Growrilla Hydroponic system 2.0 RDWC 12

Twelve pots in four rows of three, holding 195 litres. The point at which a Growrilla setup stops being a tent system and becomes a grow room.

With four rows of three, the Growrilla Hydroponic System 2.0 RDWC 12 fills a 200 by 200 tent or a small dedicated room. The water pump is an HR1500 at 1400 L/h and the air pump a V60 distributing 60 litres of air a minute across twelve air stones.

At this scale the single controller pot really earns its place. Mixing and adjusting 195 litres in one vessel is a different job from managing twelve separate reservoirs, and that is the main reason growers at this size choose recirculating over individual buckets.

Water consumption: where most of your time goes

With twelve plants in full flower, topping up is no longer a side task. It is the thing you do most often, and the thing that most often goes wrong.

A mature plant in flower takes roughly one to two litres a day. Across twelve, that is 12 to 25 litres a day leaving the system. More than ten percent of the total contents, every day.

These figures are a guide, not a rule. Consumption depends on your variety, your climate and your light intensity. What does always apply is the trap.

A plant takes up water faster than nutrient. What remains in the reservoir is therefore more concentrated than what left it. Top up with full-strength nutrient and EC stacks up, higher every cycle, until you eventually burn your own roots while believing you are following the schedule correctly.

The rule is simple: top up with water at a lower EC than your target, measure afterwards, and only correct if it is needed. Not the other way round.

Changing the solution, and why you keep doing it

Even with perfect topping up, a solution goes out of balance over time. A plant does not take up every element equally, so the ratio between what is in the water shifts gradually, even while your EC meter shows a perfectly reasonable number. That meter adds up all the salts together and tells you nothing about the distribution.

So you replace the entire contents every one to two weeks. At 195 litres that is a serious operation: drain through the tap on the controller pot, mix fresh, set EC and pH. Allow half an hour, and make sure there is a drain nearby before you decide where this system goes.

Technical Specifications:

• System type: RDWC recirculating hydroponic system
• Growing pots: 12 x 19 litre (Ø 30 x h 33 cm)
• System rows: 4
• System water volume: 195 litre
• Plant spacing: 50 cm
• System footprint: 180 x 145 cm
• Recommended growing area: 200 x 200 cm
• System power: 55 watt
• Air pump: Hailea V60 (60 L/min, 3600 L/h)
• Water pump: Hailea HR1500 (1400 L/h)

Frequently asked questions

How much water goes through it per grow?
With an eight-week flower at an average of fifteen litres a day, you are looking at roughly 800 to 900 litres including the full changes. Useful to know before you decide where to put this system.

Can I automate topping up?
Yes, with a float valve and a reservoir. Bear in mind that automatic topping up with plain water lowers your EC and with nutrient raises it: you keep measuring, even with automation.

Why four rows rather than two long ones?
Two rows of six would be 80 by 275 centimetres, which fits almost no square room. Four rows of three brings it back to 180 by 145. If you want the other shape, the joints can be relaid.

Can I reach the inner rows?
With four rows, not without leaning across. Plan your access before you build and put the controller pot on the side you work from.

Isn't 55 watt low for this size?
That is the manufacturer's figure, and it is indeed striking, since the nine-pot system is rated at 60 watt with a smaller air pump. We have queried it; until we hear back we publish the stated value.