First grow, First forum.

[Chowder]

Thank you so much for this site, and forum. I wouldn't be 4/5 weeks out from my first grow without this awesome site. Also, this is my first forum so please be patient. I've made a few mistakes along the way, like germinating twice the seeds I needed, then not getting rid of any! I just squeezed them in, even put some in dirt, cause I couldn't put in down! Also, I grew 4 diffent strains, with a blend of indica/sativa' in a DWC bubblers.all connected to main reservoir outside of room as to keep cool.
My lights are 2 x 600 w HPS, MH for veg ( cheapest names from Amazon, Apollo Hort lights)
2 LED actual draw 600w for both together ( cheapest names from Amazon, 1200 w and 1000 w replacements)
basically, decided to get LED instead of another 600 w HPS , just to compare. Wanted to try to compare HPS to LED)
I have 3 T5 s, for side support light, 4 bulb each, 216 w each
I have two 400 cfm fans on dials, which keeps my room temp and humidity dialled in. THANKS TO THIS SITE!
Small fans around to keep air moving.
Grow room is 7' x 11', but my grow area is 3.5' x 8'.
Strains include, blueberry, critical widow, amnesia, OG Kush.
Nutreints are advanced nutrients hobbyists pkg. includes sensi A/B bloom and veg, plus all the other nutrients from that pkg. Please add any comments if you've used Advanced Nutrients!
Please have a look and add any comments, if you see anything not right. Thanks Tyler Hobist and others, for your positive comments on another post. ( I switched the direction of the HPS today to take away from the taller ones and now it's more focused on the shorter plants, thanks Tyler!)
Been making my own grow journal, I hope to post, after complete.

Also, shout out to Newf, ( towny, bayman? )

One problem I'm dealing with right now, is that the return lines on my DWC are getting full of roots, slowing the return of water. Causes me to loose water a bit, just enough to have to clean up.

im checking and adding water everyday, they're thirsty girls! Also maintaining PH, PPM daily!

Once again, thanks everyone for sharing your information for others to grow and learn!

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Ur very welcome buddy plants look beautiful

[DW2]

Howdy Chowder and welcome to the forum. I have used a pump filter bag to keep roots and junk from clogging up the pump. If you have a pick up line that is getting clogged with roots, get some fine screen material from your hardware store and make a filter by rolling it into a large tube and secure it to the intake with a wire (copper or iron) and close off the open end the same way. The larger the screen, the less resistance it offers to the flow of water, and the lower the velocity, the less the root will tend to follow the flow.
That is a very nice looking grow set up! Good luck with your grow.

[Chowder]

Thanks for the advise, DW2. I'm definitely going to set myself up for this issue next grow. As of now, things are stabilizing as long as I don't add too much fresh water to reservoir at once. But there thirsty girls...... and gotta drink!
Also thanks for the positive comments! Peace.

[BG Bud]

You've got them surrounded ! Great looking plants and nice set up . Can you see any difference with the side lighting ? I have T5s and was thinking of doing same . I just have one 1200 watt LED on 3 plants. Someone in this forum felt they can only absorb so much and may be a waste of power?? Keep posting and welcome !

[Chowder]

Thanks BG Bud! I had the t5s and also read the GWE and forums about light and how much, and how they work/ don't work, but I've also seen grows on the site with only cfl and t5s, so I thought, how can it hurt? Plus, I've crowed too many plants under my lights, so I thought I could use it. I'll see if I've got a pic to post of the bud development next to the t5s. I think / hope it's going to make a difference.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Yes plants can only obsorb so much light without getting stressed or burnt/bleached but if u add co2 that same light that was stressing ur plant no longer does, I personaly have 16,000lumens of led light. Per sqf of my grow room with adding extra co2 from a couple methods iv used my new method is trying the exhale bag (to new to tell as it takes 30 days to take full effect) but a method I have proven is the water sugar yeast co2 trick this works very well. If I take the co2 out of my room for about 24hours my plants get massive light stress, I have tryed this that's how I know it works

[Chowder]

I'm very curious to try the CO2 recipe you mentioned in another post. I'm just concerned about my air exchange sucking it out as quick as it's made. I've read about the controllers for CO2/ temperature but not ready to invest that much yet! The switching direction of my lights did help a bit, there seems to be fewer claw leaves! And there not on the majority of the colas, just the higher ones, of course.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

If u do the bottle and hose method and tie the small hose on the top of the main stem the co2 wount blow away it will hit ur leaves this is what I do and it's cheap and last 9days ish

[Chowder]

I've got about 4 weeks left till harvest, when do you start the co2 and do you think it will work for this grow or should I try time?

[tyler_ hobbyist]

1/2cup sugar 500ml hot water mix till desolved then add 1tblsp of tradinional yeast mix put into any jug with lid drill hole for small hose then tie hose to top of main stem and done. The leaves will be close enough to suck up the co2

[DingusKhan]

Very cool. Does it matter if the bottle is clear or dark or cool, or can it sit under the grow lights? About how long will it produce CO2 before it needs refilled? I'm doing this!

