Hydroponic Grow Systems
There seems to be less and less fertile farm lands
to grow crops in these days. However, 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 Biblical
times — the time of Babylon to
be exact — growers
had already designed a system to grow plants
without 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 hydroponic grow system to keep the plants’ nutrient and
water supply running.
Even
though we don’t have the Hanging Gardens
anymore, what we do have are miniature gardens that
survive even indoors in a small apartment spaces and
balconies. 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, also called “soilless
gardening.”
Here is a list of different types of
hydroponic grow systems:
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. In other words, there are no moving
parts since the nutrient solution is placed inside a
reservoir, which is really nothing more than a water tank or
an old aquarium. 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. An air pump is placed just outside the water tank
and it pumps air into the air stone, which produces
bubbles containing the oxygen required for the plant
roots to survive.
Due to its inherent simplicity,
this hydroponic grow system is the commonest type of system
used by home gardeners. You can even put together your
own wick system from old containers and aquarium devices which
means you don’t have to purchase anything other
than the nutrient solution.
The one drawback
of this system, however, is that larger 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 what most people think of when they
think about hydroponics. N.F.T. systems are usually made
up 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.
The
N.F.T. hydroponic grow system doesn't usually use
a growing medium other than air, saving you the
expense of replacing the growing medium after every crop.
Normally, the plant is supported in a small plastic basket
with the roots dangling into the nutrient
solution.
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