Dwc Questions

[drclutch]

i have a few questions regarding DWC

 

can you set the net pot into the water?

 

i guess my main concern is how to keep the net pot moist, or is it ok if the net pot stays dry?

 

thanks

dave

[knottwhole]

Hi Dave.

When I first put my ladies in for vegging, I start with the water just touching the bottom of the met. As the roots grow into the solution I will let the water drop accordingly. I then keep it 1 inch from the bottom of the net throughout the rest of the grow. Works great for me, but I'm sure you'll hear other replies

[Grow Thread]

i have a few questions regarding DWC

 

can you set the net pot into the water?

 

i guess my main concern is how to keep the net pot moist, or is it ok if the net pot stays dry?

 

thanks

dave

 

knottwhole pretty much has it covered.

 

no, you do not want your net pot sitting in the water. this WILL kill your plants by waterlogging them.

 

i fill the water to about 1/8 - 1/4 inch below the netpot and make a line on the inside of the tote/bucket. thats my fill line from beginning to end. you just want to be sure that the bubbles are bursting and getting the bottom of the netpot wet.

 

there's some info on water level towards the end of the tutorial: http://michiganmedicalmarijuana.org/tutorials/t-36-diy-2-plant-hydro-bubbletote-build/

[drclutch]

what im aiming to do is convert my ebb and gro (24 sites) into one large DWC system. i will have lids (with holes) over each bucket. the problem is i will not have a bubbler in each bucket producing bubbles to splash the net.

 

maybe what im thinking wont work, but i didnt know if its ok if the net pot doesnt get wet at all.

 

thanks

dave

[knottwhole]

You must have the air-stones. Without them your roots will rot in the solution. The air-stones create the high oxygen saturation content required to maintain the plant.

[uhphrayed]

Yeah you need a airstone in each bucket.

 

What knot told you is correct but if you have the water level below the net pot you will get extremely thick roots which are exposed to the air gap between the net pot and the water. The plants still grow, but I read these rope roots (which look impressive) actually do not absorb much water or nutrients. You can prevent the rope roots by keeping the water level touching the net pot at all times, but obviously you don't want too much of the net pot submerged.

[knottwhole]

Yeah you need a airstone in each bucket.

 

What knot told you is correct but if you have the water level below the net pot you will get extremely thick roots which are exposed to the air gap between the net pot and the water. The plants still grow, but I read these rope roots (which look impressive) actually do not absorb much water or nutrients.

The rope roots as you call them, don't need to absorb much water. They are support for massive root growth within the medium. Got ropes, got roots.

[uhphrayed]

Yeah, as I've said I've seen DWC grows with them and the plants are still completely healthy with great growth. But just the other night I read on another forum what causes them and was shown roots/plants without them that looked just as healthy. It may not matter enough to be significant though.

 

Unless your running a recirculating system it's difficult to maintain a consistent water level anyways so the ropes may be unavoidable.

[gardenofweedn]

After years of growing in DWC I'm not convinced the water level, as long as it's reasonably sufficient, is a big factor. Over the course of a grow the water level will rise above the netpot and fall a few inches below the netpot. Aeration is a much more important factor, along with PH and nutrient levels. That being said, I like to keep my clones submerged by having the water level above the netpot. As roots develop I drop the water level to just below the netpot. By the end of my grow, water levels are topped off around an inch below the netpot. How much does this matter? No idea.

 

Bottom line: Pump a ton of air into the water and you won't run into a problem.

[Grow Thread]

After years of growing in DWC I'm not convinced the water level, as long as it's reasonably sufficient, is a big factor. Over the course of a grow the water level will rise above the netpot and fall a few inches below the netpot. Aeration is a much more important factor, along with PH and nutrient levels. That being said, I like to keep my clones submerged by having the water level above the netpot. As roots develop I drop the water level to just below the netpot. By the end of my grow, water levels are topped off around an inch below the netpot. How much does this matter? No idea.

 

Bottom line: Pump a ton of air into the water and you won't run into a problem.

 

+rep

[Green-Nubie]

+rep

 

 

Can any one recommend a real good air pump... I have the biggest one that's sold at most stores and on e-bay for hydro grows..

air pump

I am now running a small air pump off a commercial printing press, that's super quit and great flow.. but i need to set up another system and it was a fluke i happened upon this one.

 

I think this one is built off a 1/2 hp electric motor maybe 3/4 hp ill try to get a pic..

 

 

Any Ideas????

[Grow Thread]

good big air pump. the #5 found here: http://www.4hydropon...temNo=cgairpump

 

i have run up to 14 buckets with those pumps. very powerful and durable.

[pic book]

what im aiming to do is convert my ebb and gro (24 sites) into one large DWC system. i will have lids (with holes) over each bucket. the problem is i will not have a bubbler in each bucket producing bubbles to splash the net.

 

maybe what im thinking wont work, but i didnt know if its ok if the net pot doesnt get wet at all.

 

thanks

dave

 

the pot (the plastic itself) wet or dry does not matter. Plastic is inert. The issue is to get the roots moist continuously or intermittently but never continuously susbmerged. Bubbles bursting immediately below the roots is fantastic. That way the roots continuously receive oxygenated splashes. The roots must not be drowned, continuously inundated, they will rot and turn dark. You want white roots always. Dark/ black is dead or dying or rotting. Systems can deliver oxygenated water via an airstone below each net pot, or a number of net pots can sit in a single reservoir, serviced by one or more giant airstones or agitators with dozens of permutations possible upon accomplishing the above goal--keep the roots moist and oxygenated.

