140 gallon RDWC

[Bennyweed1]

The pole-ladder root structure shows up when you have too high of a pH... I see that it's only showing up 'above' the nutrient line.

Seems to indicate that the 'mist' being created by the popped bubbles is at too high of a pH because of extra air. How much pump wattage are you running and what's the wattage of your lighting again?

Putting your pump on a timer can help alleviate the pH issue from an overpowered pump.

Keep it Clean!

Can you elaborate? If the pH is high from popping bubbles, then why would it cause the roots to rib out like that? My pH is at 6.0

I'm using a 40w 951gph air pump with a 4ft 2 bulb T5 @110w.

I did read that sm90 can cause foaming like I have because they changed their recipe I guess.

 

[Bassy59]

The pole-ladder root structure shows up when you have too high of a pH... I see that it's only showing up 'above' the nutrient line.

Seems to indicate that the 'mist' being created by the popped bubbles is at too high of a pH because of extra air. How much pump wattage are you running and what's the wattage of your lighting again?

Putting your pump on a timer can help alleviate the pH issue from an overpowered pump.

Keep it Clean!

Sorry but I don't buy one bit of above. All of my grows develop roots with said ladder effect and have been told by someone with a master degree in this shit that this is actually desirable.

The air "mist" as you call it has nothing to do with it. One can clearly see this ladder effect as you call it does in fact go below the water line. The foam is not being caused by the air pump I promise.

Edit: what are you water temps holding at?

 

[TheCleanGame]

Whatever... for 10 years I've seen the pole ladder roots show up at higher pH than cannabis likes to stay at. The bubbles thing is just a guess.

I'm sure your friend knows what they're talking about.

Keep it Clean!

 

[Skunkpassion]

I don't think you have anything to worry about with that root structure...

As long as your roots are white don't worry... If your roots change colour, that's when I would worry...

 

[Bennyweed1]

I don't understand all these people claiming they inoculate their Rez with bene bacteria while using synthetic nutrients. Me being a 100% recycled organic soil guy before, I know that any micro networks built are destroyed by synthetic nutrients.

It must be one of those myths that stoners come up with like the whole 1500ppm co2 being good for plants.

 

[Bassy59]

Maybe I missed it but I dont see where you've mentioned what your water temps are. This can be crucial in dwc/rdwc

 

[Bassy59]

Whatever... for 10 years I've seen the pole ladder roots show up at higher pH than cannabis likes to stay at.

The bubbles thing is just a guess.

I grow exclusively in RDWC and I look forwards to this type of root structure. Again, having been taught about it by someone with a masters degree in this stuff. I use Fox Farms Bush Doctor Microbe Brew with it's numerous forms of Glomus for this reason. Many other growers use AN Voodoo Juice for the very same reason.

The bubbles is what I am worried about. The only times I have seen this were in my 1st grow as a newbie and water temps causing root rot and this foam.

The only other time I have seen this is when after a harvest, I drain, then replenish with tap water, add bleach, run the system for a few hours. I see the foam then AND if I dont thoroughly clean out the system with at least two full drain/replenish/flushes then I am sure to see a small bit of this crap during the early grow. Which of course means I need to drain/replenish all over again at least once, maybe twice, with ro water before continuing my grow.

My understanding about the bad shit in dwc: Bad shit begins to grow and live at 69f water temps. Now this may be affected by dissolved oxygen from air stones/pumps. I don't know, but have heard it may. However, the lower the water temps the more d.o. your water will hold anyways, so why not keep lower temps. Especially if it can't live in sub 69f temps.

I choose to use water chillers in my systems because I can't keep the temps low enough w/o them.

 

[Bennyweed1]

Water temp is low 60s starting and peaks out at 66-67.

The foam is from the sm90 from my understanding by searching online. I suppose I will discontinue its use.

Anyway, what I want to know is if those roots look okay?

Well, wish me luck folks. I'm on the road now for a trip until next Wednesday. Hopefully everything does go south.

 

[Bassy59]

Roots look really good. Glad to hear the water temp is low. You'll be fine.

 

[Bennyweed1]

I am back from my 6 day trip and for the most part everything held together.

I have a few problems I need to address so I know I am in the right place.

The plants in veg look great, the pH was at 6.0 and they drank about 3 gallons of water when I came back. I think I am going to veg them for another 7 days before they go into bloom. I want these 4 to be massive.

The plants in bloom look great, how ever I have two issues.

I had all little powder mildew on one plant. I sprayed the entire garden with serenade fungicide but I still want something more. It is in its extremely early stages and I do not want it spreading.

Do sulfer burners really help? Anyone with experience and how bad is the smell when the room is scrubbed with a carbon filter?

