Just wondering what type of bleach or h202? And how much would you recommend using?
I’m starting off with a 2 plant RDWC 5gl. bucket system until i get the hang of it. Than i will move from the soil completely.
Hello punit,
hoping i can help you a bit with your RDWC.
I run several RDWC systems, each dedicated to a specific NPK ratio (tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, photos, autos). I don't use GH, but I do make use of H₂O₂ during my grows (sterile system). I won’t comment much on your specific nutrients, but at the end of the day, hydro nutrients are hydro nutrients. I don’t use bleach, so I can only speak on H₂O₂.
With RDWC, I’ve found that the devil is in the details. Since you’re dealing with larger water volumes, changes take longer. This is great when your system is dialed in because your pH/EC won’t swing wildly in a matter of minutes. But if something is off, it can be a challenge to correct.
I assume you're running a sterile system since H₂O₂ eliminates both harmful and beneficial bacteria. If you’re using beneficial bacteria, I’m not the best resource since I haven’t worked with them. whats your total water amount, usually about 3 gallons per 5 gallon grow site plus your reservoir.
I keep 29% food-grade H₂O₂, dilute it to 3%, and add it to my reservoir during mid-week top-ups (pH 5.9, 0 EC), using 1-3ml per gallon in both the reservoir and grow buckets. On weekends, I adjust EC and pH back to the desired range. H₂O₂ also provides extra oxygen to the roots, making it a great addition to a sterile system with limited aeration. you could also wait for a problem and only add h202 when its needed (id bump your amounts to 4-5 ml per gallon at 3%). Remember also that not all H202 is the same, for example to 3% stuff we might use in our bathrooms or as a possible sanitizer for a wound has stabilizers in it that might not be the best for a grow. Gotta love chemistry !
my dilution formula, I’m sure others have better methods, but this works for me:
V₁ × C₁ = V₂ × C₂
- V₁ = volume of 29% H₂O₂ needed
- C₁ = 29% (original concentration)
- V₂ = final solution volume
- C₂ = 3% (target concentration)
about 100ml h202 per L of water to get to 3%.
I’m happy to help you fine-tune your setup if you need extra input. RDWC has a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, I couldn’t imagine going back to DWC with just 3 gallons of water and near nightly feeds. though coco growing and some automated feeding has slowly grown on me.
Finally, here’s my RDWC veg at the beginning of week 3. Unfortunately, I don’t have any recent root photos. EC 2.2 PH 5.9 20.3 C.
sorry for the chicken scrawl but its a good show of how little input a dialed in system can be.
