Ahhh right it’s also something Bruce Bugbee talks about sometimes, it’s what they use for the NASA studies, here’s his student’s thesis on Osmocote and Turface as an idiot-proof space garden, they were doing Kratky but RDWC is also an “unleached root zone” I guess
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1561&context=etd
As Pot or as dwc?
Pics?
300 gal tote as a dwc container, buried in the ground. net pot was a 50 gal trash can.
Plant was a kc mango cross. I work with short seasons but the damn thing reached over the second floor balcony before it even hit flowering.
Boys in uniform chopped it.
Since going to adult kindergarten I don’t do pics… (unreleated to this)
Dont bring me to stupid ideas. Completely buried?
How you gave them oxygen?
And how you installed the tbash can?
I’ve wasted my entire life 
If there is one massive lesson I’ve learned the hard way over time, it’s that you should NEVER go bigger than necessary on a reservoir!! There is a point where all you’re doing is wasting water, space, effort, and making reservoir changes more complicated.
This is why in the last 2 years I’ve honed my setup down to multiple 10 gallon reservoirs. First and foremost, HDX, Stanley, sterilite, and whoever else you may choose…DO NOT MAKE STURDY ENOUGH 30+ GALLON TUBS!!! When you fill them the sides bow. That’s a massive red flag! These WILL give way in time.
I’ve learned over time that with weekly reservoir changes, 10 gallons is enough volume that one plant can consume all the nute solution it wants without ever using the whole thing so it won’t dry up. But small enough that it doesn’t take up more space than necessary in a tent and is light enough at the end of the week I can pick it straight up and carry it out to refill. Plus 10 gallon Craftsman tubs are exceptionally strong for the volume/weight of 10 gallons of water. The sides never bow even a bit when you fill water to overflowing. Their 20 gallons do start to bend if you fill it all the way.
About 6" left above ground.
I used 4 modified sump pumps to agitate water by using each pump equipped with a ose to break surface tention aimed at each corners on an angle to create a light siphon.
I created a square with flat bars … secured on top of the tote and bolted the trash can to the top
I want to hear everything about this. Just talk about this all day if you want to.
Unrelated…
I have a 2x4x5 grow tent. I want to add a “shelf” or “second level” to it inside. Any ideas for how to do this, diy?
I wanna put a couple small veg or moms on one level (the bottom I guess), and have a “shelf” above for clones/seedlings.
How can I do this and make it sturdy and secure, if at all. So that the shelf won’t come tumbling down (if it’s “suspended” somehow).
The…best thing I could think of so far wasn’t really a single suspended shelf, but just trying to find a shelving unit (those stainless ones people use for microgreens, etc.) that fits perfectly and using that.
Thanks.
Edit: I guess I could try to hang a shelf from the “ceiling” support bars…? But I don’t really like the idea because these tents aren’t really meant (or able) to support that much hanging weight. I duno.
Hose clamps on your poles with a bolt and nut in them to act as shelf supports. 
If it doesn’t take away too much space from your tent you could build a frame inside the tent out of wood for a shelf to rest on. Smaller dimensional lumber like 2x2’s, 1x2’s, 1x4’s and such. I enjoy the brainstorming on things like this. It’s enjoyable to see what others in the community think and suggest. Hope you’re having a nice day. Many blessings and much love
I don’t see a thread mainly about clone tray & domes. I’m just gonna put this here…
I was looking everywhere for a sturdy tray and dome combo for clones and seedlings.
Sturdy like “super sprouter” or “bootstrap farmer” plastic trays, unlike those cheap pieces of garbage that are very thin and extra thin in the corners (the color is actually lighter in the corners where the plastic is “stretched” or stressed more) and they often leak from the corners - not very re-usable. You can’t even pick these thin ones up with anything in them; they bend, buckle, and break. I also wanted proper “drainage” channels on the bottom, if possible (not pockets which don’t interconnect).
Also, the dome needs to be sturdy, clear, straight side walls, tall enough for clones, with vents.
I was looking at the ac infinite tray and dome (the one that @FieldEffect is using in his tent). But $72 cad for one tray and dome just sounds too high.
I came across these “Luvcosy” brand tray & dome kits on amazon.ca. I got the ones that are close to 10x10, which is perfect for keeping some stuff separate, and maybe fit two on a 10x20 heat mat.
