Thinking of going to my lab and inventing (building) a DWC system, But have a question :-

1/If air pump/compressor fails (gods forbid), bubbles stop for any reason how long will my babies survive?

If anybody can give a rough idea for differant stages of growth it would be very much apreiated.

2/While I'm @ it same question (almost) flow stops on an NFT system how long will my babies survive?

Thanx in advance guys .

Thanx there Bob have you experiance with both methods if so which do you recomend by what I have read NFT seems easyier and have had experiance with it . ie it can be left alone for a few days

Startin to look at yr gro NFT so if you fancy a descussion more of an impart your expertise on me as I am scheming a large gro op!!!!

nft can just be as bad imo drying out is a major problem in nft as well

nft can just be as bad imo drying out is a major problem in nft as well

nft can just be as bad imo drying out is a major problem in nft as well

Hi,
What if the lights fail : what if the timers fail and a dozen other what ifs. Irrespective of the system you design you will need at least one of the following. Supervision; backup system; monitoring (CCTV or alarms) faith . As you intend to design your own system your choice is your oyster there are many fine ideas in the Diaries and Grow room design forums.
As to how long they would last, in NFT not long as the nutrient source is separate from the roots, In Water culture they would survive till the oxygen in the 'water' is depleted which is dependent on the volume and the stillness of the 'water'.
If I was contemplating a large grow I would construct my tables so that no plant is more than 3' from a door and I would contemplate a NFT type system where the roots dangled through the table into the feed reservoir which is run as a bubbler if the NFT pump fails the bubbler supports them if the air fails the NFT system supports them and also agitates the 'water' keeping it sweet. This is a simple description, just an outline not a prototype. Unless you are experienced with the plants you intend to grow, or very experienced with plants in general you may wish to do a few smaller grows first as nature and waterboards can throw curved balls and problems with 10 plants is no fun for the inexperienced, problems with a couple of hundred is another thing.

Hi pipedreamer

The reason I was asking was I was under the impression that with DWC if the roots where hanging into water that was not bubblin like mad they would drown so to speak I thought that the bublin agitated water (air bubbles) stoped plants from drowning so if this was the case roots would root doing the plant in. So I was just wanting to compare the differance if any of the length of time of death to plants. I have experiance with NFT with over 10 plants and had no problems once I learned not to fuck around too much when they re happy just follow simple instructions n leave em be. That is once the enviroment is under control. Hopefully that clears up my question as looking back @ it I did not make myself clear.

I had looked into a type of system you mentioned "krustys buckets" aka "freedom grow" rates of grow seem very good, but through lookin on this site there is no holy grail they all seem to produce about the same ammount its just so many things have changed in this game in 13 years its unbelievable.

Thanx for your input PIPEDREAMER and AGITO and agrow diary WILL be coming

Hi
Roots:- They have 3 zones the lowest third are water feeders the top third are air feeders the mid third go either way. Roots can survive under water as long as that liquid contains oxygen The top third air feeders are subject to the same rules but the plant will drown if they are covered for more than 20 minutes (nominal species vary) so any design needs an air space and any flood and drain needs the liquid to disperse within that time. Had to rush reply if want more info repost or PM.
Yours pipedreamer