos under a 600hps btw...they avg 3-5oz ea in DWC from what i been seeing) So I also know more bubbles/oxygen is key and was thinking of using those 2" or 4" round air stones...heard they produce great amount of micro bubbles??? Anyway just need to know if that 88lpm pump is sufficient enough for 8 buckets or do you think I may need a bigger one??? My goal is 1 1/2lbs - 2lbs every harvest with 8 buckets and 3gal for those photo period plants looks awesome, jus wonder if they would be good for Autos...May stay with the 5gal though..<their tap roots like to dive deep....Thanks!

Oh, BTW, I too have a RO filter mini system and was considering just using tap water, (mines avg around 200ppm, heard if I bubble it for 24hrs FIRST it's fine???< jus wanna double chk that info) because it takes 20min to get 1gal of filtered water...too long! or is this something you jus gotta deal wid?? Remember it's a $60 set-up..(worked great for my soil grows) JUS TOO DAMM TIME CONSUMING TO COLLECT!!

 

[Think Green]

Thanks for the kind words Up. Well, as far as my square footage, I'm not sure. Its about 5' x 6'. Honestly I think that my 600 isn't big enough for all 6 buckets but I figured I'd give it a shot. I would like to get another 600 hps & run 8 3 ga. buckets. 4 under each light. I also think the pump would not be sufficient enough for 8 buckets. An 88lmp pump per each 4 buckets would be sick! The roots would love it! And the 5 gal buckets are ok, but I find that due to how I veg, my roots won't fill the 5 gal buckets by the end of the cycle hence more nutes, r/o water, time & effort. Plus the 3 gal are easier to move because my system is single bucket style, not recirc. On a final note.... when I used tap water in my dwc buckets (before I got r/o) I noticed pH fluctuations more frequently thus the solution not staying stable. Imho this was less than ideal so I popped for the r/o. Hopefully I answered a few of your questions.

TG