Skovi
- Posts
- 7
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- 4
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2015
- Points
- 3
Hey, all,
I run top-drip drain to waste into coco/perlite. I keep my reservoir outside my grow space to make it easier to manage light and temps. I use a 100 gallon stock tank as a reservoir, with a circulation pump, two 10watt AquaTop UV sterilizers, and a peristaltic pump to keep it chlorinated (I use household bleach instead of calcium hypochlorite, because I've already got too much calcium in my irrigation water, and I don't want to add more).
When I'm flowering 5 ladies, I usually fill the reservoir to the 50 gallon mark, add fertility, make my pH adjustments, etc. After that, it runs on it's own for 10-14 days without any pH adjustments. (I drip about 1 gallon per plant per day using pressure compensating drippers, and a a sump pump tied into a self-priming transfer pump.)
14 days is pretty much my max, though-- If I try to fill it to the 100 gallon mark and go for 20-30 days, I usually end up with a pH spike and cloudiness near the 15 day mark.
My question is for you other folks who do DTW with a sterile reservoir: What's the longest you've been able to let your reservoir sit without any pH intervention from you? And how do you do it?
I've heard of commercial ganja growers doing DTW into rockwool and making just one or two batches of fertility for the entire length of the grow- then letting their system run on it's own for 45 or more days at a time, but I've never seen it. (That's not practical or necessary in the commercial hydro vegetable/herb production industry, where it is practical to mix batches of fertility daily.)
I think I need to upgrade to a better UV sterilizer. Any good UV sterilizer recommendations for a 100 gallon reservoir?
I run top-drip drain to waste into coco/perlite. I keep my reservoir outside my grow space to make it easier to manage light and temps. I use a 100 gallon stock tank as a reservoir, with a circulation pump, two 10watt AquaTop UV sterilizers, and a peristaltic pump to keep it chlorinated (I use household bleach instead of calcium hypochlorite, because I've already got too much calcium in my irrigation water, and I don't want to add more).
When I'm flowering 5 ladies, I usually fill the reservoir to the 50 gallon mark, add fertility, make my pH adjustments, etc. After that, it runs on it's own for 10-14 days without any pH adjustments. (I drip about 1 gallon per plant per day using pressure compensating drippers, and a a sump pump tied into a self-priming transfer pump.)
14 days is pretty much my max, though-- If I try to fill it to the 100 gallon mark and go for 20-30 days, I usually end up with a pH spike and cloudiness near the 15 day mark.
My question is for you other folks who do DTW with a sterile reservoir: What's the longest you've been able to let your reservoir sit without any pH intervention from you? And how do you do it?
I've heard of commercial ganja growers doing DTW into rockwool and making just one or two batches of fertility for the entire length of the grow- then letting their system run on it's own for 45 or more days at a time, but I've never seen it. (That's not practical or necessary in the commercial hydro vegetable/herb production industry, where it is practical to mix batches of fertility daily.)
I think I need to upgrade to a better UV sterilizer. Any good UV sterilizer recommendations for a 100 gallon reservoir?