Methods Of Hydroponic Gardening
Thier are four main methods of hydroponic gardening, In some hydroponic growing systems a unique growing medium, like perlite, expanded clay pebbles or rockwool is used in place of soil. These growing mediums have cleverly constructed pours and absorb the nutrient solution, allowing plants to feed from it how they will.
In certain methods of hydroponic gardening, systems like the nutrient film require no growing medium to be used and the plants roots are suspended over a grow channel.
The four most popular methods of hydroponic gardening are as follows:
- Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
- Passive System
- Ebb and Flow AKA Flood and Drain
- Drip Method
Methods Of hydroponic gardening: Nutrient Film Technique
Dr Allen Cooper of the "glasshouse Reasearch institute in Sussex, England, Was the original founder of this method of hydroponic gardening. In 1979 he published a book on this method of hydroponic gardening, and to his desires, His metgod has become one of the most succsesfull and productive Methods of hydroponic gardening.
With "Methods of hydroponic gardening: Nutrient Film Technique" plants are grown in seperate channels which a nutrient solution is pumped through. The plant roots are encased as the nutrient solution Passes by. Ideally, the bottom of the roots are exposed to the nutrient solution, while the top of the roots are exposed to air. In this method of hydroponic gardening you have to take care as beasue no growing medium is present it is important to regularly keep the system flushed.
Nutrient Film Technique is ideal for lettuces, leafy crops and herbs, all of which are short term crops. Larger NUtrient Film Technique channels can be maintained and used over a long peried for crops as long as some form of plant support is provided.
Methods Of Hydroponic Gardening: Passive System
The advantage these particular methods of hydroponic gardening: the passive system,is the fact it needs little attention and low maintenance. A passive system doesn't use any sort of timers or pumps to flood the roots. The roots usually hang over the nutrient solution and take what nutrients they need from it. A passive system is generally slower growing and not as intensive as the other systems discussed.
Because there is no water movement, these types of methods of hydroponic gardening will often have low oxygen levels.This obstacle can be overlooked by adding a relativly small air pump keeps air flowing into the nutrient reservoir.
Methods of Hydroponic Gardening: The Ebb and Flow
TThe "Ebb and Flow" or "flood and drain" methods of hydroponic gardening, purely allow every plant contained within the garden to be provided the equivalent amounts of the hydroponic nutrients at the same time.
The plant grow bed, that includes several plant pots filled with a growing medium, is flooded with the nutrient solution for a set period of time And then the system is drained for a set amount of time. Now the growing medium and plant roots can stay moist and fresh oxygen is now available for the roots to and this will still happen each time the system is drained.
10 to 15 minutes every couple of hours is the usual rate these methods of hydroponic gardening will flood the growing beds at. These methods of hydroponic gardening use a medium that is rockwool, perlite or expanded clay pebble based. The Ebb and Flow system is quite a popular method of hydroponic gardening with many home hydroponic gardeners and it is ideal for growing a exceptional variety of crops because both long and short term crops are produced and maintained well in this system.
Methods Of Hydroponic Gardening: The Drip Method
The last, but not least, one of our methods of hydroponic gardening is the Drip system. In this process the nutrient solution is distributed to all the plants in a grow bed through drip discharges on planned cycled system. The timed cycle embeds the growing medium, providing the plants with fresh nutrients, water and oxygen as the emitter is dripping. Mediums of grow rocks, perlite or rockwool are often used in this method of hydroponic gardening. The drip system is often used in commercial hydroponic facilities that grow crops that are produced in the long term like tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.