First RDWC Grow - Taking the Deep Water Culture Plunge

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Aqua Man

Aqua Man

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How did I not know this? Just wow. And not a little bit,

"As Nitrogen applications increased from 30 to 320 mg L−1 N, Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) decreased by 69% and 63% respectively."
Yeah but 320ppm of nitrogen is about 3x as much as i run at the highest. Typically i never run over 120ish

Tbh i dont know a single grower ever even close to that level of nitrogen.
 
SweetLeafGrow

SweetLeafGrow

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What I do is the paper towel method until the seed pops. Then once I see the direction the root is taking I put it pointed down into a rockwool cube. Once it roots thru the rockwool, treat it just like a clone, with the exception that it has a tap root and that dude will keep going south until it finds some resistance. That's a little different in RDWC because we are not germing in solo cups.

I'll try to dig up some pics.

Edit sorry these are shit but it’s what I got on my phone at the moment
Thanks for all that great info Moe! I have seen where AquaMan has talked about something called rapid rooters or something like that. I'm trying to figure out which one would be best. I found an article on using Rock Wool and it looks to be a bit involved but nothing I cannot succeed with I believe. I would be curious to hear your opinions on this topic @Aqua Man and perhaps the differences between Rock Wool and the rapid starters.

It appears time is flying by and I was thinking all day that I was just a couple of days past week 1 of flower in the RDWC but I checked my notes and today is actually day 15!

Learned a good lesson today and hopefully it won't cost anything. I had an appt with a friend early this morning to help him work on his house but I needed to get the inline fan taken out when the lights are on so I can raise the light some because I was running out of headroom with the stretch. Lights are off at 2pm and I figured I might not be home in time so I pulled the fan, raised the light before I left so the plants wouldn't burn and figured I would hook everything back up when I got home. When I got home I thought I had a disaster. I opened the tent and there was water all over the floor of the tent and I originally thought I had a leak in the system. As I looked closer, it looked like someone sprayed the inside of the tent with a garden hose! The walls were drenched and lots of moisture on some of the leaves that were touching each other.

I had no idea the humidity would take off like that without that fan running, but it sure did! I looked at the monitor and it was a whopping 89% and that was after I had the tent open for a few minutes. Anyhow, I wiped the walls and floor down, got the fan back in service, cranked up the other two fans and everything has dried out before lights went off at 2pm.

Other than that, cruising along and as far as I can tell, very well. The root ball is massive, nice and white, all conditions except humidity dialed in. Going to bring in the dehumidifier later this eve to try to get the RH down around 40%.

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As a side note, my Zinnias are in full bloom in my pallet garden!

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Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
Thanks for all that great info Moe! I have seen where AquaMan has talked about something called rapid rooters or something like that. I'm trying to figure out which one would be best. I found an article on using Rock Wool and it looks to be a bit involved but nothing I cannot succeed with I believe. I would be curious to hear your opinions on this topic @Aqua Man and perhaps the differences between Rock Wool and the rapid starters.

It appears time is flying by and I was thinking all day that I was just a couple of days past week 1 of flower in the RDWC but I checked my notes and today is actually day 15!

Learned a good lesson today and hopefully it won't cost anything. I had an appt with a friend early this morning to help him work on his house but I needed to get the inline fan taken out when the lights are on so I can raise the light some because I was running out of headroom with the stretch. Lights are off at 2pm and I figured I might not be home in time so I pulled the fan, raised the light before I left so the plants wouldn't burn and figured I would hook everything back up when I got home. When I got home I thought I had a disaster. I opened the tent and there was water all over the floor of the tent and I originally thought I had a leak in the system. As I looked closer, it looked like someone sprayed the inside of the tent with a garden hose! The walls were drenched and lots of moisture on some of the leaves that were touching each other.

I had no idea the humidity would take off like that without that fan running, but it sure did! I looked at the monitor and it was a whopping 89% and that was after I had the tent open for a few minutes. Anyhow, I wiped the walls and floor down, got the fan back in service, cranked up the other two fans and everything has dried out before lights went off at 2pm.

