How to Change the Water in the Deep Water Culture Bucket

Deep water culture (DWC) is a simple method of hydroponics or growing plants in water instead of soil. A typical deep water culture technique is to suspend plant roots in a bucket that contains a nutrient-rich solution. The solution is oxygenated by an aquarium air pump and diffusing stone. A deep water culture system is inexpensive and easy to set up. The disadvantages of a deep water culture system are difficulty changing the water, checking the pH and maintaining nutrient levels as your plant grows larger. The best way to change the water in your deep water culture bucket is to prepare a second reservoir and transfer the plant.

Bucket
Nutrient solution
pH meter or litmus paper
CF meter
Aquarium air pump
Diffusing stone
Plastic tubing

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare a fresh nutrient solution in a clean bucket the day before you plan on changing the water. Your extra bucket should be similar to your "dirty" bucket, so that the plant can be moved easily from one to the other.
- 2
  Check the pH of your new solution using a pH meter or litmus paper. If necessary, adjust the pH to the correct range. Most plants thrive in pH between 6.3 and 6.5.
- 3
  Measure the conductivity factor (CF) of your nutrient solution in parts per million (ppm) using a CF meter. The CF is an indication of the concentration of nutrients in the solution. Heavy feeders such as tomatoes require more nutrients than light feeders like lettuce. The average plant requires a CF of 7.5 to 20.
- 4
  Aerate the nutrient solution overnight using an aquarium air pump connected to a diffusing stone via plastic tubing. Check the pH again in the morning and adjust if necessary.
- 5
  Remove the lid, containing the entire plant, from your "dirty" reservoir and place it on your clean reservoir. At this point, your plant is ready to be placed in the sun or under grow lights if you are indoors.
- 6
  Discard the old nutrient solution. The dirty bucket should be cleaned and sterilized with a mild bleach solution.

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