Do you flush straight water between changes?

DillyTrying2Learn · Nov 28, 2024

How many of you are flushing out your system and roots with just straight water before you put new nutes into your system? A buddy is telling me I should be emptying my system weekly which I do, but then putting just straight water in it for an hour or so and draining that then adding the new nutes to the system. This seems excessive to me if you aren't having problems. I have yet to flush with straight water between any changes.

Natep · Nov 28, 2024

DillyTrying2Learn said:
How many of you are flushing out your system and roots with just straight water before you put new nutes into your system? A buddy is telling me I should be emptying my system weekly which I do, but then putting just straight water in it for an hour or so and draining that then adding the new nutes to the system. This seems excessive to me if you aren't having problems. I have yet to flush with straight water between any changes.

One of the reasons I love living soil. No flushing needed.

DillyTrying2Learn · Nov 28, 2024

Natep said:
One of the reasons I love living soil. No flushing needed.

Yeah, how are all those gnats and bugs in your house? I love hydro because it's ridiculously clean.

TheGreek_978 · Feb 12, 2025

I would always flush once a week and I would just flush and refill with fresh water and just add nutes. I never had an issue doing this

Choppr · Feb 12, 2025

DillyTrying2Learn said:
How many of you are flushing out your system and roots with just straight water before you put new nutes into your system? A buddy is telling me I should be emptying my system weekly which I do, but then putting just straight water in it for an hour or so and draining that then adding the new nutes to the system. This seems excessive to me if you aren't having problems. I have yet to flush with straight water between any changes.

Dilly Your in DWC right? I feel the need for a follow up question! Why? to what benefit? Have your Buddy explain, maybe we both learn something? - lol

Our Plants dont like drastic changes in any Hydro System, its why we do incremental changes to our Nutrient Solutions (wkly or every other mix, depending on stages, health & vigor) The Plants get use to the small adjustments, and next wk another new small adjustment etc. etc. - They come to expect their fertigation's and their adjustments. I can see no good reason to do the extra step of Plain water on DWC?

*If i suspected an Issue, "like after 2-3 days of high water temps", (or if I seen some browning roots/scum) I would often do a 1/2 hr. root dip in Hypochlorous.

*If You're running a Sterile System - there's no good reason, because your already in a sterile solution.
*if You're running a living System - there are colonized organisms living in the root mass, these microbes are dependent on the mix solutions for food.

*I mean an Hour in Plain water isn't going to harm them per say, but I still ask why? DWC is already demanding on its Own, especially multi- plant systems.

*In Coco a mild flush/fill can be hugely beneficial - In Coco sometimes I long Veg them, and after pumping Nitrogen for 9-10 wks(leaves can look so green that their blue - lol) I may run 2 gal of just pH water through the Coco prior to adding their gallon of New Mix Solution, but this is just a mild flush/fill fertigation just to purge excess Nitrogen/Salts out Prior to the Stretch. That's just resetting the Rhizome!

In DWC there is no media to Purge, the water is the media.

Right On!

Florida_Mike · Feb 13, 2025

I grow in rockwool and flush religiously once per week
to keep excess salts from building up in the slabs. My
mother is in DWC and gets flushed every 2 weeks. This
is what I was taught and has always worked, so I'm not
going to change it up and jinx myself.

marzig · Feb 17, 2025

I don't see any reason to flush the entire system before replacing nutes. I have my fresh replacement nutes fully mixed and stabilized in a garbage can. Once a week I pump out entire system getting as much old out as possible. Then immediately reverse the hoses and pump in the new mix.

Seems like a lot of extra work and water to me. I use 100% ro water and wouldn't even have that much available to try.

amneziaHaze · Feb 17, 2025

DillyTrying2Learn said:
How many of you are flushing out your system and roots with just straight water before you put new nutes into your system? A buddy is telling me I should be emptying my system weekly which I do, but then putting just straight water in it for an hour or so and draining that then adding the new nutes to the system. This seems excessive to me if you aren't having problems. I have yet to flush with straight water between any changes.

