World Of Hempy

you will see I call my system Drain to Waste and not Hempy....Hempy is DTW, just has the feature of a drain hole HIGHER UP the bucket side to lengthen the time btwn watering....Other than that, ITS A PURE DTW SYSTEM....YT

in my hempies i usually do silica/calmag every other watering

OJAE said:

in my hempies i usually do silica/calmag every other watering

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your nute program SHOULD BE offering plenty of Calcium AND Magnesium...Cal/Mag suppliment is used almost exclusively by those who run R.O. water....anyone using tap gets plenty along with whats already in the nutes they use....I never seen anyone using tap get cal/mag def using ANY decent nutrient, And only sometimes when running R.O. water....The nutes SHOULD HAVE you covered....When ppl see REAL cal/mag issues (not pH related), its usually during mid veg, and its time to RAISE their overall nutrients...Silica is a different animal...Due to its very high pH, It has to be mixed in your water FIRST, and well blended, or it solidifies...
Soil growers, of course dont need silica additives, but full hydro or soiless benefits nicely from it....I use it till 3rd week of flower...Strengthens cells THROUGHOUT the plant (including roots), and the stalks get nice and stiff to support big buds....I found it's NOT GOOD to use the second half of flower....My buds never taste as good using it during late flower.......

good info thanks ^ i'm using semi hard tap water

i noticed this Nirvana Wonder Woman has sativa-like flowers

They can get TALL...its a sativa dom hybrid but smokes more like a balanced one...buddy of mine grew it ONCE....Took 10-11 weeks to ripen....Too long for him...MANY strains with same buzz ripen in 8 weeks (maybe 9 for some).....Long flowering strains add that extra time for issues, should you not be an experienced grower...IT IS GOOD THOUGH!!!!
Put up some pics when they are done...YT

Hey yall.

I'm starting my 2nd/3rd-ish grow rn but first time in Hempy Buckets (3gal buckets, coco/perlite 70/30 & some worm castings, hydroton layer on bottom) and I was just wondering what yall have found to be the best way to water the sprouts.

I've read some conflicting stuff on watering sprouts where some claim you need to water with your nutes until runoff, 4-6in around the sprout in order to get air moving through the coco and them a couple ml's under the sprout. Others say you should water sparingly and just underneath the sprout so that it moves to the reservoir at a (hopefully) faster pace and just keep the coco moist with some water, no need for runoff or nutes until it hits the res.

And I actually just read another post where someone used hemp string as a wick from the res to the sprout so it would have something to "follow down" to the res. Not gonna uproot my plants for that lol but figured I'd mention it in case someone here said that's the best thing.

I was doing the first one and I think it made the sprouts slow down significantly and I really don't like the coco staying that wet when there's nothing to "suck up" the water ya know? But I also don't want to ruin my coco or kill the sprout cuz they tend to die really quickly when they're under-watered.

Any tips? Should I just stop worrying and water when it looks like they need it and let em hit the res whenever they decide to?

jbrandona119 said:

& some worm castings

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that may or may not give you issues. if it were me, i'd skip them for the first few grows.

some people do the coco/perlite. i never tried it but i liked the perlite/vermiculite mix the most myself.

rkymtnman said:

that may or may not give you issues. if it were me, i'd skip them for the first few grows.

some people do the coco/perlite. i never tried it but i liked the perlite/vermiculite mix the most myself.

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Issues with bacteria in the reservoir or something, I'm guessing? The buckets are all made and sprouts are in 'em so there's no turning back now Scotty on the Dude Grows podcast swears by the castings in his hempy's which is kinda why I went with it...figured some organic material breaking down for the first month or w/e wouldn't hurt em. Really didn't add much to the mix tbh but it wouldn't be my grow if I didn't make it harder for myself in some way! Thanks for the heads up tho, I appreciate it.

I went with coco because I still had a bunch from the previous grow but I liked it a lot too and so did the plants! I also had a hard time finding a bunch of perlite...idk why but everywhere around me seemed to be OOS and Lowes only had the miracle grow shit.

jbrandona119 said:

Issues with bacteria in the reservoir or something, I'm guessing? The buckets are all made and sprouts are in 'em so there's no turning back now Scotty on the Dude Grows podcast swears by the castings in his hempy's which is kinda why I went with it...figured some organic material breaking down for the first month or w/e wouldn't hurt em. Really didn't add much to the mix tbh but it wouldn't be my grow if I didn't make it harder for myself in some way! Thanks for the heads up tho, I appreciate it.

