RDWC with multiple strains

Loc Dog · Mar 20, 2017

I just completed two RDWC setups, and have been growing nothing but Gorilla Glue #4 for a few years. Just got a bunch of seeds, and have been starting in coco, to make backup seeds, and pick desirable phenos to go into hydro.

How bad would it be to run different strains off the same reservoir??

Could I just foliar feed any plants that look like they have deficiency, if the majority look healthy.

I realize I will have to run strains that finish in about the same time frame.

Would love to hear about anyones experience with this.

Stay Gel^N 247 · Mar 20, 2017

I used to run one bucket into each reservoir, or a couple buckets per. Just keep the level of the reservoir the same as the height of the water level for your plant. Small pumps. Small reservoirs, nothing less than 10 gal though. pH drift happens faster with less water.
Dial those in and add a little nutes through a two weeks refill schedule. I had a few reservoir that I only changed once per month. Not a deficiency on any of them, mostly maxibloom fed with a small amount of chemical bloom booster. Never anything organic until you get the hang of the system and get a couple harvests. Organics, enzymes, and beneficials are not necessary in rdwc. They clog hoses, the turn bad quickly, lots of mess and difficult to get right the first time.
Stick with simple nutes and if the water start to get cloudy, add a 1/2 teaspoon regular bleach. Everything will stay clear that way.

Loc Dog · Mar 20, 2017

I am doing OK with RDWC, but worry about plants with different feeding needs. I just bought a crap load of seeds. Most run 8 weeks, a couple 10 weeks, and one 6 weeks. I have 8 X 5 gallon buckets attached to a 5 gallon reservoir, using undercurrent system (Snypes RDWC method). He suggested sterile, but I have been running SM-90, aquashield, and great white. I have no lines that could clog. They should be done in 10 days, but probably let them go 20 days.

One of my problems is I am not used to different strains, never grew successfully in soil, and am bad at reading plants. I should get some idea of each strain, growing in coco first, and seeing if there are any deficiencies or over fert issues. Unfortunately not a real fan of coco, although have been using for 2 years. I have seen horrible salt buildup problems and very low runoff PH.

Drop That Sound · Mar 20, 2017

The good thing about DWC is the plants generally take what they need, and you use a lower concentration of nutes. If too high you can burn or fluctuate, especially in flower. Say its at like 700, and the weather changes, they can drink alot in one day and it will go up to 1000+. One day of sitting like that is enough to burn tips if its a finicky strain.

I use 500 ppm for veg and around 700 in flower. I been with the same single strain for a few years now but imagine that base line should work for any strain?

I guess the only way to tell would be to veg out some of your strains, side by side in single buckets, and take readings to see what your numbers are at a day or 2 after topping them up. If one strain eats more than another you wouldn't want to feed the other more to make up. You would be better off keeping the one strain happy even if it starves the other a little, rather than over feeding.

If I was you I would just keep one strain per system, and do single strain runs so you can really get to know them best..

Its actually pretty easy to read the plants in DWC, and find out what a new strain wants, once you get the hang of the method. If the PPMs are higher as the res level drops.. then you used to much nutes. If its lower then you can slowly add more. If it about the same as you originally filled up at, then you are at the sweet spot (keep doing what you are doing for now), and you plants should be real healthy!

Cleetus · Apr 5, 2017

I do not recommend running different strains in one system that is connected. I have been running dwc for a while now and always found it difficult to keep everything on the up and up when dealing with multiple strains for many reasons. Feedings may be different. One strain might want something that another one won't want. If possible I recommend keeping all the same strains in each system. Hope this helps

gtg341w · Apr 7, 2017

I don't disagree with Cleetus or other posters, it's definitely better if you can have separate RDWC buckets/res. However I am currently on my first Hydro grow and ran one single 30 gal container (filled to the bottoms of net pots it is about 16 gallons). I grew 2 mostly Indica strains Seedsman Dreammachine and Seedsman Euphoria CBD, and a pure Indica Afghan Kush. I ran GH trio during veg at about 50/75% of the GH recommended strength. All three plants seemed to have similar nutrient needs and responded well to being in the same res. The AK was a little smaller than the others, but being in the back she got a little less LST/defoliation and overall TLC.

cyat · Apr 7, 2017

I always feed all my plants the same. Usually if certain plants aren't doing good then it's something else i.e bugs , pathogens and or they just might be stragglers.
Just like feeding a big family , everyone eats the same usually unless someone has a health issue.
I really don't believe different strains have different food requirements.

I love rdwc it grows plants like nothing else !!!!
Right now I have one plant in rdwc in a room of coco plants , there is no comparison.

Loc Dog · Apr 7, 2017

cyat said:
I always feed all my plants the same. Usually if certain plants aren't doing good then it's something else i.e bugs , pathogens and or they just might be stragglers.
Just like feeding a big family , everyone eats the same usually unless someone has a health issue.
I really don't believe different strains have different food requirements.

I love rdwc it grows plants like nothing else !!!!
Right now I have one plant in rdwc in a room of coco plants , there is no comparison.

