Wow this thread really turned around. Great info available here. Thank you Blaze for getting this started and much appreciation for the knowledge Cat!!!
I am trying to get a DWC going myself. I have a question about pot and container size that hasn't been answered here.
So, is the size of the net pot a limiting factor for growth? Is there a general rule to follow? Like 6 in pots for X expected height and 8 in will support a Y sized plant.
Same question but for the rez. How many gallons should be available per plant in early, veg, and flower stages?
I'm limited by space and time. I don't want big plants and don't have time for a long veg. I have two sizes for the rez a 12g and 18 g. I was going to start either 4 or 6 plants. I wanted to do 6 smaller ones with a 3.5 or 4 in pot. I would transfer them to the larger rez when needed. I've heard that its possible to use 3 or 5 gallon buckets as an individual rez. Would my 6 sharing 18 gallons be equivalent to the 3 gallon bucket as far as available water/nutes/air/space etc???
Thanks for the info and sorry for jumping in with my own questions. Thought they might apply here.
OP check youtube for DWC DIY videos. Sometimes the visual helps. Your tubing is a concern as Cat mentioned.
Most of the smaller pumps take 1/4 tubing. 3/4 would support way more airflow than you need for a few stones. You also want to make sure to get dark tubing and dark everything to keep algae from forming. Whichever size you end up with use a drill bit that size to put some holes in the side of the rez. Thread your tubing through and you won't have any lid closing issues. Good luck
size of the netpot doesn't really matter; i used 3'' hd net pots for 3'x3' plants. downside is the net pots were busted at harvest from the huge trunks and roots. 6'' is fine for a 5g, the bucket is the root zone, not the pot.
i recommend 5g per plant for dwc. 3g per plant will work, but it's much higher maintenance. as for a multi-plant container, i say not a good idea; the plants have tons of lateral growth, and will crowd each other. dwc is a high performance technique. a 6'' clone is easily 14'' and bushy after two weeks of veg, and 3x3 after stretch. if you use one tote for several plants, flower after only a few days of veg from cutting to prevent overgrowing.
here's a picture of some early flower bushes...