HUGE MISTAKE trying Hydroponics (RDWC/DWC) Money Pit – TOP 10 Reasons NOT to Hydro Grow
HUGE MISTAKE trying Hydroponics (RDWC/DWC) Money Pit – TOP 10 Reasons NOT to Hydro Grow
#growweed #rdwc #hydroponic
So I took the leap and bought a hydroponic system – A 4 bucket stirponic system from PA hydroponics. Shout out to Gary who I love despite this terrible beginning. He was able to custom drill holes for my tent and I assembled this and started my first every hydro grow. Here’s a video of all the problems and things I didn’t know getting into it. It worked out in the end as far as installation, but it wasn’t without troubleshooting.
Link to system: https://shop.pahydroponics.com/diy-4-plant-stirponic-rdwc-system-w-reservoir-kit-1-tubing-option-to-drill/
Thanks for watching and if you have any questions, hit us up on discord: https://discord.com/channels/905550117803810856/905550171578978314 Check out our other videos for more tips and tricks on our site hwgrow.com
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MY FIRST ONE WAS FAR DIFFERENT! Ebb and flow with coco was my first and nearly effortless hydroponic grow. Simple design with parts that fit is necessary though. All the issues described have simple remedies you can learn from other DWC growers with experience in other videos. Helps if you are mechanically inclined with a positive attitude. Hydroponic hardware becomes costly if you shop retail but you may make out ahead if your first small setup is ready to grow. I use: Aquaneat A905P air pump kit, Aquaneat A578 water pump, Rainbird type 1/4" and 1/2" vinyl tubing to feed hydroponic mix.
Aquarium grade silicone brother
You must have ate paint chips when your were young or smoked way to much weed.
I’ve been growing some dank hydroponics for YEARS…you’re so wrong on so many levels
AND finally, the most importantly thing, the taste of the plant grown in the soil is 10 times better than hydro-dwc..
If anyone doesn’t know that tap water is dirty they are just ignorant.
Lot of fauls information out there bro
What humidifier is that???
Should’ve done just DWC
This has deterred me from every even thinking about doing a hydroponic system, you’re the only person who has told the truth. Thank you.
It is costly but a lot of fun and I don’t use ro water it works fine ,I have low tds count three bottles of nutrients,
Nice new sub now! If you know how to do the Lucas formula you won’t ever have to change out the water only after harvest. I run Fallponic systems and bubble buckets and never change out the water only top off and add nutes when needed. Also figured out a way to control multiple buckets water temps with no chiller check me out if ya want🤙. Great work and video!
This video is hilarious.
Yo bro this video was amazing, your voice and anger I felt on another level Bc it’s true!! I’m a beginner/intermediate when it comes to growing, im on my third week and definitely learning as I go fr😂😂but it gets easier after you learn what’s wrong💯
Lol
Check out pa hydroponics for ideas
I grew for the first time last year using a super simple home made with 5 gal dwc and 1 6 inch net lid. Using advanced nutrients it was super simple. I managed to grow my 1 plant 7 ft tall x 4 ft wide, colas up to 1 ft long. Under a sp3000, with 0 ph’ing and 0 bucket swaps/ cleaning. Cruise control 120 day grow.
Tip: Use 5 gallon paint straining nets in your pots to prevent roots from clogging-your hoses they will remain in the net. Cheers . P.S. great video!
What lights are those? 9:58
There are better washers out there for the leaks.
This videos name should be don’t buy a water system , that’s why I use a regular ass bucket and put a air tube in the top leak proof
The leaks came from the cheap hydro setup
i appreciate the thorough run down of potential cons to hydro systems but if you encounter all of them, you may not have done enough research beforehand …
All valid points for me, the thing i didn’t like was my grow room became a ball and chain. Way too much time to micro manage a plant that i grew in 1980 when i was 14 with bullshit miracle grow. HUGE colas
Sorry but you gave alot of bad information based off your experience which was wrong
Leaky bulkhead: you shoulda of used a sealant when installing your bulkheads which would have helped u not have leaks
Water Temps: although temp of water plays a big role you would come to find out that it’s not all that bad room temperature works fine but being able to cool it would make it better but u can still get to start to finish if you never had a chiller and for a 4 bucket system I wouldn’t even consider a chiller needed considering once the roots get really established that water won’t be in the bucket you would be filling ur system up with colder water eventually
Root rot: yes hydro guard is expensive but you can diy a rezclear that works just as good for literally penny’s on the dollar hydro requires regular preventative maintance but u can make that extremely easy and inexpensive. If you have to carry water down some stairs hydro wouldn’t be a good system considering your trying to move lots of water to a place where you have no access to water
Ph drift: buy a better considerate ph down or up and ph just under where u want to be so when it drifts up or down it reaches your desired ph
Water is alot cheaper then the dirt and is easier to just throw away the plant skeletons then old bundles of dirt in pots
I love coco I’ve been a coco grower for years but with anything practice makes perfect more research is your friend and hydro produce the best plant health at a fast pace keep it growing
Rookie report 🤣
Knowledge is what you need before growing hydro
Keep on learning and growing
Don’t get demoralized by this idiot. Not nearly as hard as this guy makes it seem. He just failed miserably and quit right away. Once your system is streamlined it’s easy. DO NOT BUY R/O
Bro as long as the plants grow it’s right , weed grows anywhere no right or wrong as long as it’s growing and you satisfied
i am trying dwc with a bcnl bloombox and producer. i know for sure i need to check out the water temps other than that i am trying something called mantis nutrients and you only add nutes once in veg and drain and fill up again when it is in flower so i will see how this goes but if all goes bad i will just grow in fox farm cultivation nation 70/30 coco. i was told it might be easier that way but who knows. i will try each side by side in each box to see which one works out for me. i want to avoid soil because of the pests and coco and hydro is less of a problem.
