Looking to switch from recirc dwc to coco

vertstyle · Apr 12, 2010

I currently run 5 gal buckets in a recirculating dwc setup. I'm having trouble with algae and would like to avoid having to use a chiller over the summer.

Current buckets having 3/4" drain lines about 1" from the bottom of the bucket.

Here's the plan:
-Put another 5gal bucket with holes drilled into it for drainage into the current buckets.
-Fill top bucket with coco
-Top feed with drippers into the top bucket of coco, it then drains into bottom bucket (like a saucer would) and then from the drain lines back to the res, then pumped back through the drippers

Will this work?

stlth8814 · Apr 12, 2010

YOu might Have a Problem with Coco Clogging Up the Works unless you use like a smart pot or something inside the bucket. Other than that it seems like it would work to me.

swisscheese · Apr 12, 2010

What about putting frozen water bottles or ice packs in your res? Not the most efficient way of doing things but other people have used it successfully I believe.

vertstyle · Apr 12, 2010

swisscheese said:
What about putting frozen water bottles or ice packs in your res? Not the most efficient way of doing things but other people have used it successfully I believe.

I have a chiller setup but would like to avoid the extra power and complication it adds. I might do the chiller/physan/hydrogen peroxide or chiller/beneficial bacteria in dwc still. Just considering coco since I haven't done it before and it would seem to fix the algae problem I'm having. I also have some house and garden coco nutes sitting here.

vertstyle · Apr 12, 2010

stlth8814 said:
YOu might Have a Problem with Coco Clogging Up the Works unless you use like a smart pot or something inside the bucket. Other than that it seems like it would work to me.

It will need some kind of filter material in there. Smart pots sounds like a good possibility. I'm also thinking of putting lava rocks in the bottom bucket to keep things out of the drain, and possible a good spot for beneficial bacteria if I go that route.

antimatter · Apr 12, 2010

Just keep it drain to waste no reason to put that runoff back into your reservoir, you really don't need that much runoff. Just don't feed to strong and if the plants are looking burnt at all just give em fresh water till things pick up. I would keep the bottom bottom bucket with drain hose though because you do get a bit of runoff.

vertstyle · Apr 13, 2010

antimatter said:
Just keep it drain to waste no reason to put that runoff back into your reservoir, you really don't need that much runoff. Just don't feed to strong and if the plants are looking burnt at all just give em fresh water till things pick up. I would keep the bottom bottom bucket with drain hose though because you do get a bit of runoff.

It seems like a lot of people recommend drain to waste. I'm just used to recirculating with dwc.

I'll keep looking but might as well ask here as well.
How many ppm with drain to waste?
How many feeds per day?
How much water will I need to water a 5gal bucket of coco one time?

Seems like a lot of people that hand water do feed, water, feed, water or something such as that. Should I set up a 2nd res of just water and let it drip that every now and then?

Been reading a lot on coco but it is still confusing as I've done nothing but dwc.

HighTolerance · Apr 13, 2010

coco is very versatile, so this setup will end up working in the beginning but things will get more and more complicated the deeper you go in the grow. So I strongly suggest you do drain to waste.

You won't waste much nutes, because you don't have to get tons of run-off, may be once every week or two feed with some run-off to wash the salts out. Feed quarter strength without run-off for the most part and the plant will thrive.

Other than that, never use plain water in coco, as that would disturb the buffer in the coco, and it wouldn't be good to for the plants, because you will set their progress back until you establish the coco's buffer again. So if you ever feel the need to flush coco, be sure to have a mix of at least 1/8 strength nutes so the proper ratios can be maintained in the coco.

antimatter · Apr 13, 2010

vertstyle said:
It seems like a lot of people recommend drain to waste. I'm just used to recirculating with dwc.

I'll keep looking but might as well ask here as well.
How many ppm with drain to waste?
How many feeds per day?
How much water will I need to water a 5gal bucket of coco one time?

Seems like a lot of people that hand water do feed, water, feed, water or something such as that. Should I set up a 2nd res of just water and let it drip that every now and then?

Been reading a lot on coco but it is still confusing as I've done nothing but dwc.

