First time in hydro

johnmac240

Well-Known Member
So as the title says this will be my first time trying hydro, I've grown in soil for 2 years, but I wanna try something new. So I'm going with a dwc. I know how to make it and everything. I'm going to be using it for a mother plant. I'm just wondering how hard is it to keep a mother plant alive in one. Also how often do you change in the water in a dwc? Do you start them off with any nutes at the first? Is a dwc even any good for a mother plant?IMAG1238.jpg Any help is greatly appreciated.
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Change water weekly. Start (my personal method) at 250 PPM or less. It is easier to add nutes to raise the PPM if the plant is not responding. I would not do a mother in DWC. This method usually yields, by far, the biggest plants. Yes you need nutes from the start. Sprouting them in rockwool is the choice for most and place her in the DWC when roots are showing.
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
By the way, before jiji comes along, get the report on the water you will be using. Then use your EC/PPM meter to measure your starting PPM. I prefer RO water because it is low in TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). Using RO water eliminates a lot of issues that new hydro growers would be best off avoiding.
 

Dumme

Well-Known Member
So as the title says this will be my first time trying hydro, I've grown in soil for 2 years, but I wanna try something new. So I'm going with a dwc. I know how to make it and everything. I'm going to be using it for a mother plant. I'm just wondering how hard is it to keep a mother plant alive in one. Also how often do you change in the water in a dwc? Do you start them off with any nutes at the first? Is a dwc even any good for a mother plant?View attachment 3529971 Any help is greatly appreciated.
Yup, weekly water changes, but depending on your DWC, you might be doing even more. The bigger the momma, the more water she'll drink. When I first started, I used bubble buckets. Worked very well, but her thirst was unmatched, and the second main reason why I don't use bubble buckets. First, being browning and root necrosis.

Ps not my pic...
 

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rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
if it was me, i'd keep the mother in soil. with a huge mother plant in a 5gal bucket, your gonna have to fill up at least once daily.

a dwc is one of the best way to quickly grow a plant. with a mother, you basically just want to barely keep her alive.
 

johnmac240

Well-Known Member
Ok so basically just use soil then? I thought it would be a fun thing to try but I guess I'll just make a bubble cloner outta the materials aha thanks a bunch
 

Dumme

Well-Known Member
Ok so basically just use soil then? I thought it would be a fun thing to try but I guess I'll just make a bubble cloner outta the materials aha thanks a bunch
I started all hydro.. in truth, I'm a novice at soil. It can be done. I still do, but not in bubble bucket. If you try, keep mamma small with a lighter nutrients mix. Clone for new mamma, and flower out original mamma often. GL mate.
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
Ok so basically just use soil then? I thought it would be a fun thing to try but I guess I'll just make a bubble cloner outta the materials aha thanks a bunch
i wouldn't give up dwc. just not for your mother was my advice.
dwc will destroy a soil grow. you won't ever go back to dirt once you try it. just have to stay on top of pH and prevent root rot.
 

johnmac240

Well-Known Member
I'm just trying to keep a mother inside for the winter and take clones of her the clones will go into red solo cups that have dirt I don't have the space to do a complete hydro grow. I wish I did I would make a complete ebb and flow system.
 

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
With dwc the growth is crazy, which may or may not be what u need. Dwc mothers r good for sog where lots of clones are required, but if you only need a handful every 2 month then it kinda defeats the object. I wouldn't trust ur only mother of a treasured phenotype to ur first time dwcing. Shit can happen fast in a bubble bucket and loosing a plant or plants is often the outcome.
 

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
hempy bucket. doesnt' get any easier. that's what i do now. its the easiest form of hydro. would be a good way to get your taste of hydro.
 

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
I have to second what rkymtnman is saying hempys are wonderfully simple. Another good beginner system is standing your pot in a sink dish and every day fill the dish to just below the rim, leave it for 10-15 mins then discard the solution. Kind of a passive bottom freed. Flood and drain is Awesome and you get some great root growth but for a beginner I'd have to reccomend top feed as you flush the medium with each watering. Flood and drain while brilliant does sometimes encounter rootzone imbalances.
 
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