Of all the hydroponic systems in use today, deep water culture is by far the cheapest and most reliable. Deep water culture is a method of hydroponic gardening where plant's roots are submerged in a water reservoir 24 hours per day. Why does this not kill the plant? You may ask, well when nutrients and an air stone are added to the water, the plant treats the water just like high grade soil. In these hydroponic systems, the plant constantly has access to water and nutrients, and as long as the air pump is running, the plant's roots will never drown. This results in much faster growth than soil gardening.
If you are a fan of DIY hobbies, deep water culture systems can be built for just a couple bucks, the only equipment you need to purchase is an air pump and air diffuser/air stone. These will run you about $10 total at a local aquarium store or hydroponics retailer. Deep water culture systems are known as the most stable hydroponic systems due to the large water reservoir. As plants take nutrients out of the water, the PH level will slowly rise, so a PH down solution needs to be added at least every week. PH down solutions range from special hydroponic PH down bottles, all the way to apple cider vinegar, which is a very popular organic option. To put it simply, if you have a small plant in a large reservoir, you will not need to adjust the PH very often, on the flip side, if you have many huge plants grown in a small reservoir, your system will require daily adjustments if you want your plants to be at max health. Having a hydroponics hobby is something that doesn't take a lot of time and can yield delicious vegetables year round.
There are several fantastic articles about DIY deep water culture system on the net. If you would like more of a deep water culture overview, be sure to check it out before you dive into your first DIY hydroponic project!:)
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