1. I usually start feeding at 0.4 ec and then up to .8 ec after they have taken off and never go over 1.6 ec, I have had to flush with water feeding at 1.8 ec so I can't recommend that, even going lower like 1.2 ec and keep em looking healthy in veg is good.

2. You don't have to feed multiple times per day, I wouldn't recommend growing a 2lb plant in a 5 gallon bucket though, 1lb in a 5 gallon bucket of coco would probably have you watering everyday, you can let the top of the coco get a bit dry or always keep it moist. Use enough Coco to keep it manageable if you have to handwater, if your doing 1 plant per 1000w then use anywhere from 7.5-15 gallons of coco per plant if your doing 4 plants per 1000w 3-5 gallons of coco per plant.

3. I usually water 7.5 gallons of coco with a bit over half of 5 gallon bucket worth of water before getting runoff or just a half bucket.

opt1c · Apr 13, 2010

paint strainers work great around netpots to keep loose medium from getting through.

i third, or forth, the dtw recommendation with coco.... you can use the same setup with rockwool chum if you want to recirculate; hydroton would work as well

i've found that coco can be tricky to auto water the first few weeks before the roots are properly established so keep a close eye on it if you go that route

HighTolerance · Apr 13, 2010

opt1c said:
paint strainers work great around netpots to keep loose medium from getting through.

i third, or forth, the dtw recommendation with coco.... you can use the same setup with rockwool chum if you want to recirculate; hydroton would work as well

i've found that coco can be tricky to auto water the first few weeks before the roots are properly established so keep a close eye on it if you go that route

The trickiness of coco in the beginning that you are experiencing is the coco establishing its buffer, during that time it is actually stealing some nutes from the mix.

If you can feed the coco, and get the buffer established before your plant, you will find that the plant takes off immediately.

Unless you understand NPK's for coco, which I don't think anyone has fully nailed yet, go with coco specific nutes like canna coco a/b and you should end up with an excellent buffer in a few feeding, after that the coco/plants become hell of toleran.

Even though there is so much learn and know about coco's chemical interactions etc. It is quite surprising that over the last year I have seen many more successful 1st time grows with coco than other mediums. So my point is that if you use the proper nutes and method for coco, which other folks are using you will most likely end up with excellent results.

Lost · Apr 13, 2010

Is it me or is this just a Krusty Bucket setup? If so checkout the Krusty threads..

vertstyle · Apr 13, 2010

Lost said:
Is it me or is this just a Krusty Bucket setup? If so checkout the Krusty threads..

I hadn't thought of it that way, but it is basically a krusty bucket with coco instead of perlite.

antimatter · Apr 13, 2010

vertstyle said:
I hadn't thought of it that way, but it is basically a krusty bucket with coco instead of perlite.

DWC or Krusty your still gonna need a chiller, coco drain to waste no chiller or air pumps/compressors required.

vertstyle · Apr 13, 2010

antimatter said:
DWC or Krusty your still gonna need a chiller, coco drain to waste no chiller or air pumps/compressors required.

Looks like dtw coco is what I will probably go with. It would be nice to not have to worry about my water temps with the dwc. The chiller doesn't use that much power, but I'd rather not use it if I can.

vertstyle · Apr 20, 2010

For some reason I'm having trouble finding info on people that switched from dwc to coco. Most go from soil to coco it seems. Will coco give me a comparable yield and growth to dwc?

Loudblunts · Apr 20, 2010

as much as i love coco...it will not give you close to the yield and growth of dwc

however, it is a hydroponic medium, so if you feed often (moist....not constantly wet) you will get decent results..... (as well as increased pot size)

however, this is my opinion...what do i know :D
:icon_spin:

vertstyle · Apr 22, 2010

Loudblunts said:
as much as i love coco...it will not give you close to the yield and growth of dwc

however, it is a hydroponic medium, so if you feed often (moist....not constantly wet) you will get decent results..... (as well as increased pot size)

however, this is my opinion...what do i know :D
:icon_spin:

That is the conclusion I'm coming to from reading as well. I think I'll keep my main room dwc and maybe try some coco moms to test it out.

Looking to switch from recirc dwc to coco

Looking to switch from recirc dwc to coco

vertstyle

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