Secondly....I have a deficiency starting to develop on one plant. To me it looks like a calcium diff.

pH is @ 5.8 and 678ppm/500 conversion after I added 3tbsp of cal/mag and 2 tsp of maxibloom

Its been so long since I dealt with a deficiency so I would like to hear some opinions please.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Snype]

I am back from my 6 day trip and for the most part everything held together.

I have a few problems I need to address so I know I am in the right place.

The plants in veg look great, the pH was at 6.0 and they drank about 3 gallons of water when I came back. I think I am going to veg them for another 7 days before they go into bloom. I want these 4 to be massive.

View Image

The plants in bloom look great, how ever I have two issues.

View Image

I had all little powder mildew on one plant. I sprayed the entire garden with serenade fungicide but I still want something more. It is in its extremely early stages and I do not want it spreading.

Do sulfer burners really help? Anyone with experience and how bad is the smell when the room is scrubbed with a carbon filter?

Secondly....I have a deficiency starting to develop on one plant. To me it looks like a calcium diff.

View Image

View Image

pH is @ 5.8 and 678ppm/500 conversion after I added 3tbsp of cal/mag and 2 tsp of maxibloom

Its been so long since I dealt with a deficiency so I would like to hear some opinions please.

Thanks in advance.

Your pH most likely was low when you were on vacation which lead to a Ca lockout. Not a big deal as long as your pH is now in line. As far as your PM issue, get your humidity down and do some defoliation so the leaves all are not on each other and spray them with something organic. In my experience with PM, lowering humidity, defoliating crowded leaves and spraying with fish oil or even water kept my PM at bay.

 

[Bennyweed1]

Your pH most likely was low when you were on vacation which lead to a Ca lockout. Not a big deal as long as your pH is now in line. As far as your PM issue, get your humidity down and do some defoliation so the leaves all are not on each other and spray them with something organic. In my experience with PM, lowering humidity, defoliating crowded leaves and spraying with fish oil or even water kept my PM at bay.

Right on snype, ill trim up the canopy. RH is already at 45% so that should be in check. That serenade fungicide is organic I believe so Ill just play it by ear.

I raised the pH to 6.0, it went down to 5.8 while I was gone. The RO/DI top off valve lowers the pH as the plants drink I noticed.

Thanks amigo!

 

[Bennyweed1]

And some purple kush I took down today....yum

 

[Snype]

Perfect flowers! Make sure you check to see if your meter is calibrated. I would think your pH went lower than 5.8 for those leaves to show symptoms. Use 2 calibration solutions in case one of them went bad. Happens to me. Im saying this because you have an automatic top off. You may have a little too much nutes in your top off. I like to have 30% nutes in my top off.

 

[sahdgrower]

Hiya Benny!

I'm new here but I am following this thread with fascination. I love this DWC. I have a system based from Snypes design and I am thinking about also building something very similar to yours. Wondering how the larger containers are working out for you as well as the the waterfall to each container. Did you end up putting in any baffles to prevent roots clogging the lines? Any problems with this? Do you think you could size down the pump and still be getting enough DO in each bucket? I want to put 2 plants per. I hate my air pump. It is so loud! I am thinking about digging a hole and burying it. Or maybe sticking it inside my air vent piping!

So I am growing Blackbery Kush and it is my first hydro grow in a loooong time. Wondering if I should post as I go or save data and post the whole grow at the end?

 

[Bennyweed1]

Perfect flowers! Make sure you check to see if your meter is calibrated. I would think your pH went lower than 5.8 for those leaves to show symptoms. Use 2 calibration solutions in case one of them went bad. Happens to me. Im saying this because you have an automatic top off. You may have a little too much nutes in your top off. I like to have 30% nutes in my top off.

I will check the calibration when I get back. It has been about two weeks since it's been done.

In regards to the top off. There are no nutes in the top off, the water comes directly from my ro/do filter. I added some cal/mag a couple days ago, hopefully that's all it was.

 

[Bennyweed1]

Hiya Benny!

I'm new here but I am following this thread with fascination. I love this DWC. I have a system based from Snypes design and I am thinking about also building something very similar to yours. Wondering how the larger containers are working out for you as well as the the waterfall to each container. Did you end up putting in any baffles to prevent roots clogging the lines? Any problems with this? Do you think you could size down the pump and still be getting enough DO in each bucket? I want to put 2 plants per. I hate my air pump. It is so loud! I am thinking about digging a hole and burying it. Or maybe sticking it inside my air vent piping!

So I am growing Blackbery Kush and it is my first hydro grow in a loooong time. Wondering if I should post as I go or save data and post the whole grow at the end?

Hey man, rdwc does rock for sure. I am digging it so far...it is almost easier then my previous organic soil runs. No soil to be constantly sweeping up...no mixing 100s of lbs of soil......yada yada yada...

anyway....ill do my best answering your questions...and I have to first give credit to snype because I got all my ideas from his work..

