Simple hydro setup?

BigJohnny · Dec 31, 2017

I'll try to keep it short, but basically I want to start going a few of my own plants and while I have some equipment I'm not really sure where to start.

All I want is a simple cheap hydro setup, like maybe DWC but there are so many different setups and systems now I'm not really sure which direction I should go.

I have a small room about 8'x14' and limited to a dryer outlet for electrical but do have a panel I can plug into it with a few 120 outlets and a couple timers.

What I'm curious about is the water itself and temps and what not.
I've never grown buds before so I really don't have much of an idea of what kind of environment I need and what temps things should be at.

Any good threads or videos around I can brush up on?

GOT_BUD? · Dec 31, 2017

Check out hempy buckets or PPK thread.

BigJohnny · Dec 31, 2017

I was just looking at one of the pinned posts about DWC.... I think I have basically everything needed to get setup, I just need to buy nutes and a few other small things.

I'll check those out though, I've got some stuff to learn now

starke · Dec 31, 2017

Unless you just like complicating things, definitely check out Hempy Buckets like GOT BUD? suggested. I just completed a grow in them (link to the grow diary in my signature) and have not looked back. It is as simple as hydro gets. No pumps, no chillers, no worrying about water temps. If you need to scale beyond hand watering then check out PPKs for sure. Probably the next simplest and most forgiving hydro there is.

Info on Hempy Buckets: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=98419&highlight=hempy

BigJohnny · Dec 31, 2017

ya those hempy buckets look pretty good, I was thinking of something like maybe 10-20 plants but not really sure if I have that much room, so maybe I'll try for a few plants and try to get them bushy or go SCRoG or something.

BigJohnny · Jan 1, 2018

would it be possible to do one large hempy bucket with multiple plants in it? Like a big rubbermaid with like 6 plants in it?

starke · Jan 1, 2018

Interesting idea. I can't think of any reason it would not work. About three gallons root space per plant.

Earlmarne · Jan 1, 2018

I freakin love hempy buckets

starke · Jan 1, 2018

After thinking some more...one container would probably work best with just one strain per container. One downside: If you end up with a sick plant or a pathogen in the roots of one plant, you essentially have all your plants infected.

Jhhnn · Jan 1, 2018

Dunno about hydro but growing from seed means plants of different sizes, even from the same pack. I can arrange pots on risers to account for that, something not possible in a multi plant bed or tub. The number of plants in a particular space depends on grow style. Unless you're doing 12/12 from seed you probably don't want more than 6 plants in a 4x4 space w/ intense lighting. I veg in organic soil for 5-6 weeks from seed, don't prune or train other than cutting away lower growth & usually end up with plants that are 3'-4' tall at harvest. Scrogging & training will yield somewhat different results. It's an easy way for beginners.

BigJohnny · Jan 1, 2018

I'm thinking of going 1200W MH and 1200W HPS in my little room....4x600W bulbs on electronic ballasts since I already have that stuff.

My biggest problem here seems to be ventilation, it's a small room, all concrete, no windows and only one small door that's about 5' tall.

The room is basically directly under my front porch so it's really cool in the summer time and even cooler in the winter, so just imagine a rectangular concrete box underground..... I really don't have anywhere to vent hot air except back into the basement (which is fine) but I can't exactly drill a giant 6" or larger hole in my wall to accommodate a fan.
The only wall I could possibly do this on that faces into the basement I think is cinder block and I don't want to go fucking with that and making a big hole without any way to properly repatch it.

Douglas.Curtis · Jan 1, 2018

You won't be able to cool 1200w in that room, not without adding a mini-split or other a/c unit. Your best bet would be to seal up the room with CO2 and a mini-split, since only the coolant lines would need to go into the room. Without doing it yourself (buying/borrowing/renting the tools), you'd also have to have a tech vacuum the lines for the install. Unless your room is in a giant stone mountain, the heat is going to build up and cook anything in there. Even LED's would eventually heat it up. Ever burn a candle in a well sealed igloo? VERY hot after a while and just from a simple flame and the body heat of one person. Without venting, the heat builds up.

With A/C, you can usually cool a large DWC tub by putting the airpumps in the cold air stream. Large airstones with tiny bubbles provide a lot of cooling when the incoming air is cold. I actually use an aquarium heater in my res, to keep it at around 67-68F, otherwise it wants to sit around the high 50's and nutrient uptake and growth are negatively affected. DWC for me is about as simple as hydro gets. 40-50 gallons of nutrient solution in a tub, under a 1000w light, with 16 watts of airpump power and 8 4" airstones. 6" netpots are put in holes through a sturdy lid and you're off and running. Res temps are critical with DWC and any other roots-in type hydro. (nft, swc, dwc, rdwc)

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BigJohnny · Jan 1, 2018

Douglas.Curtis said:
You won't be able to cool 1200w in that room, not without adding a mini-split or other a/c unit. Your best bet would be to seal up the room with CO2 and a mini-split, since only the coolant lines would need to go into the room. Without doing it yourself (buying/borrowing/renting the tools), you'd also have to have a tech vacuum the lines for the install. Unless your room is in a giant stone mountain, the heat is going to build up and cook anything in there. Even LED's would eventually heat it up. Ever burn a candle in a well sealed igloo? VERY hot after a while and just from a simple flame and the body heat of one person. Without venting, the heat builds up.

