Komodoghost
Active Member
We've all heard of hydroponics and we all know that a lot of people that grow use some form of hydropoinic growing method. Then we get curious about it and if it's at all hard to do.
Well rest asured it's a lot easier then it sounds or how others make it sound... So before we get into my prefered type of hydroponic growing lets look at some of the stuff you will need and what you will learn here will also go hand in hand with 99% of the plants out there including veggies.
By the way... This is all from my personal experance so yes this is something that I do personally and not just a repost from some other blog.
First lets do the pros and cons of this....
Pro's:
set and forget for the most part
Fast growth in both vegitative and flowering states
air/o2 right to the roots
Can be cheaper on you for the yeald you will get
easy setup
If your air pump breaks down, it becomes a Kratkey DWC grow)
Cons:
Depending on your nutes that you use the PH level can be unstable
check your solution level everyday for the roots
Fast growth can be a bad thing if you have a small grow tent
Deep water Culture
Equpment you'll need:
5 gal or 22 ltr bucket, black in colour prefered but you can spray paint it later
A drill, corded or cordless it honestly doesn't matter
¼ drill bit
Something to cut a hole in the lid of the bucket (I just use a marker and a knife)
aquarimum air pump (one meant for a 200 gal tank to start with is best)
Air tubing (25 feet is more then enoughfor upto 6 plants but you'll need a better airpump)
Cup(s) these are an easy DIY if you feel adventurious
hydrodon (fancy way of saying expanded clay pellets, aquarimum stones)
Rapid Rooter Plugs or Rock Wool
Nuterents (I prefer general hydroponics or green planet)
PH up or down (optional in my humble opinion but best to have)
Air stones (oprional as I just make my own out of the air hose)
Net cups
Just as it sounds is that it is a cup thats made into a “net” of sorts so that the roots of your plants can dangle into the water when they grow. If you want you can make your own out of a margarine container, just use your drill and make a bunch of holes in it... and I do mean a bunch.... the more the better in this case because you want the roots to come out of them. I use a ¼ inch drill bit because.... why not, it works just fine.
So now the step by step.....
First and for most germinate your seed in a paper towel and once you have a large enough tap root place it gently into your rapid rooter or rock wool plug. Once it has started showing roots threw your medimum du jour let the roots get to be aproximently 2 inches long so that they will fit down the holes of your net cup. This is one of the important steps because well... the plant needs the nutes.
While your waiting for this to happen TIME TO GET HANDY (lots easier then you're going to think).
So it's time to make your bucket with all of that time you have on your hands waiting for your seeds to germinate, clones to root and so on. just follow along and your going to be ok.
Step 1) The lid
So of course your wondering what the lid is going to be used for and that's a simple answer... To hold the net up that has your newly rooted strain, the hydrodon, etc.
If you remember I suggested at least a 3-4 inch net cup so what you do and take your net cup and trace the top of your net cup in the center of the lid. Make sure that the hole isn't going to be bigger then the net cup so best rule of thumb here is to go a few millimeters smaller then the top of the net cup so it fits tightly in there. Now place your net cup in the hole and your done that part.
Step 2) The air hose and air hose opening.
Now take a drill and a 1/4 inch drill bit and go about an inch below the lip of the lid. Drill a hole for the air hose to go in. There you've got that one done. The air hoes isn't anything special that your going to use. Get some air hose meant for a fish tank that you attach an air stone to, For best results use black air hose/line.... Why? you may ask, Well you will have a light running in the area that you are going to be growing in right? Well some people believe that the light that is captured by the clear air hose that is in your bucket can work as a light pipe. Meaning that it can possibly capture light and put it in the take and grow allgy. That's not good but I haven't had this problem yet so in my thoughts this is optional but your call really.
Step 3) Air stone placement
After you've fed your air line into the bucket put your air stone into the bucket in the dead center. If you have the bar style make sure that its an inch smaller then the width of your bucket so you can fit it in there with the air line attached. PRO TIP I use 2-4 air stones in each of my buckets because the oxygen the better the grow for your plants. To do this all you need is an air line splitter from your main line going into the bucket and extra air hose to goto each stone. Use the cylinder style to do this. I place them in a box style so it looks like this ====> [ ] <=====. This will make sure that you are putting air to the complete root ball that will grow inside the bucket evenly.
Step 4) Nutrients for your grow.
Okay now the interesting part.... When you are mixing up your nutrients ALWAYS REMEMBER LESS IS MORE.
No matter the brand that you are using (and there's tonnes out there to choose from trust me) always cut the suggested amount in half 1/2. The reason for this is because you will be feeding the roots directly and you can kill/burn the roots VERY EASILY!!!. So here is some simple math.
5 ml or 1 tsp per gallon = 2.5 ml or 1/2 tsp per gallon and so on.
