DWC: To top feed or to not. HELP

Hey there guys, im running a 16 gal dwc only running two plants at the moment. Light ph o2 all on point as well as water levels only thing different is that they are in a bigger reservoir. The water is inches lower now but they have long beautiful roots that will hang in that water only thing is my sativa is drooping BAD. Im thinking because root mass was so used to that water level it just was dropped too much too soon, see theres no discoloration or anything like that just drooping terribly like it was under watered. I top feed some straight h20 at lights off and im gonna check on em after a bit. Id like it if there were some more opinions so please help me out if you think you can guys

A picture is worth a thousand words. I see no reason not to top feed. However, I wouldn't expect to need to with adequate bubbling.

temp/RH? veg or bloom? pics would be great as mentioned above.

a dropping water level won't do that to a plant in dwc. unless the roots were dry/no water whatsoever

I grow using DWC and have a pump running from my reservoir to base of plant 24/7 top feeding all day with no problems only great results.

The only time I've faced drooping plants is when the heat has gone too high and the plants start to drink more to try and counter out the heat.

How hot is your reservior system running?

Smee23 said:

I grow using DWC and have a pump running from my reservoir to base of plant 24/7 top feeding all day with no problems only great results.

The only time I've faced drooping plants is when the heat has gone too high and the plants start to drink more to try and counter out the heat.

How hot is your reservior system running?

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Well above water is 75-&78 f
H20 temp is 65-67f
Well im afraid it may be the root got dry, I ended up top feeding and after their nap the sativa with the droop was magically fixed, went ahead and watered a little more come out today and boom, like a droopy green greek tragedy my threat part heart break of a problem was back. Is there a come back from the roots getting dry or partially dried out? Trim and water maybe or am I SOL?

Smee23 said:

I grow using DWC and have a pump running from my reservoir to base of plant 24/7 top feeding all day with no problems only great results.

The only time I've faced drooping plants is when the heat has gone too high and the plants start to drink more to try and counter out the heat.

How hot is your reservior system running?

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rkymtnman said:

temp/RH? veg or bloom? pics would be great as mentioned above.

a dropping water level won't do that to a plant in dwc. unless the roots were dry/no water whatsoever

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Ill have pics in the morning but they wont be pretty, cfl managed to fall on the indica and scorch half the leaves off' aside from that the indica is fine.

Yea post some pictures mate and we're have a good look. Dry roots will usually be dead roots!

Did you want me to post pictures tonight of my DWC system if it helps?

stonedcold420 said:

Hey there guys, im running a 16 gal dwc only running two plants at the moment. Light ph o2 all on point as well as water levels only thing different is that they are in a bigger reservoir. The water is inches lower now but they have long beautiful roots that will hang in that water only thing is my sativa is drooping BAD. Im thinking because root mass was so used to that water level it just was dropped too much too soon, see theres no discoloration or anything like that just drooping terribly like it was under watered. I top feed some straight h20 at lights off and im gonna check on em after a bit. Id like it if there were some more opinions so please help me out if you think you can guys

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More bubbles needed more than likely. PH off next. Temps too high third.

Light falling on plant= I hate when it seems like the grow god is working against me.

More bubbles will only put the PH up and we don't know what the ph is yet.

It's not PH!

no bubbles just waterfalls. Leap of faith.

Smee23 said:

Yea post some pictures mate and we're have a good look. Dry roots will usually be dead roots!

Did you want me to post pictures tonight of my DWC system if it helps?

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Yeah thatd be great id really appreciate that, ill have some here in the next hour or so.

pinner420 said:

View attachment 3754794 no bubbles just waterfalls. Leap of faith.

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Who ever said dont go chasing waterfalls? Because they never saw those beauties, very nice my friend. Strain?

I never, ever, top feed dwc. The roots are in the water already... the water you pour in top goes through your hydroton and Into your water... might as well add straight to res

Cx2H said:

More bubbles needed more than likely. PH off next. Temps too high third.

