Hydroponic Garden Guide

Hydroponic garden guide will tell us that In hydroponics there are just a small amount of basic systems, although there are hundreds of different versions of those few basic techniques. Let's cover the 6 basic types of hydroponic systems and how they deliver the food to the plants.

The Reservoir Method is by far the easiest method for a beginner to jump into the world of hydroponics. The reservoir system is simple to build yourself from common objects easily found at your local craft store and hardware store.

In the reservoir system a container holds about two inches of water mixed with your nutrient solution. Your plant containers sit in the nutrient solution while a simple aquarium bubbler pump keeps the solution aerated. The solution must stay aerated or the roots that are growing out the bottom of your container into the solution will suffocate and die.

In the reservoir system it is also important to keep your nutrient solution container covered to keep the light out, this will prevent algae from forming and eating up the nutrients in your solution before it gets to the plants.

The hydroponic garden guide ebb and flow system is very similar to the reservoir method in design with the main difference of the container the plants are in and the container that holds the nutrient solution are separate. Normally the plants sit in a table type container while the reservoir that holds the nutrient solution sits under the table.

A pump is set to flood the table through a hose that runs from the nutrient solution container to the table top container, the plants sit in the solution for about 20 minutes and then the table drains back into the reservoir. Most people have had the best experience with flooding the table three times a day while the lights are on.

The hydroponic garden guide drip hydroponics system has the plants again in a separate container than the nutrient reservoir similar to the ebb and flow. A pump brings the solution from the reservoir through a tube that branches off and feeds each plant. The extra solution that runs through the pots will flow back into the reservoir that is located below.

The drip system is not for beginners and common problems that arise are tubes becoming clogged and difficulty in getting the flow through the tubes to stay consistent. Most nutrient solutions come with tiny particles in them which contributes to the tubes that are feeding the plants to become clogged up.

Many people after learning the basics of hydroponics like to change over to organic hydroponics. If this is your idea then you should steer clear of any type of drip hydroponic system.

In the hydroponic garden guide wick hydroponic system the name kind of explains the concept, your plants are located above in their own separate container while a nutrient reservoir sits underneath. The method of delivering the food to the plants is through a wick that is normally made out of nylon rope or some similar material.

The wick is partially buried in the medium that your plants are contained in and then hangs down into the nutrient solution. The wick system is a totally passive system and is one of the easiest hydroponic systems for beginners. With little or no building skills you can have your own wick hydroponic system set up in short order.

There are other systems that are just as easily built and provide better results, it is recommended that you do some research and pick the system that you feel interests you the most.

The Hydroponic garden guide Nutrient Film Technique is what people usually imagine when they hear the word hydroponics. Plants are set in a long tray similar to a rain gutter on your house, one end is lower than the other to promote the flow of the nutrient solution across the roots and back into the nutrient reservoir.

A pump is used to constantly keep the flow of solution flowing across the roots of the plants, and normally a layer of absorbent material lines the bottom of the gutter to keep the roots in the solution.

The Nutrient Film Technique or (NFT) is an easy project for a beginner to get started in the exciting hobby of hydroponics. This system is easily maintainable with nothing to get clogged. The only draw back to this system is that your plants will need to have a root system that is long enough to hang down into the nutrient flow. Many people will start the plants in a drip system until the roots are long enough and then transfer them to the NFT system.

The hydroponic garden guide Aeroponic hydroponic systems are the most difficult to build and maintain out of all of the systems we have talked about so far. In Aeroponic systems the plants are not suspended in any medium and the roots hang freely in the air. Spray emitters soak the hanging roots with nutrient solution in a fine mist.

A high pressure pump is needed to turn the nutrient solution into a fine mist, while only high quality hydroponic solutions can be used to keep the emitters from getting clogged. In a Aeroponic system organic means of growing are basically ruled out due to the particles contained in organic solutions.

When we chose to grow plants in soil the earth acts as a buffer for mistakes we might make such as overfeeding or over watering etc., with a Aeroponic system there is no buffering effect, so you must be precise and exact in everything that you do. The old rule of measure twice cut once does apply here.