I did whole grows with 1 water change and that was only because i made a mistake... you dont have to trow away good nutes.

Only reason i would flush if i got root rot and wanted the roots to be in some fresh chlore but clear water will pull nutes out of the plant you will notice after a few days water ppm raises

marzig · Feb 17, 2025

amneziaHaze said:
I did whole grows with 1 water change and that was only because i made a mistake... you dont have to trow away good nutes.

Only reason i would flush if i got root rot and wanted the roots to be in some fresh chlore but clear water will pull nutes out of the plant you will notice after a few days water ppm raises

Do you still do only 1 water change per grow?

I'm setting up a new larger tent where I'll have 2 buckets rdwc and 2 completely separate autopots to do a side by side comparison. Same seeds and nutes but I'm thinking that I can push the ec much higher in the autopots res.

DillyTrying2Learn · Feb 17, 2025

marzig said:
I don't see any reason to flush the entire system before replacing nutes. I have my fresh replacement nutes fully mixed and stabilized in a garbage can. Once a week I pump out entire system getting as much old out as possible. Then immediately reverse the hoses and pump in the new mix.

Seems like a lot of extra work and water to me. I use 100% ro water and wouldn't even have that much available to try.

View attachment 2379404

This is how I currently do it, I have a 55gal drum with a float valve hooked to my RO system and then another 55gal drum for mixing nutes before hand. Let me ask you another question since you use RO water, do you add a buffer before mixing the nutes in?

Natep · Feb 17, 2025

DillyTrying2Learn said:
Yeah, how are all those gnats and bugs in your house? I love hydro because it's ridiculously clean.

Don’t have any. Great part of organics. I use beneficial nematodes in the soil and predator mites. It keeps all the eco system at bay. With hydro you have zero defense. Once one bug makes it in you are screwed. Not to mention the terms from an organic grow are amazing.

marzig · Feb 17, 2025

DillyTrying2Learn said:
This is how I currently do it, I have a 55gal drum with a float valve hooked to my RO system and then another 55gal drum for mixing nutes before hand. Let me ask you another question since you use RO water, do you add a buffer before mixing the nutes in?

I don't use a buffer. I use Botanicare products now. I'll be trying Athena Pro next because I do get some sediments with Botanicare which is supposed to be bad for Autopots.

I mix my nutes over a period of a couple days keeping it under aeration. First I add silica and let that mix well. Then cal-mag with some extra mag from epsom. Next day I add the nutes to an ec around 1.4. The next day I check ph and it's usually around 5.3 to 5.4. I adjust it up to 5.8 with GH ph up and it usually stays pretty stable.

DillyTrying2Learn · Feb 17, 2025

Natep said:
Don’t have any. Great part of organics. I use beneficial nematodes in the soil and predator mites. It keeps all the eco system at bay. With hydro you have zero defense. Once one bug makes it in you are screwed. Not to mention the terms from an organic grow are amazing.

I have plenty of friends who grow "live soil" and you act like it's this fool proof plan, if you haven't had pests, you will... no you're not just screwed if a bug makes it in lol, plenty of microbial stuff you can use in hydro. I couldn't imagine needing to feel so good about how you do something, that you'd go comment on something completely different being like oh that's why I do this... Thanks for your absolutely zero input!!!

amneziaHaze · Feb 17, 2025

marzig said:
Do you still do only 1 water change per grow?

I'm setting up a new larger tent where I'll have 2 buckets rdwc and 2 completely separate autopots to do a side by side comparison. Same seeds and nutes but I'm thinking that I can push the ec much higher in the autopots res.

Aim is 0 changes but somethimes i make mistakes i have no idea what the problem is

Do you flush straight water between changes?

Do you flush straight water between changes?

DillyTrying2Learn

Natep

DillyTrying2Learn

TheGreek_978

Choppr

Florida_Mike

At the edge of the map, blowing kisses at dragons.

marzig

amneziaHaze

marzig

DillyTrying2Learn

Natep

marzig

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