# My first DWC bucket - Critical Jack



## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

I am currently blooming out my first DWC bucket and wanted to share what I have going on so far with it.  My original journal was a victim of the big server crash, so we will be starting this one at mid bloom.

The genetics are Dinafem's Critical Jack.
This girl was grown from a cutting that was taken on 11/05.  
By 11/19 she was showing enough roots that I decided to add her to the DWC.  
I vegged her for 3 weeks and 3 days under a 250w MH lamp in my overflow tent since my veg closet was full and then on 12/13 sent her to the bloom room.
She is blooming out directly under a 600w hps and has a good deal of side lighting from a 1000w.
I started out with a ppm of 300 and have steadily worked my way up to 1500ppm at this point.  This is the max I will go with her.

I am sure there is a lot of info I have forgotten to add so please feel free to ask any and all questions.  I would like to hear any critiques or tips as well so that I may learn more from this whole experience.

On with the pics...  There is going to be a lot of pics added to get this journal up to date, I will try to post them in a chronological order 

The first set of pics are from 12/03 - 12/10


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

The next set of pics are from day one of 12/12 (Dec 13) up to Dec 25.   Christmas day was the first real sign of bud growth


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

This set of pics was taken on 12/27


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

And now today's set of pics to catch me up on the journal   This is at 4 weeks and one day of 12/12


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## lordhighlama (Jan 11, 2011)

pretty trippy starting from scratch again huh warfish...
either way glad to see ya again!
Girls are looking gorgeous


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## slowmo77 (Jan 11, 2011)

looks good, what nutes are you using?

i'll be watching this one or whats left of it.


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## meetmrfist2 (Jan 11, 2011)

good to see some porn,good to get back .....peace


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

lordhighlama said:
			
		

> pretty trippy starting from scratch again huh warfish...
> either way glad to see ya again!
> Girls are looking gorgeous


Yes, it is like a time warp, and when your smoking this potent herb it just makes it feel even more strange!  hehe!!  I am glad to be back so I can pick all your brains for more info


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

slowmo77 said:
			
		

> looks good, what nutes are you using?


Thanks slowmo77   I am using General Hydroponics Maxi Grow, Maxi Bloom, and Kool Bloom all in powder form along with Botanicares CalMag Plus.  I have used these nutes in soil for about a year and really like them, although they do need the CalMag added.


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

meetmrfist2 said:
			
		

> good to see some porn,good to get back .....peace


I am happy to be back as well, now if I could only take a half decent picture I might have a porn centerfold girl here, lol


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## Rosebud (Jan 11, 2011)

Amazing from the flowers to those massive roots. Wow.
Good to see you guys again.


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

Thanks for stopping in for a look, Rosebud   I am eager to see how your new bathroom additions are working out.


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## Rosebud (Jan 11, 2011)

I got stuff all over this house. I will need some gentle guidance on what the heck I am doing. Please ignore my ignorance, but what is DWC stand for?
Thanks SM


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

Rosebud said:
			
		

> I got stuff all over this house. I will need some gentle guidance on what the heck I am doing. Please ignore my ignorance, but what is DWC stand for?
> Thanks SM


DWC stands for Deep Water Culture.  I have read about it for a long time but this is my first attempt at it.  
The setup is really simple, consisting of a 5 gallon bucket with a net pot lid and a large airstone in the bottom of the bucket powered by a decent sized air pump.  The bucket contains about 4 gallons of nutrient enriched water at any given time.


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## slowmo77 (Jan 11, 2011)

i have a questin about the DWC, do the roots actualy hang down into the water or just above the water? i started to do a DWC this time around but decided to try the soiless mix first. I still need to study up on the hydro stuff


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

slowmo77 said:
			
		

> i have a questin about the DWC, do the roots actualy hang down into the water or just above the water? i started to do a DWC this time around but decided to try the soiless mix first. I still need to study up on the hydro stuff


That's a good question that I was unsure of for awhile as well.  If you look at post #3 you can see the pic with the roots.  This pic was taken during a water change, the water normally comes to just below the bottom of the black net pot.  So the majority of the roots are down in the water.


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## slowmo77 (Jan 11, 2011)

ya i seen that picture thats what made me decde to ask because i couldn't see the water. what size pump do you run. i really wanna do a DWC but i really don't wanna kill any plants either. know what i mean.


