Zer0s 2000w 12site rDWC Journal

[Zer0Ry0k0]

Well, my lurking times are over and now I begin my life as a contributor.

Many months ago I read BlazeOneUp's rDWC tutorial, it blew me away and said THIS is what I am making. This is my first grow besides a few clones I bought from a club and flowered outside one summer, was pretty decent, got about 2 ounces... didn't weigh it. I wanted a system that once built would require little to no physical moving of things around for me to do, I have pumps to move water to different places.

I have been taking my time getting the whole grow room set up, but now that it's getting closer to the finished product things are starting to move quickly. I'm getting excited about starting up. Due to my lurking status I am unable to upload decent pics, so please bear with me for the beginning.

Cloning Cabinet

Flower Room

I built the table where the main res is going to be living on and the controller will be living within. Before starting I didn't think to calculate how much weight 50 gallons of water was, but the table should be able to hold well over the 425 lbs max that it will be dealing with.

Freak hail during construction

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

I have some mothers growing in the cabinet right now, I am going to wait for the Blue Dream to get a new set of branches before I take cuttings.

The way things are looking in here I think the first cycle I do with the system will be half Blue Dream and half Granddaddy Purple, but I might run just Blue Dream with 1 light quickly to see what happens and what I need to adjust. We will see.

Group Shots

Blue Dream

Granddaddy Purple

Does this look like aphid damage to you guys?

Blueberry Kush

Black Domina (not doing well under my noob care, probably going to flower it in soil later)

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

So now that we are all caught up with the pics, I will tell the story of why the Black Domina is a single stalk.

I brought home my first two clones, I had a 60ml syringe and after them in the room getting Brita filtered water for the first 5 days or so I moved them into larger pots and decided to feed them. I did not take the time to calculate how much water I had in the pitcher, and did not calculate how much nute solution I was supposed to use. I just stuck a 1/4" tuve in and pulled out what I now believe was about 2-3ml and put that into about 240ml of water, mixed it up a bit and poured it on. didn't pH or anything. -_-

So I tried to flush it out when I realized what I had done, but didn't read online yet about flushing, so I basically poured a normal serving of water over the soil. Then I read about flushing and that I should have used 3x normal. So the next morning I pour about 1.5 or2x a normal watering on both plants.... at this point I feel they are flushed enough and the soil has been wet for three days consecutive with no drying out, so I am concerned about this and don't see what else I can do at this point.

I ended up getting a couple more plants incase the first two died. Everyone is doing great now, lots of growth except with the Black Domina. I'm assuming it's one of those strains that are super finicky and don't like being mistreated. And yes, I have certainly mistreated her. I never moved her into a larger pot and the leaves are always crispy to the touch, a couple of the larger ones were super dry and very green =\ I cut them off... at this point I don't want the Black Domina anymore and would rather replace it with a J-27 clone which is what I will be doing eventually.

There is some air flow in the cabinet now, but when the parts come I will be making arrays of 2x2 squares of 70mm computer fans hooked up to a DC plug. That should get things moving nicely inside.

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

On the construction side of things the only problem I have been trying to solve for a while is the idea of pumping the water out of the system for nute changes and system cleanings. In my mind it seems so easy to get a pump with an in hole and an out hole, and to be able to mount the pump anywhere reasonable within the limit of head pressure and suction lift... and to be able to put the in hose into a bucket and turn the pump on and have it suck up the water and ignore the fact that the pump and all the lines are filled with air, just pump the water up and shoot it out.

That's all I want. The only answer I have seen is called a jet pump, and the cheapest ones are $130.... just so I can pump water out and not have to deal with 1/2" of stagnant water because submersible pumps don't suck off the bottom. If anyone has a better idea for how to deal with this please lemme know. I need it to pump up about 3 feet to get out the window. My first idea was a siphon, but I was unable to locate something that made sense... something that I could attach to 3/4" tubing or a hose or something... I got a drill attachment that is a siphon with 1/2" threading but I have not tried it yet.

I did buy a Utility pump, sold as a thing to pump water out of a boat but they mention using it with a sump pump or something... I'm not sure exactly, I just want to see if it will do what I want. When the computer fans and extra DC adapters come in the mail I will try the pump out.

