Is there a way to not empty the Wilma each week?

[Ducky1]

Looking to get away from the whole idea of emptying and cleaning a Wilma every week before putting another 40 litres of water in with fresh nutes.

My question is for example : I’m filling the Wilma up on Friday with 30ml magnecal, 40ml flowering bloom, 2ml platinum, 30ml enzyme (these are not real figures). When next Friday comes along I will empty the whole Wilma and clean it out to then add another 30ml magnecal, 40ml flowering bloom, 2ml platinum, 30ml enzyme (again just an example). Instead of starting fresh every week can I just add the extra 20 or so litres that are needed along with that weeks nutes and it won’t have any affect on the plants? Or are the nutes that are already in the leftover reservoir from the last weeks feed going to increase the total nutes in the reservoir therefore feed the plants too much and kill them?

 

[Ducky1]

Anyone have any advice on this?

 

[IKilledIt]

Hello Friend. Sounds like a real chore emptying and filling 10 gallon of used and fresh water with nutes. I guess the basic principle of this is to remove old nutes and stagnant water. Only to refill with fresh water and nutes. If it were me I’d probably do the complete flush. Not sure what would happen if you topped it of and gave nutes. I’m pretty sure the ppm’s would rise. Hopefully someone with more knowledge then I will help you out.

 

[013]

Yep, sure is….. If you don’t fill it - then it won’t need emptying….prolly not the answer you were looking for tho…. apologies my friend - too irresistible, ha, ha.

Ok we get Wilma questions periodically but I’m going to ask @Rexer to drop intel. Have you ever seen or used the rising, falling, static… chart??

Yeah I’d guess ph & ppm numbers would get hosed up fast either way. Soil guy here but I’d say theres a reason most growers would dump the rez and start over with fresh water having a low ppm

ever try to reverse the deal with regular top feed and use the Wilma as runoff reservoir? I get you were looking for auto-fertigation in first place… but might be much less work & waste

 

[Ducky1]

Yep, sure is….. If you don’t fill it - then it won’t need emptying….prolly not the answer you were looking for tho…. apologies my friend - too irresistible, ha, ha.

Ok we get Wilma questions periodically but I’m going to ask @Rexer to drop intel. Have you ever seen or used the rising, falling, static… chart??

Yeah I’d guess ph & ppm numbers would get hosed up fast either way. Soil guy here but I’d say theres a reason most growers would dump the rez and start over with fresh water having a low ppm

ever try to reverse the deal with regular top feed and use the Wilma as runoff reservoir? I get you were looking for auto-fertigation in first place… but might be much less work & waste

Please forgive me, I’m a total noob at this business!! I’m a soil guy with the Wilma drips feeding into the soil, I don’t quite know what the chart is or how I’d go about measuring it! Mainly just a pain in the butt for me to have to empty a whole Wilma reservoir once a week to put fresh water and a fresh batch of nutes in, I mean I’ve even thought of getting an electronic siphon like they do with fish tanks but I guess the last few litres in the reservoir that the siphon can’t pick up is going to have a concentrated dose of the last nutes that we’re in there so when I add nutes and fresh water it’s still going to have extra nutes that it doesn’t need in there?!

I’m just trying to be lazy about it I guess hahaaha

 

[IKilledIt]

The only “ Lazy Way” of growing weed I know of is to plant some seeds in a fairly clear area in the woods. Then come back in the fall and hope you have something.No matter what media your using there is still a fair amount of work involved.

Anyways I’ve read in different places that some flush every 10 to 14 days. Some at last week of flower. Others weekly. I looked into differences practices but choose dirt. God made dirt and dirt won’t hurt. Plus I save a lot of money on Nutes.

Good luck friend.

 

[013]

Yeah a pump would be handy to move most of the water, agree the reservoir would require cleaning out to keep salt buildup & nasties at bay

 

[IKilledIt]

Seems like a lot of unnecessary work when you could a used dirt. I’m teasing buddy. I had to carry 25 5 gallon buckets upstairs when I was frying my plants with ferts. Plus I had to carry all the waste water downstairs and outside. Lesson learned their my friend. Don’t Nuke your plants by over feeding.

Why not just empty what you can. Then dump a gallon or 2 of water to maybe flush out more of the old. Then refill with nutes. Yeah it’s a bit more work but It’s what we do.