Then watch your rooted seedling/cutting to see how it reacts to the food you just put it into for the next few days. If it shows signs on it's leafs the increase very slowly, I'd suggest 1 ml per gallon but no more. PRO TIP If your using reverse osmosis water or distilled water it WILL NOT have anything in the water so always have a supplement like CALMAG on hand. if your on a well then I wouldn't worry too much about it but still have it on hand. If your using CHLORINATED water (aka city water) make sure that you run your air into the water for approx 24-48 hours (1-2 days) to try to get as much of it out.
Step 5) Placing your plant into the net cup.
Very important step as you will be dealing with the tender and very fragile roots directly. Remember that these little white roots are how it will get what it needs from your deep water culture that is filled with your nutes. Gently take your plant and place the roots thru the openings in the bottom of the net cup. Go as slowly and carefully as you need because you don't want to break off any of the roots at all. If you break one that's fine it will grow back in time but do your best not to. PROTIP tooth picks, books and a table are very handy for this. We only have two hands and adult gingers are too big to fit in the holes of a net cup. So take your net cup and place it on a stack of books that are high enough for you to see the bottom of the net up and use the tooth pick as a guide for the roots. DO NOT USE TWESERS AT ALL as the presure WILL damage the root.
Now gently fill your net cup with your medimum of choice so it covers the bottom of the stock of the plant and put the lid with your baby in the water.
Step 6) Water height in the bucket
I always only fill a quarter (1/4) inch to half (1/2) inch above the bottom of the net cup and try to check daily on my water level. I do this so I can also keep an eye on the root growth of said plant.
OPTIONAL SUGGETIONS
-Change your nutes every week to make sure that it has fresh stuff in the bucket and gives you a chance to clean your bucket as well. I don't always do this as I check daily on them even when the plants are flowering. This also gives you a chance to get rid of any possible bad stuff in your root system like alggy, see if you have root rot setting in and etc.
-If you're worried about your root health then get some stuff called great white or root guard. This will ensure that your roots will not rot away on you and keep them healthy. I haven't had to use it yet but I still have it on hand.... you know just in case.
-Chech your PH levels to make sure that they are between 5.5-6.5 because if your dwc has the wrong PH level then it can cause damage and kill your roots. AWALY PH your water with either PH up or down to get the right level AFTER you've mixed your solution.
There that's it and now your off to the races as they say into hydroponics. This may have been a little long winded but I wanted to make sure I had everything down.
Don't forget to leave comments on something you think I've left out, if you like this tutorial by all means drop a comment below.
https://mrgreenthumbgrows.blogspot.com/2018/12/hydroponics-made-easy-deep-water-culture.html
Well rest asured it's a lot easier then it sounds or how others make it sound... So before we get into my prefered type of hydroponic growing lets look at some of the stuff you will need and what you will learn here will also go hand in hand with 99% of the plants out there including veggies.
By the way... This is all from my personal experance so yes this is something that I do personally and not just a repost from some other blog.
First lets do the pros and cons of this....
Pro's:
set and forget for the most part
Fast growth in both vegitative and flowering states
air/o2 right to the roots
Can be cheaper on you for the yeald you will get
easy setup
If your air pump breaks down, it becomes a Kratkey DWC grow)
Cons:
Depending on your nutes that you use the PH level can be unstable
check your solution level everyday for the roots
Fast growth can be a bad thing if you have a small grow tent
Deep water Culture
Equpment you'll need:
5 gal or 22 ltr bucket, black in colour prefered but you can spray paint it later
A drill, corded or cordless it honestly doesn't matter
¼ drill bit
Something to cut a hole in the lid of the bucket (I just use a marker and a knife)
aquarimum air pump (one meant for a 200 gal tank to start with is best)
Air tubing (25 feet is more then enoughfor upto 6 plants but you'll need a better airpump)
Cup(s) these are an easy DIY if you feel adventurious
hydrodon (fancy way of saying expanded clay pellets, aquarimum stones)
Rapid Rooter Plugs or Rock Wool
Nuterents (I prefer general hydroponics or green planet)
PH up or down (optional in my humble opinion but best to have)
Air stones (oprional as I just make my own out of the air hose)
Net cups
Just as it sounds is that it is a cup thats made into a “net” of sorts so that the roots of your plants can dangle into the water when they grow. If you want you can make your own out of a margarine container, just use your drill and make a bunch of holes in it... and I do mean a bunch.... the more the better in this case because you want the roots to come out of them. I use a ¼ inch drill bit because.... why not, it works just fine.
So now the step by step.....
First and for most germinate your seed in a paper towel and once you have a large enough tap root place it gently into your rapid rooter or rock wool plug. Once it has started showing roots threw your medimum du jour let the roots get to be aproximently 2 inches long so that they will fit down the holes of your net cup. This is one of the important steps because well... the plant needs the nutes.
While your waiting for this to happen TIME TO GET HANDY (lots easier then you're going to think).