I went with coco because I still had a bunch from the previous grow but I liked it a lot too and so did the plants! I also had a hard time finding a bunch of perlite...idk why but everywhere around me seemed to be OOS and Lowes only had the miracle grow shit.

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i tried to treat my hempys like hydro as much as possible. so no organics. not to say they won't work, i'd just be hesitant to use them until you get some good grows in hempys

jbrandona119 said:

Hey yall.

I'm starting my 2nd/3rd-ish grow rn but first time in Hempy Buckets (3gal buckets, coco/perlite 70/30 & some worm castings, hydroton layer on bottom) and I was just wondering what yall have found to be the best way to water the sprouts.

I've read some conflicting stuff on watering sprouts where some claim you need to water with your nutes until runoff, 4-6in around the sprout in order to get air moving through the coco and them a couple ml's under the sprout. Others say you should water sparingly and just underneath the sprout so that it moves to the reservoir at a (hopefully) faster pace and just keep the coco moist with some water, no need for runoff or nutes until it hits the res.

And I actually just read another post where someone used hemp string as a wick from the res to the sprout so it would have something to "follow down" to the res. Not gonna uproot my plants for that lol but figured I'd mention it in case someone here said that's the best thing.

I was doing the first one and I think it made the sprouts slow down significantly and I really don't like the coco staying that wet when there's nothing to "suck up" the water ya know? But I also don't want to ruin my coco or kill the sprout cuz they tend to die really quickly when they're under-watered.

Any tips? Should I just stop worrying and water when it looks like they need it and let em hit the res whenever they decide to?

Click to expand...

It sounds like your putting sprouts right into the hempy buckets????....If so, there.is MUCH BETTER ways to get going....Sprout are VERY EASY to damage when watering, and feeding too much for that matter.......I ALWAYS start sprouts under a cooler white Flourescent light (higher Kelvin ratinga, 4200+)....They prefer the blue/whites wavelength over the more red Spectrums....I start put cracked seeds into 8oz Styrofoam coffe cups (few holes popped in bottoms)...THEY WILL grow like a MF'er in this set up...Use Half Strength FLOWER formula...Wont burn them, they DONT NEED high N yet ane the higher P promotes rapid root development...I take them to 4-5 nodes, then top them OR Transplant them if your ready for them...Or put into a larger cup and keep in nurser longer if I need to finish up the current crop.....ALWAYS water them from the bottom....I have cups in trays....water the tray...When they use it up, water tray again before they get Bone dry....I opt for 3:1 perlite to Vermiculite for these....Roots like that airy mix...your choice of mix is ok, BUT WHY the casting....VERY UNNECESSARY....your true soiless without it....WELL, hydroponic without it....you have to give them nutes with your mix...dont use other additives that aren't needed....Just use a grow formula for veg and bloom formula for flower, PERIOD...lots of 'Snake.oils' on the market, THAT ONLY TAKE YOUR MONEY FROM YOU....just use a decent brand name formulas...I opt for the DYNA products....By the time you stick these ESTABLISHED YOUNG PLANTS (no longer seedlings by 4th/5th nodes), water thru the top as with ANY DTW...Hempy IS A DTW....the higher drain hole just offers more time btwn waterings...
I will PROMISE YOU, keeping the seedlings in PERFECT conditions in your nursery until they are established enuf, will NOT SLOW YOU DOWN....In fact the usually grow faster and CERTAINLY can prevent MANY pitfalls of putting sprouts in WAY OVERSIZED containers....Give them the conditions that serve THEM the best, and they will reward your efforts...YT

Im not sure but id say that the castings would kinda through your ph off but who knows.
Its a great method to grow in, ive used vermiculite with perlite and some hydroton, perlite vermiculite and straight perlite, i feel straight perlite works the best.
To water just treat it like hydro and start giving nutes from the beginning maske sure the root zone is moist. Feed calmag from the start.
I always get a good bit of run off at least 25% the amount of water i put in but im not sure if coco would be the same
What nutrient line are you using?

