SWC Tub's

singularity · Nov 3, 2011

update! tubs are working great, exactly as i hoped. water is going quick, stable ph with a slightly dropping EC, which is 1.45 to 1.25 on the tub of ele and 1.20 to 1.05 on the kali. and now, ooooooonnnnn... with the pics!

keep that res warm!!! this system works BEST with temps 78-80F.

singularity · Nov 3, 2011

ran 2 20amp circuts and installed the ballast in the attic. was a pain in the ass but going to save on cooling the room.

HobbyGrower · Nov 3, 2011

badass setup and admirable DIY skills!

hope you grow some killer weed!

singularity · Nov 5, 2011

heres an update. so far, nothings died and aside from hitting them a little TOO hard with the 1k's initially(first time with ss2's), they are looking like lil' monsters. dont know if i was able to catch the contrast between the tub of ELE and kali mist, but its amusing how completely different both strains are. there is also a random serious 6 pheno in with the tub of ele, ill catch up with her later tonight for pics. she is pheno #4, i think, as there was #4 and #6. 6 was more single cola, 4 squat and bushy. very, very bushy lol.

bring oooooonnnn... the new pics.

the kali mist!

spadedNfaded · Nov 5, 2011

Dude, this system is off the chain! I love the greenness and the growth, amazing! You cant beat that headroom as well! Most containers start 7-15 inches up in the air whereas this one looks to be less than 7. Awesome for people who need all the height they can get!

One thing im having a hard time understanding is the res temps, you say you get rot when the res temp is low?

Can anyone help me out and explain why SWC needs warmer temps to be efficient whereas the DWC NEEDS low temps in order to be efficient? I figure any type of hydro would require the use of cooler water for high DO and algea/slime resistance.

Obviously concrete evidence is much better than theoretical, im just having a hard time grasping the difference, THANKS!

- SubN

Scrogerman · Nov 5, 2011

interesting SWC rig man, nice job & G'Luck!

Guest 114956 · Nov 6, 2011

how many days in are they sing?

singularity · Nov 7, 2011

cold water kills the roots in the system alone; it has nothing to do with disease or error. my guess is the roots cant metabolise because the colder water inhibits their ability to operate. the root system that develops from plants grown this way are much different from plants propogated in other similar hydroponic systems. whereas even in a typical dwc setup, the roots are much more full and the roots themselves, thicker. the roots from a swc system are much skinnier, dryer to the touch, and grow long, reaching chords. but this is all uneducated guesswork, i only know what works and what doesnt.

ive always started my plants in open tubs with just solution and a airstone- SIMPLICITY! and the first year i grew, i anticipated colder weather because i believed the high res temps where slowing down the growth, as according to popular opinion on hydro res temps. well, first cold snap and my res was like 68f, i couldnt wait to see the explosion of growth... only it never came. after 2 weeks of no growth, i pulled them out of the jiffy cups and saw every one had root rot. so i warmed up the rez, and they exploded. now, dwc operates almost the same as swc, as in warmer temps are not a death wish like rdwc or any other type of recirculating system. ive had dwc buckets with temps in the high 80's and still harvested amazing plants. its only when you induct recirculating the solution that high water temps become death. my intitial guess is that colder temps are needed to prevent cross contamination? but the fact technically all the plants sitting in the same tub is the same as all the plants sharing one res... it doesnt make sense. there is an unknown variable at play here, one that has eluded anyone ive asked, even spurr.

these girls are about 2 weeks in, i believe. stopped counting flowering days long ago, always just look at the pistals to decide harvesting.

Python · Nov 8, 2011

great setup........

wish u all the best with it

optimal · Nov 9, 2011

are the holes where the ait tubes & heaters stay open all the time or they covered??

singularity · Nov 10, 2011

i leave the front access holes open 24/7, helps with gas exchange.

