Longtime Smoker Newbie Grower

Bizz · Jul 7, 2025

I’m a longtime smoker newbie grower about to start a hydroponic grow. Can’t wait and have already been looking at the forums for ideas. My main questions right now would be about the nutrients how much to use of each product when to add etc. that’s where I’m focusing my time right now.

JIMKSI64 · Jul 7, 2025

Best recommendation is to use the 3 horizontal bars up top for navigation and find Grow Diaries.
Use the search function and put in keywords like hydro and the nute selection. That way it will populate with diaries that match your grow style. Look for long posts that go from seed to harvest. This is how a lot of new growers start.
Another good resource is
www.growweedeasy.com
This is great for beginners as it explains the difference in grow techniques and nutrition choices.
Welcome to the Farm.

JIMKSI64 · Jul 7, 2025

My first grow was hydro. I wanted the challenge of a high tech grow so I tried Deep Water Culture. I got a small tent and a 2 bucket DWC kit and had at it.
I was unprepared for the quickness of Hydro and I was very unprepared for the way that hydro growing is so intertwined with lights and nutrition and your growing environment. When one aspect of growing is off point in hydro it can look like a bunch of different things going wrong. It also can happen so fast that new growers ( me ) do not recognize the problem until it is too late
DWC and hydro is also the easiest system to " reset ) as the process is just draining your buckets and refilling. In other grow methods it can take 7-10 days to change your medium enough to fix problems.
Hydro also has 2 tooling recommendations that you will need to understand. The choice of tools to monitor and adjust PH and EC/PPM is not something you want to go cheap. A $29.95 set of pens from the Internet will break your heart. A shitty pen is not the same as a shitty fan or a shitty light. Stay with top line tools for these tasks. Blue lab and Apera.

Bizz · Jul 7, 2025

Just ordered a blue lab pen. I had already went cheap with a 29.99 pen that I now plan to return. Thank you!!

JIMKSI64 · Jul 7, 2025

Bizz said:
Just ordered a blue lab pen. I had already went cheap with a 29.99 pen that I now plan to return. Thank you!!

You just made a very good choice. Follow suggestions from the growers here and you are on your way.
For hydro you can go with water based systems or inert medium like coco. Have you decided on a medium for your grow?

Bizz · Jul 7, 2025

So I got a Vevor DWC Bucket System. Comes with the clay pebbles and I had planned on using Vida wool starter plugs to germinate the seeds.

Bizz · Jul 7, 2025

I got a 4x4x8 vivasun tent combo set an planned on growing 4 plants in 5 gallon buckets

JIMKSI64 · Jul 7, 2025

Kool system and my 2 bucket was the same.
I would like to give you another recommendation on your DWC system. DWC has some guidelines that need to be followed. One is temperature in the root zone. If you can not stabilize your water between 65-69 degrees you will struggle with root issues and may need a chiller. In addition you can use benificial organisms like hydroguard to help with those issues.
The second is tracking and controlling PH.
One of the biggest improvements you can make before you launch is a simple conversion of your DWC system into a RDWC system.
The easy way is called a jacuzzi cannabis spa. You set up your 4 buckets but you also connect them together with 2 inch plastic plumbing. You have an in and an out that goes out of the tent to a tote that is your reservoir. This reservoir holds water and nutes and circulates the mix from bucket to bucket. This extra reserve of water stabilizes the PH of the system so it tracks slower. It will also be much slower to drop the water level in your buckets which reduces maintenance time. In DWC you have multiple buckets to clean and serviced. You will need to remove the plants from the bucket to service the buckets but in RDWC you flush the system with water and then refill the system from the reservoir.
I had a sweet system for DWC. I had a panel in my tent that made the floor even with the bucket lids. I had a stem to hoist the plants up and swap out the buckets and it was still a pain. Wish I would have done the R system.

Bizz · Jul 7, 2025

So they actually sell a system that comes with the 5th bucket for a reservoir. I ordered the 5 bucket system and will return the 4 bucket systemIt’s what I originally wanted anyways

JIMKSI64 · Jul 7, 2025

Bizz said:
So they actually sell a system that comes with the 5th bucket for a reservoir. I’m better off returning this one and getting that one I would guess. Funny I tried to cancel the order and I was too late. Though I could plumb it myself.

