What about DWC with no branded, bottled products?

[D.I.trY]

Is there anyone doing this or does anyone have any links to this please? What i mean is unsing nutrients from home derived sources and compost teas. I'm trying to find out if its a worthy experiment to try dwc without bottled, purchased nutrients and adding indigenous bacterial cultures (except maybe a bottle of cold pressed kelp is permissable!). nitrogen fixing bacteria could take care of much of the nitrogen requirements (is that feasable?). Mollasses and starches could take care of the microbiology. nutrients could be made by fermenting and straining fruits or other things as described at the bottom of this page titled "Bionutrients". https://growguide.opengrow.com/Beneficial_Indigenous_Organisms_(BIM)

I have a constant supply of bokashi juice too. It would need to be used in very small quantities because its so acidic. Im sure there are so many things you could add and id love to hear if you have any ideas.

 

[Citizen024]

Go find the thread about Bio Buckets 101 by Big Toke. You'll find a lot of the info your looking for there about how to handle a organic DWC. There are some more modifacations that you may have to make then just nutrient.

I think it is possible to do organic DWC without all the bio bucket conversion, but you might run into trouble. Bio bucket would give you a real clear path. Look over the in the hydro thread, I bet you'll run into other DWC growers who may have more inf.

Most people in here are not working in DWC.

Come back and look at the Experimental thread here if you want to look at other organic means- it too is a bioponic system. Or my Pura Vida drip coco system link- more an organic hydroponic system.

 

[JackKerouac]

Aquaponics with fish is going to be as close are you are going to get to organic DWC, but they still require an iron source (chelated iron) and breaking the nutes down with nitrobacter bacteria. It takes some time, patience, and testing, but it can be done.

 

[D.I.trY]

thanks to both of you. I was aware of aquaponics and have done some reading on it and i know some it has its own challenges, like you say. I was thinking along the lines of having very small particle solids that would break down in the dwc - what about something like fish blood and bone for example, or some manure leachate or plant leachate (although im worried about the manure juice in the room i must admit)? -like a soil grow with as much soil replaced with water as possible so it can be bubbled. surely its possible to make a similar substitute at home for the bottled organic nutes. Maybe there are people doing it, or the concept is flawed, nobody is doing it and that's why i havent seen it yet.

 

[Citizen024]

Well your statement of small solids breaking down is TRUE, if and only IF you have sufficient microlife present. Bacteria will do it in water (bio buckets) BUT they also want to live in the lava rock of that system, and need several weeks to colonize with no plants present. And tons of oxygen. Bone is a slow breakdown- and could get gunky on you if its just floating around in there as solids.

Fungus need MEDIUM to live in- DWC is a little shy on medium in that way.

I think Bio Buckets 101 will give you all your looking for. It IS a organic DWC, specially tuned to be that way. I don't think standard DWC will support the biology your talking about as well. If so Bio Buckets would probably not have even been invented if all that was needed was a nutrient switch. Consider what your asking your system to do, and then consider how that will be achieved, and what is necessary to do so.