 

[TerriC]

I'm not an expert on Wilma systems, but I do know a thing or two about hydros.

Learning when to change the reservoir is a fun long process and will save nutes & time (money), water (nature) and overall give you a higher quality crop.

If I was dealing with small clones/seedlings I'd fill the res with 1/2 strength veg nutes. I'd top the res with fresh water twice a week, on the second time adding nutes 1/4 or 1/2 strength (depending on what the plants seem to need) relative to the amount of water added.

Now an EC meter comes handy as it will allow you to monitor the nute buildup. If nothing drastic happens you can keep the same reservoir running for 3-4 weeks, with microbes (retail or compost tea) and enzymes helping to go even beyond that. Another balancing factor is an air stone pumping oxygen into the res.

If you plan everything correctly you can mark the reservoir change dates to your calendar at the start of a grow. Simply keep your eyes on when your plants will go into a different phase. From seedling to mature plants (1 res change), from mature plant to 2 weeks into flower (1 res change), mid bloom to late bloom (1 res change), then late bloom to flush (final change).

All of the waste nute water you get from the res can be used for your yard plants etc.

The plants need molasses on every nute feeding, extra enzymes during bloom and flush, microbes added only once at the start of veg and once when you change the res from veg to bloom.

Hope this helps a bit with your situation.

 

[Rexer]

Yep, sure is….. If you don’t fill it - then it won’t need emptying….prolly not the answer you were looking for tho…. apologies my friend - too irresistible, ha, ha.

Ok we get Wilma questions periodically but I’m going to ask @Rexer to drop intel. Have you ever seen or used the rising, falling, static… chart??

Yeah I’d guess ph & ppm numbers would get hosed up fast either way. Soil guy here but I’d say theres a reason most growers would dump the rez and start over with fresh water having a low ppm

ever try to reverse the deal with regular top feed and use the Wilma as runoff reservoir? I get you were looking for auto-fertigation in first place… but might be much less work & waste

I'm so sorry I missed this 013. I've been missing notifications quite a bit lately- not sure if it's just me...

A pump and/or Shop Vac works wonders to get all the nutrients out. Just be careful if roots are in the reservoir.

Changing the reservoir out regularly is important. Your plants don't "eat" solids at an even amount, for example it might eat more nitrogen, magnesium and micro nutrients one day, while absorbing different amounts on a different day. Why does that matter?
We set our reservoirs with certain nutrient ratios to assist with uptake, calcium magnesium is a great example. When those ratios start to destabilize, the plant doesn't absorb them as well, or at all, causing deficiencies. That's the short take in my words. Below is the long version with the exact reasoning.

I'm not the author of the below:


Recycling Systems by Manic Botanix



In recycling systems the feed solution (water + nutrient) is fed to the plants and reused. During the course of each feed the plants preferentially remove nutrients at differing levels as it passes through their root systems. The nutrient that is not taken up by the plants and/or absorbed by the substrate is then returned to the nutrient tank/reservoir. Therefore, in a recycling system, because some nutrients such as N, P, K are preferentially uptaken by plants at high levels, while others (e.g. Ca, Mg and S) are taken at much lower levels, the nutrient that returns to the tank/reservoir is altered from the feed solution that was initially fed to them. Put simply, preferred nutrients get depleted, while less needed nutrients accumulate in solution. The feed and recycling process is then repeated over and over again and on each occasion (each feed) the nutrient values are further changed as plants preferentially remove nutrients at differing levels and ratios. As a result, after several days of recycling, the solution that was initially placed fresh in the nutrient tank/reservoir can be greatly altered. This can quickly lead to deficiencies in some nutrients and excesses of others. Additionally, the unused nutrient salts can accumulate in the substrate increasing its EC and impacting on growth. As Savvass et al. (2009) found in studies with recycling hydroponic systems, an imbalance in the nutrient solution is generated by excesses of the ions least consumed by the plant (normally SO4–, Ca2+ and Mg2+), which disrupts the balance of the nutrients and often increases the EC to levels that affect growth and yield. [9]



While these imbalances can be overcome by monitoring and correcting the nutrient solution, this requires implementing practices (e.g. lab analysis of the nutrient solution or individual nutrient species ion monitoring through the use of scientific testing equipment) that are typically not employed by novice hydroponic growers

 

[Ducky1]

I'm so sorry I missed this 013. I've been missing notifications quite a bit lately- not sure if it's just me...

