Once your seeds are germinated, you may ask, “Ok, but how do I get my seedling into my hydroponic system?” Regardless what type of system or substrate you’ll be using, the process is basically the same. For today, we will be transplanting our seedlings into a single plant DWC system with LECA (Light Expanded Clay Aggregate).
DWC stands for Deep Water Culture, it consists of a plant which has roots suspended in aerated, nutrient-rich water. For beginners, we recommend using something like an EZPonix Grow System, which is easy to set up and use, and provides faster growth than soil.
Before you get started, you’ll want to prepare your system and grow medium. In this case, rinse the LECA and place it in a cup or similar container.
Start by carefully removing your seedling and coco from the seedling tray. Pushing up on the bottom of the seed tray helps to release the coco from the cell. Then, begin to remove the excess coco from the roots, you may want to have something below to catch the anything that falls.
While the roots are delicate, and should be handled carefully, you shouldn't be afraid to touch them. Dunk the roots in a cup of water to wash off the rest of the coco coir.
Taking your net cup, also called a net pot, hold your seedling so the roots are touching, or close to, the bottom of the net cup. Now you can begin adding your LECA around the sides until the seedling is standing on its own and the stem of the plant is mostly above the LECA.
If you haven't already, fill your reservoir until the water is at the bottom of the net cup, and add your nutrients and airstone.
You can also check out our YouTube channel for more tips and detailed walkthroughs.