How to setup a hydroponic Deep Water Culture (DWC) system in a 27 gallon tote

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support my site and YouTube channel.

Introduction

I have a pepper plant that had been growing in a 5 gallon bucket DWC, and I needed to move it to something bigger I chose the 27 gallon tote commander XXL for the upgrade container.

Parts and supplies

Steps

  1. I inverted the lid to gain more set up. I set an unused 6″ net pot in the center of the lid and drew a line around it. I free-handed a second internal line about 2″ inside the first circle. This marks where to cut.
  2. I drilled two pilot holes on opposite sides of the inner circle and used a jigsaw to cut this out. I could have (carefully) used a utility knife instead.
  3. I drilled two 1/4″ holes for the airline tubing, evenly spaced on each end (long side) of the tote. This is for the airline tubing.
  4. I spray painted the lid white and let dry.
  5. I cut my airline to the length I needed and inserted each one through the two holes I drilled and attached the 18″ air curtain tubes underneath.
  6. I added 15 gallons of water, then mixed in my nutrients. Following the recommended strength on the package. In my case, I measured 2 tsp/gallon of Flora-Nova Bloom.
  7. I moved the plant from its 5-gallon home and set it in the 27-gallon tote. I drilled two sets of two holes on each side of the net pot and secured to the lid using zip ties.

Video

YouTube player
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through links in this post. This is at no extra cost to you and helps support my site and YouTube channel.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.