[Green-Nubie]

good big air pump. the #5 found here: http://www.4hydropon...temNo=cgairpump

 

i have run up to 14 buckets with those pumps. very powerful and durable.

 

 

thanks..but that's the style i replaced... this is kinda what i have after searching all day..killer air pump.

 

But i think i'm going to order this one for the other system. 1902 gph...

[knottwhole]

How's this? http://cgi.ebay.com/AIR-PUMP-385-watt-Pond-Aerator-Aeration-HYDROPONICS-NEW-/170582112211?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27b77c77d3

[Green-Nubie]

How's this? http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item27b77c77d3

 

300 l.p.m

79.3 us_gallons_per_minute

 

4758 us_gallons_per_hour... wow hard to belive. think they are fluffing the numbers

[knottwhole]

think they are fluffing the numbers

Nope. Have a friend who uses one at his fish farm. Tough units.

[Grow Thread]

powerful, but uses a TON of energy and is pretty loud. for that price, id rather buy 3 of the others and use 145 less watts. just my opinion.

[knottwhole]

powerful, but uses a TON of energy and is pretty loud. for that price, id rather buy 3 of the others and use 145 less watts. just my opinion.

Agreed! But he wanted BIG.

[Grow Thread]

Agreed! But he wanted BIG.

 

oh thats BIG

 

i was just crunching some numbers.......

 

the: Commercial Air Pump # 5: 88 LPM (liters per minute), 4.2 PSI, supports 8 airstones, 80 watts for $80 found here: http://www.4hydropon...temNo=cgairpump can run up to 14 buckets. (probably more, but i have never pushed it to the limit, i like bubbles)

 

so easy math says 88 lmp / 14 sites = 6.2lpm per site. that monster is 300lpm...... so @ 6.2lpm per site, it would run 48 sites!!

 

BUT............. one MAJOR problem with this is distance. running 48 sites off of one air pump is going to create MILES of airline in your grow room. i prefer to keep my systems "per light" or maybe one system for 2,000 watts at most. i cannot imagine how much air power would be lost in the hundreds of feet of airline coming off that monster pump, going through 3 or 4 different splitters to power 48 sites. can you imagine if 20 of your plants were 20 feet away from your air pump?? thats 400 feet of airline right there... and there is still 28 more lines to run!!

 

and then the power aspect. the #5 pump is 80 watts and produces 88lpm....... or it takes .9watts to push one liter per minute of air.

the monster is 385 watts and only 300lpm..... or it takes 1.28 watts to push one liter per minute of air.

 

now im NOT bashing your fish friend. they run their own program

 

but for growing, i'd go with many smaller pumps before i went with something like that.

[Green-Nubie]

oh thats BIG

 

i was just crunching some numbers.......

 

the: Commercial Air Pump # 5: 88 LPM (liters per minute), 4.2 PSI, supports 8 airstones, 80 watts for $80 found here: http://www.4hydropon...temNo=cgairpump can run up to 14 buckets. (probably more, but i have never pushed it to the limit, i like bubbles)

 

so easy math says 88 lmp / 14 sites = 6.2lpm per site. that monster is 300lpm...... so @ 6.2lpm per site, it would run 48 sites!!

 

BUT............. one MAJOR problem with this is distance. running 48 sites off of one air pump is going to create MILES of airline in your grow room. i prefer to keep my systems "per light" or maybe one system for 2,000 watts at most. i cannot imagine how much air power would be lost in the hundreds of feet of airline coming off that monster pump, going through 3 or 4 different splitters to power 48 sites. can you imagine if 20 of your plants were 20 feet away from your air pump?? thats 400 feet of airline right there... and there is still 28 more lines to run!!

 

and then the power aspect. the #5 pump is 80 watts and produces 88lpm....... or it takes .9watts to push one liter per minute of air.

the monster is 385 watts and only 300lpm..... or it takes 1.28 watts to push one liter per minute of air.

 

now im NOT bashing your fish friend. they run their own program

 

but for growing, i'd go with many smaller pumps before i went with something like that.

 

As you said i really like bubbles..... plus 45 gal totes..

 

thanks for the numbers...i am leaning towards one smaller pump per tote maybe..hmm more number crunching..

[Grow Thread]

As you said i really like bubbles..... plus 45 gal totes..

 

thanks for the numbers...i am leaning towards one smaller pump per tote maybe..hmm more number crunching..

 

oh yeah, i can see where there would be good uses for a pump like this. especially in commercial fish applications where they aerate thousands of gallons (or even multiple larger areas like you)............. but for powering individual 5 gallon buckets or 10 gallon totes, it just wouldnt be the most efficient way to go.

[Grow Thread]

i am leaning towards one smaller pump per tote maybe..hmm more number crunching..

 

IME that is NOT the way to go. a separate $9 pump for each tote is not gonna give you nearly the bubbles as one of those $80 pumps. plus those cheap pumps fail often.... and having 8 different pumps to run 8 buckets isnt good. now if you just running a couple buckets here and a couple buckets there i can see it...... but if you have 8 or more all together, id go with a commercial pump.

[knottwhole]

oh thats BIG

 

 

now im NOT bashing your fish friend. they run their own program

 

Again, I'm with you. That's why they run 1/2 inch feeder lines to everything. I would much rather lose one part of my air system then lose it all by relying on one pump.

[LongHairBri]

heres the pump's I use. the ap100 has a 33x1/4" outlet manifold. the ap60 has 13x1/4" outlet. both work great and quiet, considering the amount of air they move.

 

ebay link

ebay link 2

 

these are VERY reliable. I selected these because my mom uses a 60 to keep her koi pond from freezing over the winter. she's had the same pump for 6 winters running. still works great and its running outside, 24/7 all winter