DWC Bucket Will. Not. Root.

sedate · Feb 7, 2010

I've been trying to transition away from soil to hydrobuckets - so I built this DIY DWC bucket and dropped the best looking GDP clone I had into it - well rooted into rockwool with ample roots showing -

It's been ten days and the thing isn't doing anything. It isn't really growing, isn't really dying, and just sort of looks sad and overwatered.

I followed the DIY DWC bucket instructions exactly -

I'm using RO water with Botanicare ProGrow & a dash of Cal-Mag at 950 - 1000ppm's -depending on how steady I can get my hand - filled up to a inch above the bottom of the netpot. The water is right at 68 degrees.

I have two air pumps running to it - one to an air stone and one open air line wedged in the bottom on the netpot when it looked like it wasn't rooting.

I added a shot of Hormex as well - but that doesn't seem to have helped. I tried to pull the plug up to check it but it looks to have fallen apart - the roots I can see look okay.

By comparison, the second pic are also GDP clones I dropped into Happy Frog the same day.

What the hell am I doing wrong?

I thought these things were supposed to take off like rockets.

Pandaman · Feb 7, 2010

I noticed a quick PH rise every day with these buckets. So much so that I had to PH Down the bucket everyday. I'm no expert, but if the PH has risen to high, your plants are going to hate it IMO.

Hope that helps.

THC Scientific · Feb 7, 2010

I had this problem to, but did you allow the week of just 100ppm nutes? They need to get over the shock before you kick in 1000 ppm of nutes.

This is my schedual.

First week

100ppm's.

Second week, 350

third week 900

firth week of veg 1200

THC Toker · Feb 7, 2010

Hi Sedate,

I always found it best myself to water by hand plants that have just gone into net pots, I do this until they are more settled and the roots are showing signs of development through the bottom of the net pot.
I water plants that have just gone into net pots by slowly placing them into a bucket of correct strength nutrients until the nutrients reach about 1cm up the side of the rock wool block, I then remove it.

Good luck with them.

sedate · Feb 7, 2010

Thanks for the help guys, in reverse order:

THC Toker said:
I always found it best myself to water by hand plants that have just gone into net pots, I do this until they are more settled and the roots are showing signs of development through the bottom of the net pot.

I tried that for the first few days but it didn't seem to be working

How often do you need to water the net pots in that manner before you fill the bucket and grow normally? Like how many times a day - how many hours between waterings?

Suite 215 said:
I had this problem to, but did you allow the week of just 100ppm nutes? They need to get over the shock before you kick in 1000 ppm of nutes.

This is my schedual.

First week

100ppm's.

Second week, 350

third week 900

firth week of veg 1200

Huh. I thought once a well-developed root system appeared (in the rooter I mean) bumping up the ppm was important ... if my nutes are too high though, wouldn't the plant get burned? It has a nice lush green color to it - it just isn't effin growing.

Not argu'n, I'm asking.

What shock is associated with going from rockwool to rockwool and hydroton?

Panda said:
I noticed a quick PH rise every day with these buckets. So much so that I had to PH Down the bucket everyday. I'm no expert, but if the PH has risen to high, your plants are going to hate it IMO.

See I got nothin. As far as I can see the water is exactly the same as when I mixed it and poured it in. No pH rise - no nute ppm drop - no effin roots through the bottom of the pot . . . .

The pH is a tad high for hydro - maybe 6.5 right now - but that is still a fine range and NO NEW ROOTS after 10 days under a big HPS?!

THC Scientific · Feb 7, 2010

The Changes in the surroundings, and sudden nute excess shocks the plant and stunts the growth.

That is how we do it to combat this and it works everytime.

sedate · Feb 7, 2010

I'll remix the bucket and drop the nutes.

I'll let you know how it goes. Where do you keep your pH suite?

lollipopman · Feb 7, 2010

5.5-5.8ph, when i take my clones out of my aerocloner to the dwc they go in shock for about 3 days then bam roots every where...

noone88 · Feb 7, 2010

I think one of the biggest topics that is never discussed is when you transplant a clone/plant from medium to medium.

In your case, rooted in rockwool to hydroton.

The clone will need time to send root through the hydroton before it can resume any normal growth. Hence, it appears overwatered or nute lock out.

I clone exclusively in aerocloners and I only transplant (either to soil, hydroton, or perlite, depending on what i'm doing), when the roots are over a foot long and white (no signs of root rot). This gives the roots the best chance to adapt to it's new medium and will recover from shock within hours instead of days.

For your setup, next time, when roots have appeared in rockwool, place the clone in a netpot with hydroton. Veg in that setup until you see roots going passed the hydroton. Then drop it right into your DWC buckets.

A 1 foot tall vegging plant will recover from transplant shock a lot faster than a 6 inch clone.

THC Scientific · Feb 7, 2010

sedate said:
I'll remix the bucket and drop the nutes.

I'll let you know how it goes. Where do you keep your pH suite?

I keep my ph at 5.2-5.3 because it rises quickly.

But i will let it rise to 6.0 before i adjust again.

But ya next time when you transplant, just only give it little nutes for the first week.

Mr.Therapy Man · Feb 7, 2010

When I first put my clones in buckets it takes almost two weeks before they adjust and start growing again,,,peace

kneegrow · Feb 8, 2010

keep the net pot under water till roots come out of it

Kpezzy · Feb 9, 2010

kneegrow said:
keep the net pot under water till roots come out of it

don't do this ^

Pandaman · Feb 9, 2010

Kpezzy said:
don't do this ^

Should always do this. Keep the water level at bottom inch of the net pot.

Peace

Boots Sugarleaf · Feb 9, 2010

long as there is a lot of oxygen keep it wet till it has sufficient roots, change out the bucket water with a lower ppm also/fresh nutes ph 6 and low ppm

Pandaman · Feb 9, 2010

+1

Great Stuff :)

peabody · Feb 9, 2010

imho i would say no need for second line in top of net pot .?= why 2nd.. rockwool or no rockwool always keep the bottom of your pot at least 1/4 inch in the water. ph may rise faster than soil ok i'll give you that but easy to correct . the best way i have found is make up2 maybe three gals of water ph correct no nutes an slowly add to your res or bucket it will be faster an save on nutes . to get the ph down to the 5.2 to 5.5 range case you know it is going to climb.just my 2cents be safe peabody.

lollipopman · Feb 9, 2010

Ive tried every way you can think, the best for me is roots and stem on the bottom of basket, water 1 inch above the basket...

sedate · Feb 9, 2010

lollipop said:
Ive tried every way you can think, the best for me is roots and stem on the bottom of basket, water 1 inch above the basket...

panda said:
Should always do this. Keep the water level at bottom inch of the net pot.

Right. The water level is at the bottom inch of the netpot.

I dumped the water and remixed it down to 200ppm and ph'd it to 6-6.5 - I'm waiting on a more sensitive meter.

The clone is looking more less the same. It isn't really growing - isn't really dying - it still just looks sad and overwatered.

Near as I can tell I'm doing everything right. I mean - this isn't really very complicated.

:headbang

This is really annoying me.

Kpezzy · Feb 9, 2010

Day 11 for me

DWC Bucket Will. Not. Root.

DWC Bucket Will. Not. Root.

sedate

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DWC Bucket Will. Not. Root.

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