The 2 clone only strains I have had that had very different feeding needs, are GG4 and Fire OG. Fire OG was heavy feeder, and needed cal/mag, where GG4 does worse when going over 600 PPM.

I am currently growing a bunch of different strains in coco, to make seeds, and see there feeding needs. Have 2 tents with RDWC setups. Will use one for heavy feeders and the other for light feeders, and GG4, which I do not want to lose.

There is a website that shows up in the top ten results in google, when you search for a popular strain, that has a link that shows details of growing. I can not post or it will be obfuscated. PM if you want to know.

Loc Dog · Apr 7, 2017

Cyat,

Since you have experience with RDWC, do you agree if PPM goes up you are overfeeding, and if it goes down, underfeeding? I am just getting back into hydro, and just about to finish up a GG4 grow any day now. Do you mind if I PM you with some questions, or ask them in this thread.

First was wondering if you like sterile or live reservoir, and what products you use.

cyat · Apr 7, 2017

I can't speak on that as I have no ppm meter.
Ask away.
Sterile with zone is my favorite. Have had great luck with nothing but a base too. Orca, subculture, peroxide, not good results. Bleach works too but I like zone at 5 ml a gal.
I don't use ro or cal mag ever
Water is hard so are the nutrients.. 5 mls canna hardwater a little ph down and zone

cravin morehead · Apr 7, 2017

I've done it several times with my bio buckets, which are rdwc. most hybrids take similar feed requirements. the bio buckets tend to make nutes so easy to uptake that as long as its in there, the plant will get what they need. and with these bio buckets nute levels are kept very low and never showed signs of deficiencies. granted, I ve never done like land race sativas and quick running hybrids together. I used to run a veg tent and a flower tent off the same res ( I only run dyna-gro bloom for veg and flower). I would just rotate bucket lids with the plants attached from veg to flower when needed.

cm

Chemdawggy Dawg · Apr 7, 2017

With rdwc the nute level will drop after refilling with fresh ro water after each 12 hour cycle. That means the plants are growing, you also will see noticable growth everyday. I recently did something similar to what you are talking about and was disgusted. I am sorry to say this but I doubt you'll find anything that is close to as good as the gg4 for yield AND quality. I have tried a couple of elite og cuts and while they are of good quality they produce only about 2/3 of the quantity. I am going back to all gg4 all the time with maybe one Irene or WiFi43 just for shits and giggles. There is a reason the gg4 won all those contests.

gh0stm0de · Apr 9, 2017

Moni cropping IS ideal with DWC. Clearly.

Ive run 5 very diff strains off same rez before with surprisingly good results!

One thing you cannot compromise is flower time must be same because you must be able to flush them all. Beyond that i recommend using brewers wort coil to cool diff rezzes off same chiller if you have to use one chiller.would not do dwc without chiller ever again.

Dwc since 2005

gtg341w · Apr 12, 2017

@gh0stm0de so you have one central tank that is chilled by the brewers wort coil and then that is pumped through multiples reservoirs?

DARKSIDER · Apr 12, 2017

Loc Dog said:
I just completed two RDWC setups, and have been growing nothing but Gorilla Glue #4 for a few years. Just got a bunch of seeds, and have been starting in coco, to make backup seeds, and pick desirable phenos to go into hydro.

How bad would it be to run different strains off the same reservoir??

Could I just foliar feed any plants that look like they have deficiency, if the majority look healthy.

I realize I will have to run strains that finish in about the same time frame.

Would love to hear about anyones experience with this.

Should not be a problem Loc Dog I run different ones in same rez.

gh0stm0de · Apr 13, 2017

gtg341w said:
@gh0stm0de so you have one central tank that is chilled by the brewers wort coil and then that is pumped through multiples reservoirs?

Yes.

I recommend nybrewsupply stainless coils. 3/8 pipe or so to clamp onto or run pvc. Their coils were 50 idk now, for 25 ft of coil perfect shape and size for a 5 gal control bucket but usable for whatever control needed. Superior vs hydro innovations etc $150 for 12 ft of coil.

So, you cool a central rez with one pump to chiller and one for each of the coils youre going to run. I used same rez to also cool my lights when i did it back in 2010, with heat exchangers on each hood fed by one pump and returning to same rez.

I found that i lost efficiency by using coils , hard to quantify id guess 15%. Its cheaper on amps and pocket to go up in size on chiller than to buy two.

For what its worth its clever but i consider it a lottle ghetto nowadays. Seperate chillers cleanest method. Then again i do a lotta ghetto shit, cant make an omelet without such n such, as it were..

gh0stm0de · Apr 16, 2017

No wait i may have read that wrong.

The central rez is cooled by the chiller. A different pump, 200ish gph goes to each coil that is placed in control bucket of each system you wanna chill but feed seperately. Useful for perpetual growth staggering too not just diff strains.

rezzinater · Feb 26, 2019

This was very helpful in deciding wether or not to add another strain to my existing system. Thank you for the helpful information!

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RDWC with multiple strains

Loc Dog

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Stay Gel^N 247

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Loc Dog

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Drop That Sound

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Cleetus

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cyat

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