RDWC SOG

Stltoed said:

I've been growing for a few years now in RDWC and on occasion soil. I can change the net pot configuration around to accept almost any number I want if I change net pot size.


My question is, what is the smallest net pot you would recommend for an SOG setup in RDWC. Right now I can do 14 6" pots

The pic. Shows the tub on the right with 7 net pots. I'd just have to add a couple (4) holes to the one one the left for 14

Click to expand...

Airwalker16 said:

Depends on your average sog plant size. If inky like a foot and a half Max talk, 2" would Prolly even work. 3" for sure with net pots. The water is your medium, the netpot and hydroton is just an anchor.

Click to expand...

Stltoed said:

Yeah, I was thinking 3 would do it. Do you grow SOG?

Click to expand...

Stltoed said:

Yeah, I was thinking 3 would do it. Do you grow SOG?

Click to expand...

ttystikk said:

I found that smaller plants did better with ebb n flood than DWC. Unless there's a sizeable root mass, DWC has trouble delivering water and nutrients with substantial risk of drowning.

Even when training small plants for DWC, I started with ebb n flood.

For an SOG approach, I see no advantage to DWC over ebb n flood.

Click to expand...

ttystikk said:

I found that smaller plants did better with ebb n flood than DWC. Unless there's a sizeable root mass, DWC has trouble delivering water and nutrients with substantial risk of drowning.

Even when training small plants for DWC, I started with ebb n flood.

For an SOG approach, I see no advantage to DWC over ebb n flood.

Click to expand...

Stltoed said:

Did you create a thread for any of your SOG grows?

Click to expand...

Stltoed said:

Gotcha. What did you mean about drowning plants in RDWC?

Click to expand...

ttystikk said:

If the water level is too close to the crown the plant isn't going to get enough air and it tends to get root rot. The smaller the plant, the easier it is to have happen.

Click to expand...

Stltoed said:

Interesting

Click to expand...

ttystikk said:

There's a very important air gap that must be maintained between the bottom of the netpot and the water's surface. If it disappears, the plant drowns. If it gets too large, the plant may not get enough water.

I addressed this by using a waterfall technique to splash water up onto the netpot, which had the effect of making this gap much less critical to the plant's well-being. It worked really well for big plants; not only could the water level vary by 10" but I found that neither airstones nor water chillers were needed to maintain plant health. Those features are huge money savers!

The issue when scaling down is making sure water splashes evenly onto a bunch of netpots rather than just one.

Click to expand...

ttystikk said:

There's a very important air gap that must be maintained between the bottom of the netpot and the water's surface. If it disappears, the plant drowns. If it gets too large, the plant may not get enough water.

I addressed this by using a waterfall technique to splash water up onto the netpot, which had the effect of making this gap much less critical to the plant's well-being. It worked really well for big plants; not only could the water level vary by 10" but I found that neither airstones nor water chillers were needed to maintain plant health. Those features are huge money savers!

The issue when scaling down is making sure water splashes evenly onto a bunch of netpots rather than just one.

Click to expand...

Airwalker16 said:

First parts true, but a setup can get way low on water, roots on most flowering plants will be to the bottom of the bucket or site.

Click to expand...

Stltoed said:

I use a float valve downstream from my RO. The water level never changes.

Click to expand...

Airwalker16 said:

Good fail-safe. Just was saying though that if water does get low, it's not the end of the world.

Click to expand...