Deep water culture.

In case you're new to the world of growing plants hydroponically, you may feel a little lost when hearing words like "Deep Water Culture" which seems totally fictitious, right?

In comparison with soil planting, hydroponics looks mind-boggling –but essentially it's pretty straight forward.

There are a plethora of different hydroponic systems, and most have equally as overwhelming names, like nutrient film technique, deep water culture, ebb, and flow). But that's exactly why you're here,  to get the most useful information if you're new to the field. 

We've investigated and now present to you some of the easiest and most well-known techniques for hydroponic planting today – Deep Water Culture, or DWC.

What Is Deep Water Culture (DWC)?

Before we dive into the bare essentials, how about we get a deep overview of this kind of system. In a DWC framework, a plant's underlying foundations are suspended in a very much oxygenated solution, made out of water and supplements.

There are three essential components to this solution:

 

Oxygen: Because the roots are lowered in water and not soil (which has holes and gaps where air dwells), the water should be very much oxygenated so the plant doesn't suffocate. This is achieved with a vacuum apparatus and air stone.

 

Water: Think of this system as though your plants are developing in the soil – this is one reason developing hydroponically is so advantageous – you never need to 'water' again.

 

Nutrients: A decent quality soil contains the entirety of the micro and macronutrients that a plant needs to survive and flourish. Due to the lack of soil, we have to enhance the oxygen-rich water with additional nutrients so our plants can develop.

 

This strategy is called Deep Water Culture for two reasons. One, you normally grow with a supply that can hold a sustainable amount of water. More water implies greater stability in your nutrient solution, which implies less monitoring and upkeep for you!

Another reason is due to how much of the root mass you submerge in the water.  Unlike other methods that expose your plant’s root zone to air and drench them in water scarcely throughout the day I.e ebb and flow systems.  In deep water culture, most of your plant’s root system is submerged within water, a majority of the time.

Advantages of Deep Water Culture

DWC frameworks are well known for various reasons, mainly due to the fact that that they're perhaps the easiest sort of system, to begin with. The one system that provides simplicity in its workings.

Here are a couple of different advantages to developing in a DWC framework:

 

Exceptionally low upkeep once you set it up

Very quick grow time contrasted with soil (I've gotten ready to harvest lettuce t in 30 days rather than 60 in soil)

Almost no moving parts nor the need to assemble equipment.

Downsides of Deep Water Culture

However, it’s not all plain sailing. It is important to be aware of the issues this system could cause you. These can be avoided by maintaining your garden and watching out for any potential blunders.

In smaller more compact systems, pH, water level, and nutrient concentration may fluctuate uncontrollably, causing the plants to die

In small systems, it is easy to under-calibrate or over calibrate calculations to its small scale

If you were to experience an electricity outage or a pump failure, your roots are at risk of drowning in low-oxygen nutrient solution 

Maintaining a consistent water temperature can be challenging

Deep Water Culture Variations

The Traditional Method

Building a Deep Water Culture System

Traditional DWCs are one of the easiest to create. Below entails a list of the different bits you'll need to get up and running!

 

This method is simple and straightforward. Connect the pump directly to the tubing, then the tubing to the air stone, and place the air stone firmly in the bucket.  Proceed to fill the bucket with water, check pH level then add your nutrients, and start your seeds.

If the water is inadequately oxygenated, then your plants should be able t remain fully submerged in the water for their entire life cycle.

Why It Works

Due to the highly oxygenated and nutrient-rich solution, plants grown in DWC systems can be harvested up to twice as fast as normal soil-grown plants!  

Recycling DWC

This conventional technique is particularly fruitful for first-time try-ers, however, imagine you want to scale your system bigger and better? The vast majority of people move to an RDWC, or Recirculating Deep Water Culture system when they want to activate the ultimate u[grade.

In case you're hoping to develop at scale, you don’t want to start with a whole load of different buckets, all running on their own individual calibrator and adjustments. If you wish to grow one plant in multitude, it makes more sense to have a reservoir that can supply that nutrient solutions over all the plants!

Behold the RDWC system!

Here's an example:

Save yourself a bunch of time and energy individually calibrating and ph checking every single one of these buckets! 

Suppose you're wondering how the oxygenation of the water happens if loads of buckets are all tied together. Or how efficient it would really be to have separate buckets supplying the nutrient solutions, which is entirely ineffective for air stone systems.

Recirculating is the key part here! As water makes it way from bucket to bucket, it moves via spray nozzles, whose purpose is to oxygenate the water.

This ingenious modification to the timeless DWC system is that you only have to calibrate, oxygenate, and add more water from one central area, allowing it to feed out to all buckets immediately.