[tyler_ hobbyist]

The jug color doesn't matter it can sit anywere and it last 7-9days I just refill ever 7days just to be safe

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Co2 works best in temps over 80 and with this amount try not to go higher than 90 in flower u dnt want any higher than 82-85 as the terpens on the bud will start to die with the heat

[DingusKhan]

Very nice.

[Chowder]

Thank a lot! I hope to post a journal or at the least I'll update and post some more pics!

[Chowder]

Just adding a couple pics from yesterday. I'm getting more excited everyday!
question, what are people's thoughts and experience with just adding water or water/nutrients combo, rather than completely draining water and starting over with new water once a week?

[Chowder]

Big thanks alltatup! I'll be happy with the different strain once harvested, but future grows will one strain or at least strains of the same type

[Newf]

love the pics Chowder. I am neither a townie or a bayman.(I'm from Boston) but most of my cousins are townies and we are all descendants of Bay de Verde so.... I am a soil grower so I will defer to the hydo folks for advice and just stick to encouragement. Way to go! BTW the name Newf refers to the big black dog in my picture.

[Chowder]

Right on newf! Good luck on current/future grows. I'm sure we will chat again. Peace

[tyler_ hobbyist]

I havnt grown dwc but I wanna learn. So let me know if I got this right. U change ur water 2times a week and one of the times u use nutes with water and the other time u only use ph water? Or do u use nutes through the whole grow in every change

[DW2]

I fill the reservoirs first with the nutrients and pH'ed water, then at mid week, I top off the reservoirs with only pH'ed water. I do check the pH of the reservoirs before I add the water and adjust the water accordingly to keep the reservoirs within 5.5-6.5 range.

[DingusKhan]

DWC is very easy to do. The GWE tutorial has diagrams that cover everything, you already know how to mix nutes and keep your setup clean. Your plants will grow a lot faster and bigger! Not that that is the most important thing, but it's fun to run, kinda like a train set that you never turn off.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Oh ok awesome thank u so by mid week nutes are at half. Stength roughly. Oh ok thank u dw2

[DW2]

Some thing like that. The schedule is not of my design, it's directly from the GH web site, they have many different schedules there, according to the media and nutrients used, also by whether it is a recirculating or drain to waste hydroponic system. GWE supplied all of the rest of 'my' experience!

[tyler_ hobbyist]

I have a question for ya while ur plants are in mid veg stage how much growth in a 24hour period do u get?

[DW2]

It varies, under similar conditions, I have had 'sisters' grow at different rates. On the current grow one reached about 42" tall and the other went to 55" tall and I'm still waiting for the tall one to ripen! I harvested the shorter girl this past Friday. I have seen growth as much as 1 plus inches in a day, would probably get more with more wattage, I'm currently using 220 watts (CFLs) per reservoir.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Hey dwc2 if u have time do u think u could give me the low down of dwc in a pm message? Iv always grown soin but I wanna try dwc but I dnt know how different it is compaired to soil growing except the obvious. Lol

[DW2]

tyler_hobbyist, the best advice that I can give to a 'first time' DWC grower (and I whished that I had for my first attempt) is to follow the guide lines at GWE. I have never had good results growing any thing in soil, so even without a 'green thumb', the hydroponics works for me, quicker results and easier to correct mistakes (and I need that ! lol).
As far as a 'pm' message, first, I'm not sure how they work and, B, my arthritic fingers can't stand that much typing, that's why I referrer You to the GWE site for the details, besides that is the best information to start with.
Have fun and good luck with Your growing endeavors!

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Thank u very much dw2 ill check it out

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Kool thank u guys ima look into that

[Chowder]

Hi Tyler, my opinion on the DWC vs soil is that DWC takes more attention, I think, but my soil plants that I crammed in beside my DWCs are not as big as the DWC but they're not bad, will post pics and other info once harvested. Sorry, poor English , 420 ish here.
but my soul plants are last minute add ones cause I couldn't get rid of them, dirt was bought at Walmart, no slow release nutrients, just perlite, I used left over 5 gallon dwc buckets for planters with couple inches of peppbles on bottom. And, not feeding watering schedule, don't know what runoff is yet, but I garden , so I've got a bit of an idea. Lol, I'm just going by gut feel, and it's working!
the thing about DWC is one, I lost water in my system 3 or 4 times, luckily and by chance, the way I set up my system, I would still have a few inches of water in each dwc if I lost water. Came in handy, cause it happened. Also, they are linked dwc to each other and one reservoir, like mine. Once your in place, I can't move my plants now, like you could if they were in pots, not connected by tubing. Mt plants are overcrowded, and can't move them. Something I'll fix nex go, always learning, right.

also, water temperature is something to deal with. Chillers are expensive . My main reservoir is outside my growroom so it's at a lower temperature, which has kept any root rot away, something else to content with. Just things to consider, which you may not have to contend with in soil.

but, DWC, if done properly and with some luck of course, lol, seems to grow really fast. . Seen some really big days, inches, during veg, will post pics..

i plan to try soil to really compare, I'll be hitting you up for experience!