help with DWC SCROG

foulhabits

New Member
I have had sevreal outdoor grows and am now almost finishing up my first indoor grow. Im ready to move up to the next level and do a dwc scrog.

What i will be using:
three 5 gallon buckets or 3 walmart totes. pumps or pump, for air with air stones. scrog net. three plants about 3-4 foot plants.

My grow room:
7 foot high by 4 foot wide by 2 3/4 deep rubbermaid yard shed inside my garage, polymer, 2 led . lights, computer fan for air flow and co2 suction into room, couple air circulation fans.


My questions are:
With scrog net what type of drain system is simplest for changing water?
Has anyone used a hanging scrog net so it can be adjusted? Or is this bad because of constant . movement caused from fans ect?
. Will a big plant be able to hold up well in a scrog with a 5 gallon hydro bucket?
. Will there be enough room in a 5 gallon bucket for roots with a large plant?
And for 3 buckets what pump should i use to try and eliminate using 3 pumps?

Thanks guys. I have been doing a lot of research and searching the web. And i have learned and read a lot. But some stuff i haven't found and would like to hear it first hand from pro's and people with experience with this!
 
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firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Check out my DWC to perpetual thread

I have an awesome screen setup with a detailed parts/cut size list. Easy as pie to put together. Have to search through the pages for it, but its not a long thread.

SAM_2489.JPG SAM_2548.JPG SAM_2551.JPG
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
You see I attached it to the lid with 1/4" x 2" nylon bolts and 1/4" x 20 nylon nuts and 1/4" neoprene washers I have on the inside under the nut to prevent any light leaks. All this can be sourced at home depot in the fasteners section.

The framework is 1/2" cpvc just pressed in, no glue.

I drilled holes inside the top part so I could thread rope through the holes in a criss cross pattern. This way come harvest I just snip the end (red circle in the top photo) and rip out the rope and replace. Rope/twine is cheap and its all natural so no plastics or synthetics touching the buds and sticking whatever to it.

Hope those pictures helped. But like I said the thread has a detailed build.
 

foulhabits

New Member
Thanks...that looks nice. But i have a questions, what is the purpose and function to attaching it to the bucket? All that extra parts and pipes. I think there must be a more simple and easy way. I was just going to hang mine by small chains. The scrog has no holding function just making new colas is the only function correct? So it doesn't have to be connected to anything just suspended. Am i missing something?
 

firsttimeARE

Well-Known Member
Its attached to the bucket for ease of water change outs.

I lift up the lid put it on an empty bucket while I clean out the bucket and fill with new nutrients/water.

No drains needed. Less holes in your buckets, less leaks.

You don't have to use this way. Was just a suggestion. I'm new to them myself, but so far so good.
 
With 7 feet of hight using 5 gallon buckets as individual reservoirs your going to need to dial in your screen hight and have a relatively static light placement.

During veg you will want a small set of "stairs" so that you can manipulate the hight of the bottom of the buckets rather than the top of the canopy. This will also give you a lot more room to work with doing under canopy work and maintenance. And help you retain that ideal flat top when you start to flower and experience that first big stretch.

In a DWC set up 5 gallon buckets is actually 2.5 to 3 gallons of solution and that's great for 3 - 4 weeks of veg sized root balls. If you veg longer go to a 10 gallon tote.

Most air pumps sold for hydro production (not aquarium) are piston driven and are meant for multable split offs to run multiple air stones and as a bonus do not add as much electrical radiant heat to the air passed through the tubing as aquarium air pumps. Do not use clear air tubing.

Cool your water brother. I don't care how. But cool it.

Led lights may or may not get as much value out of the stairs method i like so much. With 1000w hps I have an upper range of 20" away from my light Before it's too intense and a lower range of 35" before the light is too dim to produce flowers. So I put my screen 32" away from my light and let the up sprigs grow 3" before i tuck them under. At 10 days into 12/12 first flower sights start and the screen comes out and I am able to use the stairs to adjust the canopy hight by moving them down a stair every two weeks or so keeping them in that sweet spot of light intensity using my lux meter.
 
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foulhabits

New Member
Thanks guys for the advice. I have decided to go with 2 plants in dwc instead allowing more room growth for two. And eliminate the scrog method. Instead i will just put clips or some sort around the walls and bucket lid ect, and train my plants by bending my branches and holding them down by clips onto the sides ect, creating more of two big bushes instead. Basically an lst method. I will be putting the plants on top of crates so i can drain and drop the plants if need be.
 
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