how small a res for dwc???

ok i wanted to know if i can grow 5 clones to flower in a small container.. when i fill the res to the bottom of the net pot things that hold the rockwool its only 1/2 gal....

i just wanted to get a few clones and after roots show go 18/6 or 24 for 1-2 weeks then go 12/12 dont want big plants... just a few small ones.. but is the res big enough..

i know small res means im ganna have to fill it a lot, but besides that is that to small??? ill get pics up in a few minutes got to find camera

as u can see in the pics its not to tall... i have a flexible hose air stone thing... and instead of the air tubbing going into the bucket im making the end of it poke out.. like i said it only has 1/2 gal of water

You'll have a problem with stability in the res. With less solution, your ph will fluctuate more, your TDS will also be harder to control and you will require more frequent res changes.
Don't veg. Once you see roots, right to 12/12.
All in all, though, I don't think 1/2gal is enough. I have 6 plants in a 12 gallon res, with about 10 gallons of solution, and I don't think its enough, and thats not even flowering...

I am pretty much doing micro hydro in my grow. I would say your fine for using that for a cloner.. but you will really want a minimum of 1/2gl to 1gl per plant for flowering. Here is a link to my journal.
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/125191-someguys-grow-journal.html

I am moving to the 1gl containers as they keep the ph more stable over a longer period. I start the ph at 5.5 and after about 7-10 days when I change the res it is about 6.5. I top off the res with nute solution phed at 5.5 every 3rd/4th day. Trying to do 5 plants in one 1/2 gl would be impossible. They would drink all the water before you could fill it up.

well took the 5 clones last night and have them in a 1/2 gal solution of 10ml clonex, 3 drops of superthrive, and like 3 drops of thrive alive b1... used rootone powder rooting hormone..

crazy7605150 said:

well took the 5 clones last night and have them in a 1/2 gal solution of 10ml clonex, 3 drops of superthrive, and like 3 drops of thrive alive b1... used rootone powder rooting hormone..

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Rockwool and DWC do not mix very well.. at least not like how its pictured. Why not just get some foam inserts (or make some). that way you have no media to worry about mold etc.. Rockwool is not meant to be kept continuously saturated. have you done this before??

SomeGuy said:

Rockwool and DWC do not mix very well.. have you done this before??

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lol and check out the exotic rooting mix, huh.......... '1/2 gal solution of 10ml clonex, 3 drops of superthrive, and like 3 drops of thrive alive b1... used rootone powder rooting hormone'-----in rockwool??? As SomeGuy said, rw and dwc dont match too well..........and if you do do it that way you need to keep the rw above the water level or it will drown your kids. Cloning in rw isn't the easiest thing to do either.....you want the rw just damp, temp and humidity are very important. Getting the rw moist in your solution is probobly okay but your better off just using the powder by itself(it over gel because it wont rinse away as easy) and keeping the temps in the upper 70's. And ventilate your cloner a few times a day.... If I were you I 'd set up a dwc cloner(or areo) and move into hydroton or coco/perlite for your dwc.....

And when it come to nutes, additives, etc., remember : More is NOT better!

Just my $.02 that I tried to make $.10.......

Great luck to you!!

growinman

nope never did this before but have heard of other people doing it...i put silica stone on top of the rockwool.... if i use the foam inserts then i would have to make it with misters in it... i think that without a medium to keep moist it would have to have misters. this is more or less just an experiment... my other dwc was getting to bushy so i was ganna cut some off anyways... i was thinking if the roots start to get to big for this container i can buy another one or 2 and stack them up so roots can grow down...

just to say yeah this is my first time being able to clone... and from what i thought i always heard you use the rooting hormone with the rockwool cubes...

i soaked them in 5.6 water for an hour then shook out most of the water.... i then used clonex.. clone solution for rapid root development and then the superthrive and the b1 for the shock and to help with transplanting...
i have heard of most ppl using the rootone with RW and superthrive with clones... i just bought the clonex since it is for clones and all thought it would be great...... well if im doing somthing wrong using bad nutes or somthing ... thnx for helping my girls be the best they can be

you do not need to use misters to clone without media. A bubble cloner is a form of aero but its super easy. I will try and take some pics 2morrow for you. I think it could simplify what you are trying to do. I will also take some pics of ones transplanted from the bubble cloner to the dwc with hydroton. I feel you are asking for trouble using rockwool that way.

then should i put the rockwool cubes on a tray and keep the cover over them for humidity and just spray them ... cuz i dont like to drive ALL the way to the hydro shop....

crazy7605150 said:

then should i put the rockwool cubes on a tray and keep the cover over them for humidity and just spray them ... cuz i dont like to drive ALL the way to the hydro shop....

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If you have a tray and dome here is what I would do. fill the tray with a layer of rock media. Silica/hydroton. Spray it so it is damp. Make sure your rockwool is shaken out of water. It should be just moist at all times. Never wet and never dry. spray the clones and the rockwool just a little bit 2-3 times a day depending on need. Having the ambient air temp at 80/85 seems to work well for me. you should only need the dome for the first 7 days and then ween them off of it. Ill get you pics of the bubble cloner, it is much easier of an ordeal.

.......yes, the Bubbler is the way to go!

This is a 10 gal Rubbermaid, 49 sites.......and no nutes(or rooting hormone) necessary. Trim clone as usual and put in neoprene collar(or make something similar) and make sure stem is IN the water a bit(helps to be past a node). Just add air pump(20gal fishtank pumps are great) and a couple of air stones or similar.....enough to get the water rolling with bubbles. You may need a heater to keep it up in the mid 80's<----the only time you'll ever want water that warm---in dwc I believe you want it in the upper 60's.
I dont have any pics putting them into the net baskets.......but here's a couple of a bubbler that SomeGuy may want to add to.





This is a 5" basket(and those roots are white) ready to go to
the 12/12 room tonight after 14 days of veg.......




That's a MoonFlower clone that rooted too long and is begging for nutes about now, ----but these are going to an AreoFlo unit.

The whole thing is that the bubbler is simple and it works, and is very cheap to build. In fact, if you can make your own collars(out of a pool noodle or something soft and non-absorbant), you can make one of these for $20 or so, depending what you need for a heater(good titanium ones are $35, but there are cheapo's for less than $10).
I am sure there are the diy's on all of this too---you just need to find something that will work for you and how much you want to grow...

Hope this helps!!
Have fun!

1/2 gallon is definetly not big enough. The aerogarden is a little over a gallon, and thats not even big enough. Maybe use the aerogardens plugs. Those are used to being oversaturated all the time. punch hole through the bottom and make the roots come out that. And make sure roots are formed to do that with before you put them in, cause i think they suck for propagation. It'll work though.

But the 1/2 gallon res won't be fun to deal with every day. Or every 3 hours like you will have to.

Growinman Has it all there for you OP. I do pretty much the same the thing. Works like a charm every time. I put rooting powder in my water and it speeds things up a little, but they will root with only water and bubbles