I no longer have a water fall in each container. The pump I had used to achieve that goal raised the water temp to high. I now only have a water fall effect in the last two containers because I down graded the pump to a 1125gph pump. All the other containers have an air stone being ran off a pump.

The only thing I do different from all other RDWC systems I have seen is I pump water from the control to the last two plant containers. That way I can use the pressure off the pump to supply those containers with o2 without needing airstones. To oxygenate the control tote I use a tetra filter which creates its own waterfall, supplying o2.

I have not done the baffles because I have not needed too yet (knock on wood). The roots so far- have enough free space in the containers that they dont go by the under water current pipe.

I dont know how two plants per container will do because I have zero experience doing it....I am still very new to hydro.

As far as posting goes........put it this way, when you run into a problem...which more then likely you will because I have a handful of times so far.........who are you going to turn to for help?

Good luck amigo...I would like to see what you come up with. Hydro is cool because there is a level of design and ingenuity involved, which I dig.

 

[sahdgrower]

diagnosis?

diagnosis?

Timely reply as I already need help I posted pics.

The Platinum Kush and the Vortex both look really sad. Seems like overwatering based on the information on this forum. Also Nitrogen deficient. The Blackberry Kush is rockin but seems like it is also starting to show some Nitrogen deficient.

I got the cuttings from a local club 8 days ago. They were in rockwool cubes that were then placed in soil. So I washed the soil off and put them in 5" net pots with clean hydroton. Then put in E&F system. The VX and the PC were both pretty small and root develpment not that far along so I am thnking the rockwool block staying saturated is enough to overwater what do you think? As for the rest of the problems I am not sure. I have maintained the PH religiously the past week never exceed 6.2 but mostly has been 6 or higher. Also I was keeping the PPM low as they are not established plants. Using GH florabloom and floramicro at approx .5tsp/gal PPM has been in the 350 range on the 500 scale and my tap starts at about 150 ppm. I ran the E&F every 6 hours for the first 3 days then down to every 4 hours since. I unplugged the PC and VX from watering last night. Temps have been between 60-75. Water temps never over 70. Last night I also added 12Ml. floramicro to boost Nitrogen.

Whadya say guys?

 

[Bennyweed1]

Timely reply as I already need help I posted pics.

The Platinum Kush and the Vortex both look really sad. Seems like overwatering based on the information on this forum. Also Nitrogen deficient. The Blackberry Kush is rockin but seems like it is also starting to show some Nitrogen deficient.

I got the cuttings from a local club 8 days ago. They were in rockwool cubes that were then placed in soil. So I washed the soil off and put them in 5" net pots with clean hydroton. Then put in E&F system. The VX and the PC were both pretty small and root develpment not that far along so I am thnking the rockwool block staying saturated is enough to overwater what do you think? As for the rest of the problems I am not sure. I have maintained the PH religiously the past week never exceed 6.2 but mostly has been 6 or higher. Also I was keeping the PPM low as they are not established plants. Using GH florabloom and floramicro at approx .5tsp/gal PPM has been in the 350 range on the 500 scale and my tap starts at about 150 ppm. I ran the E&F every 6 hours for the first 3 days then down to every 4 hours since. I unplugged the PC and VX from watering last night. Temps have been between 60-75. Water temps never over 70. Last night I also added 12Ml. floramicro to boost Nitrogen.

Whadya say guys?

The only thing I can suggest is wait it out. By what you said, it sounds like everything is in check. I doubt you have any sort of deficiency since you are using the flora series.

I did not like using rockwool. I thought it stayed way to saturated, my plants never seem to look happy until the root system really established itself. I dropped rockwool and am now trying out lava rocks with air pots in a e&f tray.

I dont know what else to really say other then let 4-5 more days go by and see if they start to come around. They could have been shocked to all shit when you got them, then you took'em out of soil and into a hydro setup. That can do a number on the photo clock.

Why dont you go get a few more healthy cuts and in a week select your best looking plants to send through? That way you wont be dependent on these plants that could be in a paused state of growth.

You should also consider establishing some moms, that way you know your cuttings are healthy and strong. My moms are in soil and under a standard 4' T8 garage light, nothing special and they thrive being in a constant phase of vegetation.

 

[Bennyweed1]

I did a lil defoliating on the girls in veg. They are going into bloom on the 4th, I can not wait any longer. The tallest plant will be 16-17" and the shortest will be 12-13". Still better then my first three in bloom now.

My cal/mag problem seems to be alleviated after adding the cal/mag three days ago. Its hard to know if there is any change because the marks on the leafs will never go away but, they do not seem to be getting any worse. So ill continue to keep an eye on things.