Light falling on plant= I hate when it seems like the grow god is working against me.

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Thats awesome you say that because last night I switched to duel outlet double stone pump, and let the cover off just keeping the screen up. What should I try and keep my h20 temp at?

Airwalker16 said:

I never, ever, top feed dwc. The roots are in the water already... the water you pour in top goes through your hydroton and Into your water... might as well add straight to res

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Damn I was unaware. Is that still a risk when using just straight ph balanced water and no nutes?

In this you can see that at 19 deg C its about 9mg / L of DO, so not quite 1 mg for every C the temps are raised but a useful rule of thumb. this is sufficient for healthy plant growth, the optimum for nutrient temps is between 18 and 24c

As growers we are caught in a "catch 22" situation because DO is increased at low nutrient temps but the plant growth is regulated by performing countless numbers of biochemical reactions which will double for every increase of 10 degrees C degreesor on the other hand be cut in half for every reduction of 10 degrees C, so there is the dilemma...... which leads me on to some possible answers

The recirculatingsystems I use all rely on one simple fact and that is whenever air is in contact with the water, whether through natural or artificial means, a transfer of oxygen from the air to the water takes place at the surface which provides a good gas exchange allowing oxygen to enter the water and carbon dioxide to escape until the water becomes saturated. The speed at which oxygen from the air enters and mixes through a system depends on the amount of agitation at the water surface, the depth of the system and the rate at which it mixes itself.

When normal airstonesare used most of the DO is obtained when the bubble forms and then by water movement at the surface, so most of the DO is created by watermovement at the surface rather than bubbles as most people think. Another thing growers should consider is the practiceof placing a large airstone underneath the roots and allowing it to bubble away furiously can cause mechanical damage to the roots and the turbulence can cause stress. Much better to have the bubbles generated in a remote rez and recirculate them through the system.

Ceramic Micro air Diffusers (CMD) are brilliant for aerating your system, if you have never seen one running you are in for a treat, whenyou first run one its a surprise to see what looks like milk streaming out of the diffuser! or a bit like underwater fog, with one of these you canoversaturate depending on the size of the diffuser or system but not to the point that the system is toxic. If you decide to use one of these, depending on how good the CMD is you can run them intermittently as the DO will stay in the system for about 20 mins .

Black Rose... nivu skunk x black russian f8

What he said..lol

Airwalker16 said:

I never, ever, top feed dwc. The roots are in the water already... the water you pour in top goes through your hydroton and Into your water... might as well add straight to res

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That's fair enough but I like to allow my beautiful nutrient rich solution to flow from the base of my plant and trickle down the roots back to the reservior. I mean, it can only be a good thing? It also keeps the flow of water present at all times and just that added little extra.
Why just have a Jacuzzi when you can also have a power shower!

Like what is the point of a top feed? IDK call me crazy but when I run buckets I have no need for a top feed 'Power Wash'. I am more concerned with the root-ball swallowing the airstones, blocking the return and overflowing, DO content in water, ETC.

Yeah more bubbles will make PH swing, (don't you meter your PH anyway?) This is what they make flow control valves for to find the spot were it holds, maybe you need to swing the PH now you can control it a little bit. So my prior response was fueled by brandy...
#IMO

Cx2H said:

Like what is the point of a top feed? IDK call me crazy but when I run buckets I have no need for a top feed 'Power Wash'. I am more concerned with the root-ball swallowing the airstones, blocking the return and overflowing, DO content in water, ETC.

Yeah more bubbles will make PH swing, (don't you meter your PH anyway?) This is what they make flow control valves for to find the spot were it holds, maybe you need to swing the PH now you can control it a little bit. So my prior response was fueled by brandy...
#IMO

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1. Improperly placed air pumps could be sending in nasties or heat.
2. One pump to rule them all.
3. Mechanical damage to roots if to vigorous.
It perplexes me how many folks wanna grow dwc and not buy a chiller. Both methods work I believe there's just less to worry about with waterfalls. So it goes....