Questions for the hydro people.

[GoodShit97]

I think I want to try my hand at DWC.
So i figured i should start this thread and see if its actually something id be able to do.
What are must haves to be successful?
What do i need to have at the bare minimum to do this, im on a tight budget so i cant really afford a bunch of stuff.

I can get Fox Farm hydroponic grow big from my father in law next time he comes down. He has RW cubes i could get a few of too.

But i have no clue what i should and should not get. I havent even looked online yet i figured this would be my first stop and see if im actually going to want to do this lol.


Also, if i chose to go through with it, which one of you hydro gurus is willing to walk a complete idiot through this?

 

[tobh]

Sterile = the only shit living in your nutrient solution is the root mass. You ensure sterility by using a corrosive agent (pool shock or hydrogen peroxide). This is the simplest approach because you don't deal with bacterial blooms that subsequently cause huge swings in pH and a slough of other issues.

Live = you inoculate the solution with beneficial bacteria and enzymes which help break down organic matter and hopefully prevent bad pathogens, like pythium (root rot), from taking hold. res temps are much more critical unless you do oxygen injection like @Aqua Man and the system, imo, is more fragile as a result. Definitely recommend against running a live res while you first get your footing in hydro.

You will most definitely save money in the long run. It's also way easier to pour your media down the drain than it is to dispose of it somewhere else. It's cleaner, so you won't deal with bugs as much (nor risk bringing in an infestation via a manufacturer's dirt). Once the learning curve around pH, EC, and temps is tackled, it gets almost stupid simple in comparison to soil. Plus, you don't have to worry about overwatering because, well, your medium is water for the most part lol

 

[Aqua Man]

I guess i just dont really understand any of it is what it comes down to lmao

Yeah that’s understandable… fear of the unknown. If you do it right its easy. Try to cut corners and your better off in soil

 

[Aqua Man]

Sterile = the only shit living in your nutrient solution is the root mass. You ensure sterility by using a corrosive agent (pool shock or hydrogen peroxide). This is the simplest approach because you don't deal with bacterial blooms that subsequently cause huge swings in pH and a slough of other issues.

Live = you inoculate the solution with beneficial bacteria and enzymes which help break down organic matter and hopefully prevent bad pathogens, like pythium (root rot), from taking hold.

You will most definitely save money in the long run. It's also way easier to pour your media down the drain than it is to dispose of it somewhere else. It's cleaner, so you won't deal with bugs as much (nor risk bringing in an infestation via a manufacturer's dirt). Once the learning curve around pH, EC, and temps is tackled, it gets almost stupid simple in comparison to soil. Plus, you don't have to worry about overwatering because, well, your medium is water for the most part lol

And unlike soik when you have an issue it can be immediately corrected… you cant just strip all your dirt away and replace it because you fucked it up lol

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

I guess i just dont really understand any of it is what it comes down to lmao

Experience is the best teacher. Go for it!

 

[GoodShit97]

Experience is the best teacher. Go for it!

Itll be a fall project for sure, need to get a list together of all the shit i will need for a 2 site rdwc, then ill start buying stuff piece by piece.

 

[tobh]

referencing Current Culture's documentation may be of assistance as well. I relied heavily on their specs when designing the system I'll finally get around to building within the next few months. here's a solid example, take a look at the diagrams and reverse engineer what you see for inspiration in your own system. https://cch2o.com/products/under-current-rdwc-hydroponics-system-8-gallon-18-spacing/

 

[GoodShit97]

Not gonna lie, my dumb ass will probably just buy a system i have to put together.
Im not your "DIY" guy. I fuck everything up lol.

 

[GoodShit97]

Or ill have to look at one thats been put together and works correctly. I could probably manage making a 2 site system, its the leaks i worry about lol.

 

[Aqua Man]

Not gonna lie, my dumb ass will probably just buy a system i have to put together.
Im not your "DIY" guy. I fuck everything up lol.

Thats what i call learning…. I try to learn something every day lol. Maybe that makes me odd

 

[GoodShit97]

Thats what i call learning…. I try to learn something every day lol. Maybe that makes me odd

Ill end up having to build one. Looks like they're wicked expensive once theyve been built.

 

[Aqua Man]

Ill end up having to build one. Looks like they're wicked expensive once theyve been built.

If ya need help just let me know… hell i did my first on in a home depot bucket with an air stone… total cost of parts was like $4 cause i uad an air pump and stones lol.

Let ne tell ya i got into RDWC right after… fucking water changes with no volume sucks… could do it on the cheap with 2 black pails. A $20 pump and some PVC fittings. You really dont need 2-3” for something that size. My first rdwc was 1” PVC returns and it worked plenty fine… you just want to grow smaller plants. If you want bigger plants and more of them thats where the money comes in

 

[GoodShit97]

If ya need help just let me know… hell i did my first on in a home depot bucket with an air stone… total cost of parts was like $4 cause i uad an air pump and stones lol.

Let ne tell ya i got into RDWC right after… fucking water changes with no volume sucks… could do it on the cheap with 2 black pails. A $20 pump and some PVC fittings. You really dont need 2-3” for something that size. My first rdwc was 1” PVC returns and it worked plenty fine… you just want to grow smaller plants. If you want bigger plants and more of them thats where the money comes in

So what all would i need for a 2 site rdwc that'll fit in a 3x3x6?
2 10 gallon totes for the plants and what for a res?
Circulation pumps?
Air stones?
Air pumps?
2" piping be ok?
What kind of fittings?

Forrrrkkkk meeee ive got a lot to look up lmao

 

[GoodShit97]

And would GH flora series be a good place to start nutrient wise?

