What is DWC?

[Dnutz]

To all of the highly experienced hydro growers on here, can you explain to me what exactly DWC is and how it works? Why does it work so well for plants? What are the advantages of DWC over say an Ebb and Flow system? Any info is greatly appreciated!

[Scarlet Sky]

dwc is deep water culture; you grow a plant in a bucket with aerated water.

here's a link...

Bubblers or DWC/deep water culture (http://hygronomics.com/forum1/index.php/topic,11.0.html)

[Dnutz]

Thanks skarlet, i read that post earlier and it still doesnt make much sense to me...could you explain it in more detail? o and i posted that thread about Cdots stains in the Seeds and Strains section

[Scarlet Sky]

sure, i'll give you a rundown. are you set on how to make one? that's the first step

[Dnutz]

ya i think i get it. like what i need to make one you know. a 5 gallon bucket, airstones, air pump, net pots, hydroton, and nutes right?

[Scarlet Sky]

yep, and that's all there is to it

you keep the water level high enough that the bubbles splash the medium, keeping it moist. the bubbles supply oxeygen for the roots to flourish.

the roots will grow to hang in the water, and eventually will for a giant root mass at the bottom of the bucket. add nutes when you see roots emerging from the net pots.

[Dnutz]

Do i turn the air stones on 3 times a day or do they stay on 24-7?

[Scarlet Sky]

here's a simple set up, a deep water culture bucket with limited budgets in mind. this will be a complete grow diary, with a just rooted clone as the experiment plant. the strain is dutch passion's blueberry.

the first thing you'll need is a 5 gallon bucket and lid. i procured these items for free at a construction site in a nearby neighborhood. wash thoroughly, as there may be any number of bad things waiting to grow in the bucket along with your plant.



next, you'll need a net pot. i made one by poking many holes in a 12 ounce cup. i put a long shanked screwdriver in the woodburner for a few minutes, and punched right trough the plastic. after a hundred holes or so, it's ready for a medium.



choice mediums are rockwool and hydroton; crushed lava rocks can be used also. my free alternative is driveway gravel. i selected small and medium sized gravel, and washed well (same reason as above), and sterilized by boiling for 10 minutes.



in that ten minutes, i cut a hole in the lid, using the bottom of the cup net pot as a refference. i got the cup in place just as the rocks were ready to come off the stove. i then strained the gravel through the net pot, and set in cool running water for ten minutes.



once the gravel cooled down, i punched two pen sized holes in opposite sides of the lid. i then ran my airlines through these holes, and connected my airstones. i possitioned the pump atop the lid for easy removal, and connected the lines to it...



now, it's time for the cutting. this one has just put out two little tap roots. i placed the cutting in an upright possition in the gravel, and set rocks around the base to hold and stabilize the plant.

after that, i filled with water (so that the two inches of the bottom of the cup are under water) set under the 400w mh, and plugged it up.



viola! a super cheapo dwc bucket!

[Scarlet Sky]

air stays on 24/7

[Dnutz]

alright sweet, that does look pretty easy! o and i got yahoo, message me at shibby9980603

[dolphins13]

im gonna try running the setup you explained, a few wquestions what are airstones?and where can i get them and what kind of pump should i use? im new to all of this its my first time trying to grow. i am going to keep the setup in an oldfull size freezer that i gutted out with a grow light hanging from the top

[tinytoon]

airstones and pumps can be purchased at any Hydro shop or you can pay about 1/3 of what they charge and go to fish department in Walmart :thumbsup: 2 stones, line and get the dual outlet air pump. Duel outlet costs just a bit more but you will get more O2 into the water (bubbles) and the plants will thank you greatly!! If there are no construction sites around you can get the 5 gal bucket at Lowes, they are already light proof and run about $2.50. Thats one thing that wasn't mentioned, NO light to the roots!! Bucket and lid MUST be light proof. If you have a couple extra bucks go to petco and get the black air tubing instead of clear. Put a couple pics in, the last is of a rootball.

[dolphins13]

thanks for the info. I am growing in a freezer thats about 20 cubic feet, and its in a non air-conditioned room. its pretty hot where i live, and was just wondering if i should put some kind of fan or something in the freezer? is heat gonna be an issue? and my plants are already about a month old and a foot tall they are in dirt now, and i'm gonna transfer them to a dwc, should i anticipate and problems with the transplant? thanks for the help!!

[theish]

definately going to have heat issues in that freezer, it is well insulated. If you're using an mh/hps def. want a cool tube. And a good ventilation system for the rest of the freezer. Test it with a thermometer before putting your plants in there to test the temps.

[Mark4MMJ]

I fist heard about DWC from this Youtube Channel, The dude yields 1 & 1/2 lb per plant and harvests 1 -2 plants a\per month with a 16 plant max. Over a pound a month?? Hell YA!!!

Watch. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDj8IITCb20)