New to DWC and struggling to get started

[deercrazy56]

I'm new to DWC and struggling to get my set up running well. I'm running a 200 Watt LED and 3 - 5 gallon vivosun DWC buckets filled with distilled water, GH nutrients, pH 6.3 in all buckets and 720 PPM when i put the clones in. First set of clones were Vanilla Kush and from a late friend. I put them in and the first 4 days they drooped and curled under. I res changed, washed the roots with h2o2 and just gave them all I knew from outdoor and I just couldn't save them. By the end of the second week they had this thick slime on them and stank to high heaven, it was root rot and they were dead. I bleached the system, cleaned all stones, and started fresh.

Second run is with seeds. I started them in rapid rooters and they took right off. In 7 days of growing I have plants that are almost root bound in their little trays. I had the distilled water bubbling already with Athena Cleanse in with the nutrients this time for several hours before transplanting. I moved the plants into the pots carefully placing the clay pellets around the hanging roots and set the plants close to top of the basket for height. The first 12 hours and they looked good. They were getting a bit of water spit on them by the dripper ring so i turned them down slightly. Today, they're curling down like my first batch did but are still very green. pH is 6.1 and PPM 695. Is this transplant shock or what could i be doing wrong? it looks like they're getting too much water but I don't know how to change that in a DWC system.

 

[Bdubs]

“They were getting a bit of water spit on them by the dripper ring so i turned them down slightly.”

Get rid of that drip ring. You don’t want water up there like that. Let all the splash from air stones to do all the watering of the medium.

Droop is overwatered in hydroponics. It is nearly impossible to underwater in DWC unless the bucket reservoir is very low for days.

Rely on the splash from the reservoir to get the pebbles wet from below. Stop putting any water in from the top, including that ring they gave you. That ring is going to have you overwatered all the time. I have no friggen idea why they include that ring but you are the second person I’ve had to tell to get rid of it and causing root rot issues.

 

[Bdubs]

Slide the lid to the side to do your servicing. Nada should go through the pebbles. The only time you would want to water the top is if you are doing a 4 week flush rule and clearing the pebbles of nutrient salts. But always always stresses the plant and droop is imminent if you water from the top.

 

[deercrazy56]

“They were getting a bit of water spit on them by the dripper ring so i turned them down slightly.”

Get rid of that drip ring. You don’t want water up there like that. Let all the splash from air stones to do all the watering of the medium.

Droop is overwatered in hydroponics. It is nearly impossible to underwater in DWC unless the bucket reservoir is very low for days.

Rely on the splash from the reservoir to get the pebbles wet from below. Stop putting any water in from the top, including that ring they gave you. That ring is going to have you overwatered all the time. I have no friggen idea why they include that ring but you are the second person I’ve had to tell to get rid of it and causing root rot issues.

I had been debating shutting the damn ring off because even with it turned all the way down the poor plants were too wet. I turned it off about 5 hours ago and they have already showed signs of relief! 1 is going to be fine and hardly even has any stress, 1 is going to have a few days for recovery and 1... well she just may not make it... but i'm saying there's a chance! Thanks to you! Finally feel like I have things on the mend!