DWC Top Feed. First Grow in over 20 years.. Help, Advice appreciated.

Tvanmunhen

Tvanmunhen

Well-Known Member
Hey Yande,

Me personally I wouldn't cut any leaves off until you know she's not stressed out. Perhaps there's some way you can get your top feed plug to dry out faster taking off the lid that's covering the lava rocks might help. Maybe pointing a fan with a gentle breeze towards the lower section of the plant. That being said I'm glad to see some growth! Good luck buddy!
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
I've done about 50 DWC grows in Rubbermaid tubs and never used a top feed system. I have an access hole in the lids so I can add water/nutes or suck up some nutes to feed the new clones until they have a root or two hanging outside the net pot. It only takes a few days from the start for roots to grow out and the popping bubbles keep them plenty wet. After a short time the only roots in the pots are thick and don't even absorb water so top feeding is useless and possibly harmful as stem rot can develop if soaked all the time. Not to mention that the pump generates heat that warms your nute sol'n.

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For the best results invest in RO water. Either buy it or get a system of your own. With city water you don't need anything fancy and some small 3 stage units go for under $100 so with store bought RO going here for $3.25 - $4/5 USG jug it doesn't take long to pay for itself. Using RO water means I've been able to go a whole grow without ever changing the nutes tho you need a few grows under your belt to get away with that and get good results. No need to change nutes weekly in veg either. Just top up with water and check ppm/EC then add small amounts of nutes in the proper ratio to get back to your target range.

I do try to change nutes after the stretch then switch to Lucas Formula style feeding for the rest of the grow to limit N and P but often never did a complete change at all. Those tall tubs hold 50L so top-ups were every 3 days or so.

:peace:
 
Alctrz8849

Alctrz8849

Well-Known Member
Tvanmunhen said:
Hey Yande,

Me personally I wouldn't cut any leaves off until you know she's not stressed out. Perhaps there's some way you can get your top feed plug to dry out faster taking off the lid that's covering the lava rocks might help. Maybe pointing a fan with a gentle breeze towards the lower section of the plant. That being said I'm glad to see some growth! Good luck buddy!
Click to expand...
I second this! Only defoliate IF you know the plant is in excellent condition. If it isn't, those veg leaves act as a buffer and life support for the plant. Take them when the plant is stressed and you will likely harm it rather than help it.
 
Yande

Yande

Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone. All advice, tips taken on board. I can add the feed tubes into the pots by passing the hydroton, and still waiting for extra air stones to add to my other air pump, hopefully today. Lights Mars (TSW2000) are at around 22"?
We'll get there, hopefully sooner than later.
 
Yande

Yande

Well-Known Member
So a couple of days after that intake of advice, plants are looking so much better. Thankyou everyone!
Noticed that they are drinking now. 1 litre /day as per my measurements, which is nice to think about. Obviously recording that and topping up with appropriate nute strengths. Thanks OMU!
As you can read (perhaps) in the pics:
Temps are stable around 24c - 75f
Humidity 44% - 46% Perhaps a little low..
PH: 6.0 (Though will attempt to drop that down AGAIN tonight.) Seems to be rising, though referring to @Alctrz's chart, that's no big drama. Thanks mate.
PPM: 540 compared to yesterday 558
EC: ~1.0
Water temp: 19C - 66F.

I have a couple of questions..
As stated 1m x 1m tent. Tonight I blocked 2 of the 3 vents at the bottom of the tent in the hope to raise Humidity and temp. (Winter here)
Any thoughts on running the extraction fan/filter just yet? Or is there enough Air coming in via that one vent? I have a 6" oscillating fan running 24 hours.
This strain I bought from ILGM - Amnesia Haze, which is supposdly 80% Sativa. In retrospect, I definitely would not choose this as my first grow, but too late, it is what it is. But, these leaves, from my understanding do not look anything like a Sativa. They are thick..
Where and when I grew up, most of the strains grown locally were Sativa based, due to our proximity to Asia. Thin leaves. Obviously a lot has changed since then, but what do you think? Do they look like an 80% Sativa based strain?

I read a great thread/quote this week from @Kwiggyboy. First grow, keep it really simple. No training, nothing. Just watch and learn how the plant grows, and the more Oxygen the better. I've taken that on, though have topped, we used to call it tipping (for better or worse) and am still awaiting my extra Air stone, to fit my extra air pump, so each pot has 2 stones.. Just like me!
As always thankyou for any feedback.

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OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
Those look more like 80% indica to me. Very few, very fat fingers on those leaves and low bushy structure are classic indica.

Does not look like good candidates for a ScroG. :)

I wouldn't be topping them until you see how they grow. Already bushy enough.

:peace:
 
Southernontariogrower

Southernontariogrower

Well-Known Member
VincenzioVonHook said:
Seems to be a hell of a lot of effort for basically no outcome....I know people are going to take offense to this, but sometimes keeping it simple the first time back in the game is a good idea. I would be expecting far more growth over the given period of time with that setup, but then again I have never seen a top fed DWC in action to begin with. Just seems like an oxymoron to me. I understand top feeding autopots for a few days until their roots hit the nutrient solution, but top feeding in a DWC scenario just seems odd, but I hope you can prove me wrong.

