SWC (shallow water culture system)

[dirtbag22]

flowers are looking good, yankee. been rereading this thread for inspiration but sadly i got to stick with dwc due to my layout (growing in cab). thanks for all the tips, im sure many appreciate them, and just keep em coming, u hear

i've been out of the game for quite a while, did stadium grows in dirt (hence the nick) with bare bulbs some 10 years ago. now im going hydro and try to soak up as much info as possible.

keep em green

dirtbag

 

[yankeetransplnt]

Just a boring update to how things are going. Again, a VERY lazy time for a grower...everything is just monitored....water level, ppm/ec, pH....thats it....Literally takes 10-15 minutes every other day....
Attached a pic from day 16 into switch....feeding steady at 550 ppms...
Here is something I will do about every 2 weeks....I call it a sm90 rinse...
Not a flush....I take a 5gal bucket of pH'ed water with some superthrive and 3tbsp of sm90 and drop in a pump with a hose and give each plant a 5 sec 'rinse' thru the top...this is something that I started doing this past year...I have found sm90 to be VERY beneficial for this and also an addative to help maintain a healthy, happy rez....the rinse seems to give them a little 'shot in the arm' so to speak...a little burst of added energy...being bored during this stage of grow along with how good sm90 is for your roots, makes it a thing I added to the program...
Anyways, I will get a bunch more pics up as soon as they are a little more exciting to look at...
Regards, YT


The space is completely filled and just waiting to fatten up...

 

[dirtbag22]

bumppp

bumppp

yo what´s happening, yankee? Got an update in the pipeline?

 

[yankeetransplnt]

boring update...

boring update...

Still just in limbo watching the WWx flowering....they have went to about 680ppms right at 3 weeks due to flowering stage they are in....they never go higher it seems....5.7 pH....I set at 5.4and it drifts to 6.0 in a 12hr cycle....I like that drift because they like that drift.....had a little accident with on plant....my exhaust fan on the shelf up top vibrated and old squirrel cage fan off and it neatly split a plant main stalk...seems to be fine now after mending....it got a little yellow but is now upright and ok....pic attached....all my pics are done with my phone as is these posts so they are never top quality pics and usually some spelling errors but it is so convenient doing it like that....I will post more as they mature...YT..pics are from 3 weeks and 4 days into switch....

 

[HOVAH2.0]

Do you have heat issues or root rott? How does your yeild compare to DWC?

 

[yankeetransplnt]

Do you have heat issues or root rott? How does your yeild compare to DWC?

I have not had issues with root rot...this is also inside a house with central a/c and the closet these are in has an exhaust fan...it take out heat without taking out much a/c...my power bill says its a decent balance...
This system is far more forgiving when it comes to root problems....the deepest the water gets a is 1in when I fill it...I add when its about 1/2in...the circulation pumps roostertail the water in a big way adding a ton of D.O.....the water temp is usually.a cpl degrees lower than the ambient room temp...I added a chiller this time to see if there is any benefit but so far I dont see a need for it...in fact a chiller is kind of a catch 22....DWC ppl must have them to maintain healthy roots but it is known that optimal nutrient uptake occurs a close to 75 degrees...So in order to keep ur roots crisp and white, u force the plant to work harder for nutes...65 and below u can actually start to have signs of nitrogen deficiencies...this SWC sys. runs on higher temps and lower nutes without issues...it is the product of 35 years of growing...as generic and simple as it looks, it has EVERYTHING a system needs to not only thrive but outgrow any other system I ever worked with including DWC...materials are inexpensive and sacrificial, I have never lost a plant or garden with it, nor have had any half ass harvests....if something goes wrong, it was from total neglect of the grower and not the system...If u can read a pH pen a disolved solid meter, ur first hydroponic crop with this sys. will come out nice....YT

 

[yankeetransplnt]

Hey HOVAH2.0.....I thought I would mention that a RDWC system is my second choice for growing....single bucket setups (DWC) require testing and maintaining each as a separate entity....with the RDWC it returns to a 'main rez' and u just have to maintain it....I kept 1 drain each so the net sat 1/4 into the water...when the water reached that height it gravity fed back to the main res...starter plants had my sprayer shooting directly at the net pots...soon as they established roots into the water, the sprayer were opened up hard and directed into the water angled toward the net bottom...that system works well but there is a shit load of more work involved for set up and many fittings/plumbing....if one does not mind that, it is a great second choice for me...of course a chiller is a must when u have roots in deep water...I am just a fan of simplicity....less is better..less work and less equipment to maintain...excellent results....all personal choice but I think the SWC system outgrows it....YT

 

[yankeetransplnt]

chiller addition

chiller addition

I mentioned early in this thread that I added a chiller for the first time to see if it would benefit my SWC sys...I have not seen any benefits as of yet....in fact, it became obvious that it impedes nutrient uptake to some degree...I originally set it at 65 degrees and now run it at 68 degrees....my typical ppm levels actually show the plants with a mild magnesium deficiency at 65 degrees...the only variable was the addition of the chiller..all is fine with a dose of Epsom salt and 3 degrees warmer..I run such low nute levels with this system that any less is quickly noticed and the cooler water was enuf to slightly impede nutrient uptake...pic was taken 4 weeks to the day into timer switch...YT

