Soil-less DWC; Can you get good yeilds with DWC?

Im really sceptical, to growing DWC, but im coming around to it (i just cant get over the mental hump that roots shouldnt be growining pure water if you want to get the best yeilds possible). But I know Im wrong cause even high times promotes dwc and rdwc gardening. Anyways...

I really want to use beneficial bacteria when I grow like voodoo or piranha or tarantula or any other good microbial addative. Im going with soil-less mix so I can better dictate the fertilizer levels of my plant and so the bacteria will have a better medium to colonize. DWC sounds like a pain in the ass though in some sences with that resovoir temp control. I mean keeping water at 68 degrees F in the 115 degree Vegas summers is gonna be a bitch!!

So can anyone tell me if i can use soilless (coir, perlite, vermiculite) mix in a DWC?
What are some good ways to keep the res tank cool (besides the frozen water bottle technique)?
Has anyone use beni bacteria in a DWC system successfully?

You can nut things could get messy.Why dont you just use the soiless mix in pots or use hydroton for the dwc?

wyteberrywidow said:

You can nut things could get messy.Why dont you just use the soiless mix in pots or use hydroton for the dwc?

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I wanted to use soilless in the pots in the DWC instead of hydroton. I dont feel like the beni bacteria would colonize well in hydroton. Am I wrong?
The problem is im old school. If icould I would only grow outside. Im a purist at heart and ilike to keep as much organics in as possible. Does beni bacteria do well in hydroton? How about in the DWC res. Can i pour the beni bac. right into the reservoir?

Yeah man...the hydroton is only there to support the plant, 90% of the roots will be in the water so thats where your bacteria should be.

I tried the bacteria thing..didn't work out so well. Chemical base nutes are cleaner and easier to use, IMO.

I use the rocks that are sold at walmart for aquariums. They work fine for me. I also tried the bacteria path but found it to be more time consuming. Again just me. I use nutes and superthrive and have great success. I have a four chamber unit and only grow 3 at a time. I like to do that because it spreads them out and makes it easier to get to. Plus I made my own unit so the extra hole is easier than lifting the lid all the time. Those 3 babies get heavy when they grow up. I just cover the hole up very well because I have read a lot about light being counter-productive to the roots. AND yes it is a lot more time consuming then soil, but well worth the end results. I have done side by side grows to see where their is more yield. (soil or hydro) The dwc came out on top in yeild and potency. Again just me. If you love what you are doing and have fun then you will this adventure..... Happy water farming

Another thing I must have some really good water because my ph never falls or rises. Never. I know it sounds crazy but it is never a factor. I test all the time and it stays perfect.
I did one grow when I changed the water once before flowering, a second time half way through, and a last for the final two weeks. I changed the water three times the entire grow. It had no ill effect and actually made the yield increase. I always use the same strain. Clones from the mother. So I can tell the differance when I do my little expirements.

Beansly said:

I wanted to use soilless in the pots in the DWC instead of hydroton. I dont feel like the beni bacteria would colonize well in hydroton. Am I wrong?
The problem is im old school. If icould I would only grow outside. Im a purist at heart and ilike to keep as much organics in as possible. Does beni bacteria do well in hydroton? How about in the DWC res. Can i pour the beni bac. right into the reservoir?

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It's not soilless Beansley, so you gotta change your thought process and what you know about growing just a little.
Hydro is so much easier, simpler and cleaner.
I'm loving the switch !
No need for beni's. Most def don't want ANY bacteria in the water either.
KIS for nutes : Veg, Bloom and a bloom enhancer
Keep the temps and ph in check. Can also regulate ppm's MUCH better and with more precision too.
Provide lots of air stones/bubbles. The dissolved oxygen is what keeps them alive and growing so damn fast compared to soilless.
You will be AMAZED !

There are some excellent threads of hydro and how to grow on here.

Bennies are only needed in a DWC if you find you have a problem with root disease, in which case stay away from AN microbe products as they cause problems in a DWC. Organics in a DWC or a no-no, unless you want to do biobuckets, which is a very different and more involved beast. Organic material can not be absorbed by plants unless they are processed by microbes frist, after which they are simply fertilizer, the same chemical fertilizer that you use in hydro. The exact same chemical payload. Let go of the myth that organics are somehow clean, while chemical fertilizer is somehow unclean, it's all the same to the plant when in hydro.

To answer your question, bennies can be used in a DWC just fine. They do not need extra housing, they get plenty from the hydroton and air stones. If you want you can place a small piece of lava rock in the res for housing, and use it to inoculate new res water at change out. But again, in DWC, they only reason to use bennies is to discourage and displace root disease, at which beneficial microbes are very effective. Bennies also let you get away with slightly higher res temps. Do not try to feed the microbes in the res, let them starve and die and just replace them every few days. You will understand a bit more what I am talking about if you read my post, how to breed bennies.

Lastly, if you want to use a soiless mix like coco, go with a flood and drain, or drip-to-waste system.

Heisenberg said:

Bennies are only needed in a DWC if you find you have a problem with root disease, in which case stay away from AN microbe products as they cause problems in a DWC. Organics in a DWC or a no-no, unless you want to do biobuckets, which is a very different and more involved beast. Organic material can not be absorbed by plants unless they are processed by microbes frist, after which they are simply fertilizer, the same chemical fertilizer that you use in hydro. The exact same chemical payload. Let go of the myth that organics are somehow clean, while chemical fertilizer is somehow unclean, it's all the same to the plant when in hydro.

To answer your question, bennies can be used in a DWC just fine. They do not need extra housing, they get plenty from the hydroton and air stones. If you want you can place a small piece of lava rock in the res for housing, and use it to inoculate new res water at change out. But again, in DWC, they only reason to use bennies is to discourage and displace root disease, at which beneficial microbes are very effective. Bennies also let you get away with slightly higher res temps. Do not try to feed the microbes in the res, let them starve and die and just replace them every few days. You will understand a bit more what I am talking about if you read my post, how to breed bennies.

Lastly, if you want to use a soiless mix like coco, go with a flood and drain, or drip-to-waste system.

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Thats just about everything i need to know. Thanks a lot

the medium doesnt make a difference...people use swimming noodles and simple gravel, fish tank, driveway...the root are actualy wat gets fed...the medium'll hardly get wet

as long as ur plants are standin good and no light gets into ur water solution...and yea jus supporting Heisen, organix and DWC dont mix