Maximum Yield Cannabis USA March/April 2019 | Page 60

Art
The
of
Growing
in
Cannabis
Bubblers
by Rich Hamilton
Growing marijuana in bubblers is relatively
easy and promotes very fast growth from
the vegetative to the flowering stages,
allowing growers to get much bigger
cannabis yields in a shorter time frame.
U
ndecided about how to grow your cannabis? Looking for a
change? Have you considered a bubbler deep water culture
(DWC for short) system? The principle with bubblers is simple: the
plant is suspended above an oxygen-rich nutrient solution. The roots
of the plant hang down into this solution which feeds them 24 hours a
day, allowing for super-charged growth and development of both plant
and produce. Bubblers are versatile in letting a person grow a single
plant, where space is limited, or they can grow many plants. There is no
soil or coco medium to worry about with bubblers, meaning less mess
and hassle. Most important, a DWC system has the potential to yield
massive results with little input. Isn’t that what everyone is after?
Considerations Before Adding Cannabis Plants to a Bubbler
So where do you start? Well, bubbler kits are sold as single units
(pots) that hold one plant. Brands differ in style but generally they
all do the same thing. However, as the system will be filled with
water, the last thing you want is a leak, so a good hack to check
for leaks is to fill your system up in the bathtub and leave it for
several hours. Like any product, it is possible there could be
some small manufacturing fault that could cause a leak, so it
is best to eliminate this risk before you use it.
How to Transplant Clones/Cuttings to Bubblers
Once you are satisfied everything is watertight and in good
working order, you should transplant your cutting/clone. Your
plants should be ready to go into the vegetative stage and be able
to handle a strong intense light and feed increase. Cuttings should
have three stages of nodes which are the vertical levels on the
main stem where new canopies of leaf formations grow from. If
growing from seed you are likewise looking for them to have either
three stages of nodes or to have rooted through a three-inch block of
stonewool, both of which happen at around the same time.
When transplanting, I usually add about half the clay pebbles,
place the stonewool cube in, and fill up with more clay pebbles until
it is level with the top of the stonewool cube. This way you are not
pushing or forcing the stonewool into the pebbles and you will cause
less damage to the roots.
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Maximum Yield