140 gallon RDWC

[Bennyweed1]

Looks good so far. Waiting for more pixs.

The roots so far have not even come remotely close to the manifolds. There is such much volume of water.

I feel safe saying the smaller container one uses the larger the manifold pipe will have to be to avoid such issues.

This system is not perfect yet. I am still ironing out kinks. Thanks for dropping by amigo.

 

[sahdgrower]

I didn't think DWC would be so kinky, normally I like my women kinky but in this case I wouldn't mind predictable and vanilla

 

[SPG*]

Lucious pics BW DWC is cool Media from the tap how available is that!

(Current set up.1/2 the room width wise approx.6 plants under 1200w led and 6 under 600w vertical Hps )

 

[overbudjet]

Lucious pics BW DWC is cool Media from the tap how available is that!

(Current set up.1/2 the room width wise approx.6 plants under 1200w led and 6 under 600w vertical Hps )
[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=49528&pictureid=1178405&thumb=1]View Image[/url]

Those buckets and water return(the hose seam clear)need to be covert to avoid light intrusion/algae and maybe lower temp.Also please raise those ballast from the floor,electric and water don't mix well.You may also upsize your net pot, I.m.h.o. bigger net = bigger roots mass.

 

[sahdgrower]

....may also upsize your net pot, I.m.h.o. bigger net = bigger roots mass.

Is that true? I have been thinking about ways to get rid of the net pot and hydroton altogether.

 

[Snype]

Is that true? I have been thinking about ways to get rid of the net pot and hydroton altogether.

I tried the 10" pots for a while. I found that the 6" pots grew better roots for me.

 

[overbudjet]

I tried the 10" pots for a while. I found that the 6" pots grew better roots for me.

Maybe the answer is in the bucket size(water volume),bigger net =less water in buckets so less root mass ?When i did the change 6 vs 10 i also raise the net .Sorry that i have forgot this details.

 

[DiSCoNUGS]

so did you end up liking organic more or the hydro?

 

[Bennyweed1]

I will always have a soft spot for organics. It's only short coming is having to mix and blend soil constantly. It's back breaking work.

Here is something I would like to know. How far do you all keep your water level from the bottom of the net pots?

 

[Snype]

I will always have a soft spot for organics. It's only short coming is having to mix and blend soil constantly. It's back breaking work.

Here is something I would like to know. How far do you all keep your water level from the bottom of the net pots?

About an inch below the pot.

 

[DiSCoNUGS]

Well if you buy a cement mixer the mixing of soil isnt bad or buy premix it seems to do the trick for me

 

[DiSCoNUGS]

I guess what im really asking if work had no play in the factor what nugs did you see get denser and frostier. Hydro or organic mediums?

 

[Stonefree69]

I will always have a soft spot for organics. It's only short coming is having to mix and blend soil constantly. It's back breaking work.

Here is something I would like to know. How far do you all keep your water level from the bottom of the net pots?

Me too. But those organic people selling stuff can be just as bad as some of those overhyped nutrient makers. If you use the right nutes for hydro, your plants are getting fed basically the same compounds or chamicals as organic, only in more direct chelated mineral forms to intake them faster. If you use chlorine or Dutchmaster Zone to help keep things clean then organics is a moot point.

I will use organic in sprays though, like white willow bark instead of aspirin or organic pest prevention and control too (neem & karanja oil) and organic emulsifiers & surfactants. But for foliar feeding basically I just use Foliage-Pro, a hydro product as well. I can (but basically don't use) any of those organic sprays in my res although I guess I could with no harm. The Pro-Tekt in my res works as an surfactant or emulsifier so I'm not sure if adding Yucca extract would help there as a sufactant as well.


The only excuse maybe is "it tastes better" but that's been pretty much debunked: "High Brix Produce Tastes Better
Animals instinctively prefer high brix plants. Cows given a choice of hay will choose the one with higher brix. Cows which graze on high brix grass will produce more nutrient dense milk, butter, and cream too!
Given a choice, humans will choose high brix produce as well because the taste is so much better! Taste will always tell you if the produce is high brix or not. Ever had tomato sauce made from 15 brix tomatoes? It is an experience you will never forget! Organic hydroponic tomatoes generally test at a measly 2 or 3." - http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/organic-hydroponic-produce-not-for-me/

 

[SPG*]

Those buckets and water return(the hose seam clear)need to be covert to avoid light intrusion/algae and maybe lower temp.Also please raise those ballast from the floor,electric and water don't mix well.You may also upsize your net pot, I.m.h.o. bigger net = bigger roots mass.

Lol But yea the ballast has been in that position for about 20 hrs and because of water.A short while ago the return pipe from the Chiller to the Res which I normally weigh down (until I simply drill a hole) had sprung out of the res and Half the floor was black with flooded water!
Lucky me not to have a mass short!?

No prob with algae... Green stuff is slowed drastically by the active water and Replacement/replenishment/evaporation of it..Roots are fine lol ..
(Homemade and IWS Built in net pot)
My old System that was a problem! Being that the connecting tube was only 13mm ID and so the first 3 buckets would overflow at times (and so Operated Intermittently) even with the recirculating pump being at its lowest setting..
Agree BW1 back breaking work I.e Coir and Soil ISNT Desired... Esp when wet.

btw Apologies on how dirty and messy things look Should be moving Property in 12-15 mths to a BIGGER place with MORE room so i can breatheee lol

 

[Bennyweed1]

If you garden organically you should never have to use bottle anything. Everything comes from the soil. I have my own personal custom water only recipe with a bi weekly aact. All my bud shots in this journal are my last remaining organic plants. I'll share my recipe in pm.

The whole point of organics is to simplify the process and break the dependency on other entities.

I'll say this, the reason I switched after so many years is I was convinced hydro had the potential to yield a lot more. Honestly though both methods have their pros and cons and I can defend that statement till the day I die.

 

[organiclover]

this link might help with the whole EC ppm deal
http://www.dutchmaster.com.au/?language=english&page=growers_guide&topic=ppm_ec_cf_conversion

 

[Bennyweed1]

Whoops you cats are talking about organic hydro.

That just sounds like suicide and a migraine mixed into the same .45 bullet before it passes through your brain.

 

[Snype]

I'll say this, the reason I switched after so many years is I was convinced hydro had the potential to yield a lot more. Honestly though both methods have their pros and cons and I can defend that statement till the day I die.

When you have an organic soil expert and you compare that grow to a RDWC expert, the RDWC will yield more in a shorter amount of time. Ive done so many side by sides and the rates of RDWC growth are untouchable compared to soil. For every 2,000 watts of flower, I veg 10 plants under 330 watts of T5 for 9 days. Then they get vegged in rdwc systems for 1 week. Thats 2.5 weeks of veg to get over 6 oz per plant. I also run soil and after vegging them for over a month, I only get 3-4 oz from the same mom. You didnt get a chance to see what rdwc can do because you dont have the conditions in your system like I have. My air pump cost more than my entire system and the air pump is the heart of the system. You cant over supply air but you can under supply it. These air pumps at these rates really create a lot of action at the top of the solution. On top of that my systems recirculate every 5 min but I used to go to faster rates but it hurt more than it helped so I went with 5. If you do take the time to learn this style and use the right formulas, you will see how extreme the rates of growth are. Its very different from organic soil and usually someone has a mind for one but not for the other. Not always though.

 

[Bennyweed1]

If I didn't believe the potential was there, I would have never tried it. Enough said there.

I have the conditions. I have four 60lpm air pumps, two 950gph water pumps, now it's just a matter of time for the growth to start.

 

[sahdgrower]

Yeah Benny!!! Get yours! Determination pays.