Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

I use some 1/2 ounce fishing weights to hold my airstones down. I 've seen some growers just allow them to swim around. They do tend to want to float. I've seen some growers glue them down too. In my first couple of grows, I simply ran the air line UNDER the water pump to hold down
the air stone. The water ppump has little suction cups attached to the bottom of the pump. Then I used a 4 inch round airstone. That 4 inch round stone put out a lot of air bubbles too. The more I learned about MORE OXEGENATION makes a faster growth, the more I figured an additioanal air stone was wise. To add more air, I simply added a 2nd airstone. I highly recommend a 2nd air stone be added, but it is not necesary. I've seen successful grows done with a one inch air stone bubbler, made for aquariums.
The smallest of airpumps will power two airstones easily.
You shouldn't churn the water violently with air and damage baby new born roots.

I used two weights on each airstone tied with plastic fishing line.
These are smaller, 8 inch air stones for the bucket.

Attaching the Air Tubes.

PLEASE Don't say anything to me about using LEAD weights in the water. I am not goig to drink the water and the plants are not going to absorb the lead for me to ingest later when I smoke them.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Into the bucket the airstones go.

The top of the Irrigation Hub should be centered in the bucket. The airlines run through the holes, out of the bucket, to the air pump.

Let me sum ths up here. The water pump is going to pump water, air and nutes to the Irrigation Hub, be divided into 6 flows,a d then go to the grow cups.

The airstones are going to add a lot of air (oxygen) to the water. The tubes from from the airstones, out of the bucket, to the air pump.


Again, I am going to have one bucket and two reservoir tanks, and grow a pound of dried manicured buds in my closet, as I have done many times before.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

I have too much feeder tubing, and I will trim it later. I run it into the center of the grow cup. It will butt right into the rockwool cube. On this 3 cup bucket, each cup will get two feeder tubes.

I hope you can see the tubes sticking into the grow cups.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Time for the two 8 gallon, 6 grow-cup tanks to be assembled.

I sat this assembly in the floor just to show you what it looks like, OUT OF THE TANK, FROM THE SIDE, completely assembled.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

For these tanks, I am using two 14 inch airstones. Overkill? Yes, but I believe in lots of oxygen to make them grow faster.

The air lines are seen here.

I am trying to show different angles in the pics, to give you an idea of how it is done.
Here is the last pump and hub.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

I reach through the holes in the lid, to find a feeder tube and insert it into the grow cup. My feeder tubes are too long, and I will cut them shorter, when I put the rockwool cubes in.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

A reminder, in the pics showing the water pump pumping water out of the Irrigation Hub that I showed you in my kitchen sink, you do not want that much of a stream in the reservoir tank.
1.5 gph (gallon per hour) is recommended by me.
The pics in the kitchen sink show a lot more than needed, more than wanted, and more than desired and safe, because the water pump is only sucking up water. There are no airstones in the sink.
AFTER the water pump is in a sea of bubbles, and those air stones are going full steam, the water pump will gargle and gurgle and suck up half water and half air bubbles, slowing up that stream to a bubbley slight trickle. Another big factor is the tube is butted into he rockwool cube, and that slows the stream of water to a trickle too. TOO MUCH WATER WITHOUT ENOUGH OXYGEN CAN DROWN THE SPROUT.


This pic shows the water flowing to Six Cups.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Now and only now that I feel confident that I have a good LOCATION, and have done my PREPARATION, and will not have to run to Walmart, the Aquarium Fish Store, the Hardware Store, or order some more supplies off of the Internet, I am ready to soak some seeds today.

I will have 12 grow cups in 2 tanks, and 3 in the bucket, a total of 15 sprouts are needed. I have seeds that I produced myself from previous grows. They are not feminized. I expect and want at least half of them to be females. I do not want or expect 15 plants, but I will start 15 seeds, and toss the males, which are normally half the seeds I start.

I 'll let them sit a while in a dark kitchen cabinet.

I am throwing a dozen Northern Light seeds and 5 of a strain I only know as SKUNK in coffee cups, in an inch of luke warm water, to be soaking, while I prepare my hydroton and rockwool.

