Long Time Grower First Time Hydro

[Dr.Dankz]

Hello to all growers and tokers. This will be my chronicle of a new style of grow all together for me. I am starting a totally new grow. I have never done any kind of hydroponic growing before. I would love any and all feed back or tips as this process goes on. I am planning to run a 4 bucket DWC. I will be starting from seeds here in Michigan. I have chosen 4 seeds from my seed stable. I have chosen all feminized seeds. The seeds I have selected are G13 Labs BlueVenom, Dinafem's Amnesia, Dinafem's Cheese, and Dinafem's Critical Jack Auto. I have read good reviews on all these strains. I plan to take clones from all but the Auto flower. It is my plan to let these all grow on a 16/8 schedule in the hope the Auto will completely flower while the others veg up for taking nice clones before being flowered.

 

[Dr.Dankz]

 

[PhatNuggz]

DWC presents lots of problems that are easily avoided using F & D

 

[Dr.Dankz]

DWC presents lots of problems that are easily avoided using F & D

Thanks for dropping by. I have nothing against Flood and Drain style hydro. However due to space considerations as well as using the items I already had available I choose to go with DWC. ( you will see more about this later today or tomorrow when I post the specs on how I have to set this up). Additionally it is my understanding with higher aeration in a DWC style of grow the nutrient uptake can dramatically exceed the potential of flood and drain.

 

[Dr.Dankz]

Okay the breakdown on the gear and the space. This grow is being set up on a super tight budget. I had an air pump left over from the water reservoir and clone set up for my last grow which was 2013. The only other thing I really had left from growing back then was the freebies from my old seed collect as well as 2 10 packs of seeds I got off THCBAY back in 2012.
So I purchased a light, got myself some buckets and air stones. I will be assembling buckets today. I went and got two left over ends of panda film from a buddy at a grow shop about 5x5 each. Gotta make it work. And got a small box of nutrients from a rep I still sort of know for 20 bucks.

Building a custom cabinet out of an old clothing armoire about 3x3.

My light is the Vipar Spectra 600 Watt LED. With the Veg /Bloom setting.
Manual timer.
Ratchet hangers.
Air pump is a commercial 1000 GPH pump run into a 6 place manifold.
Nutrients will be General Organics for this grow.
Ph Meter
TDS / PPM meter
Rockwool Cubes for seeds / clones
6 inch Grow Pro net pots.
Hydroton to fill next pots.
4 5 gallon buckets with lids.
1 spool of air tubing.
1 indoor / outdoor digital temperature / humidity gauge.
Ph up /down.
I have to build some kind of exhaust system depending on temps when running.
I will be using tap water from the well here. Which is Ph 8.0 and 218 PPM from the tap.

I need to get some kind of tray to go in the floor to catch leak or spills . I need some Neem oil or something also to prevent bug. I would also like to add a charcoal exhaust of some kind and maybe CO2 for flowering in the future. But no more funding at this time for those. Maybe next payday I can spare a few bucks.

I would welcome any advice or suggestions as we go along this road.

 

[PhatNuggz]

Thanks for dropping by. I have nothing against Flood and Drain style hydro. However due to space considerations as well as using the items I already had available I choose to go with DWC. ( you will see more about this later today or tomorrow when I post the specs on how I have to set this up). Additionally it is my understanding with higher aeration in a DWC style of grow the nutrient uptake can dramatically exceed the potential of flood and drain.

I am no stranger to DWC. There's usually one or two that I harvest from a dwc set up. I am using it right now (see pic) Not a great pic, but not too shabby. She's almost 3ft tall with a wide xmas tree base. The main stalk has lots of colas growing out now that she is leaning up against the cube

 

[Dr.Dankz]

I am no stranger to DWC. There's usually one or two that I harvest from a dwc set up. I am using it right now (see pic) Not a great pic, but not too shabby. She's almost 3ft tall with a wide xmas tree base. The main stalk has lots of colas growing out now that she is leaning up against the cube
View attachment 688251

Looks like your doing the best you can. After reading I think I will stick with my plan. I see lots of different struggles in your style of grow.

