Orca in DWC?

Drumfounded

Drumfounded

Well-Known Member
Hey guys! I'm currently on my fourth grow, the first three were flood and drain buckets. I'm attempting to keep mothers for the first time so that I don't need to hunt down clones or seeds. I'm thinking of switching to NFT, but for now I'm just trying to build some strong mothers and remodel my rooms a little bit. So I have 3 mothers I started from seeds that are in 5 gal dwc buckets. Diy, home Depot bucket style.
I'm starting to see the issues people have with roots in dwc. I'm having trouble keeping Temps down. I've been using frozen water bottles for the most part as I can justify buying a chiller for just a couple mothers. In the past I have used Orca, which I still have a good amount of. I've noticed that even with the orca, my roots have been getting slightly slimey. SLIGHTLY. And the roots are mostly white with some discolor but it's hasn't gotten to the point of brown dead roots yet. I've been doing red changed almost everyday, wth h202 baths in between. As soon as I add nutes, whether I'm trying sterile or benies, it's seems to take off. So for a few days, I've been doing no nutes, just trying to get the roots white and vigorous again as their growth has slowed.
Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should continue with orca or simply run a sterile res? I'd there a product I should have that I dont!?
I also run UC Roots with the h202 baths. I understand the h202 and UC roots wth kill the orca but basically every time I try to run the same res for more than I few days the roots start to discolor, that's why I keep going back and forth. Any help is much appreciated!
Res temp go from around 65-80 depending on when I add ice.
Air is plentiful and buckets are completely light proof!
 
Drumfounded

Drumfounded

Well-Known Member
Sorry for the quick typing, I'm on break at work. Also, would rapid start or some sort of rooting hormone help them bounce back? I'm using gh flora line, with calmag and superthrive
 
JD_85

JD_85

Well-Known Member
Drumfounded said:
Hey guys! I'm currently on my fourth grow, the first three were flood and drain buckets. I'm attempting to keep mothers for the first time so that I don't need to hunt down clones or seeds. I'm thinking of switching to NFT, but for now I'm just trying to build some strong mothers and remodel my rooms a little bit. So I have 3 mothers I started from seeds that are in 5 gal dwc buckets. Diy, home Depot bucket style.
I'm starting to see the issues people have with roots in dwc. I'm having trouble keeping Temps down. I've been using frozen water bottles for the most part as I can justify buying a chiller for just a couple mothers. In the past I have used Orca, which I still have a good amount of. I've noticed that even with the orca, my roots have been getting slightly slimey. SLIGHTLY. And the roots are mostly white with some discolor but it's hasn't gotten to the point of brown dead roots yet. I've been doing red changed almost everyday, wth h202 baths in between. As soon as I add nutes, whether I'm trying sterile or benies, it's seems to take off. So for a few days, I've been doing no nutes, just trying to get the roots white and vigorous again as their growth has slowed.
Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should continue with orca or simply run a sterile res? I'd there a product I should have that I dont!?
I also run UC Roots with the h202 baths. I understand the h202 and UC roots wth kill the orca but basically every time I try to run the same res for more than I few days the roots start to discolor, that's why I keep going back and forth. Any help is much appreciated!
Res temp go from around 65-80 depending on when I add ice.
Air is plentiful and buckets are completely light proof!
Click to expand...
Hydroguard® - Botanicare , 2ml per Gal. and no slime. your roots wont be bright bright white but they stay white with a tinge. ive been running this with no problems, even in summer months with no chiller and only 1 frozen 2 liter a day.
 
JD_85

JD_85

Well-Known Member
Drumfounded said:
Hey guys! I'm currently on my fourth grow, the first three were flood and drain buckets. I'm attempting to keep mothers for the first time so that I don't need to hunt down clones or seeds. I'm thinking of switching to NFT, but for now I'm just trying to build some strong mothers and remodel my rooms a little bit. So I have 3 mothers I started from seeds that are in 5 gal dwc buckets. Diy, home Depot bucket style.
I'm starting to see the issues people have with roots in dwc. I'm having trouble keeping Temps down. I've been using frozen water bottles for the most part as I can justify buying a chiller for just a couple mothers. In the past I have used Orca, which I still have a good amount of. I've noticed that even with the orca, my roots have been getting slightly slimey. SLIGHTLY. And the roots are mostly white with some discolor but it's hasn't gotten to the point of brown dead roots yet. I've been doing red changed almost everyday, wth h202 baths in between. As soon as I add nutes, whether I'm trying sterile or benies, it's seems to take off. So for a few days, I've been doing no nutes, just trying to get the roots white and vigorous again as their growth has slowed.
Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should continue with orca or simply run a sterile res? I'd there a product I should have that I dont!?
I also run UC Roots with the h202 baths. I understand the h202 and UC roots wth kill the orca but basically every time I try to run the same res for more than I few days the roots start to discolor, that's why I keep going back and forth. Any help is much appreciated!
Res temp go from around 65-80 depending on when I add ice.
Air is plentiful and buckets are completely light proof!
Click to expand...
are you growing on floor beams or a concrete slab? what is your light on time? these are my only 2 hydro on a slab down stairs my lights run from 5 pm to 5 am and my highest temp has been 70 but i could mitigate that by switching lights to 9 to 9 if need be.IMG_1839.JPG
i havnt run hydro in a LONG time so those are my testers for 1 plant 1 light. but so far so good, besides tripling,lol
 