 

[Aqua Man]

So what all would i need for a 2 site rdwc that'll fit in a 3x3x6?
2 10 gallon totes for the plants and what for a res?
Circulation pumps?
Air stones?
Air pumps?
2" piping be ok?
What kind of fittings?

Forrrrkkkk meeee ive got a lot to look up lmao

Ph and pom meter is a must. Cheap ppm will do but ph meter should be decent… apera comes to mind for a decent budget ph meter.

Id go 1 plant and a res. Even a 5 gal oail will work for the site. 20 or so gal tote for a res… home depot has tons with the yellow lid.

1.5-2” PVC and bulkheads. With the smaller PVC you can get away with the plastic bulkheads for a 5 gal pail but need to keep it about 3” from the bottom so there is flex in the pail.

A small water pump thats over 20gph and tubing to fit

 

[GoodShit97]

Ph and pom meter is a must. Cheap ppm will do but ph meter should be decent… apera comes to mind for a decent budget ph meter.

Id go 1 plant and a res. Even a 5 gal oail will work for the site. 20 or so gal tote for a res… home depot has tons with the yellow lid.

1.5-2” PVC and bulkheads. With the smaller PVC you can get away with the plastic bulkheads for a 5 gal pail but need to keep it about 3” from the bottom so there is flex in the pail.

A small water pump thats over 20gph and tubing to fit

Ok sounds good man. Ill get this planned out over the next couple months.

Could i run a 2 site system in a 3x3 down the road if i end up liking this adventure or you think its to small for that?

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Ok sounds good man. Ill get this planned out over the next couple months.

Could i run a 2 site system in a 3x3 down the road if i end up liking this adventure or you think its to small for that?

Personally, I would run one site for the first go, get your feet wet while keeping it as simple as possible. You can easily fill a 3x3 in 5 weeks veg.

 

[GoodShit97]

This would prolly be the best bucket being its square?

 

[tobh]

Personally, I would run one site for the first go, get your feet wet while keeping it as simple as possible. You can easily fill a 3x3 in 5 weeks veg.

haha yeah, i think that's an understatement. you gotta prepare for the insane growth rates. it's very easy to flip too late and completely overgrow your space.

 

[GoodShit97]

Personally, I would run one site for the first go, get your feet wet while keeping it as simple as possible. You can easily fill a 3x3 in 5 weeks veg.

Right on, like ive said i know nothing about this so im just guessing lol.

 

[Aqua Man]

haha yeah, i think that's an understatement. you gotta prepare for the insane growth rates. it's very easy to flip too late and completely overgrow your space.

Yeah in usually 2-3 weeks and flip

 

[GoodShit97]

Jeez i feel like.getting this set up and started is going to be harder than the actual growing part lmao.

 

[Aqua Man]

This would prolly be the best bucket being its square? View attachment 5261

That’ll work

 

[GoodShit97]

Once i have the supplies i need, ill come back and get help putting it together so i dont screw it all up lol.

 

[SweetLeafGrow]

Look up PA hydroponics. Gary has a build video for his RDWC systems that will be very helpful to you when the time comes.

 

[GoodShit97]

Look up PA hydroponics. Gary has a build video for his RDWC systems that will be very helpful to you when the time comes.

Awesome. I was going to watch some build videos tomorrow while my wife is at work.

 

[Habosabin]

My buddy is doing hempy buckets and having amazing results. That would be an easy way to start without the electric parts.

 

[tobh]

for punching the holes, i like using a hole saw in a drill, run it in reverse instead of normal direction so the teeth don't bind up in the plastic and crack it. then, a steel file works great for cleaning up the edges.

 

[smoke]

I started with DWC, and quickly grew to hate it. Between the noisy ass air pump and general PITA of res changeouts, bubble buckets just feel like a child's science experiment rather than a productive method. just my opinion.

that being said, you can set up a flood and drain system fairly easily and have an easier time imo. you could easily fit it in your smaller space, too, depending on height constraints. some 1 gallon fabric pots filled with hydroton, coco chips, rock, insert-inert-media-here, a couple sterilite or rubbermade totes, a small water pump, some bulkhead fittings, and you're good to go for ~$75 all in on equipment. then you need proper nutrients, pH buffers, meters, and ideally h2o2 to keep it simple, and you'll be ready to rock.

or, you could also pick up some rockwool unislabs and do a DTW style. if you give me about a month or two i'll be ordering another box and would gladly throw you onto a few unislabs and delta blocks. once i get my setup put back together, you can take a look at the plumbing and whatnot. it's a bit more expensive but if you're gonna do this as a winter project you can piece stuff together over time.

Didn't you say you would be setting up a 6 site rdwc?

 

[midwestcannaman]

Yeah ive got a lot more reading to do that i originally thought. You hydro guys make things look so simple.... and im over here still trying to figure out live vs sterile

I vote live, and honestly. I started with dwc and still do a plant in a 5 gallon every once in awhile. I'm with Tobh on this one. I moved onto flood and drain and never turned back. To me it's one of the cheapest and most simple systems to run. A tote, concrete mixing tub, a flood and drain fitting kit, timer, and a water pump. Stupid simple and easy as hell to learn. Mix up a res, set your ec and ph and flood it every couple hours......

 

[GoodShit97]

1 Plant 5gal Stirponic RDWC System

PA Hydroponics is central PA's largest and most well-stocked hydroponics and indoor gardening store offering a great level of service, quality of inventory, and expertise. We ship anywhere in the United States and have everything you need to keep you growing.

shop.pahydroponics.com

So is this kinda what im trying to build here?

All im really finding are 2 site systems and larger and until i see what im trying to do, im so fucken lost