Maximum Yield Cannabis USA March/April 2019 | Page 62

“
MOST IMPORTANT , a DWC system has
the potential to yield massive results with
little input. Isn’t that what everyone is after?”
Tips for Setting up Your Bubbler
Growing in a bubbler follows the same timetable as
growing using most other systems: four weeks in vegetation
and eight weeks in flower. Some good tips to remember
when setting up your bubbler include the following:
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Keep your electric pump motor away from the water in
your bubbler. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that
water and electricity do not mix.
For best results make sure the air being pumped into the
water is originating from an external source so that it is
the freshest that it can be.
The positioning of your air stone is crucial. Make sure
it is centered in the bottom of the main reservoir, so
all the plant’s roots are receiving an optimum and fair
distribution of oxygen.
To start, your plant’s roots will not be long enough
to reach the nutrient feed in the water, so it is best to
overfill the bubbler so the water reaches half way up the
net pot and the roots can drink with ease.
Use a temperature monitor and control to keep your
nutrient solution at optimum temperature between
64-68°F. The warmer your solution is, the lower the
oxygen level is and the lower the nutrient uptake is.
Keeping the solution at the perfect temperature will
also help keep algae and diseases (that thrive at higher
temperatures) at bay.
Make sure your nutrients are suitable for a bubbler or,
even better, are specifically designed for bubblers. You
want to avoid products containing organic ingredients
like seaweed and molasses, which, when oxygenated,
can foam and ferment, forming sticky residues that
can block pumps, destroy air stones, and lower oxygen
levels. Bad news all round.
Maximum Yield
Top: Clones must be strong enough to withstand the increase in light
and nutrients that a DWC system will impose upon transplantation.
Bottom: Be prepared for the challenges that will arise as your plants
become bigger and heavier.
Now that you are all set up, how do you keep everything
running smoothly? The first thing to address is how often
you should be topping up the solution in your system. The
answer is whenever your plants need it. The golden rule is
90 per cent of the roots should be constantly submerged. You
should prioritize this in the first few weeks, as the plants are
establishing and strengthening themselves.
photo by nebula haze courtesy of freeimages.com