A pump and/or Shop Vac works wonders to get all the nutrients out. Just be careful if roots are in the reservoir.

Changing the reservoir out regularly is important. Your plants don't "eat" solids at an even amount, for example it might eat more nitrogen, magnesium and micro nutrients one day, while absorbing different amounts on a different day. Why does that matter?
We set our reservoirs with certain nutrient ratios to assist with uptake, calcium magnesium is a great example. When those ratios start to destabilize, the plant doesn't absorb them as well, or at all, causing deficiencies. That's the short take in my words. Below is the long version with the exact reasoning.

I'm not the author of the below:


Recycling Systems by Manic Botanix



In recycling systems the feed solution (water + nutrient) is fed to the plants and reused. During the course of each feed the plants preferentially remove nutrients at differing levels as it passes through their root systems. The nutrient that is not taken up by the plants and/or absorbed by the substrate is then returned to the nutrient tank/reservoir. Therefore, in a recycling system, because some nutrients such as N, P, K are preferentially uptaken by plants at high levels, while others (e.g. Ca, Mg and S) are taken at much lower levels, the nutrient that returns to the tank/reservoir is altered from the feed solution that was initially fed to them. Put simply, preferred nutrients get depleted, while less needed nutrients accumulate in solution. The feed and recycling process is then repeated over and over again and on each occasion (each feed) the nutrient values are further changed as plants preferentially remove nutrients at differing levels and ratios. As a result, after several days of recycling, the solution that was initially placed fresh in the nutrient tank/reservoir can be greatly altered. This can quickly lead to deficiencies in some nutrients and excesses of others. Additionally, the unused nutrient salts can accumulate in the substrate increasing its EC and impacting on growth. As Savvass et al. (2009) found in studies with recycling hydroponic systems, an imbalance in the nutrient solution is generated by excesses of the ions least consumed by the plant (normally SO4–, Ca2+ and Mg2+), which disrupts the balance of the nutrients and often increases the EC to levels that affect growth and yield. [9]



While these imbalances can be overcome by monitoring and correcting the nutrient solution, this requires implementing practices (e.g. lab analysis of the nutrient solution or individual nutrient species ion monitoring through the use of scientific testing equipment) that are typically not employed by novice hydroponic growers

Apologies for the late response. That was a great breakdown and understanding of plants not taking in exactly the same amount of nutrients on a day to day basis or even the same nutrients on a day to day basis.

I was just under the assumption I could’ve adjusted the water levels i’m adding according to how much water I put in the week before etc. I would like to experiment with this one day to see what the situation is and how it works itself out. I’m guessing the results will be bad so maybe I’ll save this for another time! I am liking the look of these so far and don’t want to destroy them!

Seen one or two posts stating they use just dirt? I am a total noob so I’m not sure if it’s an elaborate joke and I’m missing it or if some of you only use dirt and water?

I have been thinking about moving this up to the attic but the carrying up and down of 80 litres of water once a week completely puts me off the idea.

 

[PlanetJ]

Instead of starting fresh every week can I just add the extra 20 or so litres that are needed along with that weeks nutes and it won’t have any affect on the plants?

As always, it depends, but generally, yes. You are assuming the plant is using all nutrients provided equally tho, and over time that will start to go south. On some strains faster than on others I would assume.

If you do this, and you see deficiencies forming, the correct course is not to correct for the deficiency, but to change (reset) your res(ervoir) first. Im assuming that Wilma refers to reservoir.

I have grown my SSH from seed in the same res till I changed to flowering nutes. So from first root mix, to first true leaves mix, to grow mix, to pre-flower mix, and only then did I do a res change.

My Jack Herer has been flowering in the same res from start till I changed her to Ripen 5 days back. Thats 7 weeks.

My WiFi has been growing in the same res, as my SSH, for about the same time. Not planning a change till flower mix.

So yah, it can be done without them dying on you overnight, but you might not get award winning plants in terms of how the fanleaves look. But hey, thats their use .. emergency rations.

Edit: So Wilma is a RDWC, right? Above should be valid in that case.