Types of Hydroponics Systems
There are variety of hydroponics systems and choosing which is best comes down to personal choice, well at least to a certain regard. The four main systems are the drip/sprinkler system, the flood and drain or ebb and flow system, the nutrient film technique, and aeroponics. But there is yet another that is little discussed or promoted, but from our experience has the best results while saving money and being more conscious of the environment—Top Feed Systems.
First let me explain each of the other techniques and then I’ll tell you about Top Feed Systems—how they differ and why they are the best bang for your buck.
1. The Drip or Sprinkler System: This system “involves dripping or spraying nutrient water around plant roots that are held in place by clay pellets, gravel, rockwool, sawdust, or peat mixes. One of the advantages is that the dripping or spraying nutrient carries a constant supply of air between droplets. In addition, the drips or sprays are timed to allow air-breathing cycles” (How to Supercharge Your Garden, 114)
The overall key to this system is that the roots must remain moist and if any of the drip systems get blocked or malfunction the roots can dry out very fast and the plant can die out very quickly.
2. The Ebb and Flow System: This system involves flooding the roots at regular intervals. There is a floodable area, a tray, that raises and lowers the nutrient rich water around the plant roots. The plants are usually held with some sort of soilless medium. The question that arises with Ebb and Flow is how often to submerse the plant’s roots within the nutrient rich water. “The reason for the flooding is only to keep the nutrient and air constantly moving over the roots.”(How to Supercharge Your Garden, 115) A good rule of thumb is to not submerse the plant’s roots for more than 30 minutes at a time and depending on the medium the plant is held in, this should be done hourly or daily. Problems with this system include, water pooling, standing water, pest problems, algae and mold. You must keep a close eye on this system.
3. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT): “is basically running a constant thin film of nutrient water across the roots on a sloped gutter or pipe. The film of water must be thin enough to be able to carry a film of air along with it. The roots are not held but each plant is supported in a collar with roots hanging into the gutter or pipe.” (How to Supercharge Your Garden, 116)
NFT systems are inconsistent in providing the right amount of water and nutrients vs. oxygen and can vary from plant to plant within the system. You must keep a close eye on the roots to make sure they are receiving enough oxygen. “The browner the roots are, the more they need oxygen.” (How to Supercharge Your Garden, 116)
4. Aeroponic systems use no growing medium. Roots are suspended in a dark growth chamber where they are misted with oxygen-rich nutrient solution at regular intervals. Only air and nutrient solution fill the growth chamber. Aeroponic systems require greater attention to detail but offer extremely high performance.
So we’ve gone through the most common systems used when growing hydroponically, but as I mentioned before there is one more that we at Hydroponics Unlimited have found to out do the others—the Top Feed System. Very similar to a drip system, but with Top Feed Systems, water and nutrients are fed from the top producing 10% more yield using 30-40% less water and nutrients — the greenest way to grow and the way Hydroponics Unlimited recommends. There are no major distributors of top feed systems , but at Hydroponics Unlimited we have begun building customized systems using state of the art materials that can turn any set up into a Top Feed System.
Tags: aeroponics, ebb and flow, Hydroponics, hydroponics systems, indoor growing, top feed systems
This entry was posted on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 at 6:21 pm and is filed under Hydroponics, Products. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
November 25th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
Very extraordinary site.
The message here is really useful.
I will invite my friends.
Cheers
November 30th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Thanks for the post, we will post your hydroponics system wordpress.com article. I will post for our customers to see your articles on your blog.
hydroponics systems
December 1st, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Thanks for the post, we will post your hydroponics system wordpress.com article. I will post for our customers to see your articles on your blog. hydroponics systems
December 1st, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Very extraordinary website.
The info here is really important.
I will give it to my friends.
Cheers
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:25 am
I am definitely bookmarking this page and sharing it with my friends.
January 31st, 2010 at 1:45 am
Good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
October 25th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
This is most definitely one of the better sources of information I have stumbled across on this topic. I would like to know if you have you looked into the other side of the argument of gardening? Personally, I think a good argument could be made either way, but please let me know if you know of more sources on the Web that back up what you are discussing.
January 25th, 2011 at 10:19 am
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read something like this before. So good to seek out someone with some unique thoughts on this subject. realy thanks for starting this up. this web site is something that is wanted on the net, someone with a little bit originality. helpful job for bringing one thing new to the web!
