There are several different methods that can be used to grow with hydroponics technology. Your budget, size of setup, availability of mediums, and desired yield will ultimately determine which method you choose to implement. Of course some hydroponics techniques require more involvement from the gardener than others, and this may also affect your final choice.
Solution culture is one of the two main methods of hydroponics. Solution culture has two sub-divisions, static solution culture and continuous flow solution culture. Static solution is the technique of placing a seedling or cutting in a container of solution. Continuous flow solution, meanwhile, uses the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) – a shallow stream of water continuously flows over the roots (generally the water is re-circulated), allowing the roots access to air as well as water and thereby encouraging growth.
Medium culture, meanwhile, has any number of separate techniques, as ultimately it depends on the medium you choose to grow your plants in. Sand, gravel, rockwool, diahydro (sedimentary rock), expanded clay (sometimes called hydroton or leca), coir (coco peat), perlite (volcanic rock), vermiculite (volcanic rock), brick shards and polystyrene packing peanuts are all popular choices. In all mediums the emphasis is on providing silicon to promote plant growth, and ensuring that there is no soil in the medium that could potentially lead to a contamination or disease outbreak.
Both solution culture and medium culture rely on nutrient solutions (water with artificially added nutrients) to encourage the growth and health of the plants. The solutions must stay above a certain level of mineral content to be effective, and can be tested with an electrical conductivity meter to ensure this happens. Some of the most common solutions include combinations of cations (positively charged ions) of calcium, magnesium and potassium, and anions (negatively charged) or nitrate, sulphate and phosphate.
Solution culture is one of the two main methods of hydroponics. Solution culture has two sub-divisions, static solution culture and continuous flow solution culture. Static solution is the technique of placing a seedling or cutting in a container of solution. Continuous flow solution, meanwhile, uses the Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) – a shallow stream of water continuously flows over the roots (generally the water is re-circulated), allowing the roots access to air as well as water and thereby encouraging growth.
Medium culture, meanwhile, has any number of separate techniques, as ultimately it depends on the medium you choose to grow your plants in. Sand, gravel, rockwool, diahydro (sedimentary rock), expanded clay (sometimes called hydroton or leca), coir (coco peat), perlite (volcanic rock), vermiculite (volcanic rock), brick shards and polystyrene packing peanuts are all popular choices. In all mediums the emphasis is on providing silicon to promote plant growth, and ensuring that there is no soil in the medium that could potentially lead to a contamination or disease outbreak.
Both solution culture and medium culture rely on nutrient solutions (water with artificially added nutrients) to encourage the growth and health of the plants. The solutions must stay above a certain level of mineral content to be effective, and can be tested with an electrical conductivity meter to ensure this happens. Some of the most common solutions include combinations of cations (positively charged ions) of calcium, magnesium and potassium, and anions (negatively charged) or nitrate, sulphate and phosphate.