DWC Frustration

Hello this is my second attempt at dwc and running into the same problem as before can't tell if this is lockout or deficiency, any help greatly appreciated.
set up =
6x6 tent 3 totes dwc 20 plants
-Lights started at 1000 watte but due to extreme cold weather upped to 2000 watt, added some plants in soil in the tent
-ph 5.6 -5.7, 2 meters freshly calibrated says same reading of 5.6 currently letting it sit at 5.8, ph rises very slowly ppm maintains or drift slowly up
-been a little cold lately so air temps are 65-75f lights on 55f ish lights off, res temps got little colder than I'd like but I don't think its the problem 50-65f
-nutes are GH micro/bloom, lucas formula 1/2 ratio of micro/bloom up to ppm 1000 again 2 separate meters ready approx 1000pm give or take
-Heisenberg tea works great, Have tried without it roots seem to be insanely unhealthy without.

Here is a theory because I have 3 totes running with approx 7-8 plants in each, one tote is in the BCNL producer which is only 800 watts there's no sign of deficiency or lock out at all.
Usually I see the deficiency progress slowly tips curling down and slowly turn light green but when I upped the wattage of light to 2000 the plant turn lighter green a lot faster.
Again though that's only 200 watt difference, any help greatly appreciated. Here are some pics I forgot to take pics of the bcnl plants will update tomorrow. This is the last grow before license expired
would like to succeed 1 dwc attempt at least.

I would try different nutes or hit them with flora grow and see how they do. 1k ppm seems kinda hot for those size plants. The duct tape lid doesn't look very light proof... might need to use black gorilla tape or panda film. You can hold the lid up to a bright light and run your hand behind the lid... if you can see your hand movement through the lid at all, it is not light proof and will probably cause problems with root rot.

If those temps get too low growth will slow down.

Cut your nutes to ~ 300 at this stage. I usually only go to 1000 during first week of bud set

Hey Tommyy,

I run with GH nutes as well, but all three parts, and I learned over last year to completely ignore any and all GH nute calculators and schedules. I agree with PetFlora there; I actually just flipped a 2 foot plant to 12/12, and her nutes are still under 500ppm in a 2.5 gal reservoir (I think she could take up to 700 right now, but I did miscalculate once and sent her up to 800 ppm, which is when my roots significantly browned in less than a day). I have no idea if this is because the GH ppm suggestions are generalized, or if they don't take into account small reservoirs (if that even matters), but after ignoring the calculators and charts, and cutting my nutes by at least 50% of suggested level, I have had great success in the root zone.

Also, I am still a noob with only a few hydro years under my belt, so I have one more suggestion if you're willing to try. I know that bennies and teas are hugely popular, and that knowledgeable folks make this work for them in fantastic ways, but I am not so knowledgeable about organic matter interactions, and though I have time, I don't have gobs of it, so keeping teas and continually monitoring both ppm and ph in addition to bio-interactions just wasn't working for me. This year I am running a completely sterile reservoir, which by the way, GH is perfect for. I only use the three part flora (all chem chelated nutrients) and the only additive I use is a copper-sulfate based sterilizer Dutch Master Zone at 1ml per 1 gal to help keep my res dead.

Good luck and peace.

I'm going to try and hold the Ph at 5.8 see what happens I feel like starting it out at 5.6 is locking out potassium, here are some healthy plants pictures
same tote even without duck tape so I'm positive light leak isn't the issue. 1000ppm ph 5.6-7. At this rate I might just try a different nute line and I have tried
750ppm 850ppm 1000ppm lucas formula all with same results UNLESS I grow in the BCNL producer.



Again these plants are in same tote same same ppm/ph

are you using h202 or cal mg

How are the roots? You said you have tried no using the tea and they got unhealthy. A pic of the roots would be helpful. "Unhealthy" roots will definitely give you deficiencies while the plant grows new roots... it can be mitigated with foliar feeding.

ph should drift between 5.6 and 6.2 and be fine. Do not let it get up to 7, that is way too high for hydro. You're nutes are way too hot I think, but your plants seems to be showing no sings of nute burn.. I'm going to assume you're using a .7 ec conversion just to make myself feel a little better.

I was using Lucas for a while in my DWC and ended up going back to using Grow. I would try that as well if you haven't. I'd agree on the strength a bit high. I run about 1000PPM in full bloom right now (granted its a single plant).

Are these seed?

If so youre going to have a bad time trying to seperate males or any herms if using fem seeds. The roots will intertwine and you will never get all the roots out from the male without decimating your neighboring plants roots. Dead root matter will remain behind and begin to rot.

