Growing hydroponically indoors is rapidly becoming the popular choice of beginners and advanced gardeners alike. This trend is due to the simple fact that a plant grown using any hydroponics technique will grow faster and yield more production than an identical plant grown in soil.
To grow hydroponically means only to grow in a soil less medium and that roots are supplied with a pre-mixed nutrient solution. The hydroponics technique, whether it be flood and drain, passive hydroponics, drip or sprinkler, deep water culture, or nutrient film technique, is entirely up to the gardener. Each system has its advantages and its disadvantages. With the proper know-how and maintenance, one can pick a hydroponics garden that is best suited for their situation and have that garden thrive.
Passive hydroponics is the simplest and lowest production method of growing hydroponically. The passive form of hydroponics involves growing a plant in a hydroponics medium contained in a “self-watering” pot. “Self-watering” pots do not actually water themselves. These innovative plant containers have a wick that transfers nutrient solution from the pot’s reservoir to the growing medium and roots using capillary action. All growing mediums are adequate for passive hydroponics. Using soil is technically not hydroponics but rather terraponics.
There are benefits of growing your plants using passive hydroponics. Growing in “self-watering” pots is the simplest way of growing hydroponically. These pots do no have any moving parts. This means there is nothing to breakdown or get clogged. The gardener only must refill the reservoir or top-water the plant whenever the growing medium dries out. This method is becoming a favourite with orchid growers as it mimics the conditions orchid roots prefer in nature.
There is however, a downside to growing using passive hydroponics. Since the plant is still being grown in a pot, the plant can become root-bound, not allowing the plant to reach its full potential. The main benefit if growing hydroponically is the unlimited root space available. This benefit does not apply to passive hydroponics. This limitation is the main reason why passive hydroponics yields the least production compared to the other hydroponics growing methods.
Next on the production scale of hydroponics is the deep-water culture technique. This technique involves a growing tray containing plants fitted on top of a reservoir. The plants in the top tray are generally started in rockwool that is placed in baskets and surrounded by a coarser medium. The plants’ roots are allowed to grow down into the reservoir. The water in the reservoir should just reach the bottom of the baskets containing the plants. This will coax the roots to grow down into the reservoir in search of nutrients. Air-stones should be used to aerate the water.
The benefits of growing in a deep-water culture hydroponics system are numerous.
The deep-water culture system is simple in its design and limits the risk of root damage. With roots allowed to grow down into the reservoir, deep-water culture systems do not need a submersible pump to supply the root-zone with nutrient solution. Even if an air pump breaks, the roots that are not submerged will take in oxygen, preventing the plant from drowning.
The main negative attributes of growing in a deep-water culture system are in regards to available space. This system limits the grower’s space to the size of the reservoirs available. The relation between growing tray size and reservoir size makes growing on a large scale using the deep-water culture systems difficult. However, the deep-water culture method is great for beginners and advanced growers. These systems can yield moderate production, with little fuss and few moving parts.
Flood and Drain systems are popular re circulating hydroponics systems. They are also known as Ebb and Flow systems. This system involves a hydroponics growing table that is periodically flooded with nutrient solution by a submersible pump. Once flooded, the growing medium will absorb the nutrient solution and the left over run-off will be drained back into the reservoir to be re circulated. The table should be flooded only 1-2 inches up the growing medium.
Rockwool is the medium of choice of growers using the Flood and Drain method. Mediums such as coco-coir, diatomite, and expanded clay are not as common but are growing in popularity as well. The ability of the medium to absorb water will decide how often the grow table will need to be flooded. The number of floodings can vary from 1-2 times per day using rockwool or coco-coir, to once an hour when growing in gravel, diatomite, or expanded clay.
Flood and Drain systems are popular because they are versatile, simple, and efficient. Pumps deliver nutrient solution to the growing medium set to a timer that makes using a Flood and Drain system easy for beginners and advanced growers. All the grower must do is maintain PH and EC levels and change the whole nutrient solution once a week for professional results.
