Sannie’s Jack Herer F7 4 Bucket RDWC 1000 Watt HPS Grow

Sannie’s Jack Herer F7 4 Bucket RDWC 1000 Watt HPS Grow
Day 8 of Bloom Cycle (12/12) (Will post plant pictures every Monday)
System: 4 Bucket RDWC with submersible pump in main res. Top res. With float connected to bottom res. only used when gone for extended periods of time(more than 1 or 2 weeks.)
-2 airstones per bucket.
-Set up to prevent leaks.
Strain: Sannie’s Jack Herer F7 – Mostly Sativa hybrid.
Water Source: Distilled w/ Cal/Mag.
Veg. Nutrients: Advanced Nutrients Sensi A & B, AN Voodoo Juice, AN B-52, DynaGro Mag-Pro, and DG Pro-Tekt.(switching to DG grow, waiting to run out of AN)
Bloom Nutrients: DG Bloom, DG Pro-Tekt, DG Mag-Pro, AN Voodoo, AN B-52, AN Big Bud, and AN Overdrive.
Feeding Schedule and EC: Refer to pics. below.
PH: 5.8
Nutrient Solution Temp.: 65 degrees F – 70 Degrees F.
Room Temp.: 65-75 degrees.
Veg. Light Source: 400 watt MH.
Bloom Light Source: 1000 watt air cooled(using expensive inline fan pulling directly from outside winter air) HPS on a track that moves the light approximately one foot back and forth very slowly. Hood fans are plugged into temp. controller so it won’t get too cold which can happen, I can get the glass on the hood cool to the touch one inch under the bulb. On from 8pm-8am.
Ventilation: In: 6 inch inline duct fan constantly running. Out: 6 inch cheap inline duct fan constantly running.
Room Humidity: 40-50 %.
Grow Techniques: LST and am debating SCROG.
Grow Medium: Hydroton Clay Pebbles.
Wall Reflection: 2 mil Mylar.
Other Notes:
-Started with 10 reg. seeds, 2 died due to grower error(first time growing by seed), 2 mutated due to grower error, but 6 of the 8 were female including 2 of the mutated ones which made it easy to pick my four.
-I completely change Nutrient solution and flush plants of salt build-up twice, at start of bloom, and 4 or 5 weeks before harvest.
-I do have clones of each and am looking for a mother plant.
-Cedar walls to help prevent pests.
Questions, Comments, and any Suggestions on how to improve or help my grow are welcome.

Nutrient Schedule:

Room, System and Light Pictures:









Plant Pictures:
All 4 Plants:


Plant # 2
Description: 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] biggest, The most thick and bushy out of the 4, growing like a indica.

Plant # 3
Description: 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] biggest, Not as thick or bushy as #2.

Plant # 7
Description: Smallest of the 4 but it’s the most Sativa looking.

Plant # 8
Description: Biggest of the bunch but not as bushy as #2.

Couple questions for whoever... Do you think I should do a SCROG or not?

And for anyone who uses root riot cubes with clones, do you water them in a humi-dome and if so how often? First time using root riot cubes besides rockwool and just don't want to overwater or dry them out.

Nice setup. Currently struggling through my first RDWC so I'm subbed for this.

booort said:

Nice setup. Currently struggling through my first RDWC so I'm subbed for this.

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Thanks. PM me or go ahead and ask here if you have any questions and I'll help ya out as much as I can.

Don't know if anyone cares but I forgot to mention that track I'm using was used by my grandfather in almost the same spot a foot over about 20-25 years ago with the 400 watt MH I use in Veg.(yes, my veg. light is that old with a prehistoric ballast double the size of my 1000 watt). He has been gone for years now and I have the house. It(not the house, the room) use to be a closet 3 feet wide but I expanded into the room you see today. After he could no longer grow and eventually passed, it was left in the house and when the house was left to the family, my father took both the track and light to the house I grew up in and grew with them in his growing days. After he was through with them they were put up in the attic at my grandfathers old place and after I moved into the house, I found them in the attic and put them to good use. I figured it was the light and track my grandfather used but when I asked my father about it he told me he used it in his growing days as well and that i was using the track in almost the exact same spot as my grandfather. The one memory I have of my grandfather growing his what seemed like it to me at the time, was a 10 foot tall plant out behind the old shed with buds the size of a basketball around. Of course that was as a 10 or 12 year old.

