DWC Bubbling buckets

[blairdel]

I am seriously thinking about starting an indoor grow with my friend, we don't have a hydro store here so would there be any outdoor nutrients that i would find at Mitre 10 hardware store or a garden shop that i could use in my buckets?? And if there is do you mix the nutrients at half directed strength??, I am thinking about having 4, 15 litre buckets under a 400w HPS, and in the veg part i was thinking of having 4 15 litre buckets but in 2 of them i would have 2 pots so i could start 4 clones off, and the other 2 buckets would have 1 pot each in them, these would be under a 400W MH, how much air would i need to be pumping into the buckets?? Also, where are all the places on the net to get the cheapest pumps and lights here in Australia?? Also, how far above or below the bottoms of the net pots does the water level have to be??, If the pot's holes are small enough would it be possible to use just perlite as my growing medium?? as this is available at the garden shop here and if i had to use expanded clay balls i would have to order them off the net and get them shipped here....

 

Sorry if i have too many questions but i wanna try to work out how much this will cost all up.....

 

Thanks

Blair

[Luke Skywalker]

Hi blairdel, lets see if I can't help you out eh?

 

I am seriously thinking about starting an indoor grow with my friend

 

Well, by all means, do so, but the most common form of bust is one which is formed from pissed of ex-friends. Just a friendly warning. Keep it to yourself, and hope that your friend can too. If you or your mate are likely to brag about it, don't expect to harvest it intact.

 

Anyway, with that sad piece of advice out of the way....

 

we don't have a hydro store here so would there be any outdoor nutrients that i would find at Mitre 10 hardware store or a garden shop that i could use in my buckets?? And if there is do you mix the nutrients at half directed strength??,

 

Why do you want outdoor nutrients if you're growing plants indoors? There are some good nutes you can get from places like you've mentioned.... one is Manutec Hydroponic Nutrient and Blossom Booster... these are pretty good, but for the best results nutrient wise you're far better going with a mj specific hydroponic liquid nutrient. These are better dissolving and are more suited to the specific nutrient needs of cannabis... the Manutec will certainly do the job, but it may take some adjustments and experimentation to get the right mix for your strain, as these are designed primarily for hydroponic vegetable crops, not MJ.

 

As to strength, well, it depends. Young plants don't need very much nutrient, depending on the media you'll be growing in. You seem to be growing in DWC so I'd have to tell you that you should keep the nutrient levels low. Some growers don't go above 1/3 strength for the whole grow. Bubblers are a very different form of hydroponics and needs specific nutrient management which is peculiar to it's method of feeding. So keep the levels looooow. WC may be able to offer some more specific advice, but my plant in a bubbler never went above 1.8 EC, (about 1/2 strength with this particular nute) and that was right at the end of the flowering cycle going into reveg.

 

I am thinking about having 4, 15 litre buckets under a 400w HPS, and in the veg part i was thinking of having 4 15 litre buckets but in 2 of them i would have 2 pots so i could start 4 clones off, and the other 2 buckets would have 1 pot each in them, these would be under a 400W MH, how much air would i need to be pumping into the buckets??

 

So you're planning to have a staged grow? With one chamber for flowering, one for vegging right? 4 buckets in the flowering room, and four in the vegging room, but why two pots in two of them and one each in the other two? I don't get it.... Oh, and air... yes, you'll need a couple of high powered air pumps to provide enough air to the water in the bubblers. Better to get a single, 4 outlet pump for each room if you were thinking of growing like that, and that way each bubbler would get ample air without being restricted. You'll need enough air coming out of the sys so that the bubbles break the surface and produce a light mist on the underside of the lid on the bubbler. This gives the plants their supply of nutrients when young, and then maintains a moist atmosphere in the bubblers in that air gap above the roots.

 

Also, where are all the places on the net to get the cheapest pumps and lights here in Australia??

I don't know, you'd have to search around a bit. I'd be careful about buying these items off the net from anything but the most secure of companies, and even then I'd be getting such items delivered to another addy. You're better off going down the road and getting a good pond pump from a garden center/bunnings type place, and the light can be gotten from a hydro shop by mailorder. Pay cash for everything if possible, as there can be a nasty paper trail otherwise. The name of the game is cover your ass.

 

Also, how far above or below the bottoms of the net pots does the water level have to be??

 

Initially, when the clones are placed into the bubblers it's suggested that the water level be just touching the base of the netpots. This is able to then wick through the netpot and support the early growth of the plants whilst they establish. Some growers don't do this, but some do. The levels are then brought down slowly as the roots decend until they sit about an inch or so below the netpot base. The roots then grow down into the water and spread out.

 

If the pot's holes are small enough would it be possible to use just perlite as my growing medium?? as this is available at the garden shop here and if i had to use expanded clay balls i would have to order them off the net and get them shipped here....

 

Yes, although you'll have to make sure it's a coarse brand. I use the "Waterworld" brand, this is much chunkier than chillagoe or other brands which are substandard IMO. If you have to use em, then make sure you flush the heck out of that netpot to make sure it's completely settled out with anything that's going to fall through having already done so. Last thing you want is perlite everywhere everytime you flush the netpots of salts. But yeah, it should be okay.

 

Sorry if i have too many questions but i wanna try to work out how much this will cost all up.....

 

Thanks

Blair

 

Heh heh, that's cool man, you'll find it's fairly cheap to grow plants indoors, just make sure you manage them properly, and keep your mouth, (and your friends evidently) zipped, and you should do fine. WC is probably the DWC expert on these boards and I'm sure he'll be able to advise you somewhat better than I can about how to get the best results from your buckets. Anyway, hope this has helped.

[blairdel]

Thanks Luke, this has helped heaps, do you think i could get away with doing a successfull grow without an EC or TDS meter?? Unfortunatley because i live with my parents (yes, i am over 18) I am unable to do an indoor grow here, this is where my friend comes in, it would be ideal for us to put the grow in his roof.....he is also helping cover some of the costs... so if he dobs me in or whatever he would have the most to lose, he is looking foward to learning about hydroponics and comparing the growth rate to some outdoor plants that are going. With the nutrients i will go down to mitre 10 when they open back up after the xmas break, and see if they have any manutec or if they can order it in....if not i will have to order the nutes off the net, the stuff i am ordering is being shipped to a different address to where we are growing, so there is no problem there. The reason i wanted to have 2 pots each in 2 buckets in the veg area is so i could start clones off and then transplant them to soil for outdoors...or would that not work?? i think i will go with 1 pot in each bucket....its simpler..... I might go with 1 chamber for both the cycles not a "staged grow" as i wouldn't need to get as much stuff if i just made the 1 chamber, also how far from MH and HPS lights do your plants have to be?? and would 400w HPS and MH lights cover enough area to do 6 buckets?? I am thinking about getting a HP-1116 AIR PUMP, this pumps 20,000cc/min and is quad outlet, this is on the net for about $32.00 hmm anyway that's about all the questions i have for now.... Thanks for replying Luke.....

 

have a good Xmas?

 

 

 

Blair