# dwc nutrients?



## 141820 (Jun 10, 2009)

i was thinking of doing a dwc system for 2 plants.  i was just wondering if i used a tote (10-15 gal) would i beable to just use distilled water for the 2-3 weeks of veg than when i switch to 12/12 at 2-3 weeks use a bloom nutrients? or should i use a some kind of nutrient for the 2-3 week veg period? thanks for the advice!


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## pcduck (Jun 10, 2009)

I use GH Flora 3 part. With clones I use a grow formula during veg and switch to bloom formula when I go 12/12

With seeds the first 2 weeks they do not need nutes.


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## 141820 (Jun 10, 2009)

can i even veg them for only 2-3 weeks than switch to 12/12 with dwc?


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## pcduck (Jun 10, 2009)

veg as long as you want..just remember most plants double or even triple in height when switched to 12/12.

With clones(depending on clone size) I veg from 7 to 14 days. DWC grows are pretty quick


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## 141820 (Jun 10, 2009)

when i switch to 12/12 do i start using deluted bloom nutrients right away?


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## pcduck (Jun 10, 2009)

141820 said:
			
		

> when i switch to 12/12 do i start using deluted bloom nutrients right away?



The day I switch my lights to 12/12 I also switch my buckets to bloom nutes


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## SMOK3R (Jun 11, 2009)

pcduck said:
			
		

> I use GH Flora 3 part. With clones I use a grow formula during veg and switch to bloom formula when I go 12/12
> 
> With seeds the first 2 weeks they do not need nutes.


 
I use the same... just grab this:

hxxp://www.genhydro.com/genhydro_US/floraseries.html

... and follow the instructions on the back of the Flora Micro bottle.


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## Six (Jun 11, 2009)

I know this might be a stupid question...but what does DWC stand for? I know what it is, i just dont know what it is...lol


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## Pothead420 (Jun 11, 2009)

DWC stands for Deep Water Culture. its just a rez with air stones in it the roots grow in the bubbling water.

as for nutes GH-3-part works great there are charts on the bottle for ease of use. i use a PPM meter very good thing to have you can push your plants to the limit. i would suggest feeding nutes threw veg then just switch to bloom when you start to flower. as for how long to veg its all up to you but you definetely need veg nutes. if you tried and veg the plants with no nutes you will have some very un-happy plants you want them growing strong when you start to flower.

here is a feeding schedule from a buddy its his GH 3-part schedule that he uses in hydro. he is a veteran grower and allot of people swear by this feeding mix.

So OK - feeding schedule week by week. This is the GH weekly feeding program, slightly tweaked. I will only call out the volume of each part per gallon of water in the following manner: grow, micro, bloom, ppm range. Example - 5-2.5-2.5-400/800 would mean 5 ml grow, 2.5 ml micro, 2.5 ml bloom and a ppm of 400-880. Remember it's per gallon. You Euro's can easily convert to liters. 4 liters is just a little bit over 1 gallon. It should also be noted that I use the hardwater micro due to my tapwater. I suggest using the hardwater micro in place of the regular micro if your tap water is over 200 ppm total or you have over 70 ppm Ca. RO water users should use the regular micro.
Veg - 
week 1  5-2.5-2.5-400/600
week 2  10-5-3- 600/800
week 3  12-6-3 800/1000 (continue week 3 formula if additional veg time is required.)

Bloom
week 1  6-6-10- 800/1200
week 2  3-7-12 - 1000/1400
week 3  3-8-14 - 1000/1400
week 4  3-8-16 - 1000/1400
week 5  (discussed in detail below*)
week 6  0-7-20 - 1000/1400
week 7  0-6-20 (see bleow**)
* During week 5 if not using a booster like Superbud, Bushmaster Kabloom etc. run 2.5-7-18. I use MOAB (Mother of All Blooms) or BushMaster at 50% of recommended strength, and use 1.25-3.5-9 for the fert base. 
**If running an 8 week strain you should only run the ferts during week 7 for a maximum of 3-4 days. This gives you 10 days for flushing. 

The ppms work out almost exactly. I tend to lean toward the lower side of the range, unless I have a really heavy feeder that I know can handle it. 

At every ressy change out I add in 5 drops per gallon of 35% food grade H2O2. During flush use ph adjusted water at 5.5-6.0
I will add epsom salt at week 1 of bloom if the plants are heavy feeders AND I see signs of an Mg def. Otherwise I won't use it. The only time I have ever had Mg def is during transition. The GH 3 part is a little low on Mg, but the PBP and Canna nutes are way lower. 

Now- how to control your PH...
There are a couple factors that cause your PH to drift. The most common is running the nute solution too strong or too weak. If it's too strong, your PH drops. If it's too weak the PH rises. You have to find the balance point. If you find that the formula above is say, a little strong, and say you have a 20 gallon ressy, mix the nutes for 18 gallons. If it's a little weak, mix it for 22 gallons. You follow?
The other common mistake is mixing your nutrient solution and trying to adjust the PH right away. You have to allow time for the ph buffers in the nutrient solution to do their job. Mix the nutes up, and bubble or circulate for 12 hours before even looking at your PH. You will find the PH to be almost right on target.
I use little or no ph adjusters. (Except during flush). I use tap water, with a starting PPM of 300-400 and a starting PH of 7.4-9.0 (Thats crazy you say! The water is too hard, you will never get stable PH and you will have too much Ca, causing a lockout of Mg!) Bollocks I say.
Every week, on Friday I drain the ressy and fill with plain water. I let that run overnight giving the plants a little flush. This also allows the chlorine and ammonia to evap. On Saturday morning, I mix the nutes into the ressy. I DO NOT adjust ph at this time. Let that run as is overnight. On Sunday morning, I check ph and adjust if needed. Usually don't have to. 
Doing things this way has saved me from constant PH drifts, and using about 150 ml of ph down every ressy change, and a little here and there throughout the week to keep it in the desired range. Now, the most I ever have to use is about 30 ml.if any at all. (I have a 35 gallon ressy btw) My Ph stays at a constant 5.5-5.8.


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## T.N.T. (Jun 11, 2009)

wow thanks for some good info in here.


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## 141820 (Jun 13, 2009)

Nice pothead420 thanx for all the info!


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## Greenhead (Jun 18, 2009)

nice post PotHead!


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## Pothead420 (Jun 20, 2009)

thanks guys!! wish i could take credit for the nute chart but it was put together by a  buddy. he has lots of experiance growing and alot of people use this chart as there feeding schedules. every one i see use it has great results. if i were running hydro i would be using it to. :hubba:


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jun 20, 2009)

I always like to urge caution when giving nutes.  The concentrations of the GH bottles is too hot for many strains--I don't think I have ever grown a strain that can take 1400PPMs.  So pretty much, your rule of thumb should be to start out low and work up until you notice the slightest bit of nute burn and then back off.


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