(I only had 5 of the Skunk seeds)

Let me tell you that with this Deep Water Culture System with Feeder Tubes, I can start ungerminated seeds right in the cups and I have done that many times.

I can also start clones, with or without roots, right in this system.

I am in a hurry to get started, and I know the seeds will pop (sprout) within 18 to 24 hours, by soaking them first.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Time to start soaking the Rockwool Cubes in some pH balanced water.
First I take up one gallon of water. My faucet water averages 7.0 to 7.4, depending on the temperature and how long the water was running. I have a deep well for my water source.

I am using an extra clean water jug that I save and re-use often.

I poured a small amount in a glass, and tested it. I got 7.03 pH.

I'd like to get it to 5. something to 6.0, to soak my rockwool cubes in. 5.0 would be better.
My pH powder says to add .2 (two-tenth) gram, to make a change of .1 (one-tenth) pH. I want a change of 1.0 to get it to 6.0, so I need ten times .2 gram of pH DOWN. I estimate that to be 2/3 of a fluffy teaspoon of pH Down. (NOT PACKED DOWN) I'll use 2/3 teaspoon and get it to 5.0. I am shooting for anything betwen 5.0 and 6.0. I 'll pour some of my water in a quart jar, adjust it, and pour it back into the jug.
I'll guess at an eye-balled 2/3 teaspoon, and see what I get.

Back in the jug it goes. A good cheap funnel really helps.

So now I pour some in my glass again, and test it again.

5.01 is close enough to what I wanted, and I'll take it, it will work fine. The books say shoot for 5.0, so I did good. The purpose is soaking the rockwool cubes in some low pH water to lower the pH of the cubes, and 5.01 is low enough. The rockwool tends to want to be at a higher pH, so soakig in a low pH water really helps.


I'll pour that into a bowl with my 15 needed cubes to soak them a short while. Books suggest 4 hours to 24 hours.

It seems like an hour would be long enough to soak the cubes, but I will follow the books and soak them overnight. I see so many new growers fail to soak the cubes first.

Airstones need to soak 4 to 8 hours but I'll soak them over night too.

Let me say here, I test for the pH in a small glass, and never in my tank.
I always let my pH meter sit at least 30 seconds, to read it. I let my TEST STRIPS only sit in the sample water for 5 seconds.

 

[Roseman]

Re: Roseman's Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

ROCKWOOL CUBES

I have been collecting info on rockwool cubes a long time. Let me share what I have learned.

Rockwool comes with a warning label, like abestos, to not handle it dry, because it has carcegens in it, or can cause cancer IF you breathe in enough of it's dust.
SO, you do need to really soak it A LONG TIME to handle it, but it will only take a minute to soak it and make it safe from DUST flying around. It will take a few hours or more to soak it to adjust it's pH.

The instructions on rockwool sent with the SH Deep Water Culture Kit says to leave the plastic on. That is because they fear for our safety and do not wANt us exposed to carcegens. I remove the plastic but I do soak it. I butt the tube into the side of it when I prepare my cups.

YOU TOO SHOULD REMOVE THE PLASTIC FROM ROCKWOOL CUBES.


Rockwool is probably the most popular growing medium on earth. Rockwool was originally used as insulation and was called "Mineral Insulation". It was developed for gardening in Hydroponics in Denmark and is used extensively around the world for "Drip-Style" hydroponic systems.

Rockwool is made by melting a combination of rock and sand and then spinning the mixture to make fibers which are formed into different shapes and sizes. The process is very similar to making cotton candy. The shapes vary from 1"x1"x1" starter cubes up to 3"x12"x36" slabs, with many sizes in between, which makes rockwool one of the most versatile growing mediums.
The advantages to rockwool are many, however there are several disadvantages to this type of growing medium as well. The pros and cons are listed below.


Advantages of Rockwool



RETAINS WATER - Rockwool holds an incredible amount of water which gives you a "buffer" against power outages and pump (or timer) failure. You want your rock wool saturated and it saturates well, plus it holds air too.



