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dwc cycle timing/root dry time

mojave green

mojave green

rockin in the free world
Veteran
so gonna convert linked bucket flood and drain to dwc. an airstone in each bucket, controller module and rez. system in constant flood mode interrupted by drain cycles lasting 15/30 minutes every 3 hours or so. any ideas on an optimum amount of time for the roots be be un-submerged? i'm sure they will enjoy the occasional breath of fresh air, but too long and they will stress!
also, i suppose they could hang dry longer during lights off,no?
:tiphat:
 
Boyd Crowder

Boyd Crowder

Teem MiCr0B35
shit man start with 30 min and work up
id have my buckets dry for an hour while doing changes and getting distra...ohh a squirrel! wait distracted with no probs
 
E

excon

Member
dwc deep water culture and exposed roots?

maybe the top inch in my buckets but not more

and for cleaning but never longer then an hour

2 hr max
 
FlowerFarmer

FlowerFarmer

Well-known member
Veteran
He's converting a flood bucket setup so he's retaining the ability to drain/expose roots. Sounds like this will avoid the normal recirculating aspect of the DWC and achieve it by cycling it back to the rez at times.

Sounds like a great plan if you are looking to reduce medium in your ebb setup. I think Haps maybe did something like this with net bucket lids in his ebb setup, but I could be mistaken in regards to the username.


MG, I was only in a little tray, but I ran mediumless with roots suspended in air at an interval of 30 min flooded.. 90 min drained. For what it's worth.. I wasn't running it with airstones.. but rather as a mediumless ebb and flow.

In DWC fashion I don't see any need to leave it drained for any longer then it takes to recirculate/mix your nutes. I'd start with your frequency stated in your original post and see how it goes.
 
ChasingGreen

ChasingGreen

Member
I'm still confused, either it's DWC or it's Flood and Drain. There's no middleground. You either drain it or you don't. If it drains, it's not DWC. Sounds like this is just a plan for flood and drain, but with longer flood periods than normal, and thus airstones in there for those flood times?
 
mojave green

mojave green

rockin in the free world
Veteran
Sounds like you belong in the organic threads. They often debate endlessly over labels! Is it organic, is it not? Is it dwc, is it not? I care not what label you attach to it.
:laughing:
 
theHIGHlander

theHIGHlander

european ganja growers
Veteran
You don't need air stones if you going to flood and drain...air stones are only needed if your full blown DWC as the roots are always under water...your roots will get the DO they need when you flood the buckets.....

Ps remember top put a meshing at the bottom of your pots..this will stop the roots from blocking the system when you drain....

Have you looked into RDWC .....snype has a great how to / grow thread on RDWC..

Keep it green
Highlander
 
PetFlora

PetFlora

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
F & D for the win!

It's so much easier to work with

How long between floods depends on a number of factors

IMO, the most important being the medium you are using

After using hydroton (too messy), I switched to polished river rock which I get from Dollar Store. Assuming your rez temps are < 70*, the stone density keeps the roots cool between floods. Due to them being fast draining, I flood every hour for explosive growth

Drop by my thread to see it in action
 
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