January 27th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
..` I am very thankful to this topic because it really gives useful information –*
April 11th, 2011 at 6:08 am
Thank you for your site post. Jones and I have been saving for a new book on this subject and your short article has made all of us to save our own money. Your ideas really responded all our issues. In fact, over what we had known just before we stumbled on your superb blog. I actually no longer have doubts including a troubled mind because you totally attended to our own needs in this post. Thanks
July 15th, 2011 at 5:56 am
Hey there, nice article! I will keep visiting your site
July 19th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Nice blog here! Additionally your site lots up fast! What host are you the usage of? Can I get your associate hyperlink for your host? I desire my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol
July 19th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
I simply could not go away your site before suggesting that I really enjoyed the usual information a person supply on your guests? Is going to be back regularly to investigate cross-check new posts
August 10th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Hey! I would like end a comment. I seriously liked this article. Continue the awesome effort.
September 10th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
This is Awesome! Thank you.
October 9th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
My spouse and i have been now thrilled when John managed to carry out his basic research through your ideas he made from your very own web page. It is now and again perplexing to just be giving out helpful tips many others might have been trying to sell. And we all already know we have got the website owner to be grateful to for this. The type of illustrations you’ve made, the easy site menu, the relationships your site make it easier to create – it is many extraordinary, and it’s really letting our son and the family reckon that that subject is thrilling, which is certainly extremely serious. Many thanks for all the pieces!
December 7th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
The website is exceedingly exciting,I want to plug along with ough,might my spouse and i delivered e-mail for your requirements?
December 9th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Heya i am for the primary time here. I found this board and I in finding It really helpful & it helped me out a lot. I am hoping to present one thing back and aid others such as you helped me.
December 17th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Simply want to say your article is as amazing. The clarity in your post is simply nice and i can assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the gratifying work.
December 18th, 2011 at 7:59 am
Hello to every single one, it’s genuinely a nice for me to pay a quick visit this website, it contains priceless Information.
December 18th, 2011 at 8:30 am
Usually I don’t learn post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to take a look at and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thank you, very great post.
January 31st, 2012 at 10:04 am
Wow! This could be one of the most helpful blogs we’ve ever come across on thesubject. Actually excellent info! I am also a specialist in this topic so I can understand your effort.
January 31st, 2012 at 9:23 pm
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thank you, I will try and check back more frequently. How often do you update your web site?
February 1st, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Thank you for the great feedback! We update the website frequently and are posting daily on Facebook.
February 26th, 2012 at 6:14 am
I’ve been gone for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thank you, I will try and check back more frequently. How often do you update your blog?
March 3rd, 2012 at 4:12 pm
The commentary is wonderful and told me precisely what I desired to find out. I’m going to definitely visit again.
March 16th, 2012 at 5:26 am
I drop a comment each time I especially enjoy a post on a blog or if I have something to add to the discussion. Usually it is caused by the sincerness displayed in the post I looked at. And after this article Hydroponics Unlimited Blog » Blog Archive » Types of Hydroponics Systems. I was actually moved enough to write a commenta response
I do have a couple of questions for you if it’s okay. Could it be only me or do some of the responses come across as if they are written by brain dead individuals? 
And, if you are posting on additional online social sites, I’d like to follow anything new you have to post. Could you list all of all your shared sites like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
March 29th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Hi there. Very nice website!! Guy .. Excellent .. Wonderful .. I’ll bookmark your web site and take the feeds additionally…I am glad to find a lot of helpful info here in the post. Thank you for sharing…
March 31st, 2012 at 11:16 am
Oh my goodness! a tremendous article dude. Thank you Nevertheless I am experiencing subject with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anybody getting identical rss problem? Anybody who knows kindly respond. Thnkx
April 8th, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Its wonderful as your other posts : D, thanks for posting . “There’s no Walter Cronkite to give you the final word each evening.” by William Weld.
April 14th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
A powerful share, I just given this onto a colleague who was doing a bit of analysis on this. And he actually bought me breakfast as a result of I found it for him.. smile. So let me reword that: Thnx for the treat! But yeah Thnkx for spending the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love studying more on this topic. If doable, as you develop into expertise, would you thoughts updating your weblog with more details? It’s highly helpful for me. Huge thumb up for this weblog post!
April 15th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
Your article has definitely inspired me to completely re-think my way of writing. I have to tell you I appreciate your hard work.