LMAO Bro, I feel your pain. I bought a similar system and FUUUUUUUUCK that noise. I still DWC, but I use 1 3ft square tote with 2 holes for 2 plants, and 1 water chiller system. Actually, the one you got on the other video, the Ebay one. Life is good now bro. Use Megacrop (hard to find these days) Megacrop is the same feeding, the entire grow. Couple grams of powder. Thats it. Maybe a little Cal-mag and some cha ching or something in flower. Megacrop, dude.
Dude loved your video!!! Awesome 😎,,,I started with a single bucket , small single connect air pump and airstone
Pretty simple deal ,,,your circulating system definitely sucks
Thank you so much for your very informative and amusing story about your DWC experience. Am just now reading about DWC systems, after losing 4 plants in my tent (my 3rd grow) to fungus gnats, and am hoping “no soil” systems might be better. Had to chuckle though, thanks to your great story telling style, but especially the cleaning part, since I just made a big mess in my basement while thoroughly cleaning 5 pots and tent to hopefully be rid of gnats!
Thank you I was leaning towards DWC but had my reservations you truly help me sticking with soil, People that like the hydroponics are some of the same people who like the virtual reality sex hey if that’s what you’re into going to get that soil and get my hands dirty then go over to my girls house and get Dirty
Everybody that told me it is ( fuck you) I’m dead
Lol jesus bud you complain too much
Good vid dude, good to see some of the more glossed over aspects of rdwc. There’s definitely a lot more involved than what I’d given it credit for. Cheers man, definitely more research needed haha 👍
This should really be titled " Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Picking Hydro (DWC/RDWC)" because for results, its the best option. Is it for everyone? Certainly not however I believe this to be misleading, You simply didn’t like it, that doesn’t mean its a bad option. I like to know exactly whats going on, down to PPm, temp, nutes etc in real time, i find its much easier personally than soil due to far more variables (in soil), time release amendments, top dressing (which you didnt include in your pricing structure), its not cheaper once you’re set up – simply the initial investment. I dont want to hate on your video or channel at all, however it seems you (and many others) just dont like the work that also comes with DWC/RDWC
Okay… mad respect on sharing your experience… but let me share mine or a "friend of mines" for anyone else wanting to try. Most of this was from other youtubers, i take no credit… So you start with a cheap aerogarden brand blank pod planter kit. It also comes with a little fertilizer to start while you get a feel for it. Next, a cheap fish tank bubbler. Third, cut a hole just big enough for the air hose and another for the pod to fit as a net pot would and wrap the bucket in aluminum foil. Fourth, "someone i know" uses tap water at 200 ppm. Just remember to add that ppm number to total ppm needed. ex. 300ppm nutes + 200ppm water = 500 ppm target. Yes it can take up space in the nutrient bank but i push autos to 2500 ppm so its no biggie for a while but yes changing water may need to be done more frequently. 24 hr dechlorination is all thats needed. Fifth, use a premade concentrated mix of miracle grow or generic brand and bloom fertilizers at 50/50 to make concentrated fertilizers at a 5-5-5 rough NPK value or of your preference. Use the powder with distilled water in an old clear bottle and add just enough water until all salts dissolve. Use a little math to calculate percentage of npk added by total end volume. Miracle grow and its generic line has all the micros built in so no defiencies. A little epsom and cal-mag can be added to the "all-in-one" blend as well. Costs roughly 2-5 dollars a per plant per grow. Start low and step up 50 ppm every feeding only when replacing a half to a full gallon every 2-4 days. A little trick is to guage ppm at full level vs once it drinks a gallon and if she needs more or less the ppms will drop/stay the same or go up/concentrate from the starting point to a gallon less. Takes a while to get a feel for that though. Each plant has its own needs and its own bucket and air pumps can split off to 6 lines. One for each with an air stone. Takes a little practice but with Mykos brand inocculant it keeps the root rot down. Or H2O2 (peroxide) at recommended small amounts, it will safely sanitize if the non-living route is chosen. No, miracle gro does not harm you or the plants. Its the same as any synthetic and its vegatable garden safe. I just want some people to know its cheap and easy if you wanna go amateur and do a small grow. Obviously you were going more toward pro setup and hence your higher skill level is needed but its possible to be cheap, of less skill and still succeed. Thanks again for the video(s) and cheers.
