first attempt DWC with Blue Venom - G13 Labs

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
ok folks this is my first attempt at hydroponics. ive been growing soil now for a year now and been happy with my grows. i grow indoor and outdoor and have grown some fine medicine ive seen the yields and rapid growth that hydro offers so i figured id give it a go. so anyways i got a bucket kit for $40. it came with the bucket, air stone, blue tubing, grow stones, rockwool plugs and a 44gph air pump. i went to the hydro store and talked to the guy about nutes and he sold me the botanicare kind 3 part nutrient system. the strain ive chosen is blue venom from G13 labs. im using ph balanced distilled water with no nutes right now. she hasnt poped through the plug yet but hopefully shell make an appearance in the next day or 2. i ordered a 20 dollar ppm meter and it should get here by the end of the week. im thinking when i get my taxes back and my students loans ill spend the money and get the blue lab pens but for now this one should do the job. res temps are sitting around 62-64 right now. i would like it to be a bit higher but for now thats where it sits. not a whole lot its in my closet right now under four 2ft t5s its sharing its light with a mazar plant that is about to be moved to her new permanent home in the grow tent under HID lights next week. once BV is old enough, she too will be moved into the tent where i can better control res temps. no pics yet. nothin to see. as soon as she sprouts ill toss up a couple jpegs.
 

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
she popped through the plug yesterday. she looks good. res temps are stable at 68-70 d and PH is fine at 6.0. well see how she does when i start adding nutes. i looked around cuz i wasnt sure when i should actually start feeding her and from what i gather its when the cotyledons turn yellow and want to fall off. and its at half or 1/4 strength. i saw a post last night from a newbie DWC grower and it actually gave me a little bit of confidence. his grow was terrible. he was using a used paint bucket. it still had old paint and grime all over it and there was what looked like rust on the lid of the bucket. it was a very sloppy and filthy setup. but alas the plant was alive and growing. i couldnt belive it! for how unsterile the environment was i figured the plant wouldnt have made it past seedling. anyways i figured if this guy can do it then it shouldnt be too hard.
heres a couple quick pics. i couldnt get a real good shot cuz i dont know where i left my camera so im using the webcam on my mac. shes next to a mazar from dutch passion thats getting moved in a couple days to the grow tent. i got a plant in the tent on 12/12 that im flushing right now. another few days and ill chop it down and then i can move the mazar in there at 18/6:leaf:

Photo on 2014-01-18 at 11.36 #2.jpgPhoto on 2014-01-18 at 11.37 #2.jpgPhoto on 2014-01-18 at 11.35 #3.jpg
 

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
still no nutes. shes taking her sweet time. just keeping everything stable till she tells me shes hungry. couple pics real quick.
IMG_3067.jpgIMG_3068.jpgIMG_3074.jpgIMG_3075.jpg
 

new.b

New Member
Good luck, I used a very similar bucket for my Blue Venom grow... hopefully yours turns out a little better than mine did. :lol:

not-so-pro tip: invest in a pH pen. you can find one with calibration solution on amazon for, like, 20 bucks. definitely a must have imo especially when you are growing dwc. the drop kits that come with gh up/down are not accurate enough
 

Scroga

Well-Known Member
Its ok too use a really weak nutrient solution..the thing is not too overwater when there this young...you'll drown her..roots need to search for water to grow.touch the rock wool if its moist, don't water! Blue venom will show beautiful colors in flower if the temps go low enough..nice mids
 

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
ok well now that i have access to my grow journals again i can post an update. its about 5 weeks into flower and shes looking effing fantastic! i am totally blown away by the results im getting from the hydro setup. she looks awesome smells awesome and shes gaining weight really quickly. havent had one single hiccup during this whole grow. ive never had a grow go as smooth as this one. cant say the same about the little mazar though. ill post pics later
 

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
some pics. i started the flush yesterday. so ill chop her late next week prob. im assuming a week of clean water should be good enough because thats what the nutrients suggest i do. plus the trics are tellin me shes ready to go. the lighting sucks. its all orange. i wish it could be under some daylight or some regular light so you could see the colors because it really is a pretty plant.
 

Attachments

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
so i m wondering about the flush process. does the clean water that i give it really have to be ph balanced? theres no nutrients in the water so why should i balance the ph? its not like im gonna experience lock out. theres no nutrients to lock out. just wondering how important is the ph of the flush.
 

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
im just using straight distilled water with a neutral ph to flush it. i started last thursday and im busy all week so ill chop her on sunday. i think that should be fine.
 

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
well i read up about it. seems most people dont evenn flush when doing a DWC setup. and if they do its only a few days. also i was right i guess about the ph of the flush water. theres no nutrients so no need to balance the ph. so anyways i had a few hours to kill today and after i did some reading on the flush subject i decided to go ahead and chop her down. cranked some tunes cracked a beer and spent three hours trimmin her up and hanging it out to dry. wish i had some company though. its pretty boring doing it all by ursef. if i get around to it ill post more pics in the next few days. but its gonna be at least a few more weeks til its cured enough. i like to give it a month before i put it in me.
 

Scroga

Well-Known Member
try an ice flush next time, can help to bring out the colors on a strain like that..does she smell like mangoes?
 

Flypaper

Well-Known Member
Its not a very smelly plant. I just used an ice bath during the last week and a half. In the picture it shows ive got the bucket sitting in plastic bin thing I found in the garage. I fill that with water and ice cubes to bring the res temps diwn to around mid 40s. Its easier to control that way and its gradual so I dont shock the roots so much. im using distilled water with zero tds in the res and this way I can use the ice cubes that come out of the ice maker in my freezer. It turned quite purple actually but now thats its dry it doesn't look so purple anymore. kinda sad about that. should have taken some pics when I first cut her down.
 

doubletake

Well-Known Member
some pics. i started the flush yesterday. so ill chop her late next week prob. im assuming a week of clean water should be good enough because thats what the nutrients suggest i do. plus the trics are tellin me shes ready to go. the lighting sucks. its all orange. i wish it could be under some daylight or some regular light so you could see the colors because it really is a pretty plant.
Looks dank man
 
Top