DIY Deep Water Culture Bucket

Deep water culture hydroponics has really been coming on strong as a popular way to grow hydroponically. Not only is it popular with newcomers to growing but the veterans have warmed up to this type of system as well. It can be a great entry way into hydroponic gardening because it is relatively easy to set up, easy to maintain, and your results have the potential to be phenomenal. My favorite use for this type of system is to use it to maintain mother plants.

Deep water culture hydroponics works by suspending your plant roots into a nutrient solution that is heavily oxygenated with air stones. If you simply tried to hang your plant into a nutrient solution without providing oxygen to the roots, the root system would decay and die. These roots desperately need a high level of oxygen in order to properly process the nutrients and water they intake.

Here are the materials you will need to get going. This material list is to build one DWC bucket.

From Your Local Hardware Store
1 2-5 gallon paint bucket with lid	$2.50
From Your Local Grow Shop
1 3.75” mesh net pot	$0.85
Air Pump (2 outlet, more if more buckets)	$10.00
1/4” air hose	$2.00
1 air stone (high grade for hydroponic use)	$2.50
Hydroton	Just enough to fill the cup

It is also recommended that you have the following tools:

• Serrated knife (for cutting the hole in the lid)
• Drill
• 1/4″ drill bit

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Here is a step by step guide to build your own DWC bucket, also called bubbleponics by some growers:

1.) Trace your mesh net pot onto the top of the middle of the bucket. I decided to use a screw to make a very faint circle, this way you don’t have any left over ink after cutting out the circle.

Here is what it looks like after you trace it:

2.) Cut the circle out of the lid. Start the cut by drilling a hole within the circle to put your serrated knife into. From there just keep cutting within 1-2 mm inside the circle. If you cut exactly along the line, it will be slightly too big for the mesh net pot to rest inside the hole, so this is why you want to cut inside the circle. As you can see below, it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle. Just enough to fit the net pot into.

3.) Drill a 1/4″ hole into the top of the lid, towards the rim. This will be used to send the air tube and air stone through.

4.) Run air stone into the bucket through the drilled hole, fill with the nutrient solution of your choice, place lid on top, add your plant and hydroton to the mesh net pot (optional, you can also use a foam insert instead). Run your air stone 24/7 to make sure those roots get plenty of oxygen and you have your very own DWC Bucket.

Hopefully you now have everything you need to create a successful deep water culture hydroponics system!

If you feel like you are in over your head, you can purchase a great hydroponic system here.

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