Hydroponic Grow Systems
These days, there are less and less fertile farm lands to grow crops in. But contrary to what you may think, this doesn’t pose such a huge dilemma for our growers. Why? You might ask. The answer lies in hydroponic grow systems.
Ever since the Biblical times – the time of Babylon to be precise – we have already come up with a means to grow plants without need of soil. How else do you think the Hanging Gardens of Babylon remained hanging up there and still managed to wow people all over the ancient world? Simple: The Babylonians used a form of hydroponic grow system to keep the plants’ nutrient and water supply running.
Today, we don’t have the Hanging Gardens anymore. But what we do have are miniature gardens that survive even indoors in a small apartment space. These “gardens” are no more than water tanks powered with an aeration system and a steady supply of nutrients through a formulaic solution. This is hydroponics for you, more popular known as “soilless gardening.”
Below are the different types of hydroponic grow systems currently in use:
The Wick Hydroponic Grow System
The Wick system is by far the simplest of hydroponic grow systems. Its main components are:
* Grow tray
* Growing medium
* Wick
* Air pump
* Air stone
* Reservoir
The wick system is a passive system, which means that there are no moving parts. The nutrient solution is placed inside a reservoir, which is really nothing more than a water tank or an old aquarium you no longer use. The growing medium can be anything from perlite, vermiculite, pro-mix or even coconut fiber.
In order to draw the nutrient solution into the growing medium where the plants are, a piece of straw or tube called a wick is used. The air pump is placed just outside the water tank and is used to pump air into the air stone, which produces bubbles containing oxygen necessary for the plant roots to survive.
Because of its inherent simplicity, this hydroponic grow system is the commonest type of system used by home gardeners. You can even fashion your own wick system from old containers and aquarium devices so you don’t need to purchase anything besides the nutrient solution.
The biggest drawback of this hydroponic grow system, however, is that large plants or those that use large amounts of water may use up the nutrient solution faster than the wick can supply it.
Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponic Grow System
Often abbreviated to N.F.T., this hydroponic grow system is the kind of system most people think of when they think about hydroponics. N.F.T. systems are typically composed of the following:
* Grow tray (tube)
* Nutrient pump
* Reservoir
* Air stone
* Air pump
This hydroponic grow system has a constant flow of nutrient solution so no timer for the submersible pump is required. The growing tray, usually a tube, is pumped full of nutrient solution, which flows over the roots of the plants, and then drains back into the reservoir.
Wick Hydroponic System
Considered as the simplest hydroponic system, the Wick system is a passive system. This is because it has no moving parts. All that you have to do is place a wick unto the nutrient solution contained in the reservoir. The wick draws the solution into the growing medium, without need of any other extraneous movements.
Besides the wick and the reservoir, the wick hydroponic system may include the following basic components:
* Grow tray
* Growing medium
* Air pump
* Airstone
This hydroponic system may use a variety of growing medium, such as Perlite, Vermiculite, Pro-Mix, and Coconut Fiber, among other things. The biggest drawback of this system is that plants that are large or use large amounts of water may use up the nutrient solution faster than the wick can supply it.
Water Culture
Out of all active hydroponic systems, the water culture system is the simplest. The components include the floating platform, the air line, the airstone, and the air pump. The platform serves as the plant holders, keeping them in place even as their roots dangle in the nutrient solution. An air pump outside the whole tank keeps the air supply running, by sending air to the air stone which bubbles the nutrient solution and supplies oxygen to the roots of the plants.
If you are growing leaf lettuce, water culture is the hydroponic system of choice. Lettuce is a fast growing and water loving plant, making it an ideal choice for this type of hydroponic system. Very few plants other than lettuce will do well in this type of system.
Ebb and Flow
Sometimes called the flood and drain, the ebb and flow hydroponic system works by temporarily flooding the grow trail with nutrient solution and then draining the solution back into the reservoir. This action is normally done with a submerged pump that is connected to a timer.
When the timer turns the pump on, nutrient solution is pumped into the grow tray. When the timer shuts the pump off, the nutrient solution flows back into the reservoir. The timer is set to come on several times a day, depending on the size and type of plants, temperature, and humidity, and the type of growing medium used. | 
