ebb&flow -VS- DWC ???
- Thread starter paki4kupe
- Start date
U
Ultra Current
DWC or Deep Water Culture is the process of growing plants with the roots submerged in water at all times. You have to supply lots of Dissolved Oxygen to the roots or you will kill them very easily. Once you experiment with DWC or RDWC, you will never run Ebb and Flow again. The growth rates in RDWC are like nothing i've ever seen before. In my side by side comparisons when I put 16" topped plants onto E&F and the same 16" topped plants from the same Mom in RDWC into flowering, under the same conditions, the E&F plants max out at 36" while the RDWC grows past 56". With 12 plants in RDWC under 2 x 1000 watts HPS, I get 72.5 ounces with a 10 day VEG and with E&F I average 48 ounces with a 2.5 - 3 week Veg. There is no comparison at all. Plants can die very easily in DWC and there is no room for error at all.
I prefer Ebb & Flow. But I do SOG, and I think a flood table is more suited to SOG. If I was growing larger plants I would do an RDWC system. If I was doing DWC at all it would be RDWC, regular DWC can be difficult to access and upkeep your rez. But so long as I am sticking to smaller plants at 4 per square foot, E&F is the system for me. I run 4x 2X2 tables under 4x 400w lamps. 60 day strain, each table staggared by 15 days.
Actually, I use both, I almost forgot.
2x mothers = E&F
clone in rockwool cubes in propogation tray w/ humidity dome
Then 16 clones go into a shallow DWC setup for 5-7days
Then the 16 clones go from the DWC to a 2X2 E&F table in the flower room immediately after one of the 4 tables is harvested.
So, I use both, but mainly E&F.
2x mothers = E&F
clone in rockwool cubes in propogation tray w/ humidity dome
Then 16 clones go into a shallow DWC setup for 5-7days
Then the 16 clones go from the DWC to a 2X2 E&F table in the flower room immediately after one of the 4 tables is harvested.
So, I use both, but mainly E&F.
when i first started hydro after doing dirt for so many years I ran drip system in ebb and flow tables and kept moms in dwc just to test the waters and make sure i was capable of running dwc.
i agree with Ultra Current, the growth rates are no comparison between the two. DWC grows extremely fast with all else equal.
-The difference is maintenance IMO. the ebb and flow is very easy to maintain and takes little time to check unless changing rezzes. DWC involves a little more time checking individual buckets. IF i was to change to DWC it would be a RDWC to help alleviate this problem.
i agree with Ultra Current, the growth rates are no comparison between the two. DWC grows extremely fast with all else equal.
-The difference is maintenance IMO. the ebb and flow is very easy to maintain and takes little time to check unless changing rezzes. DWC involves a little more time checking individual buckets. IF i was to change to DWC it would be a RDWC to help alleviate this problem.
newbie2006
Member
I have tried both ways, DWC + E&F. Also NFT and drip.
The best way is NFT (always yielded more for me!) but if paranoid take E&F, less noise, on par with any other hydroponic system.
DWC probably easiest hydro to constuct, good substitute most of the time but a bit more prone to user error than the other methods - I'd go with the E&F if you are limited to these choices, NFT if possible.
The best way is NFT (always yielded more for me!) but if paranoid take E&F, less noise, on par with any other hydroponic system.
DWC probably easiest hydro to constuct, good substitute most of the time but a bit more prone to user error than the other methods - I'd go with the E&F if you are limited to these choices, NFT if possible.