lololololololol
Forget DWC! There’s an easier and better way to do ‘hydroponics’. Use 5 buckets instead of 4, one for nutrients. No need to put holes in the bottom to connect them because you’re only going to drip in from the top using a submersible pump and 1/4 inch valve’s, just what the plant needs to stay healthy. Something like rockwool is needed though to maintain the moisture until the roots reach the bottom. Then adjust the drip until maybe an inch of nutrient always remain on the bottom. I guess you could say it’s really more areoponics but works better than DWC in those 5gal buckets. You’ll also save on nutrients and even more if you figure out exactly how much your plants drink in a week.
This has some pretty stupid rookie comments and shouldn’t be taken seriously. Some of the stuff is true yet fixable but a lot is just user error and ignorance. I wouldn’t start with RWDC as a first grow as this guy seems to have but after a couple soil grows you’ll think this guy is an idiot and easily be able to do a better job
absolutely misleading video, very, very wrong… you just failed due to a lack of knowledge. You clarify this being true during the video many times. Lemme correct your mistakes and maybe you try again and lemme know how it went this time, mkay?
Hydroponics is a scientific approach to growing things, it’s simple and easy, but only if you know what you are trying to achieve and here is your first mistake 1) you just wanted to make your life easier and that’s now how it works.
With the hydro setup, you literally avoid some regular grower issues which cannot be easily controlled normally such as bug infestation or nutrient burn/lack, or simply over/under watering, with hydro you do not have to worry about ANY of these problems. In exchange for that comfort, you simply have to keep up a few things which btw, you should in soil too, but it’s not required to "succeed" anyway, however, if you ever want top-shelf nugs you clearly have to do these extra steps even in soil but without that comfort, I was talking about. So you decide if the investment is worth it for you or not.
1:40 – Like I said, using an RO system is better even for soil growth, these systems cost around $50 bucks at most because all you need is 2 basic filters and an osmotic membrane, that creates a water environment close to 0 EC. What you need is a ‘fish tank RO’, not the ‘kitchen’ one, you’ve got for yourself.
Your setup has at least 1 more filter which returns the micronutrients back to the water and there is more to it, so from distilled and clear it becomes clear and drinkable again, that’s why you paid more… you didn’t even bother google what you buying and how it works, value your money, google shit next time or ask on Reddit or something.
2:22 – Another false statement that you have said is about changing the water, well… it’s recommended but not required, you can simply keep adding water and nutrients based on what plants tell you, but that requires a lot of knowledge about the plants in general, it’s a way easier to refresh the whole reservoir in 10 days or so. You also said it took you 6 hours to refresh the water (2:40) and you had to carry it in buckets to your garden, well again.. the lack of knowledge strikes back, you can buy a simple hose for however long you want and attach it to the osmosis instead of that tap you used, water pressure will simply do the pushing for you, I have mine for 7 meters long, next you were talking about replacing the filters (2:15), well… for that, I recommend a barometer, that will tell you exactly when it needs to be replaced or you can simply measure it with EC meter if it’s still close to 0, there is no reason to replace it yet, is there? The cost of these filters is mostly about $5 each and the membrane needs to be replaced within about 3 years of life, which cost about $30 for the low GDP one.
20:50 – I felt really sorry when I saw you pull the buckets down the stairs, but man… you deserve it 😀 you didn’t learn anything about it before realizing it, that’s always an ask for trouble 😀 this could be solved with a pump and another hose, depending on your needs but I bought for myself a pump which cost $20 and another 7m hose, that’s all to it… issue solved.
3:09 – Now, there you have a correct statement, hydroponics growing is really not cheaper than soil, it is expensive but for best nugs and without work, as I said before, you need to decide if it’s worth it for you. I tend to overwater and I live in an area where we do have a lot of nasty garden intruders such as mites and gnats etc., Also I like to take a vacation and left plants alone for a week or so… bugs don’t like hydro and can’t overwater, so for me, definitely worth it. With nutrient line, yet again… depends on what are you trying to achieve simple NPK would be enough, you do not need additives but it pays off in the end product, you decide what you want to smoke after all.