HOLDS AIR - Rockwool holds at least 18 % air at all times (unless it is sitting directly in water), which supplies the root zone with plenty of oxygen. This means that it is practically impossible to over-water rockwool.



COMES IN A VARIETY OF SIZES AND SHAPES - From 1" cubes designed for use in propagation, to 3"x12"x36" slabs capable of holding the root systems of huge plants, rockwool comes in dozens of shapes and sizes making it a versatile growing medium. Rockwool also comes "Loose" so you can fill pots or containers of any size.



CLEAN AND CONVENIENT - Rockwool holds together very well so it can't spill. Rockwool also comes wrapped in plastic, which makes it easy to handle and keeps evaporation to a minimum.



Disadvantages to Rockwool



NOT ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY - Rockwool is hard to dispose of, if buried it will last indefinitely.




DUST AND FIBERS ARE A HEALTH RISK - The fibers and dust from the rockwool are bad for your lungs. Wear a dust mask when handling it dry, to prevent problems. Soaked and Saturated, it is safe.




pH PROBLEMS - Rockwool has a high pH which means you have to adjust your nutrient solution low so that the root zone is neutral. Pre-Soaking it in 4.5 to 5.0 water is advised.




Getting Started with Rockwool

Before you use rockwool you must first soak it in water adjusted to a pH of 4.5 to 5.0. To soak rockwool cubes use a bucket or other water tight container, just put the cubes in the water and let them float around. To soak the rockwool slabs cut a hole in the bag around the slab and pour in pH adjusted water until the slab is totally saturated, let soak for up to 8 hours to be safe. Then cut drainage slits in the bottom.

Using Cubes


Rockwool cubes come in many different sizes. There are two sizes of "starter cubes" that are designed for propagation. The 1" x 1" x 1 1/2" and the 2" x 2" x 1 1/2" cubes are not wrapped in plastic and are normally used for starting seeds. The 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cubes are wrapped on four sides with plastic to slow evaporation and are used primarily for taking cuttings.
The 3" and 4" cubes can be used as the primary growing medium or in conjunction with other growing mediums. For small plants a large cube may be all the growing medium that you need. For larger plants these cubes are used as an intermediate medium that gets transplanted into a different type of growing medium as the plants grow.
SIZE]

 

[Roseman]

Re: Roseman's Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

I will not argue about this, nor debate it. If you disagree, then you disagree.


My Opinion about WATER

Many topics in Hydroponics are arguable, often debated. Even Ed Rosenthal and Jorge Cervantes disagree on many subjects, LIGHT and WATER being the main two.

Jorge Cervantes says to start with PURE water, R.O. Water, (Reversed Osmosis) or Distilled Water, or Filtered Water. Ed Rosenthal says CITY water works just fine, as well as Well Water.

One of the not so simple procedures for many growers is maintaining a level pH. And if the plants are eating and drinking daily, the pH will change daily anyway, as they eat and drink, removing nutrients from the water.

I will not get into a bunch of scientific points to make here, I will only report on personal experience. I do accept and believe the more controversial side of the coin, that City Water and Well Water not only works or performs just fine, but works best for me and will work OK for anyone else.

If you will google "Water, pH, Buffers" and research it, you will find both sides of the coin. You will learn that water with content, (water with Lime, Calcium, Iron, Maganese, Magnisium, and other minerals) is easier to maintain a level pH, than Filtered Water, R.O. Water, or Distilled Water. ( a buffer is a stabilizer)
Those minerals act as "buffers" holding or maintaining the pH at one level.
Water that has no content, (R.O. Water, Filtered Water, Distilled Water) will drift up or down in pH more quickly and will need additonal added buffers or many pH adjustments.

Then there is the dreaded "clorine" in the city water.

I once took a job selling Water Filters. I had to go to a short class for two days, studying city water, water filters, and clorine. We would go to a prospect's house, with a clorine swimming pool test kit. We would test thier water and frighten them, and show them it was too highly clorinated to swim in, much less drink it. We'd hook up the filter, let them use it for free for a week, drinking their tea and coffee with no clorine in it. When I came back a week later, they would not want to give up their filter. They would buy it everytime.
We were taught and had it proven to us, that clorine will "disapate" ( a fancy word for vaporize, or disappear in vapors) with any added heat, aeration, or being allowed to sit an hour.