With A/C, you can usually cool a large DWC tub by putting the airpumps in the cold air stream. Large airstones with tiny bubbles provide a lot of cooling when the incoming air is cold. I actually use an aquarium heater in my res, to keep it at around 67-68F, otherwise it wants to sit around the high 50's and nutrient uptake and growth are negatively affected. DWC for me is about as simple as hydro gets. 40-50 gallons of nutrient solution in a tub, under a 1000w light, with 16 watts of airpump power and 8 4" airstones. 6" netpots are put in holes through a sturdy lid and you're off and running. Res temps are critical with DWC and any other roots-in type hydro. (nft, swc, dwc, rdwc)
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Just realized I said 1200W and I meant 2400....but since 1200W is apparently too hot I may have to rethink things a bit.

I'm trying to get something setup with the things I currently have, and a mini split isn't one of them..... portable air conditioner I may be able to swing.

I might just go with DWC anyway since I've already messed with it a bit beforehand.

T_B_M · Jan 2, 2018

DWC is so easy and its what I am running. I am in the basement on the cement floor so my water temps are always cool. If you think the water temps of the grow bins will get over 75 degrees, RDWC would be the better route since you can use a chiller in the main reservoir. Never tried a Hempy due to all the perlite needed. Seems messy and cleanup would suck. DWC seemed like the most efficient method to me and I love it. I've had 5 harvests so far and they improve as you learn and fine tune things.

All you need for DWC is a large bin(5 gallons per plant at least), air pump, air hose, fittings, air stones (sintered are best for re usability), net pots, clay pellets, and nutes (I use Jacks Hydro, CalNit, and Bloom Booster from JR Peters). Awesome cost effective nutes by the way.

I change out and re-fill my bins with a water pump and 5 gal bucket since lugging around bins with 10 gallons of water is not ideal. I run a 3 stage perpetual cycle so my maintenance and harvests are spread out.

BigJohnny · Jan 2, 2018

That's a really good point about the amount of medium needed, so it looks like DWC is going to be the way to go for me. I've got 26 gallon buckets so my plan of having 4 per bucket works out, and I'm thinking of scrogging for height management and light distribution since my room is limited in space and height.

So my real issue is ventilation I guess...

Desert Hydro · Jan 2, 2018

blumats in coco for the win! a bit tricky to dial in but once dialed they are set it and forget it as far as watering. no dealing with ph issues if your nutes are stable as its a gravity fed drip system thats self regulating.

blumats aside, as far as uncomplicated hempy buckets, drip system in coco ebb and flow.

i had great success ealry on with dwc but i got insanely lucky as i didnt even have meters or anything. just followed the recipe on the bottle and i made it through till harvest a few times lol.

in dwc where there is no media, change happens fast. good or bad.

Desert Hydro · Jan 2, 2018

i didnt read the whole thread as i am hung over still from new years. just got out of bed after 36 hours of puking and feeling like a trash can.....

if you want hand watered hydro, small pots of rockwool croutons KILL IT for ease of use. throw a short cycle timer to drip a few seconds every few hours and youre golden. same would go with tupur(aerated coco mix)

Desert Hydro · Jan 2, 2018

PPKs are great if you like to DIY and can drop some cash. a smaller system would be cheap as hell. they are more so for monster plants but you could adapt to smaller but it would be a lot of work/parts.

heres my PPK build

Mudraya · Jan 2, 2018

Agree with DH, a simple drip setup with rockwool is easiest to set up and can easily be watered by hand temporarily in the event of equipment failure, it's also the most economical on nutrient and water consumption for the home grower if you do DTW with minimal runoff.

But DWC is fun if you're successful not gonna lie!

Douglas.Curtis · Jan 2, 2018

BigJohnny said:
That's a really good point about the amount of medium needed, so it looks like DWC is going to be the way to go for me. I've got 26 gallon buckets so my plan of having 4 per bucket works out, and I'm thinking of scrogging for height management and light distribution since my room is limited in space and height.

So my real issue is ventilation I guess...

I wouldn't run DWC unless you had a cool room. Chillers add additional heat and electric usage, while hanging airpumps in a cold a/c stream works rather well. Much less upfront and running costs.

Can you mount a large a/c on the top half of the door and vent the heat from the a/c out of the cellar door? I lived in a house with a space like yours, though a bit smaller. It was used as food storage due to the temps and dark.

Simple hydro setup?

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