Living Soil Deep Water Culture (DWC) Experiment

livingsoildwc;2589433 said:
Blessings 420Magazine

Strain: My 3rd gen SpaceQueen/Kush (not sure about the pedigree)(strains will most likely change throughout this journal)

Warning wall of text incoming!

I am not sure if anybody has ever tried a Living Soil DWC system, but there is a serious lack of information about the subject online, so I decided (after consulting with StonerThor ) that I'm going to keep a journal of my Living Soil Deep Water Culture system here on .

Please feel free to share your thoughts/advice/experience about DWC and Living Soil here, I am looking for feedback, hopefully the fruits are good and the world will be a better place.

I will be using this thread as reference and knowledge-base for my experiment.

Quite a few growers have told me that I'm wasting my time, ph levels will bounce and eventual salt build up in my soil will do more harm than good.

The System:
20l Bucket (I think that is about 5gal)
Air pump for aeration in the reservoir (bucket)
One pot for the plant, I am using a 5l pot at the moment
1 Aquarium heater 15w or 30w, I am using a 30w at the moment (reservoir temp control)
Your favorite soil mix and your dopest dope plant

Plants: Plant grows in the veg room until the roots appear at the bottom or until the growers is happy with the size of the plant. When the plant goes into flowering the pot is placed into the bucket and the roots start growing down into the water reservoir.

Reservoir: I use living water from my freshwater planted aquarium (tests were below 10ppm ec) and keep it aerated, growers can also use rain water or clean river/spring/borehole water, providing the ph is not above 8 or below 6, ideally 6.8-7.0. (These are guidelines for myself)

Don't use chlorinated water, this is harmful to our Living Soil.

I added some hydro fertilizer from a grow-shop (partA, partB, mpk) in the reservoir, the pot never sees this fertilizer, only when the roots are taking it up into the pot. (I am not sure about the negative effects this has on Living Soil) I change the reservoir once a week and whenever the pot starts getting dry i water from the top.

Veg: When the pot is in veg, every other watering I feed worm juice tea, or worm castings tea, or comfrey tea, or dandelion juice or biobizz grow.

Flowering: I top dress with my supersoil and add more worms, sprinkle some dolomite lime and rockdust on top of the pot. I am feeding aloe juice, or dandelion juice or biobizz (grow/bloom) (every other watering)

Soil: The idea is that growers will be able to use their favorite soil mix with this system, providing there is enough aeration.

I am using my own living super soil, it is a bit older than a year now, soil was tilled before, but this system will be no-till. Originally I started my mix with 1/3 mountain soil (high altitude), 1/3 coco peat and a 1/3 worm castings, added dolomite lime, volcanic rock dust and inoculated with Mycorrhiza. Just feeding the worms/soil at this point, adding cannabis leaves, aloe vera (leftovers after I make a juice) and dandelions (leftovers after I make a juice).

So far this works like any other passive DWC system, just instead of clay pebbles I am using my living soil.

I will take some pictures when the lady wakes up.

Big Question on my mind.
Should I be using hydro fertilizers from the grow shop in my reservoir?

Please let me know what u think about a Living Soil DWC system.