In the past two years, I did two very successful grows at my X-wife's house, and she has city water. We tested it with a swimming pool clorine test kit. It was very high in clorine. I ran the water from a faucet, over the warm palm of my hand, into a large metal bowl. When the bowl filled, I poured it into a five gallon bucket, one bowl at a time, holding the bowl up high, allowing the water to fall through the air. When the bucket was full, we stirred it, tested it, and 75% to 80% of the clorine was gone, no smell, no odor, no taste.


Today most cities use chlorinated water. Many cities have switched to a form called Chloramine. This form will not dissipate, will not evaporate, and will stay in the water forever.

You can check if your city uses Chlormine on your water supply's website. All info must be reported on Chloramine levels.

You can find Dechlorinators at your local aquarium stores. Most often it is sold to people with large fresh water home made ponds. Generally they run city water, but do not want the chlorine or chlormine to hurt there VERY pricey Coy or other fish. Dechlorinators work great, and are easy to use. Many growers still report great growing results with city water.

Three years ago, I tried to do a grow with store bought distilled water at a friend's house. His water had a sulphur smell to it. I read it was best to use filtered water, in a Jorge Cervantes book. Cost us 79 cents a gallon then. I only did one 6 gallon tank of water, and after we bought and hauled water for 4 weeks, spent about $30 to $40, and battled and battled pH spikes and pH flucuations for a month, I wised up. It is very difficult to maintain a level pH in Filtered or Distilled Water.


And there is fresh water with energy or electolytes and there is dead water. I want my water full of energy, not dead from filtration. So I use and prefer well water.

IF you want to spend money on Water Filters or Distilled water, then try it and see how the pH rides a roller coaster for you.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

And two years ago, I wised up about hauling 6, 12 and 15 gallons of water from the kitchen to the spare bedroom closet when I start a new grow.


Check this out.

My wife collects Frogs.

A 25 foot indoor hose for watering house plants.

So I filled each tank and my bucket. I need 6 gallons of water in each tank, and I filled them up to within a half gallon of what I needed. I just guessed at the Bucket's water amount and later learned 3 gallons is ideal.

VERY IMPORTANT:You have to have a one to two inch air pocket under each grow cup. Without that Air Pocket, expect pythium (root rot) to visit your grow.

See how the Mylar starts even with the Lid.

Do not over fill that bucket, it will run out the holes on the sides.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Remember me making that mark with the black magic marker inside the tank for the water line???
Peeking inside, I can see my black magic marker line that indicates the 6 gallon level. I will not completely fill the tank to that level until I add my nutrients.
And after plugging up the water pumps, I check to see if water is dripping from each cup.

 

[Roseman]

Re: Roseman's Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

If you have Questions or Comments, or Disagree with me, then please go here:

https://www.420magazine.com/communi...roponics-deep-water-culture-growing-q.110871/

or here:

The Deep Water Culture Home
The Home of the Deep Water Culture

That way this Thread is shorter and easier to learn from.

This Tutorial is dedicated to all my Deep Water Culture friends and to the New Growers wanting to learn. I base all of this on what I read in books, on Internet Grow Sites and more so on my own personal experience. I have completed 8 grows this way, although I continue to learn from each and every grow.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Now I unplug the water pump to adjust the pH.


I do not have any available pH TEST STRIPS to demonstate to you. But as you watch this GROW, you will see I do not try to be precise or dead on the money. When I want 5.9 as perfect, I will gladly accept anything between 5.5 and 6.5.

I have done 4 GROWS with TEST STRIPS, and they work just fine.


Now, I must test for, adjust and set the pH of each reservoir. This is the only time I can adjust it IN the tank. NEVER adjust the water's pH in the tank, with plants growing in the tank.

My well water is normally 7.0 to 7.2, but after running through that rubber hose, it is lower, 6.98.

I go get my gallon jug, and add 1/2 gallon of water. I want my tank's water at close to 5.8, 5.9, or 6.1 would tickle me.