Other than that, cruising along and as far as I can tell, very well. The root ball is massive, nice and white, all conditions except humidity dialed in. Going to bring in the dehumidifier later this eve to try to get the RH down around 40%.

View attachment 1268597

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As a side note, my Zinnias are in full bloom in my pallet garden!

View attachment 1268599
So in hydro i prefer rapid rooters as they are easy to use and hold less water then RW. Now many use RW with great success but they can stay a bit to wet for seeds and clones when forst put into a system. As long as you know what your working with then thats not an issue.

The true rapid rooters come soaked in a good mix of light nutrients and hormones to aid in rooting so i just find them to check all the boxes.

With that said as ling as you understand the rooting media your working with a few simple changes to things and you can start in pretty much whatever you like and eventually you just kinda find one that works the best for you and your tendencies. Im just trying out pure coco this time and so far so good… cheap af but time will tell. So far im loving it.
 
Moe.Red

Moe.Red

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I’ve had that humidity problem too. I just upgraded my dehumidifier again to 190l. External. Rh can be a bastard on these hydro systems. Way more than soil.

I don’t use any hormones on the rock wool so rapid rooters may be easier. I really don’t think there is much to making seedlings. Just water control light and temp/rh in the right proportions is all I’ve ever needed. I don’t even give nutes until roots develop.

Once you see roots coming out of the sides and bottom I stick them in the veg tent which is all new for me this time. I’m doing fogponics with a few extras. When they get roots thru the net pot they go in the big tent. Nothin to it. Could do it all right in your main tent. Just have to top feed until roots reach the water.

This and a pump on a timer running from your res will get you over the hump.

Bloom Brothers GGWR06 Inch Hydro Halo Water 6" W/3 Leg Support https://a.co/d/a9ln9ig
 
Aqua Man

Aqua Man

26,480
638
I’ve had that humidity problem too. I just upgraded my dehumidifier again to 190l. External. Rh can be a bastard on these hydro systems. Way more than soil.

I don’t use any hormones on the rock wool so rapid rooters may be easier. I really don’t think there is much to making seedlings. Just water control light and temp/rh in the right proportions is all I’ve ever needed. I don’t even give nutes until roots develop.

Once you see roots coming out of the sides and bottom I stick them in the veg tent which is all new for me this time. I’m doing fogponics with a few extras. When they get roots thru the net pot they go in the big tent. Nothin to it. Could do it all right in your main tent. Just have to top feed until roots reach the water.

This and a pump on a timer running from your res will get you over the hump.

Bloom Brothers GGWR06 Inch Hydro Halo Water 6" W/3 Leg Support https://a.co/d/a9ln9ig
100% i should have mentioned the rooting hormones are more for clones. Seeds dont really need then at all. Great point @Moe.Red

Some reason i always equate that what im doing is what someone else is and once again the reason assuming is not a good practice
 
Moe.Red

Moe.Red

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313
100% i should have mentioned the rooting hormones are more for clones. Seeds dont really need then at all. Great point @Moe.Red

Some reason i always equate that what im doing is what someone else is and once again the reason assuming is not a good practice
Yeah I think he was asking about starting in seed because he did clones last time and wants to try seeds.

For clones I agree hormones are a big benefit. Pushes undifferentiated cells towards root formation.
 
SweetLeafGrow

SweetLeafGrow

1,467
263
Day 16 flower and I had a bit of time to make a better update.

Indeed, I am finding it more and more difficult to control temp and humidity and it's been a very hot summer in my neck of the woods. The dehuey puts off a lot of heat but temps have been fairly good in the morning at least, right around 80F in the tent. 98F forecast for today so we will see how effective I will be able to keep those temps down with 50%+ RH. The good news is the RH drops significantly in the ambient air which may or may not help me but I'm fixin to find out! I'm running 3 fans which includes an inline to vent out into the room, main problem with that is I cannot open any vent flaps especially during dark hours so I'm going to do the best I can and keep the air moving and watch for any excess leaf transpiration on each other....so far not seeing any at all.