 

[Dr.Dankz]

Here is my 4 bucket set up.judt built it tonight. Should I add level check tubes on the outside?

 

[hiboy]

Keep an eye on your PPM
My buddy did a grow like this for his first time and did not like it now he is in coco and things are way better
Hb

 

[PhatNuggz]

Looks like your doing the best you can. After reading I think I will stick with my plan. I see lots of different struggles in your style of grow.

I sprayed leafs too often, ~ 4 xs per day and well into bud development. The stomas were closed, so the extra minerals burned on the leafs. Buds are fine, loading up with trichs

 

[Dr.Dankz]

I decided to play the start from a seed in a solo cup game. So I have added two Somango x Mendo Purps seeds being soaked at the moment. I wont be doing these in hydro I don't think. But the others will still be my DWC set up.

Of the first seeds so far only the Auto Critical Jack has fully emerged from the rock wool. The Blue Venom looks like she is trying to poke out. I love baby plants.

 

[Dr.Dankz]

This is the only girl to stick her head out so far.

 

[Dr.Dankz]

Well seems like bad news. Only the Critical Jack Auto has come up. So to keep things moving I have soaked 2 more Somango x Mendo Purps beans for a total of 4 of them now. I will be setting two of them up for the Solo cup grow off and the other two I am going to run in my DWC buckets. I am also soaking a couple of mystery seeds. I have no clue what they are.

 

[Dr.Dankz]

It has been a while since my last update sorry for the long delay. I have really been very disappointed by my seed germination rate. I had 2 seeds start and stop I have never run into that before. I am chalking those issues up to old seed stock not necessarily well stored. I have not really been very happy with how things went in the DWC. I found the buckets I was using allowed light to pass thru them and was growing brown algae. I had mistaken this for nutrient in the water so I was just kind of ignoring it. My plant was looking so sad I finally got to a point where I was no longer willing to try new ideas. I removed my one plant "Critical Jack" from the DWC Hydro System and transplanted her into an organic soil medium based on happy frog. I am well versed in the ways of growing organic bud in soil and I hope I will be able to put on a show to share with everyone again. I Have only one other seed which has been successful in sprouting so far I was going to put an entry into the solo cup grow but both of the seeds I had planned to try for that failed. The other seed I have is a Somago X Mendo Purps. I will let the pics speak about both plants. Wish I had more than two plants to talk about but these are the cards I was dealt right now. At least I get to grow something. I spent all my savings on a small batch of Brothers Grimm seeds. I got a crazy amount of freebies I will be looking forward to that. Pics will be the next post from today

 

[Dr.Dankz]

Here is my Somango x Mendo Purps plant just vegging still.

 

[Dr.Dankz]

My Critical Jack this is an auto about 34 days from when she sprouted

 

[Dr.Dankz]

better lighting

 

[Dr.Dankz]

Time for new update looks like we're here at about day 41 things are coming along pretty good sadly we still only have the one plant as you'll see in the attached photos she's stacking up really nice

 

[Dr.Dankz]

Had some new gear show up from The Attitude Seedbank today super excited. Can't wait to try some of these girls I think we're going to give the auto blackberry kush the auto surgeon and the green Avenger a little bath in some water. The green Avenger is the newest cross from subcool and The Brothers Grimm

 

[EventHorizan]

Had some new gear show up from The Attitude Seedbank today super excited. Can't wait to try some of these girls I think we're going to give the auto blackberry kush the auto surgeon and the green Avenger a little bath in some water. The green Avenger is the newest cross from subcool and The Brothers GrimmView attachment 700770 View attachment 700771 View attachment 700771

Whats up brother? Want some help?
I know a thing or 2 about dwc and rdwc...
I be more than happy to give you a few pointers..
I just dont want to seem obnoxious, or know it all...
But if you want some advice, i got a few things for you...