First time DWC grower, slow growth

New to growing this is my third grow with success in soil. This time around I wanted to give DWC a try so I started 1 plant in soil 1 in my DWC bucket.

If you want to see the three previous updates they can be found here

The problem I am having is that my DWC plant is surviving but not really growing. Today is day 28 since the seed went into the Rapid Rooter and about 20 days since the root went to the growing medium.

PPM: 1150
PH: I use advanced nutrients grow/bloom/micro blend which is supposed to be “Ph perfect”
Mix: 4 gallons of water, calls for 2m/L per litter. Roughly 15mL of each per 4 gallons, I change the mix once weekly
Water level: I was running it 1’’ below the net pot, I have done some reading and it seems like opinions on this and its pretty conflicting. After slow growth, I moved the water up the bottom of the pot on Monday to see if it would make a difference.
Temperature: I have a sensor that sits inside the bucket 24 hours a day and takes 1 reading an hour. It stays locked in between 66 and 68F with a slight dip on Saturdays when I do my water change.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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What kind of air stone are u using I dont see much bubbles in the bucket?

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Sorry I should have included this link.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CHEIO6Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It looks like the nutrients are to high on the ppm or root rot. Maybe dilute the solution down to about 800 ppm. Check your ph especially if you are using anything other than RO or distilled h2o as I’m certain that the ph perfect only works with those types of water. That info is probably on a footnote on the product. Also remember to change out your nutrients and wash out your bucket once a week. Other wise you’ll end with some root rot. Keep your water about an inch and a half below your basket. Those are just the most common things that’ll slow down your grow in dwc. Good luck and happy growing!

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I’ll certainly look into both of those issues. I was under the impression the coloration on the roots was more due to nutrient mix staining and not rot.

As far as the PPM is concerned should I not be feeding the prescribed amount by Advanced? My mix comes straight from their site using their online calculator based on plant age.

I looked into the ph perfect claim and they never mention you need distilled water for it to function correctly. I have a kit and checked the water but its one of the kits that you add a few drops of an agent to the water sample so it is hard to get dead nuts reading but I would put my ph at about 5.6 or 5.7

Thanks for the advice @Stonedagain2

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The ph perfect just means it does chance change the ph when added to water. U still NEED to ph ur solution before giving it to ur plants. I use AN nutes and ALOT of people make the mistake of not PH’IN their water thinkin the PH Perfect means u dont have to.
Also be cautious with AN food calculator

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How do the roots smell and feel? If they are stinky or the walls of the bucket are slimy then you have issues. I would suggest running a product like Hydroguard.

Definitely need to monitor PH and adjust as necessary. As little as it is I would be in the 600 PPM range, moving up to around 800 in a week or two.

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After looking closely at the last picture of the roots, here’s what I would do. I am sure opinions will vary. Cut off all roots outside the netpot. Plant has clearly had a rough beginning. BUT I can see new roots everywhere that are about to bust out. I once cut off a root mass under netpot 6 inches square that was 15 inches long. A month later they again filled the bucket. So I say cut em off, wait for the new roots.

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I don’t see much air either, in fact the water volume looks so high that it looks like the net pot is probably under water when you put it back on the bucket, that’s not the case it’s it?

A 1.5 - two inch gap between the water line and the bottom of the net pot with more aeration will help if that’s the case

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Im running about a 5" gap here but I have a 13 gallon bucket and my roots are already long

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With the extra “airspace” roots can blow up in size

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Ive done a couple extra things too :wink:

:no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth::no_mouth:

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I’m seeing nice healthy white roots up top and discolored ones at the bottom. Of course I’m not certain on root rot but if they are slimy or have bad odors then that’s something to consider. As for the directions on the bottle I think those are just a guide. Every plant has different needs and you’ll just have to listen to your plants. I start low and Titrate the nutrients up a little each day until I get to the recommended strength or I start having problems. Then I titrate back down. You’re the one who knows your plants best and you are the one who has eyes on them. Dont let others misguide you as we aren’t there and our opinion is just that, an opinion. An opinion without the benefits of first hand sight and smell. I hope this helps you and happy growing!

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That’s a healthy amount of bubbles I would run a 4 in disk bubbler in a 5 gal bucket

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Well im not short on oxygenated water at all lol. I go the distance for sure, I keep water at a “rolling boil” per say

I use a 1000gph air pump, water chiller, a recirculation pump and electrolysis all in a 13 gallon bucket to accommodate some big roots @Killadruid

Also, unlike many people, i keep my top feed drip ring running all the time to get a bit of an NFT effect

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The more o2 the better from what I have heard with hydro. Also I hear the kits airstone suck compared to a nice disk one.

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Ordered a larger 8 inch disc style air stone to provide better aeration. Also I am still confused about AN and the ph perfect, are they just blowing smoke up my ass in this video? I don’t mind setting it in manually but now I am curious.
@Liljoe

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I’d check my ph just to make sure it’s good if for no other reason than peace of mind. You’ll learn one way or the other about them blowing smoke. It’s just a real bold promise considering the range of Ph’s that’s out here. If their nutrients could do it nobody would buy ph meters, RO filters, or nutrients from other companies. So I’m leaning towards smoke being blown or a caveat that you have to start with RO or distilled h2o. Just saying

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Did you see this @Bandwidth

The net pot isn’t sitting in the water is it?

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Fyi… a good air stone is a must. The smaller the holes in the air stone the easier the air can dissolve into the water but the easier the stone can get clogged also… there’s a balance.

And remember, a bigger air pump provides more air not a bigger air stone @Bandwidth

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Listen to @Liljoe and always pH.

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