Can You Double Your Cannabis Plant Yields Using Deep Water Culture (DWC)?

Deep Water Culture (DWC) is the purest form of hydroponics.

There are several different hydroponics techniques, but DWC is the most effective and easiest to use. It’s a simple concept that guarantees faster plant growth and a bigger harvest. Find out what makes DWC the hydroponic technique of choice and what materials you will need to set up yours and make them worthwhile.

Definition of deep water culture (DWC)

Deep Water Culture is a hydroponic technique that involves growing plants in a basin of aerated, nutrient-rich water. The plants are hung with the help of unique pots or nets to ensure that their roots extend down and stay in the growing medium.

DWC is different from other hydroponic techniques in which plants are constantly watered; With DWC, the plants are immersed around the clock in a well-oxygenated solution that contains all the nutrients they need. The reservoir with the solution must be large enough to ensure that the plant is stabilized throughout. Sufficient water needs to be added to the tanks because the more water there is, the less maintenance and monitoring is required.

Types of deep water culture

There are different variations of DWC technology.

Bubbleponics system

This requires the same setup as traditional DWC technology. It can be upgraded by adding a water pump to the reservoir to distribute the nutrient solutions over the mesh cups and then back into the pool. This method combines the circulation system and the DWC with top feeding. It is most preferred in the early stages of plant development; it allows the water to reach the short roots that are not long enough to get the water into the reservoirs.

Bubbleponics is the most preferred DWC technique because it speeds up the seedling and germination stages of plants.

The Kratky Method

This is a passive DWC system that does not require a water pump. The plant receives the necessary nutrients and oxygen through the air gap between the roots and the surface of the nutrient solutions.

Recirculating deep water culture

This is an upscale traditional DWC. It is laid out like a flood and empties the reservoir. Many containers and buckets are attached to a larger tank. In this way, the nutrient solutions are never lost. Instead, they are recycled / recirculated through the system.

Traditional deep water culture system

As with all hydroponics methods, there is a very small chance that the planet will be suffocated from too much water. With DWC, water is provided in the required quantities, with sufficient oxygen and optimal environmental factors. The plants survive and thrive because everything is adequately taken care of.

The most important factor in a DWC system is oxygen. The system must be set up so that oxygen is always available. Many use an air pump or a fall water design to solve this ventilation problem. With this equipment, the reservoir has air bubbles rising from the nutrient mix. The water must be aerated because the roots of the plants are in the solution around the clock; without the oxygen, the plants could become soaked and suffocate. Note that the more air bubbles there are in the reservoir, the better it is for the plants.

Taking many factors into account, DWC is more efficient than its in-ground counterpart.

How to Design a Deep Water Culture

You don’t have to redesign your DWC from scratch as you can order a complete system kit online. There are different sizes and variants of these ready-made kits. If you want to build your DWC yourself instead, you will need the following tools:

All of these can be purchased from a local garden supply store or online. It is advisable to use a dark plastic bowl to encourage media growth and allow proper root development.

First fill the storage container with the nutrient solution. Make sure the system pH is between 5.5 and 6.5. Your pH kit could come in handy here if your system’s pH is above or below the required range. For ventilation and optimal oxygen concentration in the system, you need to connect the air pump, the airline and the air vent. Correctly position the vent in the tank. For young plants, place the visible roots in the reservoir. You need to surround the roots with expanded clay or your chosen growing medium. Note that the plants must be kept in a rockwool.

For nutrient absorption, the Rockwool must be positioned close to the nutrient solution in order to absorb nutrients from the water and distribute them to the plant. The nutrient solution content added to a DWC system decreases as the plant’s root system develops. The nutrient solution must be changed every two weeks. To change the solution, you should first carefully remove your plants from the reservoir and then replenish the nutrient solution. The plants can then be returned to their original position.

Benefits of Using the Deep Water Culture Technique

The main benefit is rapid growth and higher yields. The plants in a DWC have easy access to oxygen and nutrients, and there is less competition for nutrients, unlike their counterpart in the soil. With the right setup, nutrients, and cannabis strain, your plants can grow exceptionally well and produce abundantly.

It is important to know that the rapid vegetative growth of your cannabis plants will result in taller stems and fatter buds, but the plants still need to go through the standard duration before they are ready to be harvested.

Further advantages are:

Disadvantages of deep sea culture

The DWC is a fantastic system that works perfectly most of the time. However, there are some falls that can occur. You are:

Conclusion

Cannabis plants grown using deep water culture techniques will do well most of the time, provided all requirements are met. Thanks to this system, dozens of cannabis growers have seen an explosion in the growth and yields of their plants, which guarantees more profit! This hydroponics technique may seem complex, but with time and a better understanding of the whole concept, you will find that it is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to cultivate different strains of cannabis.

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