Deep Water Culture Hydroponic Systems (DWC)
Deep Water Culture Hydroponic Systems (DWC)
Deep Water Culture hydroponic’s is is a style of hydroponic growing that does not use a medium. Instead, it uses aerated water, a container, lid, air pump and a net pot.
An Oxypot DWC system has a net pot for the plant’s roots to hang from. The roots stretch down, into a pool of aerated, nutrient-rich water. Deep Water Culture hydroponic systems use an air pump and air stone to keep the nutrients oxygenated.
Benefits of Deep Water Culture Hydroponic Systems
Very little growing media required
No matter how big, or small, a Deep Water Culture hydroponic system, it only comprises of:
- A reservoir
- Water and nutrients
- An air pump and air stone
- A net pot and some clay pebbles.
Deep Water Culture hydroponic systems are low-labour. They’re simple to maintain and avoid the mess of re-potting with a soil-based medium. You can easily lift your plants into a bigger DWC pot when needed.
Fast nutrient uptake means larger plants
You should ensure your plants have a healthy root mass before transplanting them in to a Deep Water Culture hydroponic system. The plant needs roots long enough to submerge in the water-soluble nutrient formula. Here, they have unlimited access to a constant supply of water, O2, and nutrient. The lack of a solid medium means that the roots can quickly and easily expand with the freedom to stretch out. Being able to take advantage of all this freedom, and direct access to nutrients, makes for bigger plants.
Reduced risk of pests
Since a Deep Water Culture setup doesn’t use any growing medium, there is a reduced risk from bugs and other pests latching on.
Faster growth – bigger yields
Plants grown in DWC setups have easier access to oxygen and nutrients, which means they use less energy searching for nutrients and developing roots. As a result, plants experience fast vegetative growth and excellent yields. The rapid early growth experienced with DWC systems doesn’t mean your plants will be ready to harvest any earlier. The fast early veg’ growth will result in bigger plants with more potential flowering sites, but it will still require a normal flowering time.
Low maintenance
Once a DWC system is set up and running, it requires very little daily maintenance. If required, you can easily leave it alone for more than 24 hours. This makes it perfect for people who work irregular hours or have lots of other responsibilities.
Automated watering
A DWC system is fully automated, which means you don’t need to worry about under or overwatering your plants. Once set up properly, your DWC will always supply the right amount of nutrients and oxygen to your plants.
Versatile system size
Whether you are growing 2 plants or 20, DWC systems come in a variety of sizes and styles, which will fit in with your needs, lifestyle and space.
Great for experienced growers looking for a change or confident amateurs
There is the opinion that DWC is a “difficult” system to manage, but this is not necessarily true. It’s no more difficult than any other growing method, you just need to learn its quirks and inconveniences. Managed correctly, a DWC system can actually be one of the easiest methods used to grow indoors, as it requires very little time and maintenance.
If you’re brand new to indoor growing, it is still recommended to try your first few grows in a medium like coco. This is because coco can be more forgiving and allows more room for error. If you’re more experienced, with more grows under your belt, and are looking for a change and a system that is less labour intensive, DWC growing could be the one for you.
5 Top Tips for Using Deep Water Culture Hydroponic Systems
1. Reduce the risk of root disease
DWC systems present a high risk of Pythium. “Pyth” is a water mould and causes the roots to rot. To avoid this, you need to regularly change your feed solution, and monitor temperatures closely. Don’t let your reservoir get too warm. Maintain the reservoir around 18-19C. Using a products like Silver Bullet are a real help if your normal reservoir temperature is above 20C, helping to protect against Pythium.
2. Keep good hygiene standards
Linked to the risk of root disease, bacteria and mould can thrive in a DWC system if the conditions are right, so you must commit to managing, refilling and cleaning your system regularly and thoroughly. If your standards slip, then you will pay the price later.
3. Monitor pH and EC closely
Plants take up water and nutrients in different amounts, so keeping track of EC and pH is crucial to ensure the correct nutrient levels are available to the plant at all times. Just because you have mixed the recommended dose of feed, there is no guarantee that the plant is taking the separate elements up in the correct ratios.
4. Filtered water for enhanced results
Depending on your local water supplier, your water can contain cleaning chemicals, such as chlorine or chloramine. Over time these safe-for-human water treatments are harmful to your plants. Using a water filter will remove these harmful elements and provide the best base-water possible.
5. Make sure your power supply is reliable and you have a back up
Technical problems with the air supply or water level falling too low will see plants fail quickly. This system relies on power to constantly oxygenate the nutrient solution. Without a growing medium for protection, the plant will drown from a lack of oxygen. It is imperative that you secure your power supply, make regular checks and have an appropriate back up plan or spares.
Should I use a re-circulating Deep Water Culture hydroponic system?
What’s the difference between a traditional and re-circulating DWC system?
In a traditional Deep Water Culture hydroponics system, your Nutrient solution is not mobile and stays in the reservoir. Any more than one DWC pot with a single plant, you’ll manage each DWC system individually. If you intend growing many plants in DWC systems, raising the number of pots, you may find it more convenient to use a central reservoir for your collections of plants. This is where a recirculating DWC system comes in to play.
Re-circulating DWC systems
In a re-circulating system, your feed constantly travels round your entire system, making managing lots of plants much easier and arguably giving you the best results.
As your nutrient recirculates, it mixes and cools, so you don’t have to worry about it stagnating. Some systems return the water back to the main reservoir for daily mixing. Daily mixing ensures a better balance of oxygen and feed distribution at the perfect temperature. This process also keeps your pH, temperature and CF levels stable, which leads to much bigger yields. With a recirculating system, the reservoir will need changing roughly once a week to keep it fresh.
If you are looking to use a re-circulating system, your plants will share the same nutrient feed. This means that if one of your plants picks up a disease, the chances are that it will spread to all the other plants in the system. There are ways to avoid this, which would go back to the points that we covered previously re: checking and maintaining your DWC system.
A Deep Water Culture hydroponic system is a great way to get into growing hydroponically. The fact that you can start off with a single plant in one Bubbler pot, means that you can get to grips with the fundamentals and iron out any problems before successfully expanding the amount of plants that you grow.
