Hydroponic System: The Fundamentals

A Hydroponic system is the next step in becoming a master grower. While there are many methods to choose from, the hydro method is becoming one of the fastest-growing choices for home growers.

There used to be a time when you would pay an arm and a leg at your local garden store for a setup. On top of that, you had to dedicate large swaths of indoor space in order to simply use one.  Now that technology is advancing faster and more efficiently, the idea of owning a hydroponic grow is as simple as setting up a surround sound speaker in your house.

Today we are going to talk about a Deep Water Culture (DWC) system for your home.

The DWC uses air stones connected to a small aerator in order to circulate the water in your 5-gallon bucket. The plant sits in a basket on top of the bucket and typically utilizes porous volcano rocks to act as the grow medium. This system does not require any soil and can increase your harvest by a whopping 30% if done correctly!

There are only a few things you will need outside of purchasing an all-in-one hydroponic system. Outside of the kit, you will need to purchase a light, fan, and grow tent. Fortunately, The Budgrower sells all the hardware that you will need in order to get started. From there you just need to grab either a seed or some clones to get started.

First, take the airstones and attach them to the small aeration tube. If you have a two-stone system, then you may simply need to cut the tube in half and attach both stoned to one end. Once you have done that, simply take the open ends of each tube and push them onto the aeration motor.

Once you have completed that, take your 5-gallon bucket and fill it with clean, filtered, and dechlorinated water.

After that is done, take your lava rocks, and wash them for 5-10 minutes until you no longer notice any cloudy water. When the lava rocks are fully washed, empty them into the basket located on the cover of the hydroponic bucket.

Make sure to place the aeration stones inside the bucket before placing the cover on top.

There! Your system is now complete!

For more, check out our Hydroponic Grow Kits.