 

[Sabudda]

looks good so far!

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

Any comments or criticism definitely welcome, I am doing my best to consider everything but this is my first grow so I maybe missing some concepts/things.

 

[tjo]

good luck..im also new and im ispired from blazeonup 2..

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

Thanks for stopping by guys, I hope this system is going to be productive.

tjo, great thread and great work, I hope my first run is as successful

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

I picked up some CalMag+ today because I don't think the nute solution I have been giving them has any...

R/O water
20ml/g Botanicare CNS17 Grow
1drop/g Neptune Sea Kelp
3ml/g 29% h2o2 (I would like to see how plants do living with h2o2 present in SMALL doses)

Nothing special about my nutes yet... just starting out and want to keep it simple but like I said, I don't think there is any cal/mag in that..... so I am going to start adding the CalMag+ at the recommended dosage right away. I am going to be taking cuttings soon and don't want the clones to be deficient.

The Black Domina has started to shoot side branches off which I was super suprised to see and quite happy about, but on closer inspection of the leaves they are getting the same crispy effect... I will go take a macro shot of one of the new leaves.

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

All of the plants are showing deficiencies, I will certainly hit them all with the CalMag+ tomorrow morning.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

Is the grow area really only 57 degrees? Your digi readout shows temps all in the 50's. That's way too low and it's likely why your plants are clawing and probably not growing very fast. 70s is where you want to be! You also won't get very good cloning results from those temps.

Btw winter sucks for cloning. You have to supplement with some sort of heat. Keep up the good work though, just raise your temps. I like your room makeover.

eta: CNS17 Grow has Calcium and Mag according to the label I have (sample sizes). 2.8% C and .5% Mag. You don't need to add Cal-Mag. Do you know your soil ph? If not, find out. Ph is soooo important whether soil or hydro. Take the time to learn proper ph management now and save yourself some trouble later.

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

I'm glad you like the room. I read your journal back in mid-late 2009, you know how to do it.

The temp reading in the 50 range is the lower half of the cabinet where there is no light yet. That is where I will be raising my cuttings using KingRalphs DIY EasyCloner which I have a plant heating pad underneath.

You think that last image could be related to pH issues? I have been feeding them nutes that are at 6.0 or just below... I'm using the droplet shaker test so all I know is I am right around 6.0... yellow with a slight hint of orange. The spots and whatnot look like calcium deficiencies to me, but that's just from looking at other pictures...

I agree I need to get better at maintaining the pH and it's a good thing I'm not just diving right into guying some clones and throwing them in a system. Raising the moms in soil should keep them a bit more forgiving. What method would you use to test the pH of the soil? I hear the soil testers are bad... should I just scoop a bit of the dirt and put it in my dropper test tube? lol... I'm assuming you mean to test the runoff........... so I want the runoff to be 5.5-6.2? wait.... it's soil it wants to be at like 6.8 or something..... OHHHHH that's what I've been doing wrong!

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

Yeah, according to the ph-nute relationship image I got from some thread here because I have been feeding them at realy low pH's they have been unable to assimilate the calcium and magnesium. pH lockout. And that's why I've been noticing those burnt tips that were looking like P deficiencies... Going to get right on that tomorrow morning.

And thanks for checking the label of the nutrients I'm using -_-
I'll go return the cal-mag+ tomorrow.

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

So..... how will that effect the cuttings? If they are growing in soil at 6.5 pH and then I move them into tap water that I pH adjust to around 5.5-6.0.... Are they going to suffer from those pH swings? Read somewhere else on here that plants don't want to have their pH adjusted by more than .2 each day.

Maybe when I get my digital pH tester set up I will set the cloner tap water to 6.2 and then after living in that for two weeks they move into the rDWC at 5.8-6.0

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

Jeez, I've spent all this time focusing on hydro nutrients and hydro water management, that I totally ignored the fact that I am growing my moms in soil and they have totally different needs. I am trying to find some info on soil mixes, specifically for veg only but I don't see any guides about it here... If anyone has a link, please post it here. Time for bed.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

What you're experiencing is exactly why I grow my moms in stand alone 10gal DWCs instead of soil. No sense in having to learn both hydro and soil methods unless you really want to! I can't offer you much help on soil issues other than to make sure your ph is correct. Don't skimp on your ph/ppm/tds/ec meter for your hydro system! Get a good quality model like the Trimeter or a handheld like the Hanna 98129. Make sure to calibrate often. I think soil ph is measured by testing the run off water.

