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I've done a little research and didn’t find all that much on DWC systems. I want to build a recirculation deep water culture system. I know its kind of soon to be planning but I like to get as much research as I can in before I embark on a project.
Here's alittle info I found any input would be great.
Traditional methods favor the use of plastic buckets with the plant contained in a net pot suspended from the centre of the lid and the roots suspended in the nutrient solution. An air pump powered aquarium airstone oxygenates the nutrient solution; if sufficiently oxygenated, the plant roots can remain submerged indefinitely. Once the plants are ready to flower, the level of the nutrient solution is gradually reduced to expose the roots to the air. Plants absorb vastly more oxygen directly from the air than from the oxygen dissolved in water. Deep water culture allows plant roots to absorb large quanties of oxygen while also allowing the uptake of nutrients. This leads to rapid growth throughout the life of the plant.
Recirculating deep water culture systems (also known as RDWC) use a reservoir to provide water for multiple buckets. Traditional methods using unconnected buckets require individual testing for pH and conductivity factor (CF). This has led to innovations that have seen the removal of air stones in favour of connecting multiple buckets together and recirculating the water. As the water is reintroduced to the bucket it is broken up and aerated with the use of spray nozzles. Constant recirculating oxygenates the water and ensures a good mix of nutrients CF and stabilizes pH throughout the entire system so testing is required only at one point.
The solution is super oxygenated from an air pump combined with porous stones. With this method the plants grow much faster because of the high amount of oxygen that the roots receive.
The DWC system requires adequate water + oxygen nourishing solution.
It is advisable to start this type of indoor cultivation with cubes of rock wool. Once the seeds are germinated in cubes of rock wool, put them into the DWC baskets previously filled with expanded clay pellets. Fill the DWC system with water and fertilizers that are hydroponic specific up to the level of the solution in contact with the base of baskets.
In this way, the clay will be in contact with the solution that will be absorbed by the plants roots. Soon the plant will develop a large root system that will naturally immerse in the nutrient solution. It will not be necessary to maintain the level of nutrient solution to the same level of the base of the baskets, but results will come with a lower level. It is recommended replacing the nutrient solution approximately once a week and wash the container / tank with hot water to remove any algae, mould and salt deposits. Every time you fill the tank, measure the pH of the solution and ensure that its value is between 5.5 and 6.8. Revise with the pH indicator. Constantly monitor the pH. The well-oxygenated and enlightened environment promotes the development of algae. It is therefore necessary to wrap the tank with black film obscuring all light. Illuminate the system for a 21 day month of vegetative growth for 18hrs/day using a HPS lamp. After 21 days vary your light hours from 18 to 12hrs/day and this will start the flowering stage. The beginning of the flowering period may cause a sharp rise in the pH Revise with pH indicator.
Hydroton brand expanded clay pebbles.
Baked clay pellets, also known under the trademarks 'Hydroton' or LECA (light expanded clay aggregate), are suitable for hydroponic systems in which all nutrients are carefully controlled in water solution. The clay pellets are inert, pH neutral and do not contain any nutrient value.
The clay is formed into round pellets and fired in rotary kilns at 1200 °C. This causes the clay to expand, like popcorn, and become porous. It is light in weight, and does not compact over time. Shape of individual pellet can be irregular or uniform depending on brand and manufacturing process. The manufacturers consider expanded clay to be an ecologically sustainable and re-usable growing medium because of its ability to be cleaned and sterilized, typically by washing in solutions of white vinegar, chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and rinsing completely.
A less popular view is that clay pebbles are best not re-used even when they are cleaned, due to root growth which may enter the medium. Breaking open a clay pebble after a crop has been grown will reveal this growth.
Here’s my setup so far its only down on paper so I’m still making changes.
The room is 10x11 with a closet its going to be a sealed room and I want to do a Recirculating DWC system
20 5gal buckets.
20 6” net pots
4 Magnum XXL 8” Air-cooled Reflector
1 8” can fan
4 Lumetek 1000w Ballasts
4 Hortilux Super HPS bulbs 145,000 lumens
1 pondmaster100 with silicone rubber diffuser hose for aeration
1smaller pump for aeration to passive rez
Magdrive1800 for drip lines for feeding
1/4hp active aqua water chiller for cooling the rez
Propane C02 generator with Extreme Complete Greenhouse Controller
8 wall fans for air movement
1 AC 2 Tons Movincool for cooling
4 packs of trellis netting for training and holding the plants up
1 roll of Panda Plastic for the walls
4 packs of bends for training
I also need the fittings for the buckets. The Buckets will be 6 inches off the floor with wood blocks, I want it to go from the bucket out a hose to a pvc pipe and back to the rez that’s being aerated by the pondmaster100 and cooled by the chiller and back out the magdrive pump for feeding. The buckets will have 2-3” of water at the bottom and the idea would be for it to be running continuously during the lights on period and shut off at night and the roots will sit in the shallow pool of water.
For Nutrients I plan to use.
General Hydroponics 3 part Micro and Bloom
Advanced Nutrients Cal-Mag Grow and Bloom
Hygrozyme
General Hydroponics liquid and powder koolbloom
For a Folier spray I wanted to use Folitech and Penetrator by Dutch Master
For drying I plan to dry in a 4x4 tent that already have.
My strain hasn’t been chosen yet.
Ive got a couple questions.
1. How many plants should I put under a light is 20 plants enough for 4 lights I was going to put 2 rows of 5 plants under each set of 2 lights so I can walk in between and lst my girls.
2. So I’ve read a lot of people reuse there hydroton how long is it good for?
3. I have another room to veg in but im not quite sure how I would do that. I can veg on a flood drain table with smaller net pots and transfer them over every 2 months?
Another Idea that would kind of take up a lot of room would be to have 5gal pots with net pots inside on a few 4x4 tables being fed with drip lines basically the same as the other system just closer together.
I would like to find a way to veg for 2 months so I can just move them over and flip the lights back to 12/12.
So if anyone’s got any suggestions it would be much appreciated
I’m sure I’ll have more questions but This is what I could come up with right now.
Here's alittle info I found any input would be great.
Traditional methods favor the use of plastic buckets with the plant contained in a net pot suspended from the centre of the lid and the roots suspended in the nutrient solution. An air pump powered aquarium airstone oxygenates the nutrient solution; if sufficiently oxygenated, the plant roots can remain submerged indefinitely. Once the plants are ready to flower, the level of the nutrient solution is gradually reduced to expose the roots to the air. Plants absorb vastly more oxygen directly from the air than from the oxygen dissolved in water. Deep water culture allows plant roots to absorb large quanties of oxygen while also allowing the uptake of nutrients. This leads to rapid growth throughout the life of the plant.
Recirculating deep water culture systems (also known as RDWC) use a reservoir to provide water for multiple buckets. Traditional methods using unconnected buckets require individual testing for pH and conductivity factor (CF). This has led to innovations that have seen the removal of air stones in favour of connecting multiple buckets together and recirculating the water. As the water is reintroduced to the bucket it is broken up and aerated with the use of spray nozzles. Constant recirculating oxygenates the water and ensures a good mix of nutrients CF and stabilizes pH throughout the entire system so testing is required only at one point.
The solution is super oxygenated from an air pump combined with porous stones. With this method the plants grow much faster because of the high amount of oxygen that the roots receive.
The DWC system requires adequate water + oxygen nourishing solution.
It is advisable to start this type of indoor cultivation with cubes of rock wool. Once the seeds are germinated in cubes of rock wool, put them into the DWC baskets previously filled with expanded clay pellets. Fill the DWC system with water and fertilizers that are hydroponic specific up to the level of the solution in contact with the base of baskets.
