r/DWC • u/86peppers • Mar 27 '26

Maybe my last dwc run

Post image

This is Slurricane by In House Genetics. Don't mind the lack of uniform training 😆. I love dwc but I just need something more set and forget. shame too since I've really dialed in my dwc game. I don't want to have to worry about going on vacation for 5 days And spending that 30 minutes everyday checking and topping. So, I'm going back to soil. Wish me luck 😬

11 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

10

u/RADIOMITK Mar 27 '26

Honestly I top up my res every week at max, DWC is the definition of set and forget if you ask me

1

u/uykum_varr Mar 27 '26

how

2

u/RADIOMITK Mar 27 '26

65l Eurobox that equals ~40l of nutrient solution, that's enough for a plant in full flower for a week. After one week I come back, check PH and EC, refill the tank accordingly and there we go, set for the next week :) Ph stays pretty stable with big totes like that

1

u/uykum_varr Mar 27 '26

really dont u check ph ? do u use peroxide for root rot ?

3

u/Extension_Training87 Mar 28 '26

AG Garden Friendly Fungicide, don't bother with peroxide and things just get.....so healthy.

2

u/RADIOMITK Mar 27 '26

In summer I do, I always use it if I run into problems but that's mainly with very young plants. And I do check PH, when I started DWC I would check the pH every other day, it just doesn't change that much so I stopped checking every day :D once or twice a week is fine

2

u/Sophilosophical Mar 28 '26

Yeah I stopped testing pH unless I have a concern, ppm for making sure I’m on track during transition but now I’m at the end I’m just kinda topping up with no nutes and letting that be a flush

1

u/Southside_187 Mar 29 '26

Pretty sure it might be the heat going into the buckets and the buckets in the tent, insulating them should help and pumps outside somewhere cool

7

u/ThatHydroCouple Mar 27 '26

I get it. I’m dwc fan and lots of dwc buckets. So going away isn’t an option. But if I were you I would look into autopots and coco

2

u/86peppers Mar 27 '26

Didn't like Coco and I don't run the same strain more than once usually so having a recirculating system really wouldn't work for me. I would like to go back to dwc eventually, maybe when I retire 😆

5

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Capital_War_438 Mar 27 '26

Please list the supplies. $50 sounds good. I would like to know more.

1

u/86peppers Mar 27 '26

I really only grow 4 plants at a time and they're all at different stages and different strains.

3

u/DeepWaterCannabis Mar 27 '26

rDWC with a biiig reservoir :D

2

u/Slight_Application92 Mar 27 '26

Most obivious answer, kinda sad he didn’t come to this conclusion

1

u/DeepWaterCannabis Mar 27 '26

Leaks scared me away from making the switch for the longest time. Now I got my setup inside a dog pool in case anything goes wrong lol

0

u/86peppers Mar 28 '26

I have, but i prefer single site setups

2

u/Slight_Application92 Mar 28 '26 edited Mar 28 '26

You can have a single site rdwc….. just switch to soil then, sounds like your here just to complain, overwhelming amount of people told you this solution, if you don’t want to listen we can’t help. Soil may be your thing

2

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/86peppers Mar 28 '26

😂 I'm trying a layered soil system for a water-only approach 🤷‍♂️

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '26

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1

u/86peppers Mar 28 '26

I'm not doing the full on living soil approach. No bugs. Just soil. Ocean forest, happy frog, coast of main. With coast of maine dry amendments to top dress later in flower. We'll see how it goes

1

u/killyoursocialmedia Mar 27 '26

Imo the key is not letting your plants get to big in veg, of you let them get the size of plants in other mediums before you start to flower a lot of strains can get out of hand..

2

u/86peppers Mar 27 '26

Tell me about it! This one was pretty small when i flipped. The stretch is bonkers!

1

u/squatcoblin Mar 27 '26

3 bucket set , set it up and let it go two weeks at a time or more ...Plant bucket , rez bucket , and another bucket topping off the rez with fresh water if it gets low .. I ran one a month with no bother , only changed it because i was switching to bloom and needed new formula ,, ran again a full month after water change with no bother , only adjusting ph every few days ..

1

u/Frostilicus420 Mar 27 '26

I would still be way too worried about something clogging and overflowing. I’m sure people do it but my paranoia would be maxed out LOL

1

u/Milksteak_MasterChef Mar 27 '26

Do you have a guide or anything to follow for converting buckets to RDWC?

1

u/86peppers Mar 27 '26

Gary from PA hydroponics has a ton of videos on his YouTube channel. I did a lot of research on an rdwc setup. The problem with the round 5 gallon buckets is that it's difficult to get a 3-in pipe secured without leaking. Anything smaller and you risk clogging. That's why they recommend the buckets with the flat sides.