 

[HOVAH2.0]

I have not had issues with root rot....DWC ppl must have them to maintain healthy roots but it is known that optimal nutrient uptake occurs a close to 75 degrees...So in order to keep ur roots crisp and white, u force the plant to work harder for nutes...65 and below u can actually start to have signs of nitrogen deficiencies...this SWC sys. runs on higher temps and lower nutes without issues...it is the product of 35 years of growing...as generic and simple as it looks, it has EVERYTHING a system needsn...YT

Ive noticed this many times before whenever i thought temps were too high or not optimal Ive never had problems with rot or deficiencies, but whenever temps were below the ideal a host of issues appeared. When you think about, plants in their natural state(soil) have a root zone temp of around 78 to 65 degrees, so an ideal hydroponic enviroment should mimic that temp for optimal uptake, perferbly on the high side. I dont think theyre working harder, instead its less work.

 

[yankeetransplnt]

early flower pics...

early flower pics...

These were taken 3 weeks and 5 days into flower...gonna wait till week 6 to post more pics....YT

 

[yankeetransplnt]

quick pic at 5 weeks exactly into switch...

quick pic at 5 weeks exactly into switch...

Wasnt going to put up another pic until they were 6 weeks into flower, but was in a positions to take this at 'sunrise' of day 35...nutes back down a little more than 100ppms to 550ppms the last two waterings....my broken plant is flowering fine other than being a little yellow, it has recovered well...I was surprised not to lose it...pH drift is stablizing to about a half point...was rising a full point in one cycle...for anyone new at hydro, that is quite normal ana actually a sign of heavy feeding, growing, and over all activity within the plants...they are starting to thicken up nicely and getting COVERED with trichs....I will post more pics at week 6 with a few closeups of resin develoment...YT

 

[yankeetransplnt]

Few pics, 5 weeks and 3 days into flower....

Few pics, 5 weeks and 3 days into flower....

A few more White Widow extreme pics and rooted cutting for next round....pics are 5 weeks and 3 days into switch and my cuttings were taken 6 days into switch...that wait slows the cuttings down so I can manage till I am ready for them...they begin to develope a flower hormone, and then are put back on 24hrs of light....they root and very slowly grow vertical until about 6 weeks old...perfect!...dont have to deal with a mother plant or these getting too big if I had taken them im full veg....YT

 

[yankeetransplnt]

Although the quality of my pics are not real good, most experienced growers probably have recognized that there has been some moderate defoliation going on....I feel that it is key to learn this technique to maximize yeilds....I start during veg and continue up until about week 4 of flower..keeping the potential bud sites open to light will ultimately give u not just more buds but more quality buds...many mid and lower buds which may have ended up in your shake pile or shatter tube would now be of 'jar quality'....it is not a technique to be used by beginners though and should be approached carefully...there are some excellent sites with technique procedures....every bud on these plants will go into jars....YT

 

[yankeetransplnt]

Day 40 pics...white widow extm (SWC sys.)

Day 40 pics...white widow extm (SWC sys.)

Been busy but putting up a few pics from day 40 into flower...they started feeding much lighter...that is normal since its just about 6 weeks into flower and being an 8 week plant...YES, 8 weeks...the extrm version of WW is indeed faster, bigger, etc. (at least from this seed source)....YT

 

[Snook]

Hello YS.. you still there??


OOPS, YT

 

[Snook]

Hello again .. YT.. I'm hoping that you on your phone do not get msgng and haven't lost track/interest of/in your thread...
I'm gonna do it.. SWC sounds like me. but a couple questions..
Fizz Pot: 1/2 cup twice a day with muriatic acid... that timing ensures the lack of CO2 production at night? No acid no CO2.
Are the marble chips in 2/3s of a 5gallon of water are submerged or 1/3 is above the water?
>Transplanting coffee cup clones, cut up the cup and put, right?
As I think of things... that pc of 2" foil foam board (FFB) that your 2x4 frame sits on.. the working end cut out for pumps sits on the floor which has only a pc of panda between the pumps and the floor.. is my vision correct?.. sump is the depth of the height of the FFB. Right? does that pc of FFB under the frame serve any other purpose or fill some requirement? does it have to be FFB? living in Fla, not too many days of really cold weather and was thinking 24"sq x 2" cement pavers that the 2x4 frame would sit on instead.. would help keep rez temps down.. ??
EDIT:: They cost way more and are heavy.. nevermmind.

 

[Buddler]

What a great thread give her a bump.

 

[ozzieAI]

ex-swc grower here...my preferred indoor method...it rocks hard...

although i had poor results using air stones...lots of ph swings...relied on water movement to create DO....

used to get solid mats of roots...and bat size buds...

 

[Snook]

ex-swc grower here...my preferred indoor method...it rocks hard...

although i had poor results using air stones...lots of ph swings...relied on water movement to create DO....

used to get solid mats of roots...and bat size buds...

why 'ex' how are you doing it now and why did you stop?

 

[ozzieAI]

why 'ex' how are you doing it now and why did you stop?

i don't have a suitable indoor flowering space so veg indoors under leds and flower outdoors under that BIG hps in the sky...