JORGE'S RX: Bubbling Issue

Bubbling Issue
I take issue with an answer you gave recently concerning whether or not to keep a plant’s roots submerged in aerated nutrient solution. Keeping the plant’s roots submerged in aerated solution is not only “technically” possible as you suggest; deep-water-culture systems promote healthy, explosive growth and yields, can cut down on finish times, and are simple to construct and maintain. Perhaps you should do some research and update your “Indoor Bible” rather than dismissing a simple, cutting-edge technique based on such a silly argument. Try a search on overgrow.com for “DWC” or “bubbler” and see for yourself.
DWC
Internet

Dear DWC,
Ask a dozen growers which is the best system to grow the biggest buds the fastest and you get 20 different answers! I went to the site and found an article on the “Bubbler” listed on the main page. The article was easy to read and packed with descriptive, accurate color photos.

The article outlined the basics of building and growing hydroponically in net pots full of Geolite (expanded clay) suspended in 5-gallon buckets. The buckets are filled with nutrient solution to within one inch of the bottom of the net pot. The roots grow from the net pot into the nutrient solution that is aerated with an aquarium air-stone.

Several buckets are attached to a single “controller bucket.” The yield varies between 0.35 and 0.44 grams per watt (per 30 days of flowering), according to the article. This commentary was very interesting and surely good information to all who have interest in growing in this type of system. Not having to bring in more growing medium for each crop and growing just a few plants to avoid severe legal problems make up for the extra noise generated by air-stones and the lower yield.

However, so as not to mislead readers, the “bubbler” system yields sited in the article hardly make one think it is cutting-edge, promotes explosive growth and yields, or can cut down on finish times. A productive grow show yields a minimum of 0.5 GPW per 30 days of flowering. When fondled by a master grower, a very productive garden, planted with a heavy-yielding variety such as “Chemo” from Serious Seeds, can yield up to 1 GPW (“World’s Greatest Grower,” Mar. ’02 HT). Cutting down on harvest time is most often a function of genetics, fertilizer dosage, bright light and restricted root growth. For a picture of a bubbler system in Indoor Marijuana Horticulture, The Indoor Bible, see photo “A” on page 10 of the first color section.