my 1st dwc grow ever, would love advice

Greetings everyone,
I've been an avid dirtbag my entire life with a couple of exceptions/experiments many years ago.
I have no problem growing in soil, and I have a working knowledge above average, as I'm sure most of you here do. I cant continue to grow in soil as it is just too much damn work for me.
I'm old, I'm sick, I'm weak, and I'm a pervert too.

However I am a novice at hydro, I dunno shit, not even enuf to get in trouble.
I have started reading and cruising the internet, like any good ol' boy would.

I have developed a plan of action backed by my theories on doing a DWC grow.
I am committed to doing this (DWC), I've been taking my time doing my research,
and ordering the items I may need. I would appreciate any feed back on what I'm doing,
so I may try to avoid any costly mistakes, and/or loose a crop.
To make things simple, I purchased a pump that hooks up to my drill, no lifting now for this old stoner.
I also purchased a 5 stage RO filter. I got it installed and love it. PPM is in single digits now.

I dont want to use any advanced techniques, like sog or scrogg, (more on this later)
I wanted to use 15 gal totes, but am having trouble locating them, so I'm starting with:
two 18 gallon totes, growing two plants in each. (my goal for my 1st grow is 2lbs)

I am using DP fem mazar seeds. The 1st tote I want to grow the 2 plants without touching them at all.
The 2nd tote I will use the FIM technique, just as a simple experiment for my own knowledge.
I've used this technique many times in the past, using soil.

For a medium I'm using pro mix bx with biofungicide & mycorrihizae, once rooted I will transfer to the totes.
I'm planning on maintaining my water temp at 65, as I was told this temp will slow any unwanted growth,
and hopefully reduce my having to change out my water so much. In fact a friend who has been teaching me, said I could veg for a month without changing my water at all, than when I switch to flower do a water change, and again I "should" be able to get to harvest without changing my water again, only having to top it off as needed. If I should have to change it out, I have my new trusty drill pump !!

my nute line up is as follows:
Advanced Nutrients Big Bud Powder, 130g
Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect Connoisseur Bloom Part A+B Soil Amendments, 1 L
Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect Connoisseur Grow 2 Part A&B 1L Liter / 1 Quart
Advanced Nutrients Sensizym Fertilizer, 250ml
Advanced Nutrients B-52 Fertilizer Booster, 250ml
Advanced Nutrients Rhino Skin Fertilizer, 1L
General Hydroponics CaliMagic for Gardening, 1-Quart

I'm using 3.75" grow pots, is two plants per tote correct or could I go for three?

I plan (as I was told) to veg for a month than switch to flower, I'm really expecting to get
my 8oz's per plant. Please review everything and tell me what you think....
Am I on target for success or do you see a flaw in my plan or lineup?
Thanks in advance for any input you may have.
Peace

You are using Pro Mix which is a medium not used for hydro. What is your intended medium from start to finish? I recommend hydroton very highly. Soil will only cause you and your water pump problems!

Water needs to be changed and PH'd quite frequently in hydro, I don't think your friend is giving you solid advice (no offense).

Vumar said:

You are using Pro Mix which is a medium not used for hydro. What is your intended medium from start to finish? I recommend hydroton very highly. Soil will only cause you and your water pump problems!

Click to expand...

hey buddy, thanks for your input. I had this very same conversation with the person advising me....
He repeatedly assured me to start in pro mix and when i place it into the DWC tank, to leave the plant in pro mix, and support it with the hydroton around it. He said a little bit of the promix may fall to the bottom of the tank at first, but to ignore it as it wont hurt anything.

Am I being misinformed?

Vumar said:

Water needs to be changed and PH'd quite frequently in hydro, I don't think your friend is giving you solid advice (no offense).

Click to expand...

I do have a ph pen and a ppm pen too. the nutes claim to be ph adsjusting,.
so long as your using ro water.

if the nutes are not self adjusting, I am ready for that.
He may be giving bad advice, its certainly possible. He does however have a long standing
reputation for his knowledge in DWC grows. I'm kinda hopeful anyways.

I ordered 2 versions of AN Sensi PH-Perfect and they didnt work well with tap water in 2 different areas on the US. I also couldnt control my Ph likely because I didnt have RO water but also because my Ph ups n downs didnt work as correctly or if at all.

The pro mix and hydroton mixture will be "okay" as long as you don't top feed. I top feed to get plants started and they start in peat moss/coco cubes then go straight into hydroton + 6" netpot lid + 5gal from start to finish.

Looks like you have done your research and are on the right track. I have to agree with vumar, that putting something like promix into a dwc system seems like a bad idea. Not saying it's not possible. I transplanted 2 from soil into my system after rinsing all the soil off the roots. When the root mass grows in the netpot, it will push more and more of the promix into your tote. I see you are looking for aprox 2lbs, how many lights/watts do you plan on running and what size space do you have? Maybe make some sort of a drain plug or get a small pump for water change outs because I can guarantee that you will be changing the water more than you think you will have to. All kinds of things can come up where you need to drain and replace the water, especially when you are new at it. Even utilizing low water temps (mid 60's) it's always a good idea to think about a sterilizer (h2o2, bleach, dm zone) or beneficial bacteria like hydroguard to keep root rot away. Some growers don't need these, but they have unique systems and are very experienced in dwc/rdwc. Rookies like myself need a little extra help keeping the bad bacteria at bay. The bottom (roots) are just as important if not more than the top. One last thing, I can't remember what the ph comes out to with using 'ph perfect' from advanced, it's been a long time, but ideal ph for hydro starts at 5.5. Some say 5.8 is 'ideal' but a ph 'drift' if what is desired (5.5-6.0 area) I'm excited for you, I'm sure you will have a lot of fun along the way.

Hey blackforest, thanks for taking your time to reply.
I did buy a pump for my drill to assist in changing out the water.
My lighting? I have a 13 watt cfl, will that be enough?
I'm just stoned and messing with ya buddy......
I have a switchable ballast, 500w, 750 watt or 1000watts mh and hps
with a parabolic hood. So far as space, I have lots of space.
Almost 1000 sq ft upstairs to grow in.
I am ready with some h2o2, just in case.
Thanks for your tips.
I feel like im ready, im thinking of waiting til after xmas
before I start though, just cause were busy here.
peace

Sounds good. Maybe you can use that 13w cfl for side lighting, should boost your yield quite a bit, lol. 2 lbs off 1x 1000w is not impossible, but not easy either. 1000w is good for about a 5x5 space which would be 1 plant in a dwc system with 18g res. They can get silly huge pretty quick. I use a $15 water pump to do my change outs. Takes 4 min to drain 28 gal. I think hydro is easy, actually easier than soil because I know exactly what their ph and ec is at all times. Not to mention the ridiculous explosive growth. It's all about the roots imo. It's better to be preventative than reactive to a root problem in hydro which is common. Low water temps are essential. Start a journal and let us know how it all goes.