I have two DWC (Deep Water Culture) systems which consist of 5 gallon buckets and a bubbler bar airating the water ...i need to make a 1/3 nutrient solution in each bucket and the closest store around is an agway. what kind of hydroponic nutrient solution should i be lookin for goin in there that will be the best for my situation. plus i also use the aerogarden as a starter kit so id be lookin for some kind of solution that i could use for both.

and one more quick question...i heard from my other friend that grows that you can take a full grown plant after harvesting and clipping it, and dump it in a bucket with water that the soil will sink to the bottom eventually and you could grow it hydroponically from then on and produce a second harvest with much more heavier quicker yields is this true?

thanks

During vegetative growth the plants needs lots of N (nitrogen). They also need a fair amount of P (phosphorus) and K (potassium), 20-10-10, or 30-15-15, or something similar, with trace elements should do it.
During flowering the plants need more P (phosphorus) and more K (potassium) than they did during vegetative growth. It needs some N (nitrogen) but not as much as it did during vegetative growth. They also need calcium.
If you used:
--- something like 20-10-10 for vegetative growth, then try using 10-20-20 (or similar) for flowering.
--- something like 30-15-15 for vegetative growth, then try using 15-30-30 (or similar) for flowering.
If you can't find nutrients containing the proper combination for your needs (or you are not sure what kind of nutrient to get), look for a hydroponic nutrient recommended for growth when the plant is in the first stages of life and look for a hydroponic nutrient recommended for blooming (or flowering) when the plant is in the flowering stage. Make sure the nutrients you use contain trace elements.
Two and three part hydroponic nutrient solutions, that allow you to custom blend the amount of the different components, are recommended. But they might be costly. Organic hydroponic nutrients are available but they can be hard to find, and expensive.
Do not give your plants extra nutrients thinking it will make them grow faster. Too much will kill your plants. If you under fertilize, plants will take longer to grow but will not die. Follow the mixing instructions on your hydroponic nutrient package, if you aren't sure, use less rather than more.
As water evaporates and is absorbed by the plants, your water reservoir level will drop. Add tap water that has been aged 3 days or longer to the reservoir. I don't add nutrient solution to the water when I top up the reservoir tank, some people do.
Change the nutrient solution every 2 weeks. That is, discard the old solution and rinse off the reservoir, pumps, and other equipment that is used with hot water. After cleaning, add tap water that has been aged 3 days or longer to the reservoir then add nutrient solution.

The guy at my hydro shop said that botanicare has the best nutrients. and from what ive read and seen growing my own plants i would agree. you know they might not be THE ABSOLUTE BEST but they are damn sure close. I use the Pure Blend Pro formulas throughout my gro. Im thinkin about picking up some liquid karma which is a bio-catalyst. superthrive is also a good nutrient. but i go with this for my grow.

veg- pure blend pro grow

1st 4 weeks flowering- pure blend pro bloom

4-7 weeks i use pure blend pro bloom soil formula(yes even in hydroponics you use that formula)

8th week i use botanicare's clearex to flush out all nute so you dont get that nasty fertilizer taste when you smoke.

in reply to your second question. how much experience with growing does your friend have? from my experience i dont know if i would do that. after clipping and harvesting buds what are you left with, a stalk? even if you left some leaves on it you would have to revert it back to vegetative(which could take up to 5 weeks just to revert) then grow vegetatively for 4 weeks and then flower for another 8. and after all that the plant has been through so much stress i dunno how well it would yeild. bottom line, crop your harvest, start over.

I am using Advanced Nutrients Sensi & The Stealth Hydro nutes... not sure this is my first i also hear the Fox Farm (AN) is gr8. but just what i here...

Good luck..

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BAMA '08.....

Advanced Nutrients are good, but I'd stay far away from SH nutes puff, they kill the water.

I"m using Ionic Grow/Bloom/Boost....great nutes and not expensive....

General Hydroponics is pretty cheap and is working well for me. I'm a fan of not buying into the hype... I looked into advanced nutrients and a few others and I'm pretty sure they can kiss my ass. I mean you can only do so much, you have a good quality compound that yields the N or whatever other element and you put it in the correct ratio... there isn't some golden pile of bat shit somewhere that gives super nitrogen thats going to make your plant grow 2 ft a day, yet they charge astronomical amounts for pretty much the same shit as another less expensive product.

I'd burn my money on lighting, a great TDS meter, and a nice digital pH meter. I wouldn't spend more than $40 for nutrients but thats just me.

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In Heaven, all the interesting people are missing. - Nietzsche

my nutes are around 18 dollars for 32 ounces. i mean i dont really care about the price cause ive already dropped a few G's on this. go big or go home.