One negative aspect of growing hydroponically using the Flood and Drain technique is one that affects all re circulating hydroponics systems. The delivery of the nutrient solution to the growing medium relies on a submersible pump. The medium used on a Flood and Drain table does not need to retain an abundance of water as a result of the ability to flood the growing medium with nutrient solution periodically. If the pump used to flood the growing medium fails, the fact that the medium does not retain an abundance of water will mean plants dry out quickly. If the problem is left unchecked for as little as 24 hours plants can be seriously damaged or die.
The fact that most hydroponics mediums do not retain much water allows a large amount of oxygen to reach the root-zone. This near ideal water to oxygen ratio in the growing medium can usually be accredited with the moderate to high yield production associated with the Flood and Drain hydroponics systems.
Another re circulating hydroponics system is the Drip or Sprinkler system. This system involves dripping or sprinkling nutrient solution around roots that have been held in place by expanded clay, rockwool, gravel, diatomite, or other hydroponics medium. The solution is collected and drained back into the reservoir where it is re circulated.
The Drip or Sprinkler system allows roots to have large amounts of oxygen from the air. The nutrient solution will also have rich amounts of oxygen as the solution is constantly flowing 24 hours a day.
The main difficulty with Drip or Sprinkler systems is the same pump related problem that all re circulating hydroponics systems face. If the pump fails, it won’t be long before the plant becomes damaged and dies.
There are lesser annoyances associated with Drip or Sprinkler systems. If drips do not reach all parts of the medium, then roots can be damaged. The thin tubing, drippers, and sprinklers can become easily clogged if precautions are not taken. Using a pump filter bag and a pre-filter for the pump can prevent anything that isn’t water soluble from clogging the lines or drippers. Running a clearing solution through the system between crop rotation can break down any built-up salts in the lines.
Growers using a Drip or Sprinkler system must also be careful of the PH and EC levels and check them as often as possible. This is due to the fact that water evaporates quickly from a drip system and growing mediums are less forgivable of PH and EC fluctuations. A PH of 5.8-6.0 and an EC of 2.0-3.0 are ideal for high light, high yielding plants grown in Drip or Sprinkler systems.
Nutrient Film Technique (N.F.T.) can be the most yield productive method of growing hydroponically. N.F.T. is a method where plants are held in a sloped gutter or pipe with a collar and the roots are not held in place with a medium, but are allowed to grow freely with the gutter or pipe. A constant thin film of nutrient solution is run down the sloped gutter or pipe and across the roots and finally drained back into the reservoir to be re circulated.
N.F.T. is the most yield productive hydroponics method for a number of reasons. The nutrient solution film is constantly running which allows for maximum uptake of nutrient. N.F.T. is the best hydroponics technique in regards to oxygen available to the root-zone. Oxygen is readily available to the roots in the air and the roots in the nutrient solution as it carries a layer of oxygen with the nutrient.
The attributes that make the N.F.T. hydroponics systems the best for yield production are what makes the N.F.T. system one of the more difficult methods to master. Plants in an N.F.T. system can die quickly when pumps fail due to the lack of any medium to retain water. It is best to keep the bottom 40% of the roots in the nutrient film. The root-zone in N.F.T. systems does not have the benefit of being in a growing medium that would help buffer any PH or EC fluctuations. The PH and EC levels in a N.F.T. hydroponics garden must remain constant and within a certain range to keep plants healthy and yields at the highest.
Another negative aspect of working with N.F.T. gardens is that the plants downstream receive less oxygen and nutrients than those upstream. Nutrient Film Technique is definitely not for the beginner gardener but can be mastered through meticulous observation of the system and quick correction of any fluctuations. The ideal PH of 5.8-6.0, EC of 2.0-3.0, and temperature of 60-65F must be maintained for N.F.T. gardens to thrive and excel above the alternative systems.
Hydroponics is no longer the growing method of the future, but the method of today. When deciding which system is right for your needs, remind yourself of the factors involved. Whether beginner or advanced gardener, hydroponics has something to offer everyone.
© Copyright YEAR Maximum Yield Publications, Inc. All rights reserved
Back to Articles Index
|
