Question about DWC set up

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wowzerz

Well-Known Member
Hello, new to the forums, and growing in general. I am in the planning stages of setting up 4-6 plants with DWC method. I will be starting them with clones, can I take a clone (that is in a small rock wool square) and put it directly into my net basket with grow rocks? And I see a lot of people use drip systems in conjunction with their DWC setup, is this advisable, or will I have similar results with just a basic DWC bubbler setup? I will be doing these in individual 5 gal buckst BTW Thanks for any info!!bongsmilie
 
W

wowzerz

Well-Known Member
wowzerz said:
Hello, new to the forums, and growing in general. I am in the planning stages of setting up 4-6 plants with DWC method. I will be starting them with clones, can I take a clone (that is in a small rock wool square) and put it directly into my net basket with grow rocks? And I see a lot of people use drip systems in conjunction with their DWC setup, is this advisable, or will I have similar results with just a basic DWC bubbler setup? I will be doing these in individual 5 gal buckst BTW Thanks for any info!!bongsmilie
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Also wondering about the buckets im using, I know a lot of people use duct tape or foil tape to cover the whole bucket, I have gray buckets, can I just paint them black on the outside? Would this keep all light out?
 
atrumblood

atrumblood

Well-Known Member
Using a drip system with DWC won't hurt your plants, just make sure you are only using the drip system to keep the grow rocks moist, you don't want to use in directly at the plants base.



As for the bucket, just get a can of black spray paint.

Or if you're looking for some more ideas on dwc setups, check out my grow.

The link is in my sig.

Let me know if you need any more info on DWC.
 
W

wowzerz

Well-Known Member
atrumblood said:
Using a drip system with DWC won't hurt your plants, just make sure you are only using the drip system to keep the grow rocks moist, you don't want to use in directly at the plants base.



As for the bucket, just get a can of black spray paint.

Or if you're looking for some more ideas on dwc setups, check out my grow.

The link is in my sig.

Let me know if you need any more info on DWC.
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Thanks for the info man, I guess I'm gonna wait on the drip system then. I'm almost ready to start this, just gotta get the clones now, gonna pick up 8 clones, 6 will go on to flower, and 2 will become mother plants. I hope this all works out. So back to my first question, After I get some clones, can I place the clone straight into my grow rocks, and put them under floros to veg? If not, how big should the clones be before I put them in there?
 
W

wowzerz

Well-Known Member
I am also wondering, if I CAN put the clones straight into my setup, then how do they get water until the roots touch the water?
 
Knally

Knally

Well-Known Member
wowzerz said:
I am also wondering, if I CAN put the clones straight into my setup, then how do they get water until the roots touch the water?
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Since it sounds like you're not for the drip system then you will need to hand water and mist the plants daily until their roots hit the water.
 
W

wowzerz

Well-Known Member
Knally said:
Since it sounds like you're not for the drip system then you will need to hand water and mist the plants daily until their roots hit the water.
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That's what I was thinking. How many times a day would you suggest watering them? just enough to keep the rockwool moist, but not soaked or what? Thanks btw
Also wanted to ask, Does the amount of bubbles matter in this setup? I would think more would be better, but I'm not sure, I went ahead and bought the 125gal tank pumps with the big round 6" bubble rock, but I'm wondering if thats a little overkill?
 
Knally

Knally

Well-Known Member
wowzerz said:
That's what I was thinking. How many times a day would you suggest watering them? just enough to keep the rockwool moist, but not soaked or what? Thanks btw
Also wanted to ask, Does the amount of bubbles matter in this setup? I would think more would be better, but I'm not sure, I went ahead and bought the 125gal tank pumps with the big round 6" bubble rock, but I'm wondering if thats a little overkill?
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Yeah, just keep the rockwool moist, not soaking and mist the plants a couple of times a day. Also a small fan circulating the air, but not blowing directly on them.

I don't know that you can have overkill on oxygenated water with your air pump. Only if it bubbles the water out of the res would I say it's overkill.
 
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wowzerz

Well-Known Member
Knally said:
Yeah, just keep the rockwool moist, not soaking and mist the plants a couple of times a day. Also a small fan circulating the air, but not blowing directly on them.

I don't know that you can have overkill on oxygenated water with your air pump. Only if it bubbles the water out of the res would I say it's overkill.
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One more question I cant exactly figure out (there is conflicting info all over the net) I plan on getting a 600w HPS for flowering, would 3 sets of floro lights at 6300 Lumen per fixture (total of 18,900 Lumens) be sufficient for veg? My grow area (for veg) is 4'3" x 2'4", and will hold 6 plants, each in their own bucket

Edit: Picked up a 600w Sunsystem HPS setup, if possible should I just get a metal halide bulb and us it in this setup for Veg, or should I stay with long floro bulbs??? This is my last dillema, then just need to get a fan and Im good to grow!
 
