Basics: HYDROPHONICS
Hydroponics in a nutshell
Hydroponics is the process of growing plants without soil. All the nutrients and support are being supplied by other means.
In traditional growing, the soil provides the anchor for the plants to grow. It helps retain moisture for an extended period of time delivering macro and micro nutrients and helps with environmental stability through the thermal mass supplying beneficial microbes.
In hydroponic production, we have to replace functions that the soil would provide.
- Stability
In order to anchor the root systems of the plants there is a Matrix Media [Matrix is a high porosity bio-media that provides efficient biofiltration for the removal of nitrogenous waste. Matrix is a porous inorganic solid about 10 mm in diameter.] inside of the Towers, it’s made from recycled water bottles and is approximately 93% air space. It’s a really good zone of biological surface area and anchor for the roots to take hold.
- Supplying nutrients
The most common type of nutrients would be salt-based synthetic nutrients dissolved into a solution. These can come as dry nutrients that you mix yourself or pre-mixed liquid nutrients that various manufacturers produce. These are useful for home growers and small scale operations as they are really well formulated.
Core types of hydroponic systems
- Deep water Culture (DWC) or recirculating Deep water Culture (RDWC)
DWC is what most people think of when they envision hydroponics. They are popular in smaller scale grows due to the volume of water required to operate these systems. Plants grow with their roots in water, fully submerged but requiring aeration, so normally an air stone is placed in the bottom of the bucket to supply oxygen. There is usually very little or almost no media or substrate, some growers will use a small amount of clay pellets to get the plant started and provide structure in a mesh basket.
DWC systems work well with larger stature crops such as tomatoes or eggplants.
- Nutrient Film Technique NFT
This system is popular for leafy greens, lettuce and herbs grown hydroponically and is often used in greenhouse settings because it is easily scalable and cost effective to install, requiring significantly less water volume than DWC.
NFT systems consist of long gutters or channels with an inlet on one end and outlet on the other end. Oxygenated and nutrient dense water flows thinly on the bottom of the trough. The plant sits just above the water in a net pot, and the roots lay in the solution.
- Aeroponic systems
In aeroponic systems, the roots are suspended in a type of reservoir structure that can contain misted or fogged water.. Plant roots are misted or fogged with nutrient dense oxygenated water, which then is recirculated to be reused repeatedly.
These are popular for home kits such as small table top kits that grow herbs, and in greenhouse systems they are becoming popular for cloning, as well as growing full crops of lettuces and culinary herbs and strawberries too.
- Drip System
These systems including a drip emitter or emitter of sorts that trickles water down constantly keeping the roots wet and the medium moist.
Conclusion:
Hydroponics revolutionizes plant growth by eliminating soil and providing nutrients through water-based solutions. Various systems like Deep Water Culture, Nutrient Film Technique, Aeroponics, and Drip Systems offer efficient ways to grow different crops, from leafy greens to fruits, in controlled environments. With hydroponics, anyone can enjoy fresh produce regardless of space or soil limitations, making it a sustainable and accessible method for agriculture.
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