Just something I thought was pretty cool and wanted to share.

I can't quite tell how the submersible water pump is connected once it leaves the reservoir. I see it in the picture of the res, it connects to 1/2" poly tubing and then what? Interested in how the connections were made. A pic of that would be awesome if you have one.

Subbed up. Lookin good

booort said:

I can't quite tell how the submersible water pump is connected once it leaves the reservoir. I see it in the picture of the res, it connects to 1/2" poly tubing and then what? Interested in how the connections were made. A pic of that would be awesome if you have one.

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If you look at the eagle eye view under Room, Light, and System Pictures you will see where the 1/2 inch(which is actually 3/8 inside width, I use connections for 1/2 inch poly to insure tight connections) you will see a single 1/2 inch poly tube coming from the top right(from the pump) into a T, which then each end out of that T goes to another T. I then run poly tubing from those four connections through the top/side of each bucket into a T and down into the inside of the bucket with about a 8 inch piece of poly. Hope that makes sense.

Dyna base nutes with AN suppliments? Aaaaw nicey nicey. Should have great results.

Lets get a pic of the dinosaur ballast when your ultra bored? I love that kinda stuff lol

To explain the system a little more, Each bucket is also connected to the two buckets next to it with 1 inch tubing all at the same level(which controls solution height in bucket, like a overflow) and the two buckets closest two the res. have a third 1 inch poly tubing at that same level flowing into the res. The reason I connected them all together in a square is if the very improbable happens and one 1 inch connection on a bucket gets clogged by say... roots, it still won't overflow. I know that because I have ran this same system but with only 2 buckets and one 1 inch poly back to the res. with the same pump(same gph) and it could handle that gph. So either two different 1 inch polys on the same bucket would have to get blocked or both 1 inch poly returns would have to get clogged for it to overflow. Because there are no holes in the bottom of my res. or the bottom half of the buckets, that itself also prevents leaks. That's the main reason I didn't do a undercurrent DWC, looked like you were just asking for leaks.

Not real complicated but just wanted to make it clear if anyone was wondering.

doniawon said:

Dyna base nutes with AN suppliments? Aaaaw nicey nicey. Should have great results.

Lets get a pic of the dinosaur ballast when your ultra bored? I love that kinda stuff lol

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Ha, I'll go take it now.

Not quite double the size of my 1000 watter but you get the point... lol loudest ballast I have ever heard. Makes a humming sound. Probably sucks the electric compared to newer 400's but hey, it's been in the family, have to keep it going.

Looks to be in great condition!

doniawon said:

Looks to be in great condition!

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Ya, runs like a champ. Honestly I haven't changed the bulb since I've used it and I had to clean the one up that was on there, for all I know it could be the bulb my grandfather used. I should probably change that out... never really thought about it. lol.

m420p said:

If you look at the eagle eye view under Room, Light, and System Pictures you will see where the 1/2 inch(which is actually 3/8 inside width, I use connections for 1/2 inch poly to insure tight connections) you will see a single 1/2 inch poly tube coming from the top right(from the pump) into a T, which then each end out of that T goes to another T. I then run poly tubing from those four connections through the top/side of each bucket into a T and down into the inside of the bucket with about a 8 inch piece of poly. Hope that makes sense.

Click to expand...

Thanks, makes sense.

Is it any better to run the 1/2" line to some sort of a top feeder ring like a piece of poly with holes poked in it or something of the sort? I ask because I am in the process of building something similar and not sure if it's better to top feed or just pump it straight into the bucket.

booort said:

Thanks, makes sense.

Is it any better to run the 1/2" line to some sort of a top feeder ring like a piece of poly with holes poked in it or something of the sort? I ask because I am in the process of building something similar and not sure if it's better to top feed or just pump it straight into the bucket.