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

slowmo77 said:
			
		

> ya i seen that picture thats what made me decde to ask because i couldn't see the water. what size pump do you run. i really wanna do a DWC but i really don't wanna kill any plants either. know what i mean.


I use an aquarium air pump that is rated for about a 200 gallon tank.  Might be a bit of overkill but from all I have read you want enough air pumped into the water so it looks to be at a full boil on the surface, but I already own many large air pumps so it didn't cost me anything to overkill


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## slowmo77 (Jan 11, 2011)

ya i'd say in that case its better to go over tan under. im gonna pick your brain as much as i can. my next grow will most likey be a DWC.


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## slowmo77 (Jan 11, 2011)

what size res are you using, and how many plants per res? i've seen ppl using those rubber maid totes with like 6 plants in each tote. but im not sure of the size or what size net pots they used


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

This is just the single bucket DWC with no res.  I need to add about 1 gallon of water to her per day and then I change out the nutrients once per week.  Be careful when adding evap water during the week to only use plain water as the plant will use up the water much faster than the nutrients in the solution.

The two things you will really need is a good PH meter and a TDS meter (total disolved solids).  Some use an EC ? meter instead of the TDS but I do not have any knowledge of that type.
The TDS meter will tell you how strong your nutrients are in the solution.  Most people start at around 300-400 ppm and slowly work there way up until she reaches her max.  Mine is maxing out at 1500 ppm.  
Keep your PH between 5.5-6.0 if possible with 5.8 being the optimal target.


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## slowmo77 (Jan 11, 2011)

i have a Hanna ph meter thats works great. and i've read up on the TDS and EC. i even have a chart that shows how you can convert TDS to EC and the two different scales the TDS meters use. or some im told they use. its the little things that i worry about. like how much space does each plant need? does net pot size matter that much? 

i'd like to grow about 6 at a time but have no idea what size tote to use or air stones or pump. those things are really whats holding me back. i've read tons on hydro but no one really ever talks about these things


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## warfish (Jan 11, 2011)

slowmo77 said:
			
		

> what size res are you using, and how many plants per res? i've seen ppl using those rubber maid totes with like 6 plants in each tote. but im not sure of the size or what size net pots they used



Now, the dream system for me will consist of 3 of the large totes (18 gallon I think is what they are)in my 4'x8' bloom room with 2 plant sites on each tote so that I have some room to grow them out a bit bigger.  Those 3 totes will be plumbed to a larger res in another room (I think I need about a 50 gallon res for my plan) where I will have a water chiller added to it to keep the water at a constant 68 degrees.  I have an auto fill added to the plan that will be hooked up to an RO water filter so that my only maintenance will be the water changes, which should consist of turning a few valves and tapping my feet for a bit to wait for the water to drain then fill.  I will have at least 2 large airstones in each of the totes, each ran from it's own pump for some insurance in case one goes out.

Then for vegging I will have one more of the large totes with 6 net pot sites so that I can pull them right out of the veg tote and add them to the bloom tote.  I have been going through this plan in my head for a good deal of time now but I have to wait for the money to come this spring.  I guess it is one of those good things that always take some time


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## warfish (Jan 12, 2011)

slowmo77 said:
			
		

> i'd like to grow about 6 at a time but have no idea what size tote to use or air stones or pump. those things are really whats holding me back. i've read tons on hydro but no one really ever talks about these things


Just to give you an idea on the size of this girl, she is currently at 4 feet across ( just over 3 feet tall from top of bucket) with being topped one time and trained out from day one of 12/12 to day 14 of 12/12.  All of that from only 3 weeks and 3 days of veg.  So you can do less plants pretty easily if you like or just veg for less time and still do more plants.  Some like to grow trees, some like to grow shrubs, I think I am somewhere in between, lol.

You also ask about net pot sizes and if they matter that much, well that is on my list of things to research so when I know more I will post it up, hehe!  I can say that this girl is in a 6" net pot filled with hydroton pebbles and looks to be doing well, although I have no real frame of reference.  Thankfully this site is back up since it has been my number one source for starting all my research on this great plant


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## slowmo77 (Jan 12, 2011)

if and when i do a DWC it will be auto's so from the way it sounds i could do 6 in a 18 gallon tote with 6'' net pots maybe 2 air stones and a couple of good pumps. 

this site has always been my source of information. if you can't find the answer here you may never find it. you've answered 90% of the question i have about doing a hydro grow. the other 10% i can't think of right now. lol im gonna start gettin my stuff togeher so when i finish this grow i can start a hydro. thanks man you've helped alot


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## warfish (Jan 13, 2011)

Did a water change on her today and started the Kool Bloom at 1/4 strength (200 ppm).  I reduced the overall strength from 1500 to 1400 ppm as I felt that the tips where starting to burn a bit much.  
The buds are filling in so fast and the smell is waaayy stronger already than my organic grow of her.  Currently at 4 weeks and 3 days 12/12.

