Their are
six basic types of hydroponic systems and there are hundreds of variations (and
combinations) of these hydroponic systems, but all hydroponic systems are based
on these six system types. By understanding what makes these systems work you
can understand how all variations of hydroponic systems work. These Hydroponic
systems are fairly simple in concept, and if you understand how the systems
work, building your own Hydroponic system wont be hard and can even be fun.
Even if you just want to buy a manufactured system, understanding how the basic
systems works will make your gardening experience much more rewarding.
- Drip System
- Ebb- Flow (Flood & Drain)
- N.F.T. (Nutrient Film Technique)
- Water Culture
- Aeroponics
- Wick System
There are a
few things that you will want to keep in mind when designing and building (even
buying) your Hydroponics systems. You will probably want to use it more than
once so you should think about things like how hard it will be to take it apart
to clean between plantings. Also, should you have a problem while the plants
are still growing you should think about how hard will it be to fix the
problems without doing damage to the plants or system.
You also may want to scale up or down your system in the future. Designing your Hydroponic system to be easily flexible is always a good idea and can even save you money in the future. Using materials that are light proof will also help cut down on algae growth. If you cant find light proof materials you can paint the outsides of what you use black to block the light. You may then want to paint it white to keep the it from absorbing too much heat.
There are many ways to design a working Hydroponics system using commonly found materials from home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. Many things can even be found at places like Wal-Mart, K-mart, Target and other large department store's. Commercially made Hydroponic systems usually are made from food grade plastics that drive the prices up but is not necessary for Hydroponics
You also may want to scale up or down your system in the future. Designing your Hydroponic system to be easily flexible is always a good idea and can even save you money in the future. Using materials that are light proof will also help cut down on algae growth. If you cant find light proof materials you can paint the outsides of what you use black to block the light. You may then want to paint it white to keep the it from absorbing too much heat.
There are many ways to design a working Hydroponics system using commonly found materials from home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. Many things can even be found at places like Wal-Mart, K-mart, Target and other large department store's. Commercially made Hydroponic systems usually are made from food grade plastics that drive the prices up but is not necessary for Hydroponics
1. Growing
chamber
(or tray), this holds the root system. This can be made from
many different materials and designed in many ways depending on what you have
to use and what you want to grow. A simple storage tote with a lid that you cut
a hole into to set the plant in can cost as little as $5. Or you may want to
use a bucket in a bucket system for larger plants. The designs here are
endless. You may want to look around and get some ideas of what and how you
want to use different things.
2. Reservoir
2. Reservoir
this holds the nutrient solution that feeds
the plants and can be made out of just about anything, from a bucket to a 32
gallon trash can from Wal-mart for $10. Maybe even a Styrofoam cooler leftover
from last summer. Again here its just up to your imagination.( Note: it should
just be clean from anything that might contaminate the nutrient solution.)
3. Submersible pump
3. Submersible pump
to water the plants with. You can use one
from a Hydroponics store, or use a fountain pump found in the garden section of
any home improvement store. These can range greatly depending on the size you
choose, from about $15 to $80.
4. Delivery system to get the water/nutrients from the pump in the reservoir to the plants, and back to the reservoir again. Vinyl tubing or regular PVC pipe also found at any home improvement store work very nicely, and can easily be customized to your application.
5. Simple timer to turn on and off the pump, as well as the lights (if you are using them). No special timer is needed here but you just want it to be able to turn on and off many times a day for the pump. (Note: if using one for lights you will need 2 timers)
6. Air pump and air stone to oxygenate the nutrient solution, this is the same kind used in fish tanks and are quite inexpensive. Oxygenating the nutrient solution is not absolutely necessary but highly recommended. This helps the root system to get the oxygen they need but because the water is continuously moving it cuts way down on algae growth, and helps to keep the nutrients fresher.
7. Lighting for the lighting you can use many different lighting systems, from compact fluorescent lighting (CFL's) that you can get at any home improvement store to expensive lighting systems from the Hydroponics store. Or you can simply just use the free sunlight.
4. Delivery system to get the water/nutrients from the pump in the reservoir to the plants, and back to the reservoir again. Vinyl tubing or regular PVC pipe also found at any home improvement store work very nicely, and can easily be customized to your application.
5. Simple timer to turn on and off the pump, as well as the lights (if you are using them). No special timer is needed here but you just want it to be able to turn on and off many times a day for the pump. (Note: if using one for lights you will need 2 timers)
6. Air pump and air stone to oxygenate the nutrient solution, this is the same kind used in fish tanks and are quite inexpensive. Oxygenating the nutrient solution is not absolutely necessary but highly recommended. This helps the root system to get the oxygen they need but because the water is continuously moving it cuts way down on algae growth, and helps to keep the nutrients fresher.
7. Lighting for the lighting you can use many different lighting systems, from compact fluorescent lighting (CFL's) that you can get at any home improvement store to expensive lighting systems from the Hydroponics store. Or you can simply just use the free sunlight.
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