I have also done a shit ton of defoliation, way more than I am used to doing. I stripped most everything below the net trellis about the time I flipped and have been doing bits of large fan leaf removal here and there but not too much at one time. I know IG always does the last major defoliation at day 21 so I will probably follow that lead and work towards that goal of being finished with that by this time next week.

The stretch is definitely on and I have had to raise the light as high as I can get it now that the inline fan is out of the way. I'm fairly confident she will be done stretching by this time next week but it's going to be close! Holy cow!!! That tent is filling up fast!

Here are a few more photos and lastly, one of my greenhouse grow. I haven't had much time to work up a thread on that but may be able to soon, we'll see. Starting my kitchen remodel very soon and I will be even more busy! I'm kicking cancers ass and getting better every month. My energy levels have been very low but I have been able to put in some 6 hour days working construction (my life's career) and while it wears me out, I've been sleeping real good and getting some shit done!

Lastly, it's with a tear in my eye that I offer up my most heartfelt thanks to everyone here at the Farm who has encouraged me, taught me, and helped me along this journey. Words cannot convey the gratitude that I feel toward each and every one of you. Thank you.

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68158181022  3707EE33 70BF 4733 ADED C31AC95BC9F6



In the greenhouse, front right is Banana OG from @Trustfall, behind her is the Cherry Tonic Web CBD from Purple Caper, behind her which you cannot see is the Apples and Bananas from @ImpulsiveGrower, and finally on the left in the back is the Wedding Cake from Barneys Farm.
 
SweetLeafGrow

SweetLeafGrow

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Working my way toward day 21 flower (this Sunday) and the final defoliation, been doing a bit here and there most days.

Did a full res change today, refilled with week 4 nutrients and cruising along. I've measure the water in the system today because the roots have gotten massive and I was positive they are displacing a lot of water. Been running 8.5 gallons, down to 6.5 today.

When the res was empty today I took advantage of that to rearrange my room a bit to fit another tent and hydro. Ordered some Rapid Rooters, decided to stay away from Rockwool at this time, and will be getting the next genetics started very soon. I've raised the light as far as I can and I think she is about done stretching. Flowers coming out nicely.


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Hey Sweetleaf! Welcome to the watery club!

Do this right and you will have explosive growth. Get ready for a fast flip or to crop and scrog the crap out of it or you will run out of headroom in the stretch. Ask me how I know lol.

I'd also look at maybe dropping that water level to below the net pots.

For your leaks, I'll assume this is from the 3" lines because your vinyl input hoses should be above the waterline - which is what makes it fallponics. I had a hell of a time with some of mine too and honestly it took me many grows to get them 100% dry. Once you are into the grow, you will not really be able to do much plumbing repair, so definitely worth it to run for a few weeks without plants and make sure you got it nailed down.

I've been running this system for I guess 6 years now in multiple tents, if ya run into trouble give me a shout. I hope you love it as much as I love mine.

PS - I'm no help on the nutrients, I run General Hydro.
@Moe.Red I run RDWC and GH also, would you mind sharing your recipes. I have been having trouble the last two grows when I switch from Veg to Flower. The plants look like they are getting all kinds of different things happening to them. I believe it is N toxicity as I have chillers, blue lab ph,ppm, tds, ec testers in res at all times.
I've heard to not run Floralicious Plus as it is organic so I am going to cut that to see if it helps but would be nice to see what another cultivators does in their system. Thanks for any help. Have a great day.
 
Moe.Red

Moe.Red

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313
@Moe.Red I run RDWC and GH also, would you mind sharing your recipes. I have been having trouble the last two grows when I switch from Veg to Flower. The plants look like they are getting all kinds of different things happening to them. I believe it is N toxicity as I have chillers, blue lab ph,ppm, tds, ec testers in res at all times.
I've heard to not run Floralicious Plus as it is organic so I am going to cut that to see if it helps but would be nice to see what another cultivators does in their system. Thanks for any help. Have a great day.
Yes, I can help. Best thing to do is start a new thread with all the info on your grow, and pictures of the plants / issues you are having. Tag me in with @Moe.Red when you start your thread and I'll find you.
 
