My New RDWC Journal

[Sdh777]

I don’t see as many RDWC grow journals these days, so I figured I’d start one. I just finished my latest RDWC system with some modifications to improve performance, while minimizing upkeep time & effort. I run a perpetual grow set-up with 3 smaller tents in 1 closet in my basement. I travel routinely for work, so I have to make my systems as automated & trouble-free as possible.

My newest RDWC has a 1000 gph external inline water pump with 5 gallon buckets; including 4 grow sites & a control station, which is auto-fed by a 25 gallon external reservoir. This system has 1-1/2 inch undercurrent pipes & 1/2 inch waterfall lines. I’m using both air stones & waterfalls now, just in case 1 pump fails while I’m traveling. I’m using sprinkler heads instead of waterfall spigots in the grow sites because it seems to agitate the surface better, plus it provides misting to the roots above the water level. I use a 1/10th HP water chiller which is set up to provide an additional waterfall in the control station & I keep water temps at 66°. I always top my plants & use a SCROG net to fill the tent with an even the canopy & minimize height.

I made draining the system super easy. I use a 3-way tee situated above the RDWC pump. All I have to do is turn off the RDWC pump, connect a garden hose to the 3-way fitting, turn off the ball valve so water can’t flow back into the system. Turn the pump back on & the system is drained in just a few minutes.

I just started a new crop from seed about 3 weeks ago. I’m growing Guptilla (Gorilla Glue #4 x Gupta Kush), which is a powerhouse strain averaging 29% THC. I’m also growing Aloha Limone (Aloha Sunrise x Nina Limone). They’ve spent 1 week in a germination dome & 1 week in an Ebb in Flow. I actually love my Ebb & Flow System & typically use it for all my plants in early to mid veg before moving them to RDWC.

Last week I took half my plants & put them in my new RDWC (much earlier than usual) & left the others in the Ebb & Flow to compare growth rates. Now, at 3 weeks from seed & just a week in the new RDWC, it’s already kicking the Ebb & Flows’ ass. I’ll throw in some pics & I’ll try & update progress on a weekly basis. The 2 plants up front in the Ebb & Flow are a week younger, so they don’t count. Due to germination issues with 2 out of the 8 seeds planted, I replaced the struggling sprouts a week later.

RDWC Pics...

Sprinkler heads in place of waterfall spigots


Ebb & Flow PICS


Previous grow

 

[Mikenike]

Looks good subbed up!

 

[Sdh777]

Looks good subbed up!

Thanks Man! I think I may like growing weed almost as much as I like smoking it...
But smoking the weed I grow is by far the best part!

 

[Sdh777]

Blown away by the difference in growth between my plants in RDWC vs Ebb & Flow! The two plants below were started from seed on the same day, but all my plants in the RDWC are easily twice the size as the Ebb & Flow plants. I actually think I need to dial in my Ebb & Flow System for better performance. I just took pictures of the largest plant from each system for comparison...

 

[Sdh777]

Today is 31 days from seed. The plants in the RDWC are erupting & the roots are out of control. I’m probably gonna flip them to flower 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

The plants in the Ebb & Flow are healthy but growing at a far slower rate. The plants in the Ebb & Flow are under T5’s & the RDWC is under LED’s. I’m guessing I’ll likely flip the E & F plants to flower nearly 4 weeks after their sisters.

Even better news, I just scored 12th row seats to the Black Crows at Red Rocks Amphitheater! One of the best venues on the planet to see a concert.

 

[Sdh777]

So sick of refilling my freakin humidifiers!!!
I live in a dry climate & it never ends, so I decided to make one today that auto-fills.
Operation Perma-Mist is a success.
Now I have a homemade humidifier that I never have to refill...jjust need to make it light proof...

 

[diggs99]

Nice clean setup bud, really interesting to see the growth difference between the rdwc and ebb and flow plants.

Best of luck the rest of the way

 

[THC-CK]

I love clean set ups that just work. Nice job. Definitely subbing.

 

[Sdh777]

I love clean set ups that just work. Nice job. Definitely subbing.

Thanks Diggs & THC-CK!

Today is 35 days from seed & the plants in my new RDWC are just freakin blowing up!
Just 3 days since my last pics & the RDWC plants look like they’ve nearly doubled.
I wanna add my SCROG, but I can’t quite guarantee their genders yet. Only half my crop is feminized.
I’m plan to defoliate & lollipop today & then flip to 12/12 within the week.
Here’s some more picks comparing RDWC grow vs Ebb & Flow grow...

 

[diggs99]

Hey, i had a couple questions about your 3 way tee for draining the system. So that Tee is on your main line thats connected to the pump? Whats going on at the end of that pipe once its inside the res bucket?

Im trying to visualize what you have done and how it works, i can see the Tee and hose adapter, but cant really tell how its all hooked up

Seems like a great idea and something id def implement on my builds for sure.

 

[Sdh777]

Hey Diggs,

There’s a lot going on once the line reaches the control station, but nothing to complex. I’ll attach a picture of the inner workings, but it essentially branches off to create a waterfall & filling component in the control station. The plumbing then branches off to 4 separate aqueducts to each grow site for waterfalls or sprinkler heads. There are 2 waterfalls in the control station. The second waterfall is created by the chiller plumbing. It also includes a float valve for auto filling from an external reservoir. I use all 3/4” or 1/2” threaded lines for the plumbing & 1-1/2” lines for the UC pipes. That way I can take the whole system apart for cleaning, storage or relocation. Another nice feature about this system is, once it’s empty I can easily lift & carry the entire system as a single unit. The arrows point to the 2 different waterfalls that generate lots of surface action, bubbles & DO.

 

[Sdh777]

Day 39 from seed
Just laid my SCROG last night, a few weeks earlier than expected due to rapid growth. 2 out of the 4 seeds were not feminized, so I put those up front in case they’re males. It’s too early to confirm sex. The plan now is to flip to flower cycle in 7-10 days, once the SCROG has filled out.

 

[Sdh777]

Where’s everyone at?
Hello...
Hello...

 

[diggs99]

ohh hi

 

[Sdh777]

I’m ok. I just think that GIF is hilarious, so I took the opportunity to use it

 

[diggs99]

I’m ok. I just think that GIF is hilarious, so I took the opportunity to use it

Ya its def a gif everyone should be using any chance they get lol


Thanks for that system draining idea, i borrowed it for mine, seems very practical

 

[Sdh777]

That’s awesome!
I checked out your journal & you’ve got a great grow set-up!

 

[diggs99]

That’s awesome!
I checked out your journal & you’ve got a great grow set-up!

Thanks man, its a work in progress, im always changing stuff or wanting to try different things, so it never ends.

 

[THC-CK]

Looks great! No sign of the preflowers on the front ones? Usually you can tell 6-7 weeks from seed.

 

[Sdh777]

Thanks man, its a work in progress, im always changing stuff or wanting to try different things, so it never ends.

I’m the exact same...always making additions & improvements every chance I get. Yesterday I built another heavy duty SCROG for my smaller tent.

I’d love to beef up my grow room & start a commercial operation. I’ve even thought about buying a house on 10 acres with an extra building to grow in, but there are so many growers & dispensaries in Colorado the market is saturated, making it tough to become profitable.