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I can't really make sense of that first part, probably too high. If by top feed you mean at the top of the net pot below the plant, and having it flow down through the rockwool and you will be having your pump run constantly like a recirculating then NO, you can get algae, mold, and root rot that way. I pump mine directly into the bucket, look at the system pics of inside the bucket, that little piece of poly going down into the solution is coming from the pump and every bucket has it(coming from the T's). It was running at the time of the picture and runs constantly. If you do a system like me you have to make sure your flow back into the res. can easily handle the solution your pumping into the buckets or you can overflow, if you know what I mean?

m420p said:

I can't really make sense of that first part, probably too high. If by top feed you mean at the top of the net pot below the plant, and having it flow down through the rockwool and you will be having your pump run constantly like a recirculating then NO, you can get algae, mold, and root rot that way. I pump mine directly into the bucket, look at the system pics of inside the bucket, that little piece of poly going down into the solution is coming from the pump and every bucket has it(coming from the T's). It was running at the time of the picture and runs constantly. If you do a system like me you have to make sure your flow back into the res. can easily handle the solution your pumping into the buckets or you can overflow, if you know what I mean?

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Yeah I know what you're saying, thanks. I actually just learned that the hard way a few days ago.

Here is a pic of what I was trying to explain:


Sorry if I am sort of derailing your journal discussion with best way to connect things. I just finished doing 3 of my 6 buckets like yours, and the other 3 like the pic above.

booort said:

Yeah I know what you're saying, thanks. I actually just learned that the hard way a few days ago.

Here is a pic of what I was trying to explain:
View attachment 2513324

Sorry if I am sort of derailing your journal discussion with best way to connect things. I just finished doing 3 of my 6 buckets like yours, and the other 3 like the pic above.

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Oh no, by all means any questions are welcome. hmmm... that's interesting, so are you trying both? I have my doubts about that top feed. You said you did 3 like mine, are all six connected? did you use 1 inch tubing and put it at the right level on all buckets to control the solution height in the bucket compared to the bottom of the net pot. That 1 inch needs to be at the same level (mine is 5 or so inches off the bottom of the bucket for the 3 gal buckets) on every bucket including back to the res. Just don't want you to miss something. Depending on what pump you have you might end up having to get a smaller or bigger pump, I almost had to get a smaller one back when I only had a 2 bucket system and one return, 1 inch almost couldn't get rid of the solution fast enough. Now with 4 buckets and 2 returns it's just right.

Another cool thing I haven't set up yet and I'll post pics. is the homemade "water filters" I put under the flow of the returns in the res. Build them with coat hangers, window screening and a air carbon filter to filter the water of dead roots or build-up caused by nutrients in the system. It keeps the res very clean and removes any debris from the system. Depending on nutes, the system will build up whatever it is, I call it "gunk". That's why I clean my system with hot water twice in cycle. When I see a lot of "gunk" in the filters, I know a change and cleaning is due.

m420p said:

Oh no, by all means any questions are welcome. hmmm... that's interesting, so are you trying both? I have my doubts about that top feed. You said you did 3 like mine, are all six connected? did you use 1 inch tubing and put it at the right level on all buckets to control the solution height in the bucket compared to the bottom of the net pot. That 1 inch needs to be at the same level (mine is 5 or so inches off the bottom of the bucket for the 3 gal buckets) on every bucket including back to the res. Just don't want you to miss something. Depending on what pump you have you might end up having to get a smaller or bigger pump, I almost had to get a smaller one back when I only had a 2 bucket system and one return, 1 inch almost couldn't get rid of the solution fast enough. Now with 4 buckets and 2 returns it's just right.

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I am doing both. I wish I would have seen your journal a few weeks ago when I first started building, I like your connections better than mine. At least I have one of the 2 "sets of 3 buckets" connected like yours. One "set" has a top feed connected to the cycle timer was at the advice of a hydro shop owner. I regret setting it up like that but at least now I can run them side by side to see if it makes any difference.

I didn't do the return lines with 1" tubing because I couldn't find the connectors anywhere in that size (neither grommets nor 1" bulk heads). Neither hydro shop had any 1" tubing either. Where did you get yours and did you have any problems with leaks? I did at first, but after enough teflon tape and silicone caulk it was finally fixed. Nothing scarier to me at this point than seeing a giant puddle of water on the floor, don't ever want that to happen again.

Thanks for the pointers on pump size/return lines and preventing overflow. It's all good now and flows smoothly with the buckets at the same level now.

Everything I did I posted in my journal so if you're interested, I'd love any advice if you get a chance to look through it.

I have a ton more questions but not sure if it's polite to ask them in your journal thread or mine.