Deep Water Culture Hydroponic Bucket Kit 5 Gallon

Today we are going to discuss the deep water culture hydroponic bucket kit 5 Gallon.  But to start I am going to provide a brief overview of Deep Water Culter or DWC.

Deep water culture is a hydroponic method of growing.

Items you will need to get started in DWC are:

• Water Container – container where the water will be stored that the plants will use for their water needs.  And since today's topic is the 5 Gallon bucket that will be the water container. If you just have water and plants your plants will eventually use up all the oxygen in the water and the plants will end up dying.  So the next item you need is a …
• Air Stone – an air stone or an aquarium bubbler is aquarium equipment made of pourus stone that helps distribute air into the water of the tank.  You can find airstones at your local aquarium store or petco. They are sold in various sizes such as a 12 inch long rectangle or in circular disks.  Either will do. And they connect to the next item we will need which is a …
• Air Pump-  You will need a cheap air pump nothing too expensive that you can also find at your aquarium or petco store or even walmart or amazon.  This is used to pump the air through the air stone providing a nice mixture of air for our plants growing in the container. To complete the air pump and air stone you combo you will need a ..
• Tubing – You will need a 1/8 inch non clear tube to connect the pump to the air stone.  You want to make sure the tubing is not clear otherwise you run the risk of getting algae growth on the inside and cleaning can become an issue down the road.  Now after the first 4 items the next item you will need is your …
• Growing Media – this is what your seeds will grow in.  There are a few options you can choose from for growing media.  Some of the top ones are – Grow Stones, Rockwool, Expanded Clay aggregate, Coco Coir, Perlite or Vermiculite.  Some growers like to start the seeds in something like a rockwool cube and then transfer to another medium once the seed starts to grow.
• Net Pot – you need the net pot which is like a cup with holes like a screen to hold the Grow media and the plant.  The net pot will sit in the lid of the bucket and hold the grow media and allow the necessary contact with the water.  And because the net pot is mesh with holes the roots can grow through the holes and reach the water. Last but not least you are going to have to decide what to grow and get ..
• Seeds or Plants – you will need to decide what you want to grow and buy the seeds.  I recommend non gmo organic seeds for whatever it is you choose.
• Nutrients – you will need to have some nutrients to add to the water to keep your plants healthy and growing.

There you have it the 8 items you need to start a deep water culture hydroponic kit.  You can buy all these items by going to a couple of local stores – Home Depot and Petco and maybe Amazon.  Or you can get them all online at amazon and have them in a day or two.

The great part is that all of this is not very expensive and can last a long time and you can keep growing different plants over and over again. 

Besides being low in price it is also very low maintenance.  You just need to make sure the water level is right – add a little every now and again and make sure you add some nutrients.

Below is a list of the individual items that you can grab off of amazon and be ready to start growing in a day or two (below that is a kit you can buy that makes it even easier to get started)

• Container:  Food Safe 5 Gallon Bucket with Lid $16.20
• Air Stone $3.95
• Air Pump $6.45 
• Tubing $8.81
• Growing Media Expanded Clay Aggregate $13.70
• Net Pot Cups $7.77
• Non GMO Vegetable Seeds

Total not including seeds is about $57.00 

Not too bad for a growing system that will last and last and last.

So you can either piece buy the list of products above and really get into the build and the DIY aspect.  Or you can get a kit that contains all the items above for an equal price or a little higher.

This below kit is a popular kit that contains everything you need to start growing all in one bundle.

Deep Water Culture (DWC) Hydroponic Bucket Kit 5 Gallon

Items included

• Bucket
• Large Single Net Pot
• 44 Gallons Per Hour Air Pump
• Air Tubing
• Air Stone
• Growing Medium
• Starter Rockwool cube
• Price : $39.99

*Note this kit doesn’t include the nutrients where as some of the ones below do.

Another option similar to the above is a DIY kit where you get all the items except the bucket and you would have to provide that.

The Atwater HydroPod – DIY Add Your Own Bucket KIT

Items Included

• 8″ Mesh bucket lid with integrated DWC/recirculating drip ring
  combination insert & See through water level indicator.
• *Bucket Not Included*
•  Dual outlet air pump with all tubing and 4″ air stone
• Clean dual elbow connectors for connecting both air lines to the
  Hydropod.
• Powdered Grow and Bloom nutrients
• pH Testing Kit 
• Hydroton Grow Rocks
• 6 Pack of Rockwool Starter Cubes

HTGSupply 5-Gallon Bubble Boy 4 Banger

Items Included

• Heavy-duty 5-gallon bucket
•  (4) 3″ net pots
•  (4) 3″ net pot lids
• 7.8 liter-per-minute (123 GPH) adjustable dual-outlet air pump
• 4″ premium air stone
• (4) all-natural starter plugs
• hydrostone grow medium
• air tubing & 1/4″
• complete instructions & hydroponic tips for beginners

The Atwater HydroPod – Deep Water Culture Drip Hydroponic Garden System Kit

Items Included

•  5 Gallon Food Grade black bucket.
• 8″ Mesh bucket lid insert & Water Level Indicator.
• Drip ring and water column with aeration drive fittings
• Dual outlet air pump with all tubing and 4″ air stone
• Clean dual elbow connectors 
• Powdered Grow and Bloom nutrients
• pH Testing Kit
• Hydroton Grow Rocks
• 6 Pack of Grodan 1.5″ Starter Cubes

One more system option not including a 5 Gallon Bucket is a hydroponic system built in a rubermaid type container.  And just to give you an idea of what that looks like I have included the details below. All items required are identical to what is listed at the top its just using a different water container.

Homend DWC Deep Water Culture Hydroponic System Growing Kit

Items Included

• Lid and Water Reservoir
•  Air Pump
• Micro Tubing
• Air Stone
• 8 – Net Cups
• Grow Stone Wool
• 1 Bag Clay Pebbles

Deep Water Culture Hydroponics Recap

• Deep Water Culture Hydroponics is easy to start
• You need the following to get started
  • Water Container
  • Aquarium air bubbler and Air Stone and Tubing
  • Growing Medium and Net Pot (to hold seeds and growing medium)
  • Seeds
  • Nutrients
  • You can put all of this together from your local hardware and pet store
  • Or you can buy various kits
  • Either way you choose it's easy to start and low maintenance