Choosing the Right Hydroponics Method

Among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are considered one of the world’s first successful hydroponics systems. Of course, we’ve come a very long way since then, and with so many passive and active hydroponics methods available now, we can bring all of the beauty of Babylon indoors, year round, with much less fuss.

Passive v. Active

Nutrients can be delivered to plant root systems via passive or active hydroponics. With no moving parts, passive systems are great for beginning hydroponics gardeners because they are inexpensive, portable, and simple to set up. Of passive hydroponics methods, the wick system is one of the most popular.

A bit more complex, active systems employ pumps and other devices to deliver nutrient solutions to plant roots. Ebb & Flow, Aeroponics, Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), and the Drip Method are common active hydroponics systems.

Wick Systems

Wick systems may not be the most effective hydroponics method, but they are inexpensive and low maintenance. Plants grown in wick systems are anchored in an inert growing medium. Because absorbent materials are used to naturally wick nutrients from solution to the plant roots, no pumps or machinery are necessary. Wick systems don’t provide plant roots with as much oxygen as active systems can; as a result, plant growth isn’t always as prolific as it often is with other systems.

Ebb & Flow

Ebb and Flow systems—sometimes called Flood and Drain systems—do just that. Plant roots are supported in a growing medium which is periodically flooded with nutrient solution. Once the solution has reached a set level, an overflow pipe drains the excess back into the main reservoir. As the cycles of flooding and draining are repeated, oxygen-rich air is regularly pushed to plant roots, increasing nutrient uptake and, thus, plant growth.

Aeroponics

In some Aeroponics systems, plants are suspended without the use of a growing medium and plant roots are sprayed directly with a fine nutrient- and oxygen-rich mist. Plants may also be grown in net cups with some rock support. With this virtually unlimited access to oxygen, roots have maximum potential to absorb nutrients and plants can grow at a phenomenal rate. This method does require greater attention to detail. Delicate sprayer nozzles must be kept free of debris as they can clog easily, and equipment or power failure can cause total crop loss very quickly.

Nutrient-Film Technique

Little or no growing medium is used in Nutrient-Film Technique(NFT) systems. Instead, plants are supported over channels of an air-permeable film of nutrient in capillary matting, and rapidly-pumped nutrient solution continually bathes plant roots. As in Aeroponics, NFT systems are susceptible to clogs, and, because roots are not buffered by an absorbent growing medium, the risk of equipment failure is more problematic for plants grown with NFT.

Drip Method

With the Drip method, a submersible pump is placed in the nutrient solution reservoir and individual supply lines drip solution to the roots of each plant. Some indoor growers choose to recirculate their excess nutrient solution, and plants can be anchored in any well-draining, inert medium.