So What is Hydroponics?

So what is hydroponics? In simple terms, it’s growing plants without soil.

The 4 most common methods (each with their own variations and merits) are:

  1. Kratky/Deep water culture (DWC) – plants are suspended into a reservoir of nutrient solution – pictured above.
  2. Ebb and Flow (AKA Flood and Drain) – plants are grown on a tray that is periodically flooded with nutrient solution that then drains back into a reservoir.
  3. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) – plants are set in channels or tubes (such as pvc pipe) with a small stream of nutrient solution passing through the channels over the roots.
  4. Aeroponics – plants are suspended in the air with a nutrient solution periodically sprayed on the roots.

What each method has in common is no soil, roots have direct access to a nutrient solution and air, and tops have access to light. For the beginner, I recommend Kratky/DWC. It’s the most straightforward to set up and for a simple Kratky method, the only thing you will need to buy to get started is water soluble nutrients – you probably already have everything else you’ll need around your house. Click here for a tutorial.

Related Articles

What are the Pros and Cons of Liquid vs. Dry Hydroponic Nutrients?

Note: Prices shown in this article are current as of the initial publication date. Hydroponic nutrients are available in 2 forms – liquid and dry. But which one is better? This is one of the first questions that people have when they start their hydroponic journey and it can be difficult to find a definitive […]
Read more

4 thoughts on “So What is Hydroponics?

    1. Yes, you can mix them, or you can also just grow lettuce with Tomato formula. Despite its name, it is a good general purpose nutrient mix. Greens do respond better to the lettuce formula, but they grow just fine with Tomato too.

Leave a Reply

Shopping Cart Items

Empty cart

No products in the cart.

Return to Shop
Search for: