So The Diy Undercurrent Begins

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Shawnery

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I was going to paint it black but I was wondering if it's really needed considering I'll be laying reflective bubble wrap over it which is completely light proof?

I guess it would be smart to have some extra protection just because. I was surprised when I see grows without painting them. Wasn't heisen's cloner run with just the plain yellow lid? I was wondering why it wasn't a big deal.
 
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heisen

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Shawnery said:
I was going to paint it black but I was wondering if it's really needed considering I'll be laying reflective bubble wrap over it which is completely light proof?

I guess it would be smart to have some extra protection just because. I was surprised when I see grows without painting them. Wasn't heisen's cloner run with just the plain yellow lid? I was wondering why it wasn't a big deal.
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The underneaths has coal tar epoxy on them,I didn't want the tops black cause it would heat up to bad so I left the tops yellow
 
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Shawnery

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These reflective wraps I have are and I only know because I tested them. They used to be cooler containers for food shipping. I put one over my head and the only light that came through was at the seams.

I like the black epoxy on the inside a lot! I'll steal that one, thanks!
 
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heisen

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Shawnery said:
These reflective wraps I have are and I only know because I tested them. They used to be cooler containers for food shipping. I put one over my head and the only light that came through was at the seams.

I like the black epoxy on the inside a lot! I'll steal that one, thanks!
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hold that wrap up to a good light and see if light comes through,The wrap i got from lowes leaked light
 
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Shawnery

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So does undercurrent have similar nutrient requirements as a rdwc? I assume so since they are similar based systems. Or is undercurrent considered a type of rdwc?

Isn't more water good for ph stabilization?

Do you guys run your gravity feed res with no nutrients, same EC or higher EC? How does this change from clone to flower?
 
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heisen

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undercurrent IS RDWC .Recirculating Deep Water Culture.
I mix the nutrients in the top off res and PH it to Steer the system.Thats what this board is for,Write down the numbers of the system and the top off to drive the system in the direction you wanna go,Dont add PH directly to the buckets,Your top off res and how you mix it is the single most important thing.It also builds the Beneficial bacteria colony that goes into your system.My 12 plant uses around 3 gallons a day at the peak
 
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Shawnery

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3 gallons for all 12 the entire grow? I only ask because my 8 plants were on average going through 8 gallons for over a month. Not saying that's a good thing or a bad thing, it's an I have no clue thing. Can plants drink to much water? Can it be a sign of an issue?

I was just doing everything in my epi till now so this is a whole new experience.

Thanks!
 
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heisen

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3 gallons a day on 12 plants,I think they hit 4 gallons for a week,i was refilling 27 gallon res every 4 days
 
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heisen

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Plants in dwc drink according to how much they perspire.a healthy plant is supposed to perspire 80 percent of the water they uptake.your room temp and humidity controls the stamadas that open and close when lights go out
Your nutrients in the solution are brought up through the water.the higher the EC the more nutrients they take in.thats why its important to watch how the ppm is swinging so you can steer it.the more nutrients the roots are absorbing will drop your ppm.
 
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Shawnery

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My plants reacted quite strange, to my limited understanding, through the flowering cycle.

I ran a pretty high EC with 2/2/1 ratio, dry nutes, but the ec dropped steadily every day during veg. During flower I dropped the ratio to 2/1/1, to lower Nitrogen, but no matter how much I lowered the ec it continually raised the ec and drastically. You could see the burning in the tips of all the leaves.

Why is it that when the plant should have been requiring higher EC during flowering it actually ended up needing not even half the ec as in veg? The Masterblend is 4-13-38 with cal/nit and Epsom for the grow.
 
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heisen

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Shawnery said:
My plants reacted quite strange, to my limited understanding, through the flowering cycle.

I ran a pretty high EC with 2/2/1 ratio, dry nutes, but the ec dropped steadily every day during veg. During flower I dropped the ratio to 2/1/1, to lower Nitrogen, but no matter how much I lowered the ec it continually raised the ec and drastically. You could see the burning in the tips of all the leaves.

Why is it that when the plant should have been requiring higher EC during flowering it actually ended up needing not even half the ec as in veg? The Masterblend is 4-13-38 with cal/nit and Epsom for the grow.
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Leaf tip yellowing doesnt necessarily mean it is burn,It could also be a deficiency.Not always burn.i noticed my highest ppm requirement has always been during the stretch and when the colas are building and stacking bud sites.After the stretch and stacking is finished it seems like the ppm levels off at around 700.I mean think about it,look at how much plant mass they are creating during the veg and early flower stretch.I dont think plants need as high an EC as what people claim during the flowering process.Most of my friends that also grow in dwc say the same.EC drops off after the stretch and your basically just maintaining a number at that point.
 
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Shawnery

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With my totes being so wide, long and shallow that's what had me considering running the system without airstones. If I was to put a 1/2" manifold after the water cooler i could run a 1/2" tube to the top corner of each tote and the epi center. Being that the roots most likely won't get in the way of the waterfall that shouldn't be a concern.

I've seen other undercurrent systems run this way with great results, maybe not heisen results though! Supposedly a waterfall increases DO more than airstones. This was proven through a side by side study which I can find if needed.

Isn't it possible that considering my totes this might just be a plausible plan?
 
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heisen

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Yeah man a 300WSM will shoot faster than .308 but they will both kill a deer dead dick in the mud at 200 yards.Im sure waterfalls can produce more DO but from what i read water does reach a point of saturation where its at a maximum,So stones still get the job done.Ive thought about using the waterfalls but you really need to know how much waterfall is enough,Than you need oversize buckets so the waterfalls can hit the water and not the roots.Bigger pumps to force water,etc etc,
My plants are such a short turnaround from veg to chop its just not worth it to me to have run these big ass elaborate systems.If i was in a warehouse than yes.I would be running jacuzzi pumps and DE gravitas.Those waterfall setups can be a pain in the ass to maintain,Just more shit to have to clean between setups.I can break down my 12 bucket setup and put it all back together in 2 hrs.boil the airstones for 10 min and everything is back on track.
 
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heisen

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As you can see man DO gets to a ceartian point.I saw a very in depth thread somewhere that explained 1.2 watts of airstones per gallon gets you there without a sweat.Waterfalls will do it also.I wouldnt study in to that shit to deep man,On a smaller scale like yourself stick with airstones.

Index
 
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Shawnery

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Almost there! I'll test for a water leak tomorrow since I'm waiting for some silicone to dry, yes I know its pointless!
The final pic is immediately outside of the grow tent wall. I'm hoping my cold ass garage in the non-summer months will help out.
 
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