Considering switch from dwc to coco using the same setup

[gardenbug]

With summer coming I'm considering converting my dwc setup to coco so I can avoid having to run the chiller. I've considered it before, but might actually do it this time.

Current setup is 5 gallon buckets with 1/4 feed and 3/4 drain. I'm thinking of taking another 5 gal drilling holes in the bottom and putting that into the current buckets. Fill the top bucket with coco and use the bottom to collect and drain run off.
I'm hoping it is that simple, and I can just use my current feed lines and pumps, etc.
Already have some house and garden coco nutes and drip clean. I've got some beneficials and other stuff I haven't been able to use in the dwc that should work in coco.

Anyone else done this?

 

[gardenbug]

I'm not having any luck finding someone with a similar setup. Anyone know of one?
Will the bottom bucket holding some water in it end up being a problem?
Will 5gal be the right amount of coco for 5-6ft tall plants?

 

[Work2much]

Search Icmag for mblaze, use google also as Icmag's search engine is the worst of all time.

 

[gardenbug]

Alright pretty sure I will be switching it to coco next round.
Reading tons of info but still looking for some answers to things.

How much coco will I need per gallon? Can't find this anywhere for some reason.

Planning to take a 5 gal bucket with a drain line on it and use to collect runoff.
Another bucket with holes drilled in it will be filled with coco and put inside the collection bucket. The collection bucket will end up holding about 1" water due to the drain location, is this a problem? I'm not sure if my roots will even make it down to the 2nd bucket or not. Will be growing 5-6ft trees. Might also make it hard to see how much runoff I'm getting, but when they are smaller I can just pick up the top bucket and check. Probably using 3gal to veg in and 5 gal for flower. Will mix up a res and pump nutes in once a day in veg, twice a day in flower until slight runoff.

Seems like a much simpler setup than dwc. I can shut off the chiller, the air pumps, a few water pumps. Just need 2 water pumps running a few minutes a day. Might even be able to use the same res for veg and flower right? I could just handwater my bloom boosters I think.

 

[gardenbug]

Just so you see why I'm wanting to use the 5 gals instead of some other pots, it's because I already have them. Here's the current DWC setup that I'm wanting to switch over.

 

[Guest 18340]

Yes it will work. Those buckkets are big so make sure the roots are fully packed in the 3 gallon buckets before going to the 5's.
Those plants are gonna be huge!
You can hook up a small inline pump to suck the waste from the catch buckets...

 

[gardenbug]

Yes it will work. Those buckkets are big so make sure the roots are fully packed in the 3 gallon buckets before going to the 5's.
Those plants are gonna be huge!
You can hook up a small inline pump to suck the waste from the catch buckets...

They will get about a month veg under cfls before moving to flower which usually gets them to a good size. Not sure how growth in coco will compare to dwc though.

The drains on the collection bucket are about 1" up from the bottom, so some water will sit in there. There is a gap of several inches between the bottom of the 2 buckets. Think the waste water sitting in there will actually be a problem? I could always just put saucers or something else under it to collect it where it could then evaporate out. I just like the idea of the drains in case I over fill it, won't get any water on the floor this way.

 

[Guest 18340]

I don't think a little water sitting in the bottom will be a problem.

 

[Harinama]

those 5gal buckets will be perfect for coco, and set up as a "hempy" style, with standing water in the bottom. This is optimal and your plants should grow very quickly.

I see no overall problems with your setup, however coir is a different animal. I would invest in a few things including dripclean, hygrozyme(if you want to reuse your coco), calmag, and maybe humic/fulvic acid.

You will want to water as often as possible, up to 1x/day or more if by hand. If you do a drip system then water as much as you want basically.

Good luck, i'm excited to see how it goes.

 

[gardenbug]

Took one that was in veg in dwc and stuck it in coco, hopefully it turns out well.
Used botanicare cocogro and the 1.5 cuft bag filled three of the 5 gallon buckets (15gal total) for anyone else wondering.