3:38 – you do not need Hydroguard that product is an overpriced scam, look for it here on youtube "Hydro Guard Product Review" from Perfect Gardens, you find a scientific video proving there is a much cheaper and concentrated product on the market. Also, you don’t need it at all if you manage the water temp low, about 18-20°C and cover the lids so there is no light leaking which causes algae. Personally, I do not use microbes and anything in the water except nutrients themselves, never ever had a problem with pythium (root rot) so far, especially not in hydroton as a medium.
4:29 – There you said, you have to check pH and EC regularly, perhaps daily.. well you should, but don’t have to… they can handle themself, especially in clean RO water, if you mix the batch correctly. The pH drops between your daily measurements might mean high concentrate (EC) so just add a bit of clear RO and it will settle in a few hours. In time you figure out how it works, if you write these data down and evaluate them later, you will see the pattern sooner or later and it won’t be a problem anymore, I can promise you that.
4:40 – you said, hydro is less forgiving than soil is, that’s not entirely true, perhaps not true at all. where at (4:50) when you growing from seeds, ofc one can go down in shared reservoir because they do not age the same, so one can easily be lacking nutrients but the other is burning instead because it’s too small… these are not hydro problems, but genetics, try clones or buy better quality seeds at least. If one or serval plants have issues, they won’t share it with each other, that is not how it works, plants can even die in the system and it won’t affect the rest of the crop anyhow.
4:59 – again, your pH spikes, because you do not understand the science behind that, you have these meters to help you not to guide you to determine whats happening, it’s a living reservoir(recirculating) which is the hardest one you can start with, but it’s possible to understand quickly, just write it down, you will see the patterns and solution to it, will be always the same, always the same amount of acid etc. This will be always the same because the RO and nutrients are the same as well.
5:12 – pythium problem again, I have about 24 in my apartment and about 27 in the tent, the reservoir has about 22-23 where 20 is the goal. If your environment won’t allow it you definitely need to cool it down, that’s true but there is a shortcut which may help a lot as well, add a lot of bubblers under the roots, this helps them with many things including keeping a bit chiller. A small PC fan or PC water cooling would help as well if you have a big problem with this. At 5:19 that’s not pythium but algae, that is nasty stuff but it’s not harmful for plants, might clock your pump but that’s it… this is happening because you have constant light leaks into the water, cover it wholly up and it won’t be born next time.
6:29 – c’mon man, ask your mom how to make cleaning more efficient, I’m sure a good housewife would tell you a lot of things about how to make this labor less painful 🙂 I have a 150l reservoir, using about 200l of hydroton and it takes about 3-5 hours of work. I don’t see that a problem, I’m forced to do it once in 4 months only. About the assembling and leaks, just buy yourself a better system or make it yourself, it’S not that expensive with a creative mind and home depo behind the corner.
10:00 – the quality is not delivered by the system used, but the light, genetics and the most… by a grower, growing it. The Hydro system just helps you stabilize basic issues to 0.
overall man, I certainly understand the hatred you possess against hydro after all that happened to you and you were forced to deal with, but it really could be a lot easier and even if a feel pity for you, you have mostly done your problems to yourself. Dunno if you even read my post, but if so I hope I helped at least a bit clarify the errors and now you understand what you have done wrong and what to focus on next. Don’t give up with hydro, I’m sure you’d love it if you do it correctly 🙂 Feel free to ask anything, I will gladly help. Have a nice day man
Imma teen n I’m growin n DWC wit a 60 gal system n I’m growin wit ease n this my first time growing thxs for the vid
that frozen water bottle trick is nice lol
Shit my order is on its way WISH I would have seen b4 ordering. THANKS FOR BEING REAL. You Answered a lot of unanswered questions
100% agree with this video. I did this thinking I did my research and knew what it would take. Holy shit it was way more of a problem then I thought it would be. Lost a bunch of plants in this learning curve. Ive been doing this for 3 years and even now I’m thinking of switching to coco on my next run.
Also : the salt based nutrients are cheaper by a lot , but you still need more than the base nutrients
Thanks for making this video. I was thinking about trying hydro and I learned a lot that I had no idea was involved in the switch over.
You know what? I’m seriously considering turning a 2×4 coco grow into a RDWC, and this video might be the deciding factor in NOT doing that. I’m pretty satisfied with my system, just wanted to challenge myself. …But not pointlessly. I guess I’m going after the yields and speed people boast.
Lot of faulse info out there My hydroponic set up I don’t ph any thing I use aero garden nutes or ph perfect by advanced I don’t have non of these issues he talking about , I water my soil plants 3-2 times a week , my hydro ever 2 weeks they need food or add water every 1-2 weeks if that , and I feed my air tube throught the top 10$ bucket at home depo I color black or wrap
13 gallan Ez storage bins are the way to go. 3 " inch black pvc pipe. Pvc cement them for zero leaks. My system is sweet. I’ve had great success. 🙌