Drip vs DWC vs ???, opinions please

a4twenty · Dec 1, 2020

looking for a way to go legal up here in Canukistan. been growing OD for 30+ years and indoor hydro for 20+..... i mean ever since it became legal.

currently do a SOG ebb and flow on a 4' table but our legal limt is 4 and i don't see them accepting "yes, i have more than 4 but i flower them really small."

used to keep mothers using drip with hydroton to feed the table but have long since just made my own fem seeds. the biggest downside i remember was having to keep the plants above the res so they could drain properly, so you lost a bit of height.

been hanging out here and a CAN forum and don't see much mention of drip but a lot about DWC.

space isn't an issue except the 7'8" ceiling in the basement... - light fixture, stand off and pot height. i run a 1000w and really prefer HID to LED but maybe i just haven't seen the right LED yet. i just know that even my 20 year old back up magnetic ballast kicks all my friends LED systems and only needs a bulb replacement every so often while they have to replace the whole fixture once a part of it burns out.

the plan is to SCROG my legal limt but i am looking for input as to why i should grow DWC, drip or something completely different and why you think that way.

i look forward to your responses and greatly appreciate any input you may have.

TripsRabbit · Dec 1, 2020

Drip dtw coco gives you the best of both worlds

a4twenty · Dec 1, 2020

TripsRabbit said:
Drip dtw coco gives you the best of both worlds

will look into it

in your opinion, what makes coco more desirable than something like hydroton?

Aqua Man · Dec 1, 2020

I take your friends leds are amazon specials?

Done RDWC, peat based/perlite and now coco.

DWC will give fastest growth but may require more expensive equipment like chillers and typically will increase the starting height reducing your head space when compared to soil, coco, rockwool.

Personally after trying them im going to stay in coco... autofeed and drain make it easy and the growth is very close to pure hydro. Extremely good media for microbes which is a big plus over DWC. Plus no need to cool the feed res as DO will not be an issue like in DWC.

Few ways to get it done but if going coco you will absolutely want an autofeed system. High fertigation is key... coco is not soil and almost impossible to over water. Pot size will determine if perlite is beneficial and at what ratio as well as volume of feed per event.

Dirtbag · Dec 1, 2020

Also, if you want to grow more than 4 plants you can. Itll just cost you a couple hundred bucks a year for a license.

a4twenty · Dec 2, 2020

Dirtbag said:
Also, if you want to grow more than 4 plants you can. Itll just cost you a couple hundred bucks a year for a license.

i don't want the attention, flown under the radar this long. dont see any benefit from supplying my name, address etc... I'm sure they would not approve of all my seeds and I'm sure i wouldn't have the proper license for that or have paid the proper "taxes".

basically old hippy that doesn't trust the man.

a4twenty · Dec 2, 2020

Aqua Man said:
I take your friends leds are amazon specials?

Done RDWC, peat based/perlite and now coco.

DWC will give fastest growth but may require more expensive equipment like chillers and typically will increase the starting height reducing your head space when compared to soil, coco, rockwool.

Personally after trying them im going to stay in coco... autofeed and drain make it easy and the growth is very close to pure hydro. Extremely good media for microbes which is a big plus over DWC. Plus no need to cool the feed res as DO will not be an issue like in DWC.

Few ways to get it done but if going coco you will absolutely want an autofeed system. High fertigation is key... coco is not soil and almost impossible to over water. Pot size will determine if perlite is beneficial and at what ratio as well as volume of feed per event.

some were amazon specials some not, ranging $500 to over $1000. they dont look as bright, dont produce as well and have a nasty habit of partially or completely failing after a couple years.

i'll have to do some more research on coco but drain to waste seems like a real hassle when i can just use hydroton and a recirculating remote reservoir.

my biggest problem right now is that my hydro store sold a few years ago and i cant understand a word the new owners say. i started going to the big box store of hydro but they temporarily closed my local for the vid and their main location is currently in a lockdown region.

anyone done both hydroton and coco? if so how do you compare them?

i did a Google search and apparently some like to mix both in the same system, looks like I've got some reading to do.

thanks for the responses guys

PhatNuggz · Dec 2, 2020

There are many ways to skin that cat. Hydroton is messy. I switched to lava rock which worked great, but it still sluffed off. In that grow some 6 years ago, I used a first generation BML SPYDR 600 led (~ 360w actual) that I collaborated with Nick (then owner) to develop a mixed mono diode spectrum. I was doing a top feed drip with Hydro Halo Rings fed via a large low pressure pump in the rez on a timer. Containers were Air Pots. nutes cascaded through then drained back into the rez. See first picture. Subsequent pics were in the 2 plant DIY F & D. For 4 plants you could DIY a manifold using tubing and valves

I now use polished ornamental stones, but gravel works fine too.

hth

Aqua Man · Dec 2, 2020

Its pretty simple no matter what mix you use... the more drainage the faster the growth and the more often nutrient application is needed. It's not rocket science.

a4twenty · Dec 3, 2020

Aqua Man said:
Its pretty simple no matter what mix you use... the more drainage the faster the growth and the more often nutrient application is needed. It's not rocket science.

i did much the same as PhatNuggz with net pots full of hydroton suspended in 5g pails. drip from above for 5-10 minures an hour that ran down the roots and passively back to the reservoir, so drainage was instant.

gonna call around and see if there are any shops letting people in.

thanks again for all the responses guys

a4twenty · Dec 3, 2020

PhatNuggz said:
There are many ways to skin that cat. Hydroton is messy. I switched to lava rock which worked great, but it still sluffed off. In that grow some 6 years ago, I used a first generation BML SPYDR 600 led (~ 360w actual) that I collaborated with Nick (then owner) to develop a mixed mono diode spectrum. I was doing a top feed drip with Hydro Halo Rings fed via a large low pressure pump in the rez on a timer. Containers were Air Pots. nutes cascaded through then drained back into the rez. See first picture. Subsequent pics were in the 2 plant DIY F & D. For 4 plants you could DIY a manifold using tubing and valves

I now use polished ornamental stones, but gravel works fine too.

hth

very interesting, thanks for the explanation and pics.

pretty much how i used to do it with the hydroton, dont remember it being messy but am definitely open to new ideas. your polished stones has me thinking about aquarium gravel, might be worth a soak and ph check.....

thanks

Drip vs DWC vs ???, opinions please

Drip vs DWC vs ???, opinions please

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