How does a dwc hydroponic system work

These are extremely simple to set up, inexpensive while still producing excellent yields that you would enjoy. Start small, you begin. Deep water culture system is a method of growing plants in aerated water. Many growers believe this system to be the purest type of hydroponics. With enough aeration from the water and the ideal temperature, the plant roots will flourish, and the expansion rate and yields that this technique can achieve are phenomenal.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address. Augusta Free Press launched in What is deep water culture DWC hydroponics, and how does it work? This allows a section of the roots to be submerged underwater, while another section is left open to the air. There are many ways in which you can set up a deep water culture system to match your needs as a farmer.

The easiest method of securing the required equipment to start a farm would be to pick up a fully system kit. These are available online and for a wide range of budget options. All of these tools are easily available at most quality hydroponic or gardening stores. When picking out a water tank, make sure to get a model that isn't coated with a light color. You want to try and limit the amount of light passing through the tank, so ideally you should seek out tanks that have a darker tint to them.

After selecting the tank, it needs to be filled with the growing solution selected for the farm. The solution needs to cover the tank entirely and reach up till the base of the mesh pots. After this, it is crucial to keep a check on the pH levels in the water. The ideal range is between 5. Next, the oxygen supply needs to be regulated. This can be done by connecting the pump to the airline, and then connecting the airline to the airstone.

Once these connections have been made, the airstone can be placed at the bottom of the reservoir. You can now begin to place the plants in the pots and allow the roots to hit the water. Turning the pump on at this stage will kickstart the whole system. The traditional methods of farming are falling to the wayside as novel methods emerge to match the demands of the market.

Hydroponic farming is indeed a boon to the modern world. Its many subsections such as DWC offer farmers with plenty of alternatives to grow healthy and hearty crops across the year. DWC is a relatively new form of hydroponic farming, but it is picking up steam quickly because of the ease with which it is possible to set up this system. Information regarding the merits of this system needs to be spread across the farming community to ensure that everyone has access to this form of farming.

Solving the global hunger crisis will only be a few short steps away from that point. Sign up here for our Food Systems Forum from Jul! Agriculture Agriculture. Commerce Commerce. Technology Technology. Contributor Contributor External Guest Writer. How Does It Work? Deep Water Culture Methods There are a few variations of the deep water culture method that one needs to be aware of before setting up a farm. Falling Water Method The falling water method is certainly the lesser popular one out of the two aeration methods available in this system.

Versions of Deep Water Culture Apart from the manner in which oxygen can be supplied to the deep water culture DWC system, there are other variations of this method that are worth exploring as well. Recirculating Deep Water Culture RDWC One of the biggest downsides of the traditional deep water culture system is its inability to scale to large systems when required. Bubbleponics Bubbleponics is the closest version to the traditional system of setting up a deep water culture farm.

This gives the roots a great amount of oxygen which increase growing process, nutrients uptake and will give you an huge harvesting. The air pump deliver fresh air to the growing pot through an air stone, an high level of dissolved oxygen will mainteined inside the solution, this is necessary for the plants healt, roots development and nutrient uptake.

More info? Watch the video. Therefore, every weeks generally the longest you should wait before changing your nutrient solution is three weeks , you should remove your plants from the reservoir to replace and refresh the hydroponic nutrient solution, then place the plants back in the reservoir.

There are a few disadvantages of the DWC system; however, the benefits really outweigh the negative factors, and these disadvantages can be put up with because any type of gardening requires maintenance. These disadvantages are:. Any types of mineral nutrients work well in the DWC. Many growers also use organic forms, and it still produces good results with some drawbacks.

If you are an experienced hydroponic grower, you can go with the nutrients of your choices. But for starters, and for ease of growing but still get the best results, I recommend any nutrients made for Hydroponics not the multi-purpose nutrient package for plants and stay away from organic nutrients.

The 3-part liquid flora of General Hydroponics is my choice. It is relatively inexpensive, very easy to use, convenient and can be mixed at different amounts to suit a variety of plants. These are very easy to set-up, inexpensive while still producing excellent yields that you would enjoy. Start small you get started. You can grow large later after you have got enough experiences. The suggested pH level of all types of plants are from 5. Usually, vegetative crops or crops that are in a vegetative phase need pH in the upper end, while fruits or plants that are in a flowering period require the bottom end of the pH level suggested above.

In this sense, when the nutrient solution in the reservoir declines, the nutrient concentration can reach a higher level, which can be harmful to the plants. One common issue that most growers face in the DWC is the heats in the system caused by the pump. Meanwhile, the temperature in the growing area also adds heats. Too warm and it will decrease the oxygen level in the system. You need to keep the air temperature at 75 — 80oF, and root zone at 60 — 68oF.

Usually, I will replace the nutrient at least once per week. You should only submerge the root bare into the nutrient solution. Keep the stem expose to the air.

And no need to wholly sunk the roots. Keep about 1. These dry parts will help take up more oxygen from the surrounding environment. How do I measure how much oxygen in the nutrient solution?

The best and easiest way to do that is to get a dissolved oxygen meter on the market. But bear in mind that the good one is not cheap while the budget meter is not reliable and long-lasting. Just ensure that the pump air pump runs continuously, and the temperature in the solution is always at the right acceptable level.

But if you grow outdoor, or your place lacks enough sunlight, time to get some. You can also go with the fluorescent tubes.

How much light you get for your growing set up is dependent on your growing area size, kinds of plants, their growth phase, and types of lights. Deep water culture system is the practice of growing plants in aerated water.