DWC + Organics (Earth Juice)?

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catusphile

Active Member
I have experience growing in soil with organic nutes (fish poo). I also have experience growing in a 5 gallon DWC setup. I've have great results with both; however, I prefer the DWC setup for several reasons include fast growth and ease of growing.

I'm now wanting to mix these two methods - an organic DWC. I've read a few simple articles stating it is possible to grow hydroponically with organic nutes. It appears the most popular nute brands are Fox Farm and Earth Juice. Along these lines, Earth Juice has instructions on how to grow hydroponically with their Grow, Bloom, MicroBlast, and Catalyst products. This seems fairly simple - mix nutes with water, let bubble (aerate) for 24 hours, adjust pH and put in system for 7 to 14 days.

With all that said, does anyone have experience growing organically in a DWC? I'd love to get some suggestions or hear peoples' experiences with similar setups. What were the difficulties? Do you recommend a ratio of nutes that differs from what Earth Juice recommends. Do you swear by a specific organic nute brand? Can I mix a concentrated bucket of nutrients, let aerate for 24 hours, then dilute the mixture with plain filtered water (so that (1) 5 gallon bucket of concentrated nutes will fill 6 DWCs).

Some more details about this grow...
(6) 5 gallon DWC buckets (Strains: AK-47, RuPaul, Mango)
24 sq. ft. SCROG (6' x 4')
600w digital ballast (MH for veg, HPS for bloom); large, air-cooled refelctor
Tons of circulation in a low-temp environment (expected ~65-75F w/ light on)
Ability to add CO2 (room is not sealed though)

Edit: Plan on this thread becoming a grow log for this particular grow. Photos to come. Nonetheless, please post your relevant experience.
 
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catusphile

Active Member
Bump... no one uses Earth Juice in a hydro setup?

A little more information about this setup. Using 6 DWCs in a scrog is sure to cause a maintenance headache, so I have built a control bucket and reservoir to help keep my sanity. This is not recirculating... it's merely for keeping all reservoirs at the correct water level and to facilitate cleaning the system. This setup is very similar to the write up in the GrowFAQ; however, instead of using rubber grommets and fittings, I used Toro in ground sprinkler components from Home Depot. All components are 1/2" threaded on one end and 3/8" barbed on the other. Using a 11/16" drill bit, I was able to create a VERY tight fit between the components and the buckets. To be on the safe side, I added a little tub/shower caulking to the threads and the outside of the fittings.

One concern I have is light distribution in my room. I'm using the 600W MH bulb with the EasyCool 6 reflector. This reflector is very focused and doesn't have great distribution to the sides, so the edges of my scrog screen don't receive much light. This will be dealt with as the garden grows, but I'm definitely going to be keeping the buckets closer to the center to maximize light usage.
 
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catusphile

Active Member
Last night, 6 rooted clones were moved to their new home. I'll post some pictures later today. The plants ended up being a mixture of AK-47, Mango, RuPaul and Durban Poison. Here were the conditions of the DWC setup moments before planting...

Within the 6 DWC buckets, I used a 1/4 strength mix of Earth Juice Grow, Bloom, Catalyst and Microblast; this mixture was left to aerate for 24 hours prior to planting. The water level was about 1" above the bottom of the 6" grow pots; clones had their rockwool removed carefully, bottom roots placed into the water, and surrounded by expanded clay pellets.

Meter Readings:
~274 PPM
5.2 to 5.7 pH (original pH was 2.9-3.2 with nutes)

I was able to stabilize the room temp to about 75F using a DuctStat thermostat controlling the fan on my air cooled reflector. Cheap and effective. $28.00 at Home Depot.

A few things I have learned so far that I feel may be beneficial to other inquiring minds. For my DWC, I used Home Depot parts to connect the buckets, controller bucket and reservoir tank. I used bathroom caulking instead of rubber gaskets to secure and seal fittings (such as barbed nipples for hoses) for several reasons; DON'T do this.. It will work, but there are better, more ideal options. If I had to do it over again, I would try the rubber gaskets found at most grow shops - they are cheap. Another alternative that I ended up using, which is also great for patching leaks, is the use of Gorilla Glue. The glue expands exponentially as it dries, filling cracks and gaps, leaving you with a very water tight seal. It also calls for a small amount of water on the surface before application, so if you have a light leak, the water is already present. :hump: Just remember, if you are applying any kind of glue to a smooth surface, mar the surface with some 60 grit sandpaper first. Adhesives need something to hold onto when curing.

I also attempted to use "Funny Pipe" (for sprinkler systems) for my tubing; this tubing connects all my buckets and reservoir. This stuff does work but is very stiff and maintains its coil shape. If you do try to use this stuff, you can slowly bend it to whatever shape you need it. But I suggest the easier route, just buy the flexible plastic tubing at the grow shop and be done with it.

That covers today's learning experiences. More anecdotal stories to come as they become pertinent.
 
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catusphile

Active Member
This post is merely to show off a few photos. I have a lot of information to share, but dont have time right now to type it all, so stay tuned! I will write a description for the photos this weekend, as well as post a few photos of some changes I have made since these photos were taken.
 

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sohi

sohi

Well-Known Member
Hey Hey! I too use earth juice and well, it's so-so at the moment. I see you're starting out, it would be cool to know your results with the EJ.
  1. Do you let your nut. mix sit for 24hrs after mixing?
  2. Is EJ "Alive"? I know you have to keep it aerated...
  3. How's your PH, EJ lowers it rather far, but I hear it goes up after a few days... (I rock the PH papers yuck)
  4. What are your results with the TDS with EJ? I don't have a TDS meter (yet)...
I'm just getting the core blocks together (aeration supplies, monitoring equipment, you know the basics) I got my baby early so it was rushed...

I forgot you had to keep the nutrients aerated and chunks of things came up in the jug... odd... I was stressing out my plant so much. Lucky she's in dirt at the moment... My frist time using liquid ferts. I just hope my clones take hold this time around so I can flower before she gets too big! I'll have photos later tonight.

Great set-up man, sorry to babble but we're going to be running about the same set up. If you use CO2 in your room, you may want to move the air pumps as CO2 hugs the ground, and a check valve since they are lower than the water, hate to ruin 4-5-6 pumps... :peace::peace::peace:
 
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wafflehouselover

Well-Known Member
im sorry but isn't organic about the whole purpose of organism in the soil breaking down other organism in the soil for the roots? So if dwc have no soil how is it truly organic?
 
sohi

sohi

Well-Known Member
im sorry but isn't organic about the whole purpose of organism in the soil breaking down other organism in the soil for the roots? So if dwc have no soil how is it truly organic?
Click to expand...
That's deep... Organic means no chemicals added, other words natural. The organisms hang out around the root zone helping to do root zone things in water or dirt. Dirt just has more "cling-ons" So I guess that answers my #2 Q. above. As you can see it's not a Tech. answer just my opinion.
 
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