My water is at about 7.0, actually 6.98 today.

I want it close to 6.0. and 5.9 is perfect to me.
My pH Down additive says add .2 gram to lower one gallon .1 pH .
I figure 1/3 fluffy teaspoon for one gallon, or 2 fluffy teaspoons for 6 gallons. I can always use some pH UP if I go too far. Again, it is OK and safe to adjust it NOW in the tank, but never again, never with sprouts or plants in the water.


My little yellow measurer holds 2 teaspoons total, packed down in the spoon.

Now I pour it in my jug, to go add to my tank.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Here I am adding pH balanced water to the tank.

I hook up my air pumps, to stir up the water. I hang my air pump up high, so if the electricity goes out, the pump will not draw up the water. I also want my pump in a "out of the way" place, so it does not get heated by the lights and pump hot air into my tank.

Those two airstones kick butt!

An airpump for the Bucket. It is a smaller air pump, but very adequate.

The moment of truth!
6.06 !
Close enough, I'll take that. (Sometimes I surprise myself)
If I tried to add a pinch of pH Down, it would go too far, no matter how little I added. I am not chasing the pH, I am not riding the pH Roller Coaster.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

5.72 is close enough for me!

That air pump and stones are working fine.

I am getting there, time to rinse that hydroton rock. You can rinse it ten times and it will still need rinsing some more.

I have done this many times, and the very best way is to put it in a bowl, fill it full of water, and then pour it though a collander, ten times, no 20 times. You have to rinse it, and rinse it and rinse it, again, and again, and again.
Did I say that enough?

Amazing thing about Hydroton is how it transfers water. Place a wet rock next to a dry rock, and the dry rock will immediatley absorb the water like a sponge. I don't think Hydroton rock needs explaining. It is just what is best in hydroponics to hold air and water and nutes and support the plant.

AFTER you rinse it and after you are sure you got all the dust rinsed off, then soak the hydroton in pH balanced water before adding it to your cups.

Time to load the cups.[/SIZE]

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Time to load the cups.

That is my little helper, ANGEL, my white-butterscotch ferret.

In each cup, I put the rocks one inch deep. Then I sit the cube in the center of the cup, and butt the tube into the cube.

I have tried placing the cube at the top of the cup, the center of the cup, and at the bottom of the cup. The lower the cube, the sooner the roots hit the deep water. In the end, at Harvest Time, you can not tell any difference in growth rate. I try to put the cube in the center, closer to the bottom than the top of the cup. The roots hit the deep water sooner, and the base of the plant gets more support from the rocks.

In each empty cup, I put an inch of hydroton rocks, sat the rockwool cube in, on top, then surrounded it with more rocks.


After I load each cup with a rockwool cube and hydroton rocks, it is time to plug up everything, both the air pump and water pump, and check that everything is working properly.

 

[Roseman]

Re: Roseman's Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

Time to go look at my seeds.

 

[Roseman]

Re: -------'s Deep Water Culture Tutorial, SH Kit & DIY

I know from past experience that those seeds I have soaking will be ready to pop in 18 hours, maybe as long as 24 hours, depending on the verility of the seed and the room temperature. I say soaking, the water in the cups evaporates from a couple of spoon fulls, to very little in a day. I keep the water only 1/8 inch deep.
I also know that a few of the seeds will be duds, blanks, or no good. And I will break one or two of them, when I transplant it into the cube. They are very delicate.

And since I have plenty of seeds, I also prepare a few extras in what is called the wet paper towel method.

Let me tell you, you can drown a seed. You can over soak it, you can have it too warm, or too cold. The trick is to have it very wet, but not drowning in deep water.

Here you see where I took two paper towels, soaked them, and folded them together, in half, laid the seeds on part, and then fold the other part over, covering the seeds. I then take a dry towel and wipe up the extra water, NOT leaving any puddle of water. Then, to control the temperature, I put a bowl over them, and put the plate in a kitchen cabinet. I will check them daily, make sure the paper towel is wet, but not in a puddle of water. I know from experience, it will take the seeds 4 or 5 days to pop.