Compare Hydroponic Systems

Hydroponic systems are gardening mechanisms designed to bring a regular or continuous flow of water and nutrients to the roots of a plant without the use of soil.  Normally, soil is the source for both water and nutrients, but in hydroponic systems, the soil itself is not required by any plant.  Hydroponic systems basically work without use of the ‘middleman’ or of the soil.

Although there are hundreds of different hydroponics systems used today, they all fall under seven basic categories; water culture hydroponics system, passive hydroponics system, flood and drain hydroponics system, drip, wick, nutrient film hydroponics system. Then there is  my favorite of the hydroponic systems, the aeroponic hydroponics system. 

In ‘water culture’ hydroponic systems the plants are suspended above the nutrient medium, and their roots dangle down into it.  So long as the nutrient solution is aerated, the roots of any plant will absorb the need nutrients directly without difficulty.  Usually in other hydroponic systems there is an air pump and air stone involved to provide the nutrient solution with the needed oxygen.

The ‘passive’ hydroponic system is by far the simplest of the hydroponic systems to use.  The plant is put in a growing medium of some kind, usually perlite, rockwool, gravel or any other substance that has a multitude of air pockets.  The medium then sits in a tray of nutrient solution, which is absorbed by the medium by the same simple capillary actions that allow nutrients to flow through soil. 

The ‘flood and drain’ hydroponics  has growth medium bound plants sitting directly in a tray, as in the passive system, which is then flooded at regular intervals with a nutrient solution.  There is usually a overflow tube which drains excess solution back into a lower chamber, where the nutrient solution is stored.  This hydroponic system is also referred to as the ‘ebb and flow’ system.

Drip and wick hydroponics  are both similar.  In these hydroponic systems a continuous stream of nutrient solution is delivered to the growth medium in which the plants are in.  In the drip hydroponic systems, the solution is dripped over the medium via a pump, and the wick hydroponic systems rely on the capillary draw of a wick to bring in nutrients from a lower reservoir. 

The two most advanced hydroponic systems are the ‘nutrient film technique’ (NFT) and ‘aeroponic’ hydroponic systems.  In NFT, the plants roots are suspended into a tray in which a constant stream of nutrient solution is pumped through.  The tray is tilted, and the solution runs off back into the reservoir from which it was pumped, never forming more than a thin film along the bottom of the tray.  Aeroponics uses a pump that turns the nutrient solution into a fine mist or spray that keeps the roots fed.  In both NFT and Aeroponic hydroponic systems, air is usually the only growth medium.

For the easiest way to do hydroponics I recommend the bubbleponic hydroponics systems by Stealth Hydro.  The days of merely misting the outer roots with nutrient spray are over. Gone too are the days of over/under watering, over/under feeding; the Stealth Hydro bubbleponic hydroponics systems automatically maintains the ideal oxygen level of the nutrient solution so as to facilitate a healthy thriving root system.

Stealth Hydro's "Stealth Grow", "Stealth Bloom" and "Stealth Micro" individually sized nutrient packets eliminate the need for measuring. Simply fill the reservoir bucket to the indicated line with water, and add the required feeding packet.  Stealth Hydro bubbleponic hydroponics systems