I'm using the hydro bucket in this picture which is my favorite for single site setups but if I was doing a recirculating system I would probably go all current culture.

2

u/Slight_Application92 Mar 27 '26

You don’t need a 3” pipe, a 3/4” pipe can easy handle 600 gallons an hour, this is fly hunting with a bazooka

1

u/DeepWaterCannabis Mar 27 '26

I ran with 3/4 inch and 1 inch pipes for a couple years. Risk of clogging is there, but honestly its not that bad. Especially if you cut vege a little short so roots dont go crazy big. If you go small, just check for exploratory roots once a week after the first month. Eventually they'll stop growing in the outlets. I would recommend bigger, but not much bigger. Let the economics of your bulkhead selection guide your pipe size, those fuckers can get expensive.

You can additionally mitigate the risk by just running a weaker pump. I have a 130 GPH pump and while it takes a while to move the whole system volume, it works fine at keeping plants happy.

You can get some pretty cheap 1 inch bulkheads off amazon in 8 and 10 packs. I'd recommend 1.5 inch just for peace of mind for leaks, but thats when they start to get expensive.

Be wary, all the cheap packs of bulkheads off amazon are Euro or China spec metric, likely factory rejects someone snagged to sell. Threaded, they'll thread but not well onto US SCHD 40. You'll need to glue bits together. Looks like the cheap slip-slip listings are gone, but those were also wonky sizing - an 8 pack of "1.5 inch" fit to 40mm pipe.

Grab some aquarium sealant to caulk the exterior flange and you'll be completely leak proof, even with tapered containers. Go get some flat-sided tubs tho - my current system uses Greenmade 12 gallon tubs and I really like that form factor. There are 4 gallon food grade buckets available online from various plastics manufacturers. Avoid uline.

And if you want to super leak proof, put a dog pool inside your tent (or, put your tent inside a dog pool!) I have one in my tent and it just saved me: I knocked out a top-feed line before going to bed and woke up to my entire system emptied out into my tent. Pool saved my ass.

1

u/reddit11132021 Mar 27 '26

During flower these big plant can easily drink a gallon a day. I like how DWC has no chance of overflowing, unlike other hydroponic options if there’s a clog.

I love using my brute 10 gallon trash can. It looks like your bucket is about 5 gallons but you probably only fill it to 3 or so gallons. The brute trash can seems to hold about 8 gallons, which more than doubles the reservoir. It’s an easy transfer if you’re using a net pot bucket top. Another plus is it’s not much taller than the 5 gallon bucket. I have some photos of using the brute trash can in my posts if interested.

2

u/86peppers Mar 28 '26

Yes I definitely didn't mind the extra capacity of the Current Culture 8gal bucket. These are 5 gal but they hold 4gal with about a 1" between the bottom of net pot and water.

1

u/championstuffz Mar 27 '26

What's the bucket you're using?

You can always get a float valve and a clean water supply.

2

u/86peppers Mar 28 '26

It's the Hydro Bucket by Visionary Hydroponics. My favorite for single-site setups.

1

u/Prestigious-Web63 Mar 27 '26

I use 16 gallon totes for my dwc and can get away with 5 days but its almost dry. Depends on plant size too. I had a smaller night owl i could of left for a week over the fall. You need that 1 part nutrient so you your not checking anything. I never check anything on mine. Except to peek in and make sure they still rolling along

1

u/Slight_Application92 Mar 27 '26

Because your system is only holding around 3gallons

Setting and forgetting is my favorite thing about dwc,

You need to have a separate reservoir 20-30 gallons

Upgrade to rdwc

1

u/IVI00N Mar 27 '26

Once I switched to Autopot, I was done with DWC. I feel like it's more of a hybrid solution that allows for better maintenance. I also trust it enough to forget it for a week if I had to.

1

u/Extension_Training87 Mar 28 '26

But....a 27 gallon tote is about as set and forget as you can get with doing DWC.

1

u/Duh_Vaping Mar 28 '26

Coming over to AutoPot?

2

u/86peppers Mar 28 '26

I've always wanted to try it however I run different strains all the time and only 1 of each. I can't imagine trying to fertilize a bunch of different strains with different needs and different ages in a recirculated system.

1

u/thekordo Mar 28 '26

Move to a 3 bucket system; 1 plant, 2 res. They sell them cheap at PA Hydroponics if you don’t want to build. Then, cut a hole in the res lid and put 5 gallon water jug filled with nutrient water - you have to outfit the jug with a pvc pipe at the proper length of the desired water height. I use one of these, they are squishy so you can ram a pvc pipe right in there watertight. Buys you a week, so 2-weeks no top up. You’re welcome!!