DWC & Soil: Verb's Purple Puncher Autos, Mars Hydro TS 1000

[Verbalist]

Verbalist
”Comparison grow”

~ Coco VS. Hydro VS. Soil ~

​

A quick introduction: Will be testing all three different ”standard growing mediums” with two different strains. Also this is my first actual grow using DWC, so a lot will be learned during this process.

Also would like to thank all my ”supporters” who made this round possible and wanted to support this hopefully exciting growth and possibly to be reviewed via this comparative grow. Second thanks to all the great and supportive people on this forum. I will tag and summon you in a bit.

———​

Strains:
- 2x Critical 2.0 XL Autos (Garden of Green)
- 2x Blackberry Kush Autos (Dutch Passion)
(Strain reviews in next post)

View attachment 2415933

———

SYSTEM, SETUP & STUFF:

- Hydro/DWC Bucket
~ Aeros Bubbler 1
~ 15L (~4gallon) reservoir
~ 6" net cup
~ 252l/hr adjustable Air pump

- BioNova Coco coir
~ Used in 11L (~3gallon) PLAN!T Fabric Pot and 6L (2.5gallon) Air Pot

- Soil: BioBizz Light mix
~ 12L (3gallon) Air Pot

GHE/Terra Aquatica’s TriPart-serie (Micro, Grow & Bloom) will be first base nutrients to be tested in all three mediums:

Got a lots of extra supplements, ferts and vitamins, BUT T.A’s Silicate is the real mineral magic for the soilless cultivation!

Measurement:

~ Milwaukee pH600 (7.01pH Calibration)
~ Milwaukee CD611 EC-meter (1413 Calibration)
- Tap water (8.1pH & 0.2EC ~100PPM) is going to be used for irrigation and in DWC

Lighting:
- 2x 100W LED panels (4500K, 9000lm)
~20cm distance provides 500Umol/S per panel

- 250W HPS as additional light when flowering starts
~ SUPER PLANT’s 250W HPS (2100K RED, 34500lm)

Lets get started and wish me luck!

 

[Paul Squiggle]

Im excited to watch this experiment
Good luck mate

 

[Verbalist]

9/19 | Day #1 | Week 1 |

A quick strain review:

- Critical 2.0 XL Autoflower

- Blackberry Kush autoflower

Both strains having relatively high THC content. And interested to see Criticals possible CBD effects.
Blackberry Kush having a bit longer flowering time (provides 9-10 weeks from seed to harvest)

GERMINATION: 9/13 - 9/18/2021

First Critical 2.0 had problems to pop out by herself and she were struggling for first two days:

9/16 one more Critical 2.0 XL and two Blackberry Kushes germinating:

9/19 - All seeds emerged!
Could there be any better birthday gift than waking up and noticing that all four seeds has popped and seedlings looking happy

Blackberry Kush#1

Critical 2.0 XL (#1) 4th day:
- pH: 5.8
- EC: 0.6
- At this moment Bubbler runs 1h on and 3h off (to avoid soaking the rockwool cube)

Critical 2.0 XL (#2)

 

[Verbalist]

Also would like to summon all my buddies and tutors to follow and help me thru this growth.
@StoneOtter @Rexer @Squiggle @LizardMate @Buds Buddy @Ljb1 @Growings @skunksa @Tokin Roll and everyone else I forgot to mention. Welcome!

Thank you for being sucha friendly persons and keeping this community up


Happy sunday! Remember to stay baked no matter what

Im excited to watch this experiment

Good luck mate

Thanks bruv!! Me too

 

[Skunksta]

Im in got my lurking seat , As i said very interested in the results.

 

[Verbalist]

And already wanna HL and shoot @Rexer with couple of questions

What u think, is she all okay? Do they look more like a splashes/slight light burn marks or could that be some first signs of Cal/Mag or another defiency? Serrated leaves having those small stains and their tips looks a bit crispy or something.

Also the leaves looks like a bit droopy which could be a sign of too much water, but bubbler were off whole night and the net cups pebbles and rockwool felt pretty dry, so second thought was what if theres not enough moisture availabe for roots and that causes the leaves look dry and crispy?
I’ve no clue what could cause those symptoms because she doesn’t look that happy anymore.

