In a week or so I plan to start playing around with hydro. I am going to try DWC. I picked up one of those net pots built into a bucket lid. Well anyway, I was wondering how you go about changing the reservoir. Early on it will be easy enough to remove and sit the lid on another bucket. I am concerned as to how I will accomplish this with a 3' foot tall plant in my confined grow box. How does everyone else do it? I imagine this will be a big factor in me eventually switching to a flood and drain type of setup.
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Changing the reservoir on DWC bucket...
- Thread starter Josh
- Start date
Couldn't you add a drain valve at the bottom of the bucket or just use a pump to change the solution?
The easy way to go is to drill out a hole for a 1/2" grommet,then add a 1/2"elbow and some 1/'2 tubing.I use 5 gallon buckets with 6" or 8" mesh pot lids.Ill post some pics of mine when i get home later night.
Silver_Surfer said:
My grow box is in my basement. My house is very old and there is only about 71" of clearance if I recall correctly. As a result I am going to have to sit the unit on the floor eliminating the possibility of a valve to drain it. The pump is an option but it makes me think that I probably should have rigged up a flood and drain unit.
redeyes said:
Yea I am kind of thinking that as well.
wordwiz said:
Well I plan on growing a pepper plant in it but I know my neurotic side will make me want to keep the res fresh.
toastynoodles said:
That won't work for me because of the reason mentioned above. I am sorry for not giving enough info in the beginning.
Thanks for trying guys. I think anyway I slice it I am going to have trouble due to the height constraints. Even if I use a flood and drain setup I am going to have to rig up two pumps. One pump will pump the solution to the table and the other will pump it back into the reservoir. Who knows I guess I will do a little trial by fire.
6" of height would be plenty for a drain valve, just use a shallow catch pan like one used for catching oil during an oil change or a shallow plastic container from Wally World. They sell some long shallow narrow ones in which you could set the bucket atop a small riser and not worry about spills. It's not likely you'll be changing the stuff daily.
I am using 5 gal buckets for my DWC. I have a couple extras, so I can have the nutrients ready for when I change, so I can just lift the lid off and place on the new bucket. Probably will be fun when the plant is full size, but shouldn't hurt the plant if you are careful. Or at least I hope not.
jacob
jacob
You have to change the res water in a 5 gallon bucket once every week I never let it go for more then 2 weeks without changing, I try and change my water every Sunday sometimes you can get away with every 2 weeks but after that the plants starting looking bad because of the waste build up and nutrient depletion. plus down here in Florida in summer the water evaporates fast.
I have tomato cages fastened to the tops of my lids, I cut the legs on them and left just about 2 inches and drilled holes slightly smaller then the cage legs and popped them in for a snug fit, this keeps the larger plants stable when you remove the lid, just make sure you attach the cage when the plants are small it gets kinda tricky when you have to retro-fit with a full grown plant.
then simply place on top of an empty bucket while you dump the old one. (make sure you buy the smaller cages, the bottom ring is to big on the larger cages and the legs end up off the lid)
Heres a pic of what I did with the cage on the lid.
and heres a pick of the same setup on 2 mature tomato plants
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I have tomato cages fastened to the tops of my lids, I cut the legs on them and left just about 2 inches and drilled holes slightly smaller then the cage legs and popped them in for a snug fit, this keeps the larger plants stable when you remove the lid, just make sure you attach the cage when the plants are small it gets kinda tricky when you have to retro-fit with a full grown plant.
then simply place on top of an empty bucket while you dump the old one. (make sure you buy the smaller cages, the bottom ring is to big on the larger cages and the legs end up off the lid)
Heres a pic of what I did with the cage on the lid.
and heres a pick of the same setup on 2 mature tomato plants
Josh-
I've been growing in DWC for a couple years now. I don't know that I'm an RKI, but here's my advice-
Install a drain. Take a look at Mojo's plants and imagine how big the rootball is. Now imagine that whole knotted up monster sitting in your tent, and imagine having to lift the whole thing up, getting all of the roots out, pulling a bucket half full of liquid out and sliding a full bucket back in it's place. Now imagine doing that once a week or once every other week for as long as you want the plant alive.