Drumfounded

Drumfounded

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies, guys! Since the post I have just run sterile. It's been the trick. A few things I've learned from research, which has proven in my experience.
1. When rez Temps are higher, more h202.
2. UC Roots works well. With most things. It takes a few days/weeks to really see the difference.
3. Sterile means way less PH fluctuations.
4. My roots were originally stained and suffocated with nutrient salts. DWC requires way lower ppm/ec than flood and drain.
JD_85 said:
Hydroguard® - Botanicare , 2ml per Gal. and no slime. your roots wont be bright bright white but they stay white with a tinge. ive been running this with no problems, even in summer months with no chiller and only 1 frozen 2 liter a day.
Click to expand...
I originally went into the hydro store looking for hydroguard, and was convinced to try UC Roots instead. Have you ever heard of or used it?
JD_85 said:
are you growing on floor beams or a concrete slab? what is your light on time? these are my only 2 hydro on a slab down stairs my lights run from 5 pm to 5 am and my highest temp has been 70 but i could mitigate that by switching lights to 9 to 9 if need be.View attachment 3452201
i havnt run hydro in a LONG time so those are my testers for 1 plant 1 light. but so far so good, besides tripling,lol
Click to expand...
I'm growing in a second floor, spare bedroom closet. This is my temporary home for the mothers, so I haven't put any work into ventilation. I keep the door open and there is a portable AC unit in the room, which sucks. Temps have been between 78-86 for the last two week. Lights have been on 24/7 since day one. They started under 100w CFL, then 200 CFL and are currently under 400w MH.
 
JD_85

JD_85

Well-Known Member
Drumfounded said:
Thanks for the replies, guys! Since the post I have just run sterile. It's been the trick. A few things I've learned from research, which has proven in my experience.
1. When rez Temps are higher, more h202.
2. UC Roots works well. With most things. It takes a few days/weeks to really see the difference.
3. Sterile means way less PH fluctuations.
4. My roots were originally stained and suffocated with nutrient salts. DWC requires way lower ppm/ec than flood and drain.

I originally went into the hydro store looking for hydroguard, and was convinced to try UC Roots instead. Have you ever heard of or used it?

I'm growing in a second floor, spare bedroom closet. This is my temporary home for the mothers, so I haven't put any work into ventilation. I keep the door open and there is a portable AC unit in the room, which sucks. Temps have been between 78-86 for the last two week. Lights have been on 24/7 since day one. They started under 100w CFL, then 200 CFL and are currently under 400w MH.
Click to expand...
wow thats a dangerous game your playing, with those high h2o temps and running 24/7. at least running 18/6 might bring your rez. temps down for a few hours a day. at least h202 and uc roots are working 4 you. ive never tried uc roots b4, or heard of it ? is it a bacteria?
thumbs up on saving your moms!!! from what ive heard thats a ruff battle
 
JD_85

JD_85

Well-Known Member
maybe once "they" do this global harmonization thing msds sheets will actually say more than proprietary mix
 
BecauseIgotHigh

BecauseIgotHigh

Well-Known Member
I got two mothers in a single 8 gallon bucket, filled to about 5.7 gallons running DWC. Water temps range about 22-25C when lights are on, at night the drop to about 15-19C. Both plants are fine. Only thing I have to worry about is pH level to be at 5.8. Pumping about 1000ppm to the veg mother plants, also I don't change my water weekly because it has been clean lately, as I stopped using GW and organic nutrients or anything organic stay away. Currently it has been about 2-3 weeks in the same water, and the roots seem to be loving it.
 
Drumfounded

Drumfounded

Well-Known Member
JD_85 said:
wow thats a dangerous game your playing, with those high h2o temps and running 24/7. at least running 18/6 might bring your rez. temps down for a few hours a day. at least h202 and uc roots are working 4 you. ive never tried uc roots b4, or heard of it ? is it a bacteria?
thumbs up on saving your moms!!! from what ive heard thats a ruff battle
Click to expand...
From what I gather, it's just a fancy chlorine. Like a pool - shock type of product. I know that sounds dumb, I'm not a huge fan of snake oil, but the shit works so I'm not messing with it.
BecauseIgotHigh said:
I got two mothers in a single 8 gallon bucket, filled to about 5.7 gallons running DWC. Water temps range about 22-25C when lights are on, at night the drop to about 15-19C. Both plants are fine. Only thing I have to worry about is pH level to be at 5.8. Pumping about 1000ppm to the veg mother plants, also I don't change my water weekly because it has been clean lately, as I stopped using GW and organic nutrients or anything organic stay away. Currently it has been about 2-3 weeks in the same water, and the roots seem to be loving it.
Click to expand...
Same here, I ditched a few nutes. They weren't organic, but they just weren't agreeing with the DWC. Now that I have stabilized everything through a sterile res, I've been able to let it go for up to three weeks at a time. My one mother need to topped off almost everyday now, though. I tried to let her go about three days to find the bucket was completely empty!
 