SweetLeafGrow

SweetLeafGrow

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263
I thought I remembered @Moe.Red that you said you had a hydro system similar or the same as the one I am using from PA Hydroponics. So I have some questions about the res site and getting a higher volume of water in the system. Gary at PAH talks about the hump or "caterpillar" that is the 3" PVC return line that connects the plant site bucket to the res which sits outside the tent, and how it will determine the water level. It seems like I remember him saying to push/lean that hump over as far as you can when setting the system up. I have noticed that the water level at the plant site is staying quite a bit higher than the res the way I currently have it set up. The problem for me is that I would like to have as much water in the system as possible and the roots have gotten so massive they are displacing a lot of water and the fluid dynamics in the system seem to have changed, and the root mass is the only thing I can think of that is/has changed. The water level in the res is so low right now that it's below the opening for the bulkhead for that 3" line and it seems to me there is not enough water in the system. I went from having 8.5 gal of water to 6.5 at res change and wondering if I need to be concerned. If I add more water to get the res level higher, it does that but it also raises at the plant site and from what I understand I want to keep the water level 1" below the net pot.

The plant seems fine after the res change yesterday but I am a bit concerned at the volume of water and getting that level higher so I don't burn up a pump and/or run things too low and hurt the plant.
 
Moe.Red

Moe.Red

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313
I did the hump too.

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And I ended up with a big air bubble in the top of the 3" so I drilled a little hole and put a 1/4" fitting in and ran a tube up higher than the system. This lets the air out of the hump and at that point the water level is set by the float valve letting water into the res.

If that doesn't make sense I can explain further. Basically you gotta burp your hump. Sounds like a Nicki Minaj song but unlike her lyrics this actually works and has a benefit.

After you burp, you will need to add a major top off.
 
SweetLeafGrow

SweetLeafGrow

1,467
263
I did the hump too.

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And I ended up with a big air bubble in the top of the 3" so I drilled a little hole and put a 1/4" fitting in and ran a tube up higher than the system. This lets the air out of the hump and at that point the water level is set by the float valve letting water into the res.

If that doesn't make sense I can explain further. Basically you gotta burp your hump. Sounds like a Nicki Minaj song but unlike her lyrics this actually works and has a benefit.

After you burp, you will need to add a major top off.
Yes, makes perfect sense and I wondered if all the air was out of the 3" line and I really don't see how it could be with the water level so low. As I recall, Gary filled the res side and when close to full he turned on the pump and that burped the line. Is there a way to do this without major surgery? I'd have to run 33 miles one way to get parts and not even sure they would have what I need. Perhaps next time I get to town.....great idea too btw.
 
Moe.Red

Moe.Red

5,044
313
Yes, makes perfect sense and I wondered if all the air was out of the 3" line and I really don't see how it could be with the water level so low. As I recall, Gary filled the res side and when close to full he turned on the pump and that burped the line. Is there a way to do this without major surgery? I'd have to run 33 miles one way to get parts and not even sure they would have what I need. Perhaps next time I get to town.....great idea too btw.
You can just drill a hole and then tape it back up after water comes out for now. I am not sure if there is a way to snake a hose in there and somehow force it out, I'd have to be standing there looking at your system. With mine there are enough corners that would be difficult.

You might actually have to make a hole, then add water to put enough in the system to reach the top of the hump.

Or if you have an air pump that allows you to attach a hose to the input, maybe suck out the bubble?

Curious to see what you come up with.
 
SweetLeafGrow

SweetLeafGrow

1,467
263
Thanks a lot Moe! So I bit the bullet and ran into town and picked up the necessary parts that I did not have. Before I drill a hole, can I please get you to look and see if I have everything where it should be prior to this surgery? I have the hump leaned over pretty far, would be a pain but I could drain the system and loosen those 3" bulkheads and rotate the hump more vertical if needed.

If everything is good where it's at, I can drill that hole, presumably on the inside of the tent(?) at the highest part of the hump, see photos, and run that tubing up the corner pole with a zip tie. Sound good?
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