Trust me, it sucks. A LOT.
You're bound to tear a bunch of roots up or break limbs or prang up your back, or most likely all three. If nothing else, use a pump or siphon the old out and then just pour your new nutrient into the net- but the easiest by far is to just install a drain valve. With the drain valve in you can also easily rinse your roots and the bucket by flushing clean water through, which you will definitely want to do after a few months.
I've been growing in DWC for a couple years now. I don't know that I'm an RKI, but here's my advice-
Install a drain. Take a look at Mojo's plants and imagine how big the rootball is. Now imagine that whole knotted up monster sitting in your tent, and imagine having to lift the whole thing up, getting all of the roots out, pulling a bucket half full of liquid out and sliding a full bucket back in it's place. Now imagine doing that once a week or once every other week for as long as you want the plant alive.
Trust me, it sucks. A LOT.
You're bound to tear a bunch of roots up or break limbs or prang up your back, or most likely all three. If nothing else, use a pump or siphon the old out and then just pour your new nutrient into the net- but the easiest by far is to just install a drain valve. With the drain valve in you can also easily rinse your roots and the bucket by flushing clean water through, which you will definitely want to do after a few months.
Here's another idea Josh.
Install a barbed fitting at the bottom edge of the bucket, to this attach a matching sized piece of clear tubing which is long enough to bow upward and reach a height matching that of the bucket. Placing the tubing under the bucket bail would hold it in the off/fill position and lowering it would drain the bucket. The clear tubing will allow you to see the water level in the bucket too.
Install a barbed fitting at the bottom edge of the bucket, to this attach a matching sized piece of clear tubing which is long enough to bow upward and reach a height matching that of the bucket. Placing the tubing under the bucket bail would hold it in the off/fill position and lowering it would drain the bucket. The clear tubing will allow you to see the water level in the bucket too.
Thanks for the tips guys. I might actually go for flood and drain instead. I did a quick measurement and only have 56" between the light and the floor. The bucket will be about 15" w/ the net pot lid. That leaves 41" between the bucket top and the light. If the plant grows to 3' it will be 5" away from the light. I would imagine that would make lifting the plant even harder than it already would be. I need to look more into flood and drain but it looks like the tables don't have to be all that deep. I am hoping that will allow me to put the table at the same height as the bucket would have been leaving about 3' to grow. So if the table is 6" deep it will be 9" off the ground. I can put the reservoir outside the box and just have to make sure it stays below 9". This way I will be able to utilize gravity and have the reservoir easily accessible outside of the grow box. Who knows. I imagine my first attempt will be a failure but still fun none the less.
Can't you just lift or slide the bucket out of the tent to do the swap?
The sight tube/drain works great, too.
Flood and drain is another great system but it sounds like you've already got what you need for DWC. Do you have the equipment you'll need for F&D or are you going to have to buy it?
The sight tube/drain works great, too.
Flood and drain is another great system but it sounds like you've already got what you need for DWC. Do you have the equipment you'll need for F&D or are you going to have to buy it?
A flood table is much more versatile. You can swap crops whenever you need to.
I take a keep it simple approach to hydro. I've never changed a reservoir. I just add water and nutes when needed. Plants exceed expectations every year
I take a keep it simple approach to hydro. I've never changed a reservoir. I just add water and nutes when needed. Plants exceed expectations every year
Duffman said:
I can slide the bucket over and lift it out but the problem for me comes when the plant gets big and there isn't any room to move the plant and lid around.
I would have to pick up a few things for a F&D. The only thing I really wouldn't be able to use that I already have is the 6"net pot lid. But that isn't the end of the world.
Here's a pic of mine.Just pull out and drain or keep a extra 5 gal buckets around.
