The Wick System

How it works:

The nutrient solution is pumped from the reservoir up the growing tray and delivered to

plant roots via the capillary movement of the wick

Pros:

 Very easy to set up

 Great start for beginners, children

Cons:

 Not suitable for larger plants.

 Not efficient in nutrient use.

The wick system works passively. It uses no pumps, and there are no moving parts.
This hydroponic technique is by far the most basic type of Hydroponic system.

Just like it sounds, the wick system operates by drawing up nutrient solutions from the

reservoir to the plants through the capillary movement like a wick into the growing

medium. And suitable choices of the medium include coconut fiber, perlite, or

vermiculite.

The downside is that because the wick isn't able to produce a strong stream of water,

and nutrient solution, it is only ideal for smaller plants, and non-fruiting ones, like

lettuce and herbs.

Also, the system tends to keep the growing medium wet. Getting too much moisture

makes the oxygen absorbing activities of the plant roots become harder. The wick

system is not the most effective way to hydroponic plants.

Deep Water Culture (DWC) System

 How it works:

Plants are placed in a net pot and are held by a floating platform above a container of

nutrient and water. Plant roots are suspended and stretched into the nutrient-rich

oxygenated solution

Pros:

 Inexpensive. Easy to build

 Recirculating. Water saving

Cons:

 Not suitable for larger plants.

 Not suitable for plants with a long growing period.

DWC is an active recovery system, so there are moving parts. Of all active system of

hydroponic growing, this is the simplest.

All you need is a net pot, a reservoir/container, a lid, and a pump.

Plants will be grown in a net pot with some growing media. They are placed and held by

the lid on the top of the reservoir/container.

Roots grow out the net pot and reach the nutrient solution held in the reservoir below.

An air pump helps oxygenate the water and let roots breathe.

In order words, this system work by immersing plant's roots directly into the nutrient

solution of the reservoir that is highly oxygenated.

The cons of this system are that it does not work well with large, and long-growing

plants. Very few plants other than lettuce thrive in this system.

Ebb and Flow System (Flood and Drain)

How it works:

Also known as Flood & Drain. The system floods the nutrient solution onto the grow

tray to surround plant roots before draining back. Often automated by a pump

connected to a timer.

Pros:

 Good for water craving plants, like lettuces, spinaches

 Easy to build
Cons:

 Susceptible to pump/timer failure, power outages

 Require lots of growing media. So need proper knowledge.

The active and recovery type is less commonly seen, but still quite effective.

How this system works is basically like the way it sounds. Nutrient solutions are flooded

onto the plant root system and then drain periodically. And the process goes on.

Plants are grown in a tray/container with a growing medium. A timer is scheduled to

turn on the pump, which pushes water with nutrient solutions in a reservoir below to

rise through the tube and onto the main part of the system.

After the tray/container is filled (flooded) and soaks the plant roots at set intervals and

water level, gravity automatically drains the solution back down into the reservoir.

With this system, a variety of growing medium can be used, e.g., gravel, granular

Rockwool, grow rocks, perlite, etc depending on Hydroponic gardeners' choice.

However, there is a risk of power outages, or pump and timer failure, which causes the

root dryness, and water cycles are stopped.

 Nutrient Film Technique (N.F.T)

How it works:

A pump continuously forces the nutrient solution onto the grow tray, flowing over

plants. Then it drains back to the reservoir via the slightly downward channel. No timer

needed

Pros:

 Little to none growing medium used.

 Recirculating. Water saving

Cons:

 Susceptible to pump failure and power outages

 Not suitable for large, heavy plants.
This active and recovery system is a very common hydroponic one which has been used

by lots of gardeners for commercial growing.

Again, N.F.T uses the submersible pump and reusable nutrient solutions. It works by

constantly flowing the solutions, so no timer is used. The nutrient is pumped into the

growing tray (or a tube) and delivered to the root systems of the plants. Once the flow

reaches the channel's end, it drains back to the reservoir through the slight downward

tube.

The roots suspended above the water level, are constantly moisture and get plenty of

oxygen from the air surrounding them.

To provide oxygen in the water, and the grow tube, air stones or capillary matting must

be placed in the reservoir. This also helps keep the system run for long without manually

and frequently checking.

Since no growing medium is used, plants are usually held in a grow-basket or a

supporting collar.

And because there is no growing medium to hold moisture, an extended period of

interruption of the nutrient solution can make the roots dry, and plants' death.
 Drip System

How it works:

Drip system pumps the nutrient solution through the tube and drops onto plant roots

via a network of drip lines. The action is often made automatical by a timer.

Pros:

 Simple to build and use.

 More control of nutrient amounts and water schedule

Cons:

 pH and nutrient fluctuations

 More suited to larger gardens
Drip systems can be active recovery or non-recovery type system.

They are among the most common types of hydroponic systems in the world, especially

for commercial growers.

The main principles behind the system are quite simple yet effective, and so their

popularity.

A timer is set to schedule the submerged pump. When the timer is on, the nutrient

solution is pumped and dripped onto plants' base through a small drip line. And with

this line emitter for each plant, gardeners can adjust the amount of solution per plant

they want.

In a recovery drip system, the nutrient solution is sent back to the reservoir via the drip

tray. Meanwhile, the non-recovery system doesn't collect the leach-out, which is not

efficient, and this is only often used in the early days of hydroponics.

However, while the recovery one can be more efficiently, and cost-effective by reusing

the excess solution, non-recovery one needs less maintenance due to the same reason

that solution is not recycled, and hence pH of the reservoir is not affected. By this,

gardeners can mix pH adjusted nutrient solution in the reservoir, and forget all about it,

until they want to fill more. Meanwhile, with recovery, hydroponic gardeners need to

check pH regularly.