Here’s the Luvcosy storefront (it’s only three pages of stuff): Amazon.ca
-10x10 with silicone cell inserts: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BYDCH7HY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1
-10x10 with biodegradable mini pots (if you don’t want the silicone cell inserts, this is a cheaper way to get the trays and domes): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BM9GGQMB?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
-These one’s look about half the size of the 10x10: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CN28GBKM/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?pd_rd_i=B0CN2T3516&pd_rd_w=tGEIl&content-id=amzn1.sym.d8c43617-c625-45bd-a63f-ad8715c2c055&pf_rd_p=d8c43617-c625-45bd-a63f-ad8715c2c055&pf_rd_r=JD0X2DWKPY7N0CKTFSX2&pd_rd_wg=KIYks&pd_rd_r=0c1696bd-8ab1-43e6-a47a-1718d553bfc9&s=lawn-garden&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw&th=1
They even have some that are half the size of these^.
Check the measurements though, the domes get a little shorter as you go down in tray size.
They come with led lights built into the vent pieces - assume they’re garbage though. Maybe good for…something? I didn’t get them for this, and I would’ve preferred if they didn’t come with that (and if the vent cover things were clear plastic). I measured something like 30ppfd (with photone, so maybe 45ppfd).
The bottom trays are very nice, they’re sturdy and have good depth. The domes are nice and tall as well, and they’re sturdy. The silicone cell inserts are very cool, I don’t know how practical in use - depending how you clone/seed and what medium you’re using, but they’re great. They even have a number and letter grid on them for identification - if you want.
There’s a bunch more stuff in the kit, you can check that out if you want.
Two for $40 cad, or two for $26 cad. Good deal. So far I’ve only soaked and washed everything, but I’ll be taking clones in the next couple days and I’ll use them then.
Note: Bootstrap Farmer make nice 10x10 trays, deep and shallow, and also domes for them, which meet all the qualities I wanted. But the domes are on backorder (most places) and where they are in stock (valleyindoor) they’re an absolute ripoff (shipping too). Unless maybe you buy tens of them?
No affiliation. I did write them to ask if I could try one out. They didn’t reply. I bought them anyways.
I find the Viagrow tray and dome setup to be a good one at a good price, $29
These also look really good and I am going to try them this year:
Those Greenhouse Megastore trays very nice, much stronger than a rubbermaid/sterlite type plastic. The video of the two guys lifting another standing in the tray sold me. I picked some up to get my order over the $99 minimum when they had that crazy sale on tents last year and glad I did.
I’m in canada. But those trays look good, yea.
I found a wall mounted mesh for hanging postcards and pictures at a home decorating store which exactly fit my 60x90cm tent. It’s resting on the tents corner brackets and supported by a few 4x4cm wooden blocks and simply held in place with the wraps.
Check out my grow diary for pics 
Cheers
eS🍹
This is so true! If I were to run only DWC I’d just do multiple containers. I have a plant on 5L/1.5gal black bucket now, with a blowback valve on the outside connecting to the airstone on the inside.
This allows me to unplug the bucket from the valve in a second, lift the entire lid including the plant out of its container and place it in a different bucket, quickly swap the water and done, and without breaking my back or the container 
!
It would be super easy to scale this up to 2, 4 or 8 plants, just need an air pump splitter adapter a stone and a bucket.
It also has the advantage of being able to finetune nutes for a specific plant, and without any water pumping around, no risk of fatal catastrophe due to malfunction; if the pump stops working it’s just Kratky 
Cheers
eS 
I use these Sunblaster trays they look very similar to that. The quad thickness is awesome. No issues with my micro flood/drain setup. The local hydro shop stocks these I feel like I add more to the collection every time I go in.
Nice. Good looking out on those trays and domes. I try to support local stores when I can, but all they wanna stock is that chintzy ass bullshit that’ll fold up on you real quick.
I used to work for a major spirit and wine company and we had to recycle IBC totes… all food safe… I eventually got tired of truckers picking them up and started buying them at 30$ a piece.
Dropped many on various patches etc without surprise I found myself stuck with a few… outside of forums im kinda known for over thr top projects . I was talking with a friend who had recently got a license and thought with such a restrictive quota might as well mess around and find out haha
I dug the damn hole by hand, used 2" pex on each pump to waterfall water down from the top.
The massive volume of water in addition to soil 3-4ft down being constantly at 10° and the plant shading its own planter made it easy…
I’ve been growing and breeding pretty hardcore every summer so I knew exactly which line would grow 10" a day.
Eventually I want to do it again out of view of neighbors and will document it.
I had never seen a plant grow this big this fast, sadly I never got to harvest it… but I haven’t said my last word hah
