While some cannabis cultivators simply grow plants in soil, others look into more elaborate growing techniques, such as hydroponics. Deep Water Culture (DWC) is one method of growing cannabis hydroponically that can have many advantages. In a DWC setup, the plants are suspended in special pots or nets, with their roots stretching down, immersed into a pool of aerated, nutrient-rich water.
Another system, called bubbleponics or top-fed DWC, is almost identical to normal DWC systems, except for the fact that they have a waterpump within the reservoir that is connected to small irrigation tubes.These tubes are inserted into the net pots hanging from the top of the system—exactly where the young roots emerge from the starting block. This means young plants receive a good dose of oxygen and nutrients before their roots reach the reservoir below, resulting in faster growth and better-established plants.
Photo credit: Royal Queen Seeds
According to Royal Queen Seeds, there are various advantages to these systems, such as fast vegetative growth and bigger yields, reduced risk of pests, plants can grow larger, the systems are low-maintenance, and watering is easier. Of course, there are also some disadvantages, such as the risk of air pump failure, temperature maintenance can be difficult, and there can be fluctuations in nutrient concentration, water level, and pH, making for a rather time-consuming chore of continuously checking and adjust these.
All in all, there are many benefits to such a system, and it might just prove to be the system for you. If you would like to read a little more about how to set up a DWC system, or what strains work best in it, click here.
For more information:
Royal Queen Seeds
www.royalqueenseeds.com