And reservoir:
Theres like 3-4inch gap between water surface and bottom of the net cup. It gently moistens the bottom, but if it runs more than an 1.5hrs the rockwool cube starts to get wet.
Feed is:
- 2ml/l GHE Root Booster
- 0.33ml/l GHE Micro 5-0-1 for soft water
- 2grams of Silicate (half dosage from recommended)
- pH minus to reduce pH down to 5.8-5.9
- EC is 0.5

Rockwool retains some moisture all the time but its not ”wet” by the touch. And no roots visible nowhere yet.
With flash on it looks a bit better but those stains and crispy looking edges are still visible.

E: forgot to mention conditions: temp is between 26-29C (78-83F) depends how close to led theyre.
RH is between 50-60%
They are 20-25cm apart from the lamp. Is 100W LED being that close too bright for them?

 

[StoneOtter]

Young ones need a day or two to get settled sometimes I find. Thanks for the invite!

 

[SmokeyB]

Pulling up my chair mate interested to se difference

 

[Tokin Roll]

Theres like 3-4inch gap between water surface and bottom of the net cup.

This is up for debate with many DWC growers, on water level. About 50 % will say an inch or two so below the net basket.

I favor about 1/2 inch below the basket, so I don't get a lot of cord roots.

I run my air pump 24/7, because you want your solution to have plenty of air or the water can become stagnant.

What is your solution ppm's?

It may be the start of cal-mag deficiency, but remember that sativa dominant strains will require more cal-mag the whole grow. At least this has been my experience with sativa dominant strains.

I'll be around.

Stay safe, and grow well my friend,

Tok..

 

[Verbalist]

This is up for debate with many DWC growers, on water level. About 50 % will say an inch or two so below the net basket.

I favor about 1/2 inch below the basket, so I don't get a lot of cord roots.

I run my air pump 24/7, because you want your solution to have plenty of air or the water can become stagnant.

What is your solution ppm's?

It may be the start of cal-mag deficiency, but remember that sativa dominant strains will require more cal-mag the whole grow. At least this has been my experience with sativa dominant strains.

I'll be around.

Stay safe, and grow well my friend,

Tok..

hey Tok!

Glad u found here.
Yup Ive heard the same from 2 to 1/2inch gap. But in my case if leaving lets say 1" gap between the water and bottom of the net cup that going to soak up the rockwool cube pretty fast..
Basket is 6" high and rockwool cube (4x4x4cm) is planted somewhere middle of the net cup. Thats why it gets wet pretty easily and trying to avoid damping off.
0.6EC should be around 300PPM

Also wondering did I fuck up there when the first Critical had problems to pop out and had to help her a bit so (see picture below) there was some excess root/stem exposed to the air and light (red marked snippet) and I kinda buried the white part under the pebbles and darker part was kept above the pebbles.
Could that cause stem rot and damping off if worst scenario happens?

should that part just lay there under the pebbles and expect roots to develop from that as well?

 

[Rexer]

'Morning Verbalist!

Both Tok and StoneOtter are correct!

My take? Your PPM is a bit high- keep an eye for an slight rise. She doesn't show signs of nute burn though...

You were right to bury the stem.

The 300 PPM, what's in it? How much is cal mag? At this stage, they really don't need much other then a bit if cal mag (150PPMish) should be plenty, IMO. Though I'd like to hear @Tokin Roll thoughts for that....

I don't think it's dampening off. Keep the airstone pumping 24/7. She'll throw roots out that will adapt to the environment their growing in. Sometimes they can seem a bit pouty for a few days as StoneOtter said.

 

[Verbalist]

'Morning Verbalist!

Both Tok and StoneOtter are correct! And Tok does run DWC, knows his stuff.

My take? Your PPM is a bit high- keep an eye for an slight rise. She doesn't show signs of nute burn though...

You were right to bury the stem.

The 300 PPM, what's in it? How much is cal mag? At this stage, they really don't need much other then a bit if cal mag (150PPMish) should be plenty, IMO. Though I'd like to hear @Tokin Roll thoughts for that....

I don't think it's dampening off. Keep the airstone pumping 24/7. She'll throw roots out that will adapt to the environment their growing in. Sometimes they can seem a bit pouty for a few days as StoneOtter said.

Hey @Rexer !
300PPM/0.6EC is built from:
- 0.2EC tap water (soft water, barely any cal or Mag)
- 2ml/l GHE’s Root Booster
- 0.33ml/l GHE’s TriPart Micro 5-0-1NPK
- 2grams of Silicate (half from recommended dosage)


This is label from GHE’s Micro:

It should contain Calcium 6% but no Magnesium.