Drumfounded

Drumfounded

Well-Known Member
JD_85 said:
wow thats a dangerous game your playing, with those high h2o temps and running 24/7
Click to expand...
The temps I posted was from the closet itself. With the frozen water bottles and keeping my air pump next to the AC, I can keep the res down around 65-68. The only problem is if I forgot to tend to them, it will reach 75 within an hour. It will hit around 83 and stay there if I wasn't monitoring and putting the ice in everyday. It is a dangerous game but I'm hoping to have them in their permanent home soon. No point in putting much money or labor into a temp home.
 
BecauseIgotHigh

BecauseIgotHigh

Well-Known Member
Drumfounded said:
The temps I posted was from the closet itself. With the frozen water bottles and keeping my air pump next to the AC, I can keep the res down around 65-68. The only problem is if I forgot to tend to them, it will reach 75 within an hour. It will hit around 83 and stay there if I wasn't monitoring and putting the ice in everyday. It is a dangerous game but I'm hoping to have them in their permanent home soon. No point in putting much money or labor into a temp home.
Click to expand...
@Drumfounded Seeing that you mention that it is in a closet, mine is too, with no fresh air coming in or out at the moment. I was thinking of purchasing a panasonic whisper quiet fans and pop a hole in the ceiling of the closet, and exhaust heat out to the roof. Trying to think of fresh air for the plants, but I had a fan in the circulating everything but like I said no fresh air though... Got to try to fix this to minimize the temperature of the closet & buckets.
 
Drumfounded

Drumfounded

Well-Known Member
BecauseIgotHigh said:
@Drumfounded Seeing that you mention that it is in a closet, mine is too, with no fresh air coming in or out at the moment. I was thinking of purchasing a panasonic whisper quiet fans and pop a hole in the ceiling of the closet, and exhaust heat out to the roof. Trying to think of fresh air for the plants, but I had a fan in the circulating everything but like I said no fresh air though... Got to try to fix this to minimize the temperature of the closet & buckets.
Click to expand...
I had a similar vision for this closet, until I decided to build a small, separate space for the mothers. Still the same vision really, just the space will be in the basement, vented up 3 floors to the attic. My basement also stays a lot cooler, I would have invested in a window AC that could handle the air better if I was going to keep them in the 2nd story spare bedroom. Or a split unit if I really wanted to do it right! Get the exaust flowing first, it should definitely help. Then if you're still concerned with temps, try something new. Most the year, I only need extraction. But in during the peak of summer it takes a lot more. Depends on what you're dealing with man.
 
JD_85

JD_85

Well-Known Member
Drumfounded said:
I had a similar vision for this closet, until I decided to build a small, separate space for the mothers. Still the same vision really, just the space will be in the basement, vented up 3 floors to the attic. My basement also stays a lot cooler, I would have invested in a window AC that could handle the air better if I was going to keep them in the 2nd story spare bedroom. Or a split unit if I really wanted to do it right! Get the exaust flowing first, it should definitely help. Then if you're still concerned with temps, try something new. Most the year, I only need extraction. But in during the peak of summer it takes a lot more. Depends on what you're dealing with man.
Click to expand...
can i ask why you keep your mothers in a dwc? i dont keep moms so this would be uncharted territory for me, but it seems easy to keep them in soil or less
 
Drumfounded

Drumfounded

Well-Known Member
JD_85 said:
can i ask why you keep your mothers in a dwc? i dont keep moms so this would be uncharted territory for me, but it seems easy to keep them in soil or less
Click to expand...
This is uncharted for me as well, to be honest lol. This is my first time. The girls are about 3 months old now, but that's all the DWC experience I have right now. Mainly, I wanted to keep out of soil, as all stages of the grow are done in the same house and I'm already committed to hydro on my larger systems. I love my results and I haven't had a problem that I couldn't solve with some time and energy. With that being said, I went nuts with money before I even started a few years ago and I just ended up with unnecessary expenses and unused products. I decided from now on I would build things from the ground up, only expanding and renovating when needed. Going into mothers for the first time, I wanted something cheap and easy, which brought me to the diy dwc buckets. I'm decided on the 5gal for mothers because I don't have a large setup and I want to keep a variety. Mothers get pruned often, kept as small as possible. Once I find a pheno I like best, I take a few cuttings and flower the mother. This way, I can efficiently keep a few strains while trying a new one every few months. Eventually, I'll probably keep 3-5 for breeding and then start that adventure.
 
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