Hydroponics · Shopping list

DWC tote starter list

A deep water culture tote for lettuce, herbs and greens indoors: tote, air, nutrients, light and the tools to put it together.

One 27 gallon tote holds 6 to 8 lettuce or herb plants in net pots through the lid, with an air stone keeping the roots in oxygen. Two totes is the point where a shared air pump and one light per tote start to make sense. The DWC vs Kratky guide covers how it works; getting started with hydroponics covers the first month.

The list

Size 1 tote, 6 to 8 plants 2 totes, 12 to 16 plants

The tote

IRIS 27 gal heavy-duty totes, 4 pack Black, so no light gets in to grow algae. One is the reservoir; the rest are spares or a second system.

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VIKITON hole saw, 3 in For cutting net pot holes in a tote lid. Measure your pots first: the hole should be a little narrower than the rim.

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Cz Garden 3 inch net pots, 25 pack The standard 3 inch size most lids and Kratky jars are cut for.

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Hydroton clay pebbles, 10 L Enough for a lot of net pots. Rinse it before use; the bag is dusty.

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Grodan A-OK starter cubes, 98 x 1.5 in The usual 1.5 inch seed cubes. Soak them at pH 5.5 first.

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Air

Active Aqua 4-outlet air pump, 15 L/min Six watts, inside the 4 to 8 W the stones are made for. The spare outlets take a second stone or a second tote.

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VIVOSUN 4 x 2 in air stones, 2 pack One stone per tote. The pack has two.

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AQUANEAT airline tubing kit, 25 ft Standard 3/16 in tubing with connectors, a few check valves and small stones.

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Nutrients and testing

Masterblend 4-18-38 combo kit, 2.5 lb All three parts this mix uses: Masterblend, calcium nitrate and Epsom salt.

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General Hydroponics pH Control Kit pH Up, pH Down and test drops. Cheaper than a meter and never needs calibrating.

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Bluelab PENCON pen, EC pen Optional, but it takes the guessing out of mixing and topping up.

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Light

Spider Farmer SF1000, 2 x 2 ft One per tote. The tote is about 2.5 x 1.7 ft, close enough to the 2 x 2 ft this light is made for.

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GE 24-hour plug-in timer, 1 pack Mechanical timer for lights, in 30-minute steps.

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Not on the list

Seeds aren't here; buy them from a seed company rather than from Amazon's mixed listings. You'll also need a drill for the hole saw. Fill the tote about two thirds of the way, cut the lid holes before mixing nutrients, and keep the tote out of direct sun so the water stays cool.