But Im having for example BioBizz Cal/Mag which only includes Calcium and Magnesium:

Haven’t used BioBizz Cal/Mag at all yet..

So you and Tok would advice me to start running DWC 24/7? Ive no idea if theres already enough roots sticking out from the rockwool to avoid dampening off(?)

And wondering should I change my reservoir mix? Add some Cal/Mag and go with slightly lower EC? Something between 0.3-0.5?
Cant stop worrying about dampening off or too much water untill I see roots poking out from the basket.

 

[Rexer]

Hey @Rexer !
300PPM/0.6EC is built from:
- 0.2EC tap water (soft water, barely any cal or Mag)
- 2ml/l GHE’s Root Booster
- 0.33ml/l GHE’s TriPart Micro 5-0-1NPK
- 2grams of Silicate (half from recommended dosage)


This is label from GHE’s Micro:

It should contain Calcium 6% but no Magnesium.

But Im having for example BioBizz Cal/Mag which only includes Calcium and Magnesium:

Haven’t used BioBizz Cal/Mag at all yet..

So you and Tok would advice me to start running DWC 24/7? Ive no idea if theres already enough roots sticking out from the rockwool to avoid dampening off(?)

And wondering should I change my reservoir mix? Add some Cal/Mag and go with slightly lower EC? Something between 0.3-0.5?
Cant stop worrying about dampening off or too much water untill I see roots poking out from the basket.

Hey Verbalist!
If the rockwool is actually getting wet from the airstone splashes, it's either placed too low, or your water is too high IMO. It should be dry. You want to top feed a little bit of time/just the beginning while the airstone is splashing the bottom of the net cup. The roots will follow the top feeding down that your doing, into the wet zone below, then you stop feeding from top.
Like I said, I've never actually done DWC, but I used rockwool.

Most change reservoir out weekly or as needed. I don't usually let more then 10 days go without a change, but that's me.

To lower your EC, just dilute and ph. But if she shows nothing wrong, leave it be (that info is a just so you know type)

Sounds like a good mix, nothing im familiar with, hopefully others chime in there

 

[Buds Buddy]

Verbalist
”Comparison grow”

~ Coco VS. Hydro VS. Soil ~

​

A quick introduction: Will be testing all three different ”standard growing mediums” with two different strains. Also this is my first actual grow using DWC, so a lot will be learned during this process.

Also would like to thank all my ”supporters” who made this round possible and wanted to support this hopefully exciting growth and possibly to be reviewed via this comparative grow. Second thanks to all the great and supportive people on this forum. I will tag and summon you in a bit.

———​

Strains:
- 2x Critical 2.0 XL Autos (Garden of Green)
- 2x Blackberry Kush Autos (Dutch Passion)
(Strain reviews in next post)

View attachment 2415933

———

SYSTEM, SETUP & STUFF:

- Hydro/DWC Bucket
~ Aeros Bubbler 1
~ 15L (~4gallon) reservoir
~ 6" net cup
~ 252l/hr adjustable Air pump

- BioNova Coco coir
~ Used in 11L (~3gallon) PLAN!T Fabric Pot and 6L (2.5gallon) Air Pot

- Soil: BioBizz Light mix
~ 12L (3gallon) Air Pot

GHE/Terra Aquatica’s TriPart-serie (Micro, Grow & Bloom) will be first base nutrients to be tested in all three mediums:

Got a lots of extra supplements, ferts and vitamins, BUT T.A’s Silicate is the real mineral magic for the soilless cultivation!

Measurement:

~ Milwaukee pH600 (7.01pH Calibration)
~ Milwaukee CD611 EC-meter (1413 Calibration)
- Tap water (8.1pH & 0.2EC ~100PPM) is going to be used for irrigation and in DWC

Lighting:
- 2x 100W LED panels (4500K, 9000lm)
~20cm distance provides 500Umol/S per panel

- 250W HPS as additional light when flowering starts
~ SUPER PLANT’s 250W HPS (2100K RED, 34500lm)

Lets get started and wish me luck!

I hope you do much better than me with the Critical 2.0. I grew it once. Can't remember if it was Auto or Photo. But the plant stayed really small compared to the others I grew at the same time. I think I got just a little over 2 oz. May have just been a runt or something. Just my experience is all. Hoping you do better !

 

[Verbalist]

9/20 | Day 2 | Week 1

Hellow! Happy monday and fresh start of the week!

