Deep Water Culture System: What is it and How does it work?

Are you familiar with deep water culture system? Did you know that it is the simplest kind of hydroponic system that is available today?

Get to know what a deep water culture system with the information provided below.

What is Deep Water Culture System?

Deep water culture system is a kind of hydroponic system, which is known to be efficient when it comes to hydroponically growing your plants. Both commercial and hobby growers are using this type of system because of its simplicity and inexpensiveness.

This is a kind of hydroponics gardening wherein the plants are being grown by ensuring that their roots are suspended in a particular solution that has an oxygenated water. The water is then rich in all the nutrients that are essential for the growth of the plant.

(Refer to our in-depth guide for more details on different types of hydroponic systems.)

Below are some of the best deep water culture system for 2024.

Best Deep Water Culture Systems

How Does Deep Water Culture System Work? 

When it comes to deep water culture system, the plants are usually suspended in the baskets which are then placed in the reservoir, which releases the nutrient solution.

The roots of the plant are directly hung down from its basket into the system's nutrient solution. They will remain submerged in there for 24 hours and 7 days.

You don’t have to worry about the solution suffocating the roots because the roots are getting the oxygen and air that they need from the rising air bubbles from the system’s nutrient solution.

Air Bubbles in Your DWC System

The air bubbles are provided with the use of air stones and air pump. The bubbles will be released to the nutrient solution for the system and as well as the other types of the hydroponic systems.

The pump is the one responsible for providing air volume, which will then be connected to the air stones using an air tubing or an air line. The air stones, on the other hand, are made out of rock or porous material with tiny pores.

The pores are the ones creating the air bubbles which will rise on top of the system’s nutrient solution.

Soaker Hose in DWC System

A soaker hose is the one responsible for creating even tiny bubbles and is placed in the air stones too. The tinier these bubbles are, the better because it will be beneficial in aerating the nutrient solution.

The reason behind this is because they have the ability to provide a lot of surface contact with the water. This will then help replace any oxygen that has dissolved from the roots of the plants.

Falling Water in Deep Water Culture System

The splashing falling water around the plant is another great way to the nutrient solution to be aerated. Put in mind that the higher the water falls, the more water will splash once it starts hitting the surface.

The more forced it is the oxygen provided will be more dissolved, and the agitation will be deeper. Typically, this aeration method is common in systems that are for commercial use since they are using a large quantity of water.

Recirculating the Water in Deep Water Culture Hydroponics

When the water is being recirculated, it will allow the grower to utilize the falling water to make it an aeration source.

The good thing about this is that you don’t need to check the level of water for each of the containers, since all you have to do is to check and start replacing the central reservoir. This is a great help if you are in the process of growing plants that are large.

Some growers prefer using buckets instead of containers, and they make sure that each of the buckets has their plant and is generously filled with the needed nutrient solution.

There are now deep water culture system that is equipped with bucket rows and are using pond or fountain pump to ensure that the system is pumping enough nutrient solution for each of them.

Once the buckets are filled with water, the excess will start to spill to the overflow tube. The tube will then put the water back to the system’s reservoir.

Wrapping Up Our Guide to Deep Water Culture System (DWC System)

Now that you know more about DWC system, check out our roundup of vegetables, herbs, and fruits you can grow hydroponically.

Due to the many advantages of deep water culture system, more and more people are using it. Some of the advantages that it has are that they are low maintenance and are easy to set up, and limited moving parts. 

They can also help in growing your plants rapidly, compared when planting them in the soil. These are all the information that you need to know about deep water culture system.

Now that you have read everything about it, it is time for you to decide whether deep water culcture is the type of hydroponic system that you want to help grow the plants that you want without using any soil at all.