Im Trying To Figure Out My Feeding Schedule

[greentitan]

I have a dwc set up with 5 gallon buckets, im trying to determine how often i should change my resevoir, and when to top up. any help with this is greatly appreciated.

 

[EventHorizan]

I have a dwc set up with 5 gallon buckets, im trying to determine how often i should change my resevoir, and when to top up. any help with this is greatly appreciated.

U need some help buddy,, I help you..
So what you got,, it always helps if you tell me your WHOLE setup, because nutrients/water temps/lights all play an effect in Ec...

 

[greentitan]

ok well i built my own box for starters where im located it was cheaper to build than buy considering i needed it winter proof and money is an issue for me the box its self is just almost 3.5 ft x 3.5 ft x 5.5 ft on the inside , i have a king plus 600 led light, i can control my temp and humidity fairly well, it doesnt stay right at the temp i set it but so far doesnt fluctuate to much more than 5 degrees, up or down from where i set it, i use 2, 4 inch fans to pull new air in and to push old air out, and have a 2 in one heater/fan for moving air around inside of my box and another small fan in the upper corner opposite of the heater/fan, i do not have access to reverse osmosis water, once again im a poor person lol, i had my water tested it has roughly 800 ppm before adding nutrients and is roughly around 7.4 ph, the amount of things already in my water is safe for growing pot with (according to the growers bible anyweays) i have figured out somethings on my own like where my nutrients need to be, i use wild thing nutrients which was suggested to me by a friend who used it with great results but not in a dwc set up, the bottles say to mix 2-2-2 for veg and 4-2-2 for flowering per liter, i use 1.5-1.5-1.5 for veg and 3-1.5-1.5 for flowering, my first grow was ok except that i under fed them in the beginning as i didnt know what amounts to start feeding cause of my water, (i have that figured out now), but im certain my change/top up schedule is not what its supposed to be. i was doing a full change once every 4 days with a top up every 2 day using a liter of water with the above ratios mixed in for either flowering or veg, my first and second grow will be dwarf low flyer seeds an autoflowering variety from crop kings, im using them to learn with as they are a beginner strain (from what im told) my first grow got frosty as heck but lacked bud mass, im pretty sure this is due to either my underfeeding at the start, an improper feed schedule or a combination of both (most likely both)

 

[EventHorizan]

well you are behind the 8 ball with using tap. I have no idea about them nutes.. 800 ppm of tap is hella high... I would go easier on the nutes in dwc.. I would stay under 1 .5 ec, and that seems hard to do with starting ppm of 800...

 

[greentitan]

that is what i said but my friend and the people at the hyroponic store said these nuts are desgined for farm water like mine, so idk what to tell you, ive given you the same info i gave them and ive exhausted my brain on this already to many times trying to figure it out for myself which is ive turned to here

 

[EventHorizan]

that is what i said but my friend and the people at the hyroponic store said these nuts are desgined for farm water like mine, so idk what to tell you, ive given you the same info i gave them and ive exhausted my brain on this already to many times trying to figure it out for myself which is ive turned to here

1. a simple fix would be to buy water at krogers. I bought 2 - 5 gal containers for $15 at rogers and both combined only cost $4 to fill, and they lasted an easy week in just one dwc bucket...

 

[greentitan]

fuck i was hoping to avoid spending money i dont have, oh well guess ill rework the budget and make a snackrifice so i can grow my own meds

 

[EventHorizan]

fuck i was hoping to avoid spending money i dont have, oh well guess ill rework the budget and make a snackrifice so i can grow my own meds

This is expensive! Unless you just buy a t5 and some ffof soil and feed tea lol

 

[greentitan]

no just a seriously tight budget, i got sick awhile aback luckily i was smart and put money away but i only have so much to work with till im cleared to go back to work, and at this rate.......yeah im looking for a new job already

 

[EventHorizan]

no just a seriously tight budget, i got sick awhile aback luckily i was smart and put money away but i only have so much to work with till im cleared to go back to work, and at this rate.......yeah im looking for a new job already

I hear you brother!!

 

[greentitan]

how about rain water, i have an excessive amount of that stuf

 

[EventHorizan]

how about rain water, i have an excessive amount of that stuf

lol i dont know! I think you can.. Go take a ppm reading of it!! This turned out to be a good conversation.. good job homie, now go get us the answer! All you have to do is get a ppm reading.. I think ph will be 7.. check it too, and let me know!

 

[greentitan]

all i have to do is put some kind of pail outside and catch some rain water, its pissing here at the moment but i will get us the answer, just dont hear of to many people doing it, least i havent

 

[EventHorizan]

all i have to do is put some kind of pail outside and catch some rain water, its pissing here at the moment but i will get us the answer, just dont hear of to many people doing it, least i havent

Well we are gonna find out :)

 

[EventHorizan]

Well we are gonna find out :)

I got my money on it will work!