Morning when I wake up and check the net cup noticed theres first two lil rooties poking thru the bottom yay we’re on the track!

Topped up the reservoir so that there was a gap of about an ich between the water and root tip. Also adjusted air pump a bit. Now it bubbles around the root nicely and keeps it moist 247.
pH had risen during the night from 5.8 to 6.4, EC and water static (cant tell if water level had dropped just a bit)

Diluted and topped:
- 0.2ml/l GHE TriPart FloraGro3-1-6
- one more gram of Silicate (2/3 from recommended dosage now)
- 3ml/l GHE Root Booster (with recommended dosage now)

EC: from 0.4 to 0.5 with new res mix
pH: adjusted back from 6.4 to 5.9

Misting coco, soil and rockwool with spray bottle wheres 6.2pH water and 3ml/l GHE’s Root Booster
~ Blackberry Kushes having a lot faster vertical growth compared to Critical2.0’s
~ DWC Critical growth has been extremely slow, but hopefully it takes some spurts now as the roots are visible.

DWC Critical 2.0 XL:

Blackberry Kush (coco)

Blackberry Kush (soil)

Critical 2.0 XL (coco)

9/20 First roots thru the net cup

 

[Verbalist]

I hope you do much better than me with the Critical 2.0. I grew it once. Can't remember if it was Auto or Photo. But the plant stayed really small compared to the others I grew at the same time. I think I got just a little over 2 oz. May have just been a runt or something. Just my experience is all. Hoping you do better !

Hey buds glad you found here!
Ive actually read your whole 50 pages of DWC journal
Yeah hope so, but yours wasn’t too bad either. Remember there was a nice difference on defoliated one!

 

[Rexer]

roots!!!!

You can stop top feeding now. Let the splashes take over!

It's pretty hard at this point to know if you've had a drop in the reservoir, that's normal and will become more noticeable as the plant gets bigger.

Great job! Now just let the airstone and res take over the feeding!

 

[Verbalist]

9/22 | Day 4 | Week 1


Hey!
Blackberry Kushes have had a lot faster growth than compared to Critical 2.0’s
Idk if the Criticals would need a more intense light. Or if they just having a slower start… No experience from that phenotype.
DWC Critical either doesn’t look like a happiest flower over there.
I’ve tried to add low doses of Cal/Mag and increase the amount of N just a bit. Neither of them haven’t had any effect yet. The newest growth looks yellowish/lime and gotta try something else then if it keeps spreadin all over the new growth.

Blackberry Kush (soil)
Nothing much to mention. She keeps doing her thing nicely.
Been misting the soil with 6.5pH water wheres mixed in GHE’s Root Booster

Blackberry Kush (coco)
Shes the tall one! Transplanted her for couple of days in small container before she gets in the final container

Critical 2.0 XL (coco)
As mentioned above, Criticals growth has been very slowly by now..
I’ve been misting the coco with 5.8pH water wheres 3ml/l Root Booster and 0.33ml/l FloraMicro AKA TriPart Micro5-0-1

Critical 2.0 XL (DWC)
I guess its a progress, more and more about 2-4" roots sticking from the net cup.
Just a bit worried about the foliage and her current look..

9/21 made a new reservoir mix:
- 0.33ml/l GHE’s Micro5-0-1
- 0.25ml/ BioBizz Cal/Mag
- 0.1ml/ GHE’s TriPart-Gro & Bloom
- 2ml/l GHE’s Root Booster
- 1g of Silicate (1/4 from recommended)

EC: 0.5
pH: after mixing up everything it was 6.9 and lowered it back to 5.8 (During the night it shifted up to 6.3 and adjusted back to 5.8 at this morning)

Water temp: 20-22C
Air temp: 24-26C
RH: ~50%

And see how the newest growth looks a bit yellowish and brown. Hopefully it gets better.

 

[Rexer]

Hey @StoneOtter, any thoughts? I'm kinda stumped. I noticed the RH seems a tad low...

Verbalist- StoneOtter is a master grower in my books, he's just too modest (and kind hearted) to admit

If he's not on, I'm sure someone else can chime in to help. It's always good to get multiple opinions- that's part of the beauty of this place

 

[StoneOtter]

Other than waiting for her to grow out of whatever funk she's in I got nothing. She looks so close to just getting her normal on to me. @West Hippie is the man in hydro. West, any idea why the critical above is showing some difficulty growing out of seedlinghood?