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Fresh vegetables are a delicious and healthy treat, but you may not have the outdoor space available for a traditional garden. A hydroponics system can be a smart solution. Hydroponics is a term used to describe gardening without soil. The famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is proof that hydroponics systems were in place centuries ago. Then, in the 1890s, a group of German scientists developed nutrient formulas and brought the hydroponics technique into modern agricultural practices. The hydroponics method has now grown far beyond the simple notion of gardening with the use of water, and today's hydroponics gardeners use other forms of growing media. There are six basic types of hydroponics systems in use today: wick, water culture, ebb and flow, drip, aeroponic and nutrient film technique, or NFT. Other methods are available on the market, but they are generally variations on these six basic types of hydroponics. Wick Systems Most indoor gardeners prefer wick systems as the simplest ways to grow plants using hydroponics. The wick system is passive, so it has no moving parts. Growing plants using the wick method is as simple as placing a wick into a reservoir containing nutrient solution. The wick draws the solution into the growing medium, so there is no need for any moving parts. Other components of the wick hydroponics system typically include: * Growing tray * Grow medium * Air stone * An electric pump A growing medium is used with the wick hydroponics system. Common growth media used with hydroponics gardening include perlite, vermiculite, coconut fiber and Pro-Mix. The major drawback to using the wick system is that large plants, and those plants that require a substantial amount of water, may use up the nutrient solution faster than the wick can supply it. Water Culture One of the easiest ways to grow with hydroponics systems to use the water culture system. Components include a floating platform, air line, air stone and air pump. The floating platform serves as a support system and keeps plants in place while the roots are allowed to dangle in the nutrient solution. The air pump is located outside of the tank and sends air through the line to the air stone. In turn, the air stone aerates or "bubbles" the nutrient solution, providing oxygen for the plant roots. The water culture hydroponics system is the best choice for growing leaf lettuce. This fast-growing plant loves water, making it the ideal candidate for this type of hydroponics system. In fact, lettuce is one of very few plants that will actually thrive in a water culture system. Ebb and Flow System Sometimes called the "flood and drain", the ebb and flow hydroponics system works by temporarily flooding the grow tray with nutrient solution, and then draining the solution out of the tray and back into the reservoir. A submerged pump connected to a timer is usually used to complete this ongoing cycle. When the timer turns the pump on, the nutrient solution is pumped into the grow tray. Then, when the timer shuts the pump off, the nutrient solution flows back into the reservoir. This process is carefully timed, and repeated at several intervals throughout the day. The size and type of plants, humidity, temperature and the type of growing medium used can all affect the number of times the hydroponics system will "ebb and flow". If you love gardening, but just don't have the space or ideal climate, building a hydroponics system can be the perfect solution.
Article Source: http://www.associatedigest.com
Contributor Darnell Istead contributes articles to several web sites, on home garden and home improvement issues.
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