I am actually starting a new hempy run after doing soil for awhile. I always liked these passive DTW setups .

I keep things very simple.
I use either a 3:1 perlite / vermiculite mix or straight perlite. I always prep buckets before use - i run a hydrogen peroxide/ water mix thru initially to flush the perlite dust and sterilize .

After draining buckets i stage them with collection pans and risers. Seeds are germed in rooter plugs over rockwool ( hate it ). Seeds are in a mild water peroxide soak to sterilize and oxygenate. Helps with older seed stock too. I also presoak rooter plugs in Clonex liquid ( gold ) .

Once rooted they go into bucket. I do a simple feed of clonex gold liquid to start seedling growth then move to powder nute mix later. I used to use Dynagro / foliar pro but hate the fact it isnt very shelf stable and will separate over time.

Now i run GH MAXIBLOOM / Grow powder. Always got good results. Only other amendments during grow is Kelp and Hydroguard . Sometimes i would run Hydroplex to push flowers. Ph 5.8 -6.0. and thats it.

Here is the basic setup. Lighting is 420watt total.
QB 96s on meanwell 320w ( dimmer ) and a solo SF 1000 V2 ( dimmer ) as a supplement. I am also running 2 Agromax bulbs in a T5HO Sunblaster lamp - Pure Uv and 10000k finisher. For mid stage flower / late to push triches.

That SF was one i did a review on last year. Kind of liking the damn thing.



Lighting :

Budzbuddha said:

I am actually starting a new hempy run after doing soil for awhile. I always liked these passive DTW setups .

I keep things very simple.
I use either a 3:1 perlite / vermiculite mix or straight perlite. I always prep buckets before use - i run a hydrogen peroxide/ water mix thru initially to flush the perlite dust and sterilize .

After draining buckets i stage them with collection pans and risers. Seeds are germed in rooter plugs over rockwool ( hate it ). Seeds are in a mild water peroxide soak to sterilize and oxygenate. Helps with older seed stock too. I also presoak rooter plugs in Clonex liquid ( gold ) .

Once rooted they go into bucket. I do a simple feed of clonex gold liquid to start seedling growth then move to powder nute mix later. I used to use Dynagro / foliar pro but hate the fact it isnt very shelf stable and will separate over time.

Now i run GH MAXIBLOOM / Grow powder. Always got good results. Only other amendments during grow is Kelp and Hydroguard . Sometimes i would run Hydroplex to push flowers. Ph 5.8 -6.0. and thats it.

Here is the basic setup. Lighting is 420watt total.
QB 96s on meanwell 320w ( dimmer ) and a solo SF 1000 V2 ( dimmer ) as a supplement. I am also running 2 Agromax bulbs in a T5HO Sunblaster lamp - Pure Uv and 10000k finisher. For mid stage flower / late to push triches.

That SF was one i did a review on last year. Kind of liking the damn thing.

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Lighting :

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Were you using gh nutes in your soil??
What was the difference from hempys taste wise and growth wise
I kinda feel hempys lack in the taste and terp department… not bashing it though.
ive done super soil outdoors and kinda hated the outcome
I want to try soil with bottled nutes now..
Will it have better taste and smell than with hempys?

Actually i do get that “ soil organic “ angle but i dont notice much difference in “ taste “ as i am particular in my soil mixes . But to me even this passive hydro method much better growth . Plus less bug issues.

GH allows me to aerate the mix overnight to aerate and mix. Then i check ph prior to use. I moved to citric acid to drop ph as needed and thats it.

Billytheluther said:

Were you using gh nutes in your soil??
What was the difference from hempys taste wise and growth wise
I kinda feel hempys lack in the taste and terp department… not bashing it though.
ive done super soil outdoors and kinda hated the outcome
I want to try soil with bottled nutes now..
Will it have better taste and smell than with hempys?

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Soil - I use layered mixes instead - bottom 1/3 with a nute dense mix then a myco layer then a mild top fill.
I do not use bottles … i recharge the soil with top dressing / soil drench. Extended veg photos i scratch in dry fertilizer to temper medium exhaustion. Only adding perlite and EWC. Thats it.