Here is a pic of some of her finished from the last run and then a couple pics of her today.


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## slowmo77 (Jan 13, 2011)

she's nice and frosty isn't she! looks nice


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## warfish (Jan 13, 2011)

slowmo77 said:
			
		

> she's nice and frosty isn't she! looks nice


Thanks slowmo77   I must admit that she is turning out to be my favorite girl ever, I can't stop going in the bloom room just to stare at her, lol


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## slowmo77 (Jan 13, 2011)

i don't blame you a bit. she looks tasty i bet you can't wait to smoke that


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## stinkyelements (Jan 13, 2011)

wow nice war, very frosty beauty girl!!


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## Rosebud (Jan 13, 2011)

Still can't get over those roots, being a dirt girl. :~)


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## meetmrfist2 (Jan 14, 2011)

lookn nice and dank bro


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## Peter Jennings (Jan 14, 2011)

meetmrfist2 said:
			
		

> lookn nice and dank bro


:yeahthat: 
:hubba: 
Looking Schweet!


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## ozzywhitelufc (Jan 15, 2011)

Brill War, sweet pics and great info. cant wait to pop my Critical. Had a visit from Dibble yesterday so we are somewhat on edge. Not MJ related but one never knows how sensitive their noses are!!


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## warfish (Jan 17, 2011)

stinkyelements said:
			
		

> wow nice war, very frosty beauty girl!!


Thanks stinkyelements


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## warfish (Jan 17, 2011)

Rosebud said:
			
		

> Still can't get over those roots, being a dirt girl. :~)


I hear you on the roots.  A funny side note about the roots is I have taken to the habit of opening the bucket lid each day and smelling the roots.  For some reason I love the fresh smell they seem to have


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## warfish (Jan 17, 2011)

meetmrfist2 said:
			
		

> lookn nice and dank bro


Thanks meetmrfist2   She was very dank from my organic run, and this is like a ton more crystals and smell than that run, so I am overly excited, hehe!


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## warfish (Jan 17, 2011)

Peter Jennings said:
			
		

> :yeahthat:
> :hubba:
> Looking Schweet!


Thanks Peter Jennings   My favorite girl ever so far


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## warfish (Jan 17, 2011)

ozzywhitelufc said:
			
		

> Brill War, sweet pics and great info. cant wait to pop my Critical. Had a visit from Dibble yesterday so we are somewhat on edge. Not MJ related but one never knows how sensitive their noses are!!


Thanks for stopping in ozzywhitelufc   I must apologize for my ignorance here on the term, but what does "Dibble" refer to?


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## ozzywhitelufc (Jan 18, 2011)

Cops War, investigating a neighbour!!


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## warfish (Jan 22, 2011)

Everything is still looking nice and green.  The buds are getting so very fat now :holysheep:  Starting to get a bit eager for the finish, hehe!  Ran her about 9 weeks last time.

Here are a few pics from today at day 39 of 12/12 

View attachment 1-21cjhydro2.JPG


View attachment 1-21cjhydro4.JPG


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## warfish (Jan 22, 2011)

And a bud shot here 

View attachment 1-21cjhydro3.JPG


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## woodydude (Jan 22, 2011)

Lovely, I can almost smell her!
SHe looks stunning and with up to 3 weeks to go you will have some serious bud on your hands there!
Oh, to go over old ground, an ec meter measures electrical conductivity, the higher the ec, the more soluble solids (nutes or other stuff) are in there.
Dibble refers to an old kids program from the UK in the 70's (showing my age) which was a sort of puppet thing about a village, the village cop was pc Dibble.
Peace
Woody


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## warfish (Jan 31, 2011)

Week 7 of 12/12 update...

This has been a fun grow that has kept me in the grow room for many hours of just staring at this girl   There should be 10 days until harvest so long as she reacts the same in hydro as in soil for maturation.  The buds are the largest rock solid buds I have ever grown.  The pics really do not do them justice for there size, well that and the fact that I am a terrible photographer 

Here are a couple pics for today, I will add more before I chop. 