 

[EventHorizan]

all i have to do is put some kind of pail outside and catch some rain water, its pissing here at the moment but i will get us the answer, just dont hear of to many people doing it, least i havent

it is illegal so dont get caught lol!!!! fed offense :cry::cry::cry:

 

[greentitan]

i have nothing to worry about in that department i have enough excuses for why id be testing water, say 3 or 4 thousand fruit bearing plants all with different needs hahaha also i have to restart the cats were trying to drink from the water in the pail i set out and fell in lol

 

[EventHorizan]

i have nothing to worry about in that department i have enough excuses for why id be testing water, say 3 or 4 thousand fruit bearing plants all with different needs hahaha also i have to restart the cats were trying to drink from the water in the pail i set out and fell in lol

lol ok then!

 

[h4ppyf4rmer]

I don't know if I can help, but, here's what I do:
I have a six 5-gal bucket RDWC system with a 40-gal res(only uses about 20-gal in the res), The only time I change the res is when I'm changing nutrient ratios or I've gone beyond 6 weeks without a change. Ive read so many different opinions about when to change the res. I've read everything from "I change the res twice a week" to "I never change my res except between grows". so what works for me is about 3 changes for the whole grow cycle. when I top off, I usually just top with tap water. when the EC drops, I add nutes to keep the EC level where I want it for the appropriate grow phase.

example:
my tap water is .45 ec or 225 on the .5 ppm scale
I use the GH 3 part flora series (gro, micro, bloom)

1. for the first 3 weeks of veg I use(on the current grow) 3g:2m:1b at a 1.0 ec or 500ppm (very light on the nutes)
2. after 3 weeks, I bump up the nutes to 1.4ec (700 ppm)
3. at the 6 week mark(start of bloom, light cycle change), I change the res and start with a 1g:1m:1b ration at around 1.6 ec (800ppm), only for 2 weeks.
4. at the 8 week mark(two weeke into bloom), I start using a 1g:2m:3b to increase my ec to 2.0ec (1000 ppm)
5. at week 12 (6 weeks into bloom) I change res and and add add 1g:2m:3b to get back to my 2.0ec (1000ppm)
6. roughly 2 weeks before I think I want to harvest, I stop adding any nutes and just keep topping off with just water.

note 1: I always top with just water and adjust the nutes after topping off the res.
note 2: when I change the res, I'm never empting the whole system, when the res is empty, the buckets still half full.
note 3: I think this cycle, instead of just stopping the nutes on the last two weeks, I'm going to change the res with just water to help the plants use up the stored nutes in the leave more
note 4: keep in mind, I tend to run my nutes kind of light compared to others, but I haven't had an issue with staving plants yet. More nutes does not mean bigger plants, appropriate nutes means healthy plants };-)

I hope this helps a little };-)

 

[EventHorizan]

I don't know if I can help, but, here's what I do:
I have a six 5-gal bucket RDWC system with a 40-gal res(only uses about 20-gal in the res), The only time I change the res is when I'm changing nutrient ratios or I've gone beyond 6 weeks without a change. Ive read so many different opinions about when to change the res. I've read everything from "I change the res twice a week" to "I never change my res except between grows". so what works for me is about 3 changes for the whole grow cycle. when I top off, I usually just top with tap water. when the EC drops, I add nutes to keep the EC level where I want it for the appropriate grow phase.

example:
my tap water is .45 ec or 225 on the .5 ppm scale
I use the GH 3 part flora series (gro, micro, bloom)

1. for the first 3 weeks of veg I use(on the current grow) 3g:2m:1b at a 1.0 ec or 500ppm (very light on the nutes)
2. after 3 weeks, I bump up the nutes to 1.4ec (700 ppm)
3. at the 6 week mark(start of bloom, light cycle change), I change the res and start with a 1g:1m:1b ration at around 1.6 ec (800ppm), only for 2 weeks.
4. at the 8 week mark(two weeke into bloom), I start using a 1g:2m:3b to increase my ec to 2.0ec (1000 ppm)
5. at week 12 (6 weeks into bloom) I change res and and add add 1g:2m:3b to get back to my 2.0ec (1000ppm)
6. roughly 2 weeks before I think I want to harvest, I stop adding any nutes and just keep topping off with just water.

note 1: I always top with just water and adjust the nutes after topping off the res.
note 2: when I change the res, I'm never empting the whole system, when the res is empty, the buckets still half full.
note 3: I think this cycle, instead of just stopping the nutes on the last two weeks, I'm going to change the res with just water to help the plants use up the stored nutes in the leave more
note 4: keep in mind, I tend to run my nutes kind of light compared to others, but I haven't had an issue with staving plants yet. More nutes does not mean bigger plants, appropriate nutes means healthy plants };-)

I hope this helps a little };-)

Not bad! Pretty decent plan! Do u just use the 3 part, or do you use the rest of the GH line in the feed schedule?
Also your starting ppm of your tap is 225,, he said his was 800 :(
Thats crazy high...