Watering Methods
All the plants needs are supplied by water. The roots are placed in an inert growing medium. Water,
enriched with all the nutrients the plants need, is supplied to the roots by several different methods.
1. Aeroponics; the roots are sprayed with the nutrient solution. This method ensures that the roots
get plenty of oxygen to the root system. It has not been proven that this method helps to make
plants grow any faster then in other methods. It has some inherent problems such as nozzles
getting plugged up. One of the more expensive methods of hydroponics.
General Hydroponics
2. Ebb and flow; also called flood and drain. Periodically floods the medium. As the water drains out
new air comes in. Not as hard to maintain as an aeroponics system. Roots can plug up waterways
however.
3. NFT; the Nutrient Film Technique is one of the methods most often used by commercial growers.
Plant roots are contained in a channel through which a thin "film" of nutrient solution passes. The
nutrient solution is aerated and recycled with the addition of makeup water.
4. Run to waste; in this method the nutrient is fed to the plants at near the same rate as the plants use
the water. In all the other methods, the nutrient solution returns to a tank to be recycled. This
system is the cheapest to get started, however, it requires a lot of monitoring to insure the plants
are getting enough nutrient but at the same time not getting too much nutrient. Plants will only
take up the nutrients it needs. On sunny days they take up mostly water and leave the nutrients
behind to build up. The built up salts must be purged from the system one or two times a week.
This system wastes the most nutrients.
All the plants needs are supplied by water. The roots are placed in an inert growing medium. Water,
enriched with all the nutrients the plants need, is supplied to the roots by several different methods.
1. Aeroponics; the roots are sprayed with the nutrient solution. This method ensures that the roots
get plenty of oxygen to the root system. It has not been proven that this method helps to make
plants grow any faster then in other methods. It has some inherent problems such as nozzles
getting plugged up. One of the more expensive methods of hydroponics.
General Hydroponics
2. Ebb and flow; also called flood and drain. Periodically floods the medium. As the water drains out
new air comes in. Not as hard to maintain as an aeroponics system. Roots can plug up waterways
however.
3. NFT; the Nutrient Film Technique is one of the methods most often used by commercial growers.
Plant roots are contained in a channel through which a thin "film" of nutrient solution passes. The
nutrient solution is aerated and recycled with the addition of makeup water.
4. Run to waste; in this method the nutrient is fed to the plants at near the same rate as the plants use
the water. In all the other methods, the nutrient solution returns to a tank to be recycled. This
system is the cheapest to get started, however, it requires a lot of monitoring to insure the plants
are getting enough nutrient but at the same time not getting too much nutrient. Plants will only
take up the nutrients it needs. On sunny days they take up mostly water and leave the nutrients
behind to build up. The built up salts must be purged from the system one or two times a week.
This system wastes the most nutrients.