Hello world!

Welcome to Ryan and Sarah’s world of hydroponics. For this assignment, we decided to build a Deep Water Culture (DWC) system. DWC is a simple hydroponic system that consists of a container filled with nutrient solution and cups floating, or sitting, above the nutrient solution. The roots of the plants then grow through holes in the bottom of the cup and are submerged directly into the nutrient solution. The roots receive air through an air stone, connected to an air pump, circulating air throughout the system.

Our DWC system is a round plastic container, about 5″ in diameter and about 4″ tall. We drilled three holes into the lid, for our cups to sit in. As our Mesclun grows, the roots will grow beyond the boundaries of the cup and into the nutrient solution.

In order for our Mesclun to grow, there are a few items we will want to check on a regular basis. First of all, pH. This is very important because we want to keep a pH between 5.5-6.8. Also, temperature is important. Mesclun enjoys a cooler climate, but not too cool. We want to make sure our temperature does not drop below 60 degrees F. If our system gets to be too hot, our plants could wilt away and die, or algae growth could increase. These are two items will be measured often, along with some other aspects of our DWC system.

Follow us in our journey of the growth of Mesclun!!