Since this is a drip system, slow draining medium is often used like Rockwool, coconut

coir, or peat moss

The downside of the drippers/emitters system is the clogging, which is formed by the
particles from nutrients that accumulated in the emitter.
 Aeroponics

How it works:

Plant roots are suspended in the air and are misted with the nutrient solution

continously. The misting interval is fairly short, done by a pump controlled by a timer.

Pros:

 Plenty of oxygen for plant roots.

 Little to none growing medium used. Efficient water use

Cons:

 More expensive than other types

 More vulnerable to dryness caused by the power outages
Aeroponic system is probably the most high-tech type of the six listed.

Just like the N.F.C system, the plant roots hang freely in the air, with no growing

medium used.

But in Aeroponics, the nutrient solution is pumped and sprayed onto the root systems

constantly instead of flowing through a thin film of nutrient by a channel.

A timer is used to control the nutrient pump, but the cycle is much shorter compared to

other hydroponic types. Typically, it is a few minutes between each misting interval.

Again, since the roots are exposed to the air, the roots will be dried out fast in case of a

misting cycle interruption. And this system is not as cheap, and easy to set up as other

types.
 Variations of the 6 Primary Hydroponic
Systems
You might have run into these systems but didn't know their real name and where they

originate from. Let's look at these variations

The Kratky Method

How it works:

Plants are placed in a net pot, hung by a floating platform. Parts of the roots are

submerged in the water while the rest are exposed to the air. Over time, when plants

grow, the water level reduces, leaving an air zone for plant roots. A hands-off system.

Pros:

 Inexpensive. Very easy to set up

  Little effort needed

Cons:

 Only suitable for fast-growing plants, like lettuces, spinaches

 Not efficient for large systems.

The Kratky method is just a variation of the Deep Water Culture.

What is different is that the Kratky does not use electricity to run. So no pump, no timer

needed.

The way the Kratky method works is simple

Start with a reservoir/container, or anything that holds water. Fill it with water and

nutrients

Then cover it with a lid. Drill/cut the lid so that you can place a net pot here

Place plants in the net pot with growing media so that their roots are hung by the lid.

They are partly exposed to the air while parts of them are sunk into the water. That

means plants are able to take up sufficient oxygen, water, and nutrient

Over a period of time, plants grow. They will drain the water, still leaving parts of their

bare roots come into contact with the air

When the reservoir runs out of the water, your plants also have reached the end of their

growth phase. Otherwise, you can fill with water and nutrient solution, and allow plants

continue to its growth phase.

So in theory, the Kratky requires little care. It also does not cost much. That makes it

one of the easiest system to set up, which is highly suited for starters, hobbyists, and

children.

Fogponics

How it works:

An aeroponics variation. A fogger, which can be connected to a timer, is used to

transform water and added nutrients of the reservoir into super tiny small droplets (or

fog). Plants roots are hung freely in the air with plenty access to oxygen. They get

moisture and nutrient via the wet atmosphere of the fog.

Pros:

 Thorough coverage for the roots

  Recirculating. Water saving

Cons:

 Expensive.

 Susceptible to power outages.

 Built up salt.

The so-called fog is just the humid environment produced by the foggers. Fogponics is

an advanced form of aeroponics. If in aeroponics, growers use the water misting to

provide water and nutrients for plants, in fogponics, the foggers are used.

Unlike traditional Hydroponic forms where plant roots are not sunk into the air and get

oxygen through the air pump, fogponics allows the roots to be bare into the air. They get

necessary moisture and nutrients via the fog

In the sense, plants can get great amounts of oxygen and water in fogponics, helping

them focus on growing at a faster and stronger level

Because the way it works, fogponis is fairly suitable for growing many types of plants

like green vegs, herbs, and especially seedlings, and cutting cloners.

The fogponics also comes with some downsides, including certain initial investment,

built up salt from the fogger, and they are quite vulnerable to the power outages.
 Dutch Bucket

How it works:

An Ebb & Flow variation. Several buckets are placed on the bench or the floor. Each

bucket should contain one plant. A big reservoir holds the nutrient solution, which is

pumped through the irrigation line, then drop onto the plants via the emitters. The

excess solution can return to the reservoir via the drain line, or drain out of the system

Pros:

 Great for a variety of plants, including fruiting, bushy, and vining ones

 Flexible. Can expand to any size growers want

 Good for starters

Cons:

 Require some maintenance. Not hands-off like the Kratky method

 Susceptible to power outages.
  Diseases can spread fast if they occur in the reservoir.

Dutch Bucket, or Bato Bucket system is no doubt one of the most versatile hydroponic

methods used to grow various plants by hobbyists as well greenhouse farmers. The most

common plant grown is tomatoes, which are very suited for this system because it is

built to accommodate large, vining plants.

The system can be recirculated or non-recirculating depending on how growers want to

set up. If you want to save the water and nutrients, a drain line can be connected with
the buckets with its end pointed to the reservoir. One disadvantage of the recirculating

system is it can cause nutrient unbalance over time. So you should replace the nutrient

in the reservoir often.

Growing media suitable for this system are perlite, vermiculite, expanded clay pellets

because of their good water to air holding ratio and great plant-support ability

The Dutch bucket can vary in designs with the number of buckets used; types of buckets

growing media, pipes chosen. But it all operates like the ebb and flow (flood and drain

method).

Overall, this is an interesting and effective hydroponic system that any beginner and

seasoned hydroponic grower should try with.

And finally, here is a handy easy-to-digest infographic to sum up the 6 main Hydroponic

systems