There are several popular types of hydroponic growing methods available. They differ based on difficulty to set up, cost for equipment, difficulty to maintain, and what type of plants do well. Generally, the longer plants are exposed to oxygen, the faster they'll grow. However, some plants such as lettuce are very water hungry and thrive in systems that constantly expose them to water. Below are the main types of hydroponic systems:
- Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
- Plant roots are exposed to a constant flow of nutrients
- No timers are required
- This type of system is particularly susceptible to power outages.
- Wick Systems
- Does not use any moving parts or pumps.
- A wick is used to bring nutrient solution to plant roots
- Growth rate is hampered by lack of oxygen to roots
- Aeroponics
- Most difficult to set up and maintain
- Plant roots hang in air and are periodically misted by nutrient solution
- Fastest growing out of any system
- Drip System
- Most commonly used system
- Nutrients are continuously dripped onto plants
- Ebb & Flow System
- Root systems are periodically flooded with nutrient solution, then drained
- This type of system is particularly susceptible to power outages.
- Deep Water Culture (DWC)
- Simplest system to set up
- Plant roots are completely submerged in oxygenated nutrient solution
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