W

wowzerz

Well-Known Member
wowzerz said:
One more question I cant exactly figure out (there is conflicting info all over the net) I plan on getting a 600w HPS for flowering, would 3 sets of floro lights at 6300 Lumen per fixture (total of 18,900 Lumens) be sufficient for veg? My grow area (for veg) is 4'3" x 2'4", and will hold 6 plants, each in their own bucket

Edit: Picked up a 600w Sunsystem HPS setup, if possible should I just get a metal halide bulb and us it in this setup for Veg, or should I stay with long floro bulbs??? This is my last dillema, then just need to get a fan and Im good to grow!
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Anyone??????
 
Knally

Knally

Well-Known Member
The floros will be fine for the veg. I use a 4 ft. T12 and five 42 watt cfls to veg 6 to 8 plants in a 3 x 5 ft. area.
 
HomeGrownHairy

HomeGrownHairy

Well-Known Member
wowzerz said:
One more question I cant exactly figure out (there is conflicting info all over the net) I plan on getting a 600w HPS for flowering, would 3 sets of floro lights at 6300 Lumen per fixture (total of 18,900 Lumens) be sufficient for veg? My grow area (for veg) is 4'3" x 2'4", and will hold 6 plants, each in their own bucket

Edit: Picked up a 600w Sunsystem HPS setup, if possible should I just get a metal halide bulb and us it in this setup for Veg, or should I stay with long floro bulbs??? This is my last dillema, then just need to get a fan and Im good to grow!
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Unless you have a unit that is made run on both type bulbs, you can't do that.
 
dynamitejack

dynamitejack

Well-Known Member
wowzerz said:
I am also wondering, if I CAN put the clones straight into my setup, then how do they get water until the roots touch the water?
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I started seeds in rockwool and as soon as they sprouted I moved them into my dwc. I kept the water level kind of high so the grow rocks would keep the rw moist. 12 out of 14 plants are growing now :leaf:
 
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wowzerz

Well-Known Member
dynamitejack said:
I started seeds in rockwool and as soon as they sprouted I moved them into my dwc. I kept the water level kind of high so the grow rocks would keep the rw moist. 12 out of 14 plants are growing now :leaf:
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I thought I read somewhere that mine could take MH bulbs. It is a sunsystem ss1 600 hps. And I think Im gonna go with 2 or three sets of t12 floros for veg, they have the fixtures for 9.99 at Lowes right now. What bulbs would be good to use, I read somewhere that you should use bright "white" bulbs for veg, but I read somewhere else that you should use both ends of the spectrum for veg.
 
dynamitejack

dynamitejack

Well-Known Member
wowzerz said:
I thought I read somewhere that mine could take MH bulbs. It is a sunsystem ss1 600 hps. And I think Im gonna go with 2 or three sets of t12 floros for veg, they have the fixtures for 9.99 at Lowes right now. What bulbs would be good to use, I read somewhere that you should use bright "white" bulbs for veg, but I read somewhere else that you should use both ends of the spectrum for veg.
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I've read that they like the color temp to be 6500k which is blue. Thats what I'm using and my ladies like it :hump:
 
demonic1

demonic1

Well-Known Member
The T12's are big and bulky and T8 fluorescent lamps offer better efficiency, lumen maintenance, colour quality, fixture optics and life-cycle costs. Although the fixure is cheap, you'll find a lot less options for bulbs for growing and higher enery costs since T12's aren't as effiencent as say the T8's. The best choice would be a T5HO although they are rather expensive compared to T8's or T12's. I'd pay a little more for a T8 fixture rather than buy a cheap T12. One of the things you should compare is the wattage options of the bulbs as well as the lumens available. I think you'll find that you have far more options with a T8 fixture. And look for a Daylight bulb for flowering....(6500K).
 
W

wowzerz

Well-Known Member
demonic1 said:
The T12's are big and bulky and T8 fluorescent lamps offer better efficiency, lumen maintenance, colour quality, fixture optics and life-cycle costs. Although the fixure is cheap, you'll find a lot less options for bulbs for growing and higher enery costs since T12's aren't as effiencent as say the T8's. The best choice would be a T5HO although they are rather expensive compared to T8's or T12's. I'd pay a little more for a T8 fixture rather than buy a cheap T12. One of the things you should compare is the wattage options of the bulbs as well as the lumens available. I think you'll find that you have far more options with a T8 fixture. And look for a Daylight bulb for flowering....(6500K).
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Wow, thanks for the insight. There is so much info on the net, and alot of it contradicts other info I hav seen, so I appritiate the advice. I am gonna pony up the extra $ and go with the t-12s with some daylight bulbs. Would you go with 2 fixtures(4 lights) or 3 fixtures (6 lights)? they are going to be on 6 plants in roughly a 6x3 foot area. In other news, Im going to my med marijuana apt in 2 hours, wish me luck.
 
HomeGrownHairy

HomeGrownHairy

Well-Known Member
Edit: Picked up a 600w Sunsystem HPS setup, if possible should I just get a metal halide bulb and us it in this setup for Veg, or should I stay with long floro bulbs??? This is my last dillema, then just need to get a fan and Im good to grow!

If your unit is not an mh/hps conversion unit, you can't use a mh bulb in it. If is is a conversion unit, the mh (blue spectrum) is better for vegging. Having said that, you can go ahead and add your hps light along with floros, right now, without any problems. More light the better.
 
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