Scrogerman · Nov 10, 2011

dont take it personal but wow, now youve blown me away with your take on hydro environment(esp DWC/SWC), which i just cannot agree. your take on temps & hydro culture in general made me frown really, but dont worry about that, ask yaself why i thinking/saying it, its wrong.(post 27= complete rubbish imo, soory bro) my 4 plant DWC totes in bloom will clear 12-15 ltrs a day+(@max).
i predict issues further down the line! with such a rig, roots will swamp it! i really wish im well wrong & wish you a bountifull harvest!
swc is for little plants/rigs imo. might as well do NFT, there would be little difference imo, fast Sog yeah, is what what i see your doing!
G'Luck!

singularity · Nov 10, 2011

i humbly profess ignorance at WHY this system works, and works so well, at that. no one else seems to know, either. but remember, ive only vegged this way for years. never once have i attempted to flower with a unified system such as my swc tubs. simply saw something that worked and trying to expand on that. yes! it MAY fail miserably, and for myself, back to the cave drawings. but i will have my answer, which is all i really desire: COULD this WORK?

the root crowding is intentional, even to an alarming degree; plants love it. when they fill the tub, they grow best. and with MY system, warm water is needed. anything below 71f will kill roots in my swc tubs. ive seen this and can provide photographic validations.
no worries on offending me, scrogger. if this does work, you owe me a high-5

Scrogerman · Nov 10, 2011

ang on a minute that a different pic to the ones posted? ill back you up now!

like i said you m ight as well do NFT, but if it works well what can i say? i wouldnt sit netpots like that in solution in a million years unleess they had rot? then it would be a sterilising sol!(h2o2/bleach etc)

ffsd the root ball must be soaked to fk, ott id say! they just dont need that!

dubwise · Nov 10, 2011

Now see....this is exactly what a thread should be about.....great stuff!
I'm excited to see how your grow turns out. Best wishes!

Scrogerman · Nov 10, 2011

swc with a massive root mass, mmmm,. cant see it unless is done to perfection. less solution less temp/probs lol! just cant see the finish as a tote grower. 2 -4 plants to 70 litres!

What happens when they start suckin it up? its gonna b all over the shop!

You get a high5 anyway, i really like the Rig. Just i considered the amount of solution blooming plants are gonna suck up, maybe a controller res would fix that small issue, RSWC. G'Luck

singularity · Nov 12, 2011

let me reiterate this: these current plants are much bigger than i initially designed my system for. ive had to move twice in 3 months, security issues. built this system around simplicity and effort/ reward, the very least it should give me 1lb. figured 16 sites under a 1k would equal 1lb and hopefully, around 2-3lbs once its dialed in. personally the only issue with dwc is having to check multiple buckets, which once you get into the higher number of buckets( anything over 6 is a pain) you have to run a recirculating system. but adding recirculation into a hydro system is where you run into issues with res temps and root related issues. whereas using one res, the perimeters of acceptability are the same as dwc, in regards to res temps. ive bumped up the water heaters to 84f, and damn, the plants are LOVING It. raising the temperature causes the plants to cycle the nutrients faster, not just the water.

took this earlier today. not a single bad leaf among 32 plants, growth rate is substantial compared to my last dwc grow with ELE, formation is occuring at almost double the rate.

Scrogerman · Nov 13, 2011

They do look real happy, lush n healthy, fair-play. 84f is pretty warm, solution will hold less DO with more chance of promoting anaerobic/bacterial infections etc. How do plants cycle nutes & water faster @ warm/er solution temps? not sure im with you there? I get my best growth in DWC @ temps 68f-72f. Are you running a dead-res, Bleach-h2o2 etc?

how are you dealing with EC/PH drift & topping up also? sorry if i missed it but what liters/gals do the res's hold & what are they drinking daily?

G'Luck!

Scrogerman · Nov 13, 2011

double post!

singularity · Nov 14, 2011

scroger, i have no idea why this system works. literally stumbled upon it after researching growing before i started. simply cannabis likes warmer temperatures?

the girls drink about 5 gallons a day per tub, ph is pretty stable since i mix tap with r/o and the nutrients are added every other day. the ec on the ele is 1.35 and the kali 1.0- she is waaaaaay sensitive. starting the serious 6 clones as i initially designed my swc for, so i think that grow will be more impressive as far as effort/reward. ive noticed small plants grown to prefection still yield out the tits.

SWC Tub's

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