Don't start clones in soil if you want to grow them in your hydro system. It's a pain to get the roots out of the dirt undamaged and generally shocks the clones badly. Start them in a hydro method (bubble cloner, rockwool, Rapid Rooters, etc) and finish them in your hydro method. Don't mix hydro and soil if you can help it.

 

[BrotherGanja]

Hey Zero,

On the PH Clone thing. I always keep my PH between 5.8 and 6.2. My plants do not get affected by >.2 increase. The temps in that room are definetly effeting those ladies in the soil. In the low 60s you start getting nute lock up so they are eating as much which will cause slower growth. It does look like your plants had a Calcium Deficiency for sure so that should clear up. This set up is similar to mine and I totally know what you mean about the drain and flushing of it. It takes me several hours to let this drain I don't like I need to figure something else out. Good luck my friend looking forward to the progress.

 

[Bazarocka]

You beat me to it.

You beat me to it.

Is the grow area really only 57 degrees? Your digi readout shows temps all in the 50's. That's way too low and it's likely why your plants are clawing and probably not growing very fast. 70s is where you want to be! You also won't get very good cloning results from those temps.

Btw winter sucks for cloning. You have to supplement with some sort of heat. Keep up the good work though, just raise your temps. I like your room makeover.

eta: CNS17 Grow has Calcium and Mag according to the label I have (sample sizes). 2.8% C and .5% Mag. You don't need to add Cal-Mag. Do you know your soil ph? If not, find out. Ph is soooo important whether soil or hydro. Take the time to learn proper ph management now and save yourself some trouble later.

Thats maybe just a tad too cool~~~ ambient should be around 73. And for cloning 75-80f until rooted. I clone with a bubbler and dixie cups (everything goes on a heat pad~~~set at 80f) 100% success rate every time.

At least you took your time. So many~~~~ "DO NOT".

When you master your current technique, you should consider "Aeroponics", "You Wouldn't Regret It-I Promise You"...

 

[Bazarocka]

Check This Out

Check This Out

;

Don't start clones in soil if you want to grow them in your hydro system. It's a pain to get the roots out of the dirt undamaged and generally shocks the clones badly. Start them in a hydro method (bubble cloner, rockwool, Rapid Rooters, etc) and finish them in your hydro method. Don't mix hydro and soil if you can help it.

I perfected one technique some time ago. I call it "Cloning For Dummies" lol. (AND IT KEEPS MY AERO SYSTEM KICKING)
Goes Like dis:

I take my prepared cuttings in the rapid rooters, place in coco cup, pack it with pro mix, set the coco cup in my net cup, then the coco cup/net cup goes in a dixie cup, and onto a heat pad. 7 to 14 days later (depending on strain) their ready. This method allows me to clone (and prep) my clones for my Aero system, with out any major hassle.
Take the clone out of the dixie cup, and place it right in my system. "No Hassle~~~No Stress".

Looks Like Dis:
(Those are new cuttings in the pic~~~in 10 days or so when you take the netcup out of the dixie cup, the roots will have grown through the coco/net cup)

And It Works 100% o9f the times. yesyesyes

 

[Zer0Ry0k0]

Nice, I am planning on using the clone machine that I built with just the cutting hanging in it so I can take the neoprene puck out with the plant and drop the roots through my netpots when they are ready. In King Ralphs DIY thread he shows his hanging in net pots, and then he cut one of the net pot bottoms away, so I just got rid of the whole net pot idea and will just have the neoprene collar holding the stem in the mist.


and apparently my last post was lost in the mail.

I just wanted to clarify that the temps the thermomiter is displaying are like this.
the top BIG number is the "outside" probe which is simply in the lower half of the cabinet where I will be making clones but there is no light or heat pad on right now.

the Bottom smaller number is the temp the moms are experiencing. They are always 75-80 with just the T5 on and 1x80mm fan. 75 when I open the door, 80 the rest of the time.

I will be adding more fans and whatnot, so when the clone area is on it should keep the environment nice for everyone.