Your netpots will also fall through into the rez when the plants begin to get heavy, put a U shapped collar around the netpot to expand the surface area the lip contacts on the lid.

Once again, from experience, and it made it unnecessarily hard.


pH falls EC rises - too much food, drinking more h2o than uptaking salts

pH rises EC falls - Plants uptaking salts faster than h2o, the food increase needed varies based on how much the plants are eating

pH rises EC same- Equilibrium

Also the rockwool cube looks dark with algae or something.

yeah thats only on the cute cause I forgot to make a cutout, and I think constant ph 5.8 is fixing the problem. Looks good so far

You realize GH doesn't promote lucas formula right? They have their own feeding schedule on the back of the bottles! Did you even look at that?

Why do you think they sell the green bottle? (grow)

Before you go saying how "there's already enough N, micro provides enough!", notice the green bottle has more K than N.

I really don't care if you switch lines, but your reasoning is flawed. Lucas formula is not the same as the GH flora series. (lucas seemed to have forgotten the green bottle when he invented his "formula" DOH!!!)

tommyy said:

At this rate I might just try a different nute line and I have tried
750ppm 850ppm 1000ppm lucas formula

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Actually I do have the grow bottle and have read the label, I chose to go with lucas formula because of simplicity being a dwc noob that I am and my previous attempt at dwc
ran into deficiency problems and I tried fixing it with 3-2-1, 1-1-1 , lucas formula 8-16 micro bloom, 5/8/16, and even lucas 8/16 + calmag. Eventually out of now here I decided to test my measuring spoons and cupsit would seem that they weren't precise enough so when I was giving it 8/16 it was more like 6.5/13 etc, my ppm was coming out at 750 at 8/16 but that's because the measuring cups were wrong so I destroyed all the plants kept 1 at lucas formula ratio 1/2 1000ppm and it rebounded back really nicely, so imagine my surprise when I am attempted dwc again and at 1000ppm I'm getting deficiency again.
It would seem that ph 5.6 and lucas formula locks out too much potassium my meter at ph 5.8 for 4 days ppm started at 1000 is now at 930 ph stable. Needless to say I learn something new each time I grow.

Sorry for sounding so harsh. I guess I was responding to the collective users and advocates of the lucas formula rather than you alone.

The reasoning most people have for not using the green bottle makes me face palm every time... (that micro already has enough N)

They also insist it saves money, when in reality, in the long run it costs the same.

tommyy said:

Actually I do have the grow bottle and have read the label, I chose to go with lucas formula because of simplicity being a dwc noob that I am and my previous attempt at dwc
ran into deficiency problems and I tried fixing it with 3-2-1, 1-1-1 , lucas formula 8-16 micro bloom, 5/8/16, and even lucas 8/16 + calmag. Eventually out of now here I decided to test my measuring spoons and cupsit would seem that they weren't precise enough so when I was giving it 8/16 it was more like 6.5/13 etc, my ppm was coming out at 750 at 8/16 but that's because the measuring cups were wrong so I destroyed all the plants kept 1 at lucas formula ratio 1/2 1000ppm and it rebounded back really nicely, so imagine my surprise when I am attempted dwc again and at 1000ppm I'm getting deficiency again.
It would seem that ph 5.6 and lucas formula locks out too much potassium my meter at ph 5.8 for 4 days ppm started at 1000 is now at 930 ph stable. Needless to say I learn something new each time I grow.

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ahhhh GH. You forgot the Micro from GH. No matter what Lucas says it lacks Micro, he said his formula is just for bare bottom nutes. If you look carefully in the GH line they leave it out. Get some Micro($1 from GH as you need it. Also GH recommendation is to high in my opinion and so I use about 20% less, less is better anyways in Hydro. Lastly, you will learn that the totes are a pain in the ass to deal with when you need to change them out. Next time just get buckets and save your back and frustration.

churchhaze said:

Sorry for sounding so harsh. I guess I was responding to the collective users and advocates of the lucas formula rather than you alone.

The reasoning most people have for not using the green bottle makes me face palm every time... (that micro already has enough N)

They also insist it saves money, when in reality, in the long run it costs the same.

Click to expand...

Not a problem, I think the most difficult thing about growing is deficiency lockouts etc are so similar looking.
Here are some pics they are looking better now,

DWC seems to be problematic no? what is the good part?

Cheap simple explosive growth. Using a shitty nute mix is not specific to dwc.

why don't you just pick up some cheap Advanced Nutrients pH perfect

Malevolence said:

Cheap simple explosive growth. Using a shitty nute mix is not specific to dwc.

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I have not used it but based on the complaining it just seems accident prone