In this way, the clay will be in contact with the solution that will be absorbed by the plants roots. Soon the plant will develop a large root system that will naturally immerse in the nutrient solution. It will not be necessary to maintain the level of nutrient solution to the same level of the base of the baskets, but results will come with a lower level. It is recommended replacing the nutrient solution approximately once a week and wash the container / tank with hot water to remove any algae, mould and salt deposits. Every time you fill the tank, measure the pH of the solution and ensure that its value is between 5.5 and 6.8. Revise with the pH indicator. Constantly monitor the pH. The well-oxygenated and enlightened environment promotes the development of algae. It is therefore necessary to wrap the tank with black film obscuring all light. Illuminate the system for a 21 day month of vegetative growth for 18hrs/day using a HPS lamp. After 21 days vary your light hours from 18 to 12hrs/day and this will start the flowering stage. The beginning of the flowering period may cause a sharp rise in the pH Revise with pH indicator.
Hydroton brand expanded clay pebbles.
Baked clay pellets, also known under the trademarks 'Hydroton' or LECA (light expanded clay aggregate), are suitable for hydroponic systems in which all nutrients are carefully controlled in water solution. The clay pellets are inert, pH neutral and do not contain any nutrient value.
The clay is formed into round pellets and fired in rotary kilns at 1200 °C. This causes the clay to expand, like popcorn, and become porous. It is light in weight, and does not compact over time. Shape of individual pellet can be irregular or uniform depending on brand and manufacturing process. The manufacturers consider expanded clay to be an ecologically sustainable and re-usable growing medium because of its ability to be cleaned and sterilized, typically by washing in solutions of white vinegar, chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and rinsing completely.
A less popular view is that clay pebbles are best not re-used even when they are cleaned, due to root growth which may enter the medium. Breaking open a clay pebble after a crop has been grown will reveal this growth.
Here’s my setup so far its only down on paper so I’m still making changes.
The room is 10x11 with a closet its going to be a sealed room and I want to do a Recirculating DWC system
20 5gal buckets.
20 6” net pots
4 Magnum XXL 8” Air-cooled Reflector
1 8” can fan
4 Lumetek 1000w Ballasts
4 Hortilux Super HPS bulbs 145,000 lumens
1 pondmaster100 with silicone rubber diffuser hose for aeration
1smaller pump for aeration to passive rez
Magdrive1800 for drip lines for feeding
1/4hp active aqua water chiller for cooling the rez
Propane C02 generator with Extreme Complete Greenhouse Controller
8 wall fans for air movement
1 AC 2 Tons Movincool for cooling
4 packs of trellis netting for training and holding the plants up
1 roll of Panda Plastic for the walls
4 packs of bends for training
I also need the fittings for the buckets. The Buckets will be 6 inches off the floor with wood blocks, I want it to go from the bucket out a hose to a pvc pipe and back to the rez that’s being aerated by the pondmaster100 and cooled by the chiller and back out the magdrive pump for feeding. The buckets will have 2-3” of water at the bottom and the idea would be for it to be running continuously during the lights on period and shut off at night and the roots will sit in the shallow pool of water.
For Nutrients I plan to use.
General Hydroponics 3 part Micro and Bloom
Advanced Nutrients Cal-Mag Grow and Bloom
Hygrozyme
General Hydroponics liquid and powder koolbloom
For a Folier spray I wanted to use Folitech and Penetrator by Dutch Master
For drying I plan to dry in a 4x4 tent that already have.
My strain hasn’t been chosen yet.
Ive got a couple questions.
1. How many plants should I put under a light is 20 plants enough for 4 lights I was going to put 2 rows of 5 plants under each set of 2 lights so I can walk in between and lst my girls.
2. So I’ve read a lot of people reuse there hydroton how long is it good for?
3. I have another room to veg in but im not quite sure how I would do that. I can veg on a flood drain table with smaller net pots and transfer them over every 2 months?
Another Idea that would kind of take up a lot of room would be to have 5gal pots with net pots inside on a few 4x4 tables being fed with drip lines basically the same as the other system just closer together.
I would like to find a way to veg for 2 months so I can just move them over and flip the lights back to 12/12.
So if anyone’s got any suggestions it would be much appreciated
I’m sure I’ll have more questions but This is what I could come up with right now.