So it's time to make your bucket with all of that time you have on your hands waiting for your seeds to germinate, clones to root and so on. just follow along and your going to be ok.
Step 1) The lid
So of course your wondering what the lid is going to be used for and that's a simple answer... To hold the net up that has your newly rooted strain, the hydrodon, etc.
If you remember I suggested at least a 3-4 inch net cup so what you do and take your net cup and trace the top of your net cup in the center of the lid. Make sure that the hole isn't going to be bigger then the net cup so best rule of thumb here is to go a few millimeters smaller then the top of the net cup so it fits tightly in there. Now place your net cup in the hole and your done that part.
Step 2) The air hose and air hose opening.
Now take a drill and a 1/4 inch drill bit and go about an inch below the lip of the lid. Drill a hole for the air hose to go in. There you've got that one done. The air hoes isn't anything special that your going to use. Get some air hose meant for a fish tank that you attach an air stone to, For best results use black air hose/line.... Why? you may ask, Well you will have a light running in the area that you are going to be growing in right? Well some people believe that the light that is captured by the clear air hose that is in your bucket can work as a light pipe. Meaning that it can possibly capture light and put it in the take and grow allgy. That's not good but I haven't had this problem yet so in my thoughts this is optional but your call really.
Step 3) Air stone placement
After you've fed your air line into the bucket put your air stone into the bucket in the dead center. If you have the bar style make sure that its an inch smaller then the width of your bucket so you can fit it in there with the air line attached. PRO TIP I use 2-4 air stones in each of my buckets because the oxygen the better the grow for your plants. To do this all you need is an air line splitter from your main line going into the bucket and extra air hose to goto each stone. Use the cylinder style to do this. I place them in a box style so it looks like this ====> [ ] <=====. This will make sure that you are putting air to the complete root ball that will grow inside the bucket evenly.
Step 4) Nutrients for your grow.
Okay now the interesting part.... When you are mixing up your nutrients ALWAYS REMEMBER LESS IS MORE.
No matter the brand that you are using (and there's tonnes out there to choose from trust me) always cut the suggested amount in half 1/2. The reason for this is because you will be feeding the roots directly and you can kill/burn the roots VERY EASILY!!!. So here is some simple math.
5 ml or 1 tsp per gallon = 2.5 ml or 1/2 tsp per gallon and so on.
Then watch your rooted seedling/cutting to see how it reacts to the food you just put it into for the next few days. If it shows signs on it's leafs the increase very slowly, I'd suggest 1 ml per gallon but no more. PRO TIP If your using reverse osmosis water or distilled water it WILL NOT have anything in the water so always have a supplement like CALMAG on hand. if your on a well then I wouldn't worry too much about it but still have it on hand. If your using CHLORINATED water (aka city water) make sure that you run your air into the water for approx 24-48 hours (1-2 days) to try to get as much of it out.
Step 5) Placing your plant into the net cup.
Very important step as you will be dealing with the tender and very fragile roots directly. Remember that these little white roots are how it will get what it needs from your deep water culture that is filled with your nutes. Gently take your plant and place the roots thru the openings in the bottom of the net cup. Go as slowly and carefully as you need because you don't want to break off any of the roots at all. If you break one that's fine it will grow back in time but do your best not to. PROTIP tooth picks, books and a table are very handy for this. We only have two hands and adult gingers are too big to fit in the holes of a net cup. So take your net cup and place it on a stack of books that are high enough for you to see the bottom of the net up and use the tooth pick as a guide for the roots. DO NOT USE TWESERS AT ALL as the presure WILL damage the root.
Now gently fill your net cup with your medimum of choice so it covers the bottom of the stock of the plant and put the lid with your baby in the water.
Step 6) Water height in the bucket
I always only fill a quarter (1/4) inch to half (1/2) inch above the bottom of the net cup and try to check daily on my water level. I do this so I can also keep an eye on the root growth of said plant.
OPTIONAL SUGGETIONS
-Change your nutes every week to make sure that it has fresh stuff in the bucket and gives you a chance to clean your bucket as well. I don't always do this as I check daily on them even when the plants are flowering. This also gives you a chance to get rid of any possible bad stuff in your root system like alggy, see if you have root rot setting in and etc.
-If you're worried about your root health then get some stuff called great white or root guard. This will ensure that your roots will not rot away on you and keep them healthy. I haven't had to use it yet but I still have it on hand.... you know just in case.
-Chech your PH levels to make sure that they are between 5.5-6.5 because if your dwc has the wrong PH level then it can cause damage and kill your roots. AWALY PH your water with either PH up or down to get the right level AFTER you've mixed your solution.
There that's it and now your off to the races as they say into hydroponics. This may have been a little long winded but I wanted to make sure I had everything down.
Don't forget to leave comments on something you think I've left out, if you like this tutorial by all means drop a comment below.
https://mrgreenthumbgrows.blogspot.com/2018/12/hydroponics-made-easy-deep-water-culture.html