View attachment 1-31-cjhydro1.JPG


View attachment 1-31-cjhydro2.JPG


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## ishnish (Feb 4, 2011)

Nice buds Warfish!  :aok:
7 weeks and beautiful!!
i just cut at 6.5 weeks cause I got maintenance coming through  
Can't wait to see your harvest/smoke report....  :watchplant:
:48:


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## warfish (Feb 11, 2011)

I harvested her after 8 weeks and 2 days.  She yielded about double of any girl I have ever grown before and with half the veg time, so I think it was  a success for me as far as that goes.  The smoke looks just super duper dank with monster size buds I expect to weigh in at around 3/4 oz per bud when dry (avg wet weight of each cola was 80-100 grams) 
All in all I guess it looks to be well over half a pound of icky sticky.  I will post some pics in the next few days when I get some good sunlight to show off the buds in.  Some of them took on a touch of purple color at the end as well, which I didn't notice until after I got them out of the yellow light.  I had a lot of leaf curling towards the end from light intensity, next time I try this I need to make sure I have more height to adjust my light upwards.


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## fruity86 (Feb 11, 2011)

war she looks sick last time i checked in she was a baby hehe im very inpressed with your first DWC i see you hit them books hard m8 welll done


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## ozzywhitelufc (Feb 11, 2011)

ostpicsworthless: Stop Teasing War........ Only joking am praying for sunshine.


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## Gixxerman420 (Mar 6, 2011)

Bump for update pics of harvest!


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## warfish (Mar 6, 2011)

I was never able to get any good detailed pics of the buds (I fail at photography) but here are a couple pics of some of the finished buds. 

Was a fun grow for sure   I think my final thoughts on hydro is that if I ever need to lessen my plant count I will jump all over it, as I can get 2-3 times per plant what I get in soil.  But the soil grows are much more care free.  I could water my soil and not touch it again for 8-9 days if I had to for vacation purposes or whatever, I just cannot do that with the simple hydro setup I have.


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## WeedHopper (Mar 6, 2011)

Nice job Warfish.


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## Gixxerman420 (Mar 7, 2011)

warfish said:
			
		

> I was never able to get any good detailed pics of the buds (I fail at photography) but here are a couple pics of some of the finished buds.
> 
> Was a fun grow for sure   I think my final thoughts on hydro is that if I ever need to lessen my plant count I will jump all over it, as I can get 2-3 times per plant what I get in soil.  But the soil grows are much more care free.  I could water my soil and not touch it again for 8-9 days if I had to for vacation purposes or whatever, I just cannot do that with the simple hydro setup I have.


Nice looking buds warfish! I've been thinking a lot about doing a DWC set up with a 20 tub and 6 plants, I currently get a bout an ounce per plant in a soil sea of green; can I expect 3 ounces per plant with hydro? Also, how long are you verging for your yields? How big are the plants?


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## ishnish (Mar 9, 2011)

Hey Warfish!!!   I know i've been ghost for a while now... but I got a piece of info you might enjoy hearing.....
here goes...
story style...
back in '09..  summer nearing a 4th of July weekend..  had to go on a trip for 4 days...   had a DWC going under 400 watts at that time that was 6 weeks into flower..  I had to do something...  and it was on the fly...
down to it.  I chose to unplug the 400w and keep a few flouros plugged in and on the same timer...  so while I was gone, just a lil flouro light came on to keep the plants on the 12/12 cycle.   and..  less lumens = slow growth, which = slow water uptake (due to light limitations).
less light, slowed photosynthesis.
end result:  what was drinking half a gallon to a full gallon a day only drank a cup or two over four days.
I should post this in a thread called DWC stasis for weekend party trips... ?
anywho, this was my experience.   only went four days, but I could see this working for up to a couple weeks...
Buds look tasty by the way. :aok: :48:


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## warfish (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks for the nice comments weedhopper, gixxerman, and ishnish 

Gixxerman, I really don't have enough experience with hydro to say what your yields would be, although I would say that I think 6 plants in a 20 gallon tub would be setting up for a sea of green that is too packed.  I ran one 5 gallon bucket, vegged her for 3.5 weeks after the clone showed roots, and ended up needing 3.5x3.5 feet area for the one girl.  She yielded about 8 zips or a bit more under a 600w lamp.  I will say that I did check her every single day to ensure the PH was dead on and water changed her about every 4-6 days all the way through in order to get the results I did.


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