The 5th bucket is a waste of time.
The real benefit from RDWC is having a larger reservoir to stabilize your water level. An extra bucket will not do this. A very wide and long water tight tote will do this.
The water level in your 4 buckets and your reservoir will be shared. You will need to take this into consideration when you build the system. A typical bucket system ( I have one ) holds 3.5-4.0 gallons of water. Things are fine when they are small but when in deep veg or flower your level can drop a gallon in a day. This concentrates nutrition and needs to be balanced. In a bucket reservoir system the level drops evenly and the amount of reserve water is perhaps 2 gallons decided by 5 buckets. That's not much.
A 32 gallon tote that is wide and long but only 8 inches tall gives you a reserve that can last for days and is easy to add water and nutes to. It must be leveled but do not freak about that. A simple water level and 2 sticks built the pyramids. Search water level you need 12 feet of 3/8 clear tubing and some water LOL.
Here is a 3 bucket system. It uses small tubes that can clog up with roots unless you put your roots in a paint strainer bag.

Here is a hard plumbed RDWC system. Steal all this guys ideas. You can use the buckets you have. Need a big tote and adjustable water pump more air bubbles than the one the kit sent you and some plumbing. No doubt flat walls would be easier but you can just plumb it with 1 inch just need to retain your roots.

Rdwc Hydroponics System Custom Made 4 Pot 5.3 Gallon Bucket Sites | eBay

FOOL PROOF HYDROPONICS ( PRESENTS THE NEW GROW MACHINE 4-6-8-10-12-14-16 Site RDWC Hydroponics Systems. You choose how you want it. ( WE ALSO HAVE A GREAT PREMIXED POWDER NUTRIENT BLEND THAT WORK GREAT WITH ANY SYSTEM). ).

www.ebay.com

Bizz · Jul 7, 2025

I think I got the idea with the 2inch hardline plumbing. Very similar to systems I have run in saltwater setups with refugiums. Have you used a bulkhead on the round buckets? Do they leak?

JIMKSI64 · Jul 7, 2025

1 inch does not but 2 inch can be problematic unless you have flat walls. The one most likely to leak is the reservoir as you have a buzzy pump making vibrations. Using a tote keeps em flat.

Bizz · Jul 7, 2025

Yeah I canceled the 5 bucket system and will go with your idea with the tote. I’m seriously thinking about a 2 inch hardline system now. lol might return both and get square buckets. I drew 2 sets of plans with the reservoir going out tent. Tent has the hole in the back and 2 one on each side which I guess all the piping needs to be leveled with. So I drew up 2 sets of plans as I’m not sure which set of holes I’ll be using room permitting.

JIMKSI64 · Jul 7, 2025

Ensure that your water pump is adjustable. Flow adjustment is how you adjust the water hight. To much and the water level in the first bucket will be high, to low bla bla bla.
I have all the tubing and fittings and pumps for a RDWC but I wanted to get some pot grown first and build up a storage and curing area. The 4x4 as the production and the 2.7x2.7 holding a worthy mother or 2 for clones is my ultimate idea. Soil for clones and hydro for the grow.
I am running autos in soil right now. That are coming along and I learned lots about autos. Due to the lower light requirements I am going to run a batch of 6 autos between Sept and Dec. I am starting to get some better yield and better looking plants and with tweaking on nutrition I expect some better yield out of these autos.

Bizz · Jul 10, 2025

I got a vivosun pump I think it’s 800 gph and some bulkheads and various pvc parts coming. Will get the rest locally as I build it and figure out exact design. I think I got everything for setup and will be setting up in the next 2 weeks. I have a question with the filter can you have it on the outside of tent as I see in your picture? It takes up a lot of room in the tent. I have grown 5 white widow plants using soil in the past and just wondering if that setup will leave enough room when the plants are grown. Thanks Bizz

JIMKSI64 · Jul 10, 2025

Bizz said:
I got a vivosun pump I think it’s 800 gph and some bulkheads and various pvc parts coming. Will get the rest locally as I build it and figure out exact design. I think I got everything for setup and will be setting up in the next 2 weeks. I have a question with the filter can you have it on the outside of tent as I see in your picture? It takes up a lot of room in the tent. I have grown 5 white widow plants using soil in the past and just wondering if that setup will leave enough room when the plants are grown. Thanks Bizz

OMG the filter and duct outside should be standard on every grow tent. The fact that they show it in the picture like this is stupid. It adds heat to the tent and kills your overall hight.
Just ensure the direction on the duct fan ( it has an arrow ) points in the right direction.
Hey which light did your 4x4 come with
Mine had the big 400 watt unit and it is a flame thrower.

Bizz · Jul 12, 2025

So you would want the arrow pointed toward the filter right or into the tent? Mine came with 100watt.

Beardchris76 · Dec 3, 2025

I need to know where to post to sell led lights I have?

JIMKSI64 · Dec 3, 2025

Cannabis classified/ lights
Use 3 horizontal bars top left. Go to forums then search for classifieds then lights.

Links are messed up today for me.

Beardchris76 · Dec 3, 2025

Thank you very much

Longtime Smoker Newbie Grower

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