These are the dry fertilizer brands that i use

Dr. Earth premium gold / flower girl
Or
Recipe 420 ReCharge ( 6-8-4 )
Recipe Ultra Bloom ( 2-8-8 )
Or
Happy Frog Fruit and Flower

Budzbuddha said:

Soil - I use layered mixes instead - bottom 1/3 with a nute dense mix then a myco layer then a mild top fill.
I do not use bottles … i recharge the soil with top dressing / soil drench. Extended veg photos i scratch in dry fertilizer to temper medium exhaustion. Only adding perlite and EWC. Thats it.

These are the dry fertilizer brands that i use

Dr. Earth premium gold / flower girl
Or
Recipe 420 ReCharge ( 6-8-4 )
Recipe Ultra Bloom ( 2-8-8 )
Or
Happy Frog Fruit and Flower

Click to expand...

My tap water is 1k
So i use ro
If i use malmag with ro would it still work ?
Would it kill of beneficials?

Nirvana Wonder Woman almost week 9. perlite base then pure coco on top

yankeetransplant said:

It sounds like your putting sprouts right into the hempy buckets????

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Thank you for all the info and I apologize for not clarifying! I started them in hempy solo cups and transplanted the first 2 probably a bit early and the other 2 right on time (as far as I can tell).

With the pH and nutrient stuff, I'm actually trying out Gold Leaf's single step nutrient (+recharge once a week, silica every other watering PHd to 6.6-7.0 before adding the nutes) and I know, I know everyone is weary and skeptical or hates single step etc. but it's all good lol I'm going away for 2 weeks or so and needed a simple solution for the person watching them. I wouldn't trust em to mix up and PH multiple bottles so I figured I'd give it a whirl...and tbh I know it's only a few weeks into veg but I think it's working out pretty well so far. Loving the laid-back nature of it all!

Also disclaimer: my tent runs quite hot due to my shitty apartment so if you notice wonky leaves or other issues, it's most likely the 89+ degrees lol. I'll move my LED driver outside the tent when I get the chance...which I'm sure will be just in time for a super cold winter



This was straight out of the solo cup about 1.5 weeks ago. I was nervous about the transplant but it was awesome just being able to lift it right haha. I had a solo cup sized hole in my bucket so I just popped her right in (with the hydroton balls attached still) and after a couple of days it was pretty clear she found the new reservoir.


Here is how all 4 are looking now. Trying to do a mainline/manifold but we'll see how that goes. Watering every 2-3 days. The hydroton is heavy so I personally can't tell by weight. I had been lifting the plant and tipping it but now I just kinda can tell with em. Not too worried about it


^^Back left- Katsu Bubba's Sis; Back right- Katsu Wormhole; Front left- Tony Green's Bubblehead; Front right-Wormhole^^ they're very different in size but I don't mind flipping to 12/12 when 2 are smaller. Manifold/Mainline should keep em from crowding too much but we'll see.

Oh and I did take the no worm castings advice so the smaller blue bucket plants don't have any. I did throw in some mycorrhizal inoculants when I transplanted tho.


^^Wormhole (Romulan x Triangle Kush) seems to be really loving this grow. Can't keep her tied down enough and was just a bit more explosive after topping but in fairness, she's got more spacing between nodes than bubba's sis so it's not too far ahead.

yankeetransplant said:

your nute program SHOULD BE offering plenty of Calcium AND Magnesium...Cal/Mag suppliment is used almost exclusively by those who run R.O. water....anyone using tap gets plenty along with whats already in the nutes they use....I never seen anyone using tap get cal/mag def using ANY decent nutrient, And only sometimes when running R.O. water....The nutes SHOULD HAVE you covered....When ppl see REAL cal/mag issues (not pH related), its usually during mid veg, and its time to RAISE their overall nutrients...Silica is a different animal...Due to its very high pH, It has to be mixed in your water FIRST, and well blended, or it solidifies...
Soil growers, of course dont need silica additives, but full hydro or soiless benefits nicely from it....I use it till 3rd week of flower...Strengthens cells THROUGHOUT the plant (including roots), and the stalks get nice and stiff to support big buds....I found it's NOT GOOD to use the second half of flower....My buds never taste as good using it during late flower.......

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What is r.o. water

Jroey said:

What is r.o. water

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Reverse osmosis