27 days from seed in crappy potting mix with tap water, 85w led
View attachment 4908879
Another plant in $3/25L potting mix at 25 days with tap water twice a week, 30w LED
View attachment 4908880

Just seems to be a lot of anxiety and over-complication to get what looks to be a few day old seedling over 21 days, in what's supposed to be the far superior cultivation method. This is what 6 days growth should look like as a happy seedling, and this is in potting mix with tap water, DWC should be far better.
may 17
View attachment 4908902
May 23
View attachment 4908903
That jiffy pot you see in the first photo sprouted, and over six days and is now this. I think all this is testament to newer growers overthinking and over-complication things.
Click to expand...
I like kiss method. Dwc l grow root rot and end up back in soiless.
 
Southernontariogrower

Southernontariogrower

Well-Known Member
Yande said:
So a couple of days after that intake of advice, plants are looking so much better. Thankyou everyone!
Noticed that they are drinking now. 1 litre /day as per my measurements, which is nice to think about. Obviously recording that and topping up with appropriate nute strengths. Thanks OMU!
As you can read (perhaps) in the pics:
Temps are stable around 24c - 75f
Humidity 44% - 46% Perhaps a little low..
PH: 6.0 (Though will attempt to drop that down AGAIN tonight.) Seems to be rising, though referring to @Alctrz's chart, that's no big drama. Thanks mate.
PPM: 540 compared to yesterday 558
EC: ~1.0
Water temp: 19C - 66F.

I have a couple of questions..
As stated 1m x 1m tent. Tonight I blocked 2 of the 3 vents at the bottom of the tent in the hope to raise Humidity and temp. (Winter here)
Any thoughts on running the extraction fan/filter just yet? Or is there enough Air coming in via that one vent? I have a 6" oscillating fan running 24 hours.
This strain I bought from ILGM - Amnesia Haze, which is supposdly 80% Sativa. In retrospect, I definitely would not choose this as my first grow, but too late, it is what it is. But, these leaves, from my understanding do not look anything like a Sativa. They are thick..
Where and when I grew up, most of the strains grown locally were Sativa based, due to our proximity to Asia. Thin leaves. Obviously a lot has changed since then, but what do you think? Do they look like an 80% Sativa based strain?

I read a great thread/quote this week from @Kwiggyboy. First grow, keep it really simple. No training, nothing. Just watch and learn how the plant grows, and the more Oxygen the better. I've taken that on, though have topped, we used to call it tipping (for better or worse) and am still awaiting my extra Air stone, to fit my extra air pump, so each pot has 2 stones.. Just like me!
As always thankyou for any feedback.

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View attachment 4911760
Click to expand...
Look indica leaning to me, imo only but agree with you on that.
 
Yande

Yande

Well-Known Member
Thanks for your thoughts. Definitely do not look like a Sativa. I did a check, just in case my memory was wrong, but I popped 3 seeds from ILGM, coded SYP-AMH-FX, which according to their website is Amnesia Haze Fem. Oh well, we shall see.
Plants are still going well. One better than the other, still. Humidity has risen now to around 65% though night time temps when the lights go off get down to 14C, (57f) for I guess a couple of hours. Not ideal. I could run the lights 24 hours? Other thoughts are a water heater on a timer for those times. Still thinking about that one. Not sure how else to heat it..
Anyways, best to all..
 
Southernontariogrower

Southernontariogrower

Well-Known Member
Yande said:
Thanks for your thoughts. Definitely do not look like a Sativa. I did a check, just in case my memory was wrong, but I popped 3 seeds from ILGM, coded SYP-AMH-FX, which according to their website is Amnesia Haze Fem. Oh well, we shall see.
Plants are still going well. One better than the other, still. Humidity has risen now to around 65% though night time temps when the lights go off get down to 14C, (57f) for I guess a couple of hours. Not ideal. I could run the lights 24 hours? Other thoughts are a water heater on a timer for those times. Still thinking about that one. Not sure how else to heat it..
Anyways, best to all..
Click to expand...
Light should be good for day time temps? A heater if on 12x12 will help, tape over light if has one. If running 18-6 veg you could go 24-0 will stablize temps over time. I do when growing during winter myself. Veg only obviously!
 
Southernontariogrower

Southernontariogrower

Well-Known Member
Could change tent into closed system, extraction fan wouldn be used constantly, only at lights out for a bit. Need a co2 bag minimal or tank is better. Will let grow better at higher temps. I get the artic cold where l am. Can pull temps from tent on cold days. I do home brew co2 and it helps.
 
P

piratebug

Well-Known Member
They look like they are coming along, but would definitely get the environment temp and humidity up, for me 28c-82f (62%RH), is where I get the most growth during veg under any LED!
 
Yande

Yande

Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the words of advice.

They are coming along nicely, though one is definitely faster than the other.
Did a triple check, and these plants were grown from seed, from ILGM supposedly "Amnesia Haze" Definitely does not look like an 80% Sativa strain to me, and others. But, perhaps that is a blessing as the Haze's are not the easiest"to grow, so I am told.
I did attempt to do some tipping, before I was advised to just let them go. Reaching around the back I slipped with my Scissors and a nice tip fell off. Very disappointed. Threw it into some "Clonex"and an old Rockwool cube. It took! Going to donate that to my mate.
Temps are up 25- 22C ~(70f - 77f)
Humidity: 72 - 50%
PH 5.9
Water 18C ~65F
Its winter. Lights are on 24 hours. (Any probs with this?)


These fan leaves are huge..
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The little girl..
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Clone
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Thanks for reading..
 
Yande

Yande

Well-Known Member
Everything seems to be going ok. Spotted, (pun intended) these rusty looking spots this evening though only on some of the older, bottom fan leaves.
Any thoughts.. Otherwise they are looking good/better.. front and back of leaves pictured.
Rust spot Leaves L1130025.JPG

Rust spot Leaves L1130020.JPG
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