Bubbleponics

Bubbleponics, in reality, is very similar to the traditional DWC, but I personally think It has some significant advantages, that may help you along your deep water culture journey.  Despite its giggle-worthy name, the Bubbleponic variation is rather quite simple.

Instead of patiently waiting for your plants to germinate, and their roots to reach the top of the water in your reservoir, Bubbleponics aims to propel that process by top-feeding the nutrient solution to your plants, but only during the first few weeks to give them that accelerate growth rate.

FAQ About Common Deep Water Culture

Which nutrients are best for my deep water culture system?

There are a plethora of hydroponic nutrients on the market, so it can be challenging trying to figure out which is the best option for you. Personally, I think it’s best to start out with something super simple like the General Hydroponics Flora Series. It’s a three-part hydroponic nutrient that you mix in different quantities based on your plant's growth stage.

Which is the best, singular, or modular system?

If you’re just a beginner, go with a single reservoir system. You can build them yourself or buy one already made. A modular DWC system is better suited for growers who know exactly what they want to grow and how much of it. Start small and scale up as you get more experience and understanding of your plants.

Should my reservoir be sterile?

The answer to this question is dependant on several factors. Some hydroponic enthusiasts want to keep their reservoir sterile. Meaning they choose not to allow any foreign substance, that could contaminate their harvests, such as algae. But this limits them from taking advantage of beneficial bacteria. If you do decide to add beneficial biology to your reservoir, just be aware that it comes with the risk of some unwanted acquaintances joining them.

What should my pH and PPM / EC be for DWC?

Just because you’re growing in a deep water culture system doesn’t necessarily mean you need to adapt your pH and PPM / EC any more than you normally would. Most plants are happiest with a pH between 5.5-6.5, however, you will have to customize and monitor this based on your plant's stage of growth. In the vegetation stage, you want to keep your pH in the higher end of that range, and vice versa when they're flowering.

PPM / EC, readings on the back of your hydroponic nutrients are often. They are higher than necessary. So a rule of thumb is to half that number and see how you get on. You can always adjust upwards quickly, which won't displace your plants too much, however, adjusting downwards can cause your plants to suffer nutrient burns.

What should the temperature of my reservoir be?

This is one of the challenges of deep water culture: it can be difficult to control the temperature of your reservoir.To be cautious try not to exceed 68°F (20°C). Going higher than this will cause the oxygen level in your water to plummet, regardless of what system you're using.

Also, try to keep it above 60°F (16°C). If it goes any lower, your plants think that they’re moving into a new season, and start diverting energy into flowering, which may not be your intended outcome.

When should I change my nutrient solution?

Ensure you change your water at least every three weeks, although this can depend on other factors, such as:

The stage of growth your plants are in

The size of your reservoir 

If you want to avoid completely changing your solution, you can try to add water with some nutrient solution mixed in to get the right balance again, but this is difficult to get right, so I advise a complete change at least until you become more adept at creating the perfect balance.

How do I know how much oxygen is in my nutrient solution?

Dissolved oxygen meters can give you a reading of how oxygenated your solutions are, but they can be costly. .Cheaper meters are not worth buying, due to their consistent inaccuracies. The best way to “monitor” your dissolved oxygen levels is by simply keeping the solution at the right temperature and running your air pump consistently.

How much of the roots should be submerged in my DWC reservoir and nutrient solution?

First of all, make sure that only the root matter is submerged in your nutrient solution -- no stem, and certainly no vegetation. You don’t want to completely submerge the roots, either. I personally keep about 1-1.5″ of the root above the waterline. The bubbles from the air stone will typically pop and water will still land on the roots that aren’t submerged, so you don’t have to worry about them drying out.

How much faster do plants grow in a DWC system?

Plants will grow at least 15% faster in DWC system, given your doing everything mentioned above correctly.

What plants grow best in a deep water culture system?

Pretty much anything. Many varieties of lettuce and lots of different herbs will also work very well in DWC. You also have the option of growing tomatoes, peppers, and even some larger fruits.

Are there any other tricks available to the DWC grower?

Of course! DWC growers are at liberty to manipulate the amount of moisture in the root zone. This can induce plant responses such as essential oil production, fruiting, and flowering. A dryer root zone can increase essential oil production in aromatic crops such as basil and mint. A wetter root zone can cause plants to focus on vegetative production, particularly large fan leaves, which in turn speeds transpiration and photosynthetic potential. 

 

Philodendron erubescens.

Red emerald philodendren.

 

 

Horticulture Chris  

Botaniking 2020.

Come grow with us.