Does it matter how deep the DWC is?

[hermanshooltz]

Hey everybody!

It's been a few years since my last grow and since the last time I was on the forums. Good to be back!

My question is pretty much summed up in the title.
Does the DWC pot actually need to be deep?

I'm thinking of going back to my hobby and need to pick a pot for my future setup. I currently found two types of pots that suite my volume requirements (15l)

One is low and wide and the other one is high (deep) and narrow.

I'd rather go for the lower one cause I am a bit restricted on the box height - 120cm (~4ft) and would prefer to leave as much free space for the plant as possible.

But I'm wondering if the deepness of the pot affects the plant growth in any way.

Would really appreciate if someone has info on this.

 

[PetFlora]

Good question

What I am seeing is you need massive air via air stones

The deeper the rez the more air is needed to create high levels of DO above the surface

See my thread to see it in action

 

[Snype]

If it's RDWC then you may want a deeper bucket so it will be harder for roots to clog the pipes but DWC doesn't need to be that way because there are no pipes.

 

[cravin morehead]

look up SWC or shallow water culture. i believe there is info on this site. glad to hear you're starting up your hobby again.

good luck,

cm

 

[hermanshooltz]

Thanks for a quick response guys!

@PetFlora, cheers, good read but not exactly what I'm looking for at the moment.

@Snype, it is a regular DWC, so no extra pipes, just the airstone.

My question is more about the root structure though.
Can be described with this pic:

[Edit]
@cravin morehead, sorry missed your post, cheers, will check on SWC.

 

[Snype]

Thanks for a quick response guys!

@PetFlora, cheers, good read but not exactly what I'm looking for at the moment.

@Snype, it is a regular DWC, so no extra pipes, just the airstone.

My question is more about the root structure though.
Can be described with this pic:
View Image

[Edit]
@cravin morehead, sorry missed your post, cheers, will check on SWC.

Personally I'd rather have a taller bucket than a wider bucket if I had to choose. The reason that I would say that is because in a wider / lower bucket, the roots would go to the bottom faster and the air stones / stones would have a tougher time and may even be rapped around in the roots. With a taller bucket, this is would be less likely to happen or it wouldn't happen as bad depending on how long your veg times are. Also a wider bucket could also require more air stones.

 

[hermanshooltz]

Ok, so I've done some research and everybody seems to agree that it doesn't really matter for the plant if the container is deep or shallow as long as you provide enough aeration.
There are benefits and downsides to both.

The benefits of the deeper one is that it's gonna be harder for the roots to clog the tubes,
While the shallow one will allow for more space for the plant in the box.

@Snype, I would go for a taller one because of the same reasons. But unfortunately the height restrictions of the box make me go for a shallow one.
If I ever get on to cloning I might test how they both do under the same conditions.

 

[Sativied]

My question is more about the root structure though.
Can be described with this pic:
View Image

[Edit]
@cravin morehead, sorry missed your post, cheers, will check on SWC.

DWC is besides Deep Water Culture also referred to as Direct Water Culture, i.e. the 'deep' isn't really a requirement.

Shallow water tends to spoil faster but as long as you aerate it properly and keep it dark and cool that shouldn't matter much. Spreading the same amount of nutrient solution over a larger surface does allow for a more effective aeration by disturbing a larger surface area.

 

[tommychong]

seems like there is more water in a taller bucket compared to wider bucket because the net pot is higher. would this have impact on effectiveness ?

 

[mojave green]

Old thread, but Shallow allows more surface to air contact which allows more dissolved oxygen