Types of Hydroponics Systems

What are the different types of hydroponics systems?

Scroll To Know The Different Types of Hydroponics Systems That You Could Use in Your Farm

Hydroponics farming is the future of the agricultural industry.

In a country like Kenya where access to land is an issue and with limited water resources, hydroponics farming could contribute to farming possibilities for rural and urban farmers. As explained in our article Adopting hydroponics use, hydroponics is a farming technique without using the soil. Instead, it uses a water solution enriched with nutrients needed for plant growth.

Notably, there are different types of hydroponic systems farmers use in farming various types of crops. In Kenya, you can find some of these systems from Hydroponics Africa.

Hydroponics systems fall into two basic categories.

Passive hydroponics system

There are fewer moving parts in the system. It does not require heavy machines or equipment like engines, pumps, or extreme engineering planning.

Active hydroponics system

It’s a system that has moving parts and needs sophisticated machines and equipment, like engines and pumps. It also demands good technical planning. The various types of hydroponics systems include:

• Recovery system– where the nutrient solution recirculates in the system or
• Non–recovery system– where you apply the nutrient solution to the growing media and do not reuse

1. Wick hydroponics system 

This is a type of hydroponics system under the passive non-recovery system category. It operates naturally with low-maintenance plants that need less water and nutrients.

Ideally, the principle behind this system is the capillary action. The plant is suspended in solid media such as coconut coir for support. Water is transferred to the roots of the plant with a wick; for example, a string. For rapidly maturing plants like lettuce, oxygen in the water is not critical, and sometimes the air stone is not installed to save on energy costs.

How to build a wick type of hydroponic system 

The system is cheaper to install, requiring some materials which are readily available on our property without having to buy at the market store. It contains five major components.

• 1. A container with plants can be a pot or tray.
• 2. A bucket that has enough water in it.
• 3. Solid media. E.g., Perlite.
• 4. Long strips of suitable wick material. For example, string or rope.
• 5. Media solution.

Advantages of the hydroponics wick system.

This is the easiest type of hydroponic system. It is easy to install and to maintain even for beginners.

This is cheap and easy to implement. The wick hydroponic system requires materials that are readily available in our homestead.

It is ideal for small plants such as lettuce.

It uses less energy. With few moving parts, the wick system is ideal for locations without power.

Disadvantages

The wick type of hydroponics is not suitable for a large plant that requires a lot of water. E.g., tomatoes, which heavily–feedings plants in terms of water and minerals.

The system requires a constant power supply to run the pump and the air stone. If the power goes out, the plants may not receive enough oxygen; which could damage or kill them.

It is not efficient in nutrient delivery to plants.

Nutrients are subject to toxic accumulation which may kill plants. Plants do not absorb water and nutrients evenly, which could result in an accumulation of toxic minerals. When using this system, be sure to rinse out additional nutrients with fresh water every 1 to 2 weeks.

2. Deep Water culture system

This is another type of hydroponics system that is simple, putting the roots of plants directly in the nutrient solution. The plants need oxygen to survive, you can use an air pump or diffuser to inject it. As plants come into direct contact with nutrients and oxygen, they grow quickly.

It is, thus, an active recovery system where there are moving parts that recirculate nutrient solutions.

How deep water culture type of hydroponics system works.

In this system, the plants are grown in a net pot with the same growing medium. They are positioned and secured by the lid on the top of the container. The roots grow out of the net pots and reach the nutrient solution held in the reservoir. An air pump helps oxygenate the water and let the roots breathe.

Advantages

• 1. Easy to set up.
• 2. Water saving. You reuse the water-nutritive solution.

Disadvantages

• 1. This type of hydroponics system is not suitable for large plants.
• 2. Not suitable for plants with large growing seasons.
• 3. Development of root diseases caused by dirt growing conditions.

3. Ebb and flow system (Flood and drain).

This is an active and recovery system that is uncommon, but still effective among a few home gardeners.

How ebb and flow work

In this type of hydroponics system, the plants are positioned in a spacious grow bed that’s packed with a growth medium like rock wool or perlite. Once the plants are carefully planted, the nutrient solution is flooded into the plant root system. After soaking the plant roots at set intervals and water levels, gravity automatically drains the solution back into the reservoir.

You will fit the pump with a timer, pushing the water nutrient solution in the reservoir to raise through the tube and onto the system’s main parts.

Advantages

1. It is effective for growing nearly all types of plants, which include vegetables like carrots.

2. It can grow large plant varieties.

4. Aeroponic type of hydroponics system 

This system uses nutrient–rich water solution to nourish the plants. However, instead of using an air stone to provide oxygen, the plants are suspended in the air, and you mist water solution onto the roots.

The advantage of an aeroponic system is that it can be very efficient, as misting of Water solution allows for high rates of absorption by the plants. However, the system can be expensive to set up and maintain, and if the water solution is not misted properly, the plants may not receive enough nutrients or may become overwatered.

Vertical aeroponic towers are a hybrid of the aeroponic system that saves the problem of clogged spray nozzles and space.

5. N.F.T. (Nutrient Film Technology)

In this type of hydroponics system, a thin film of nutrient-rich water solution will circulate over the roots of the plants. You will use slopping troughs to support the plants. The water will circulate continuously and replenish as needed to ensure that the plants receive an optimal number of nutrients. However, the system is highly susceptible to problems if water film do not circulate properly as plants may not receive enough nutrients or may become overwatered.

6. Drip type of hydroponics system. 

It is an active system that uses a pump to feed the plant’s roots with nutrients and water regularly. The drip type of hydroponics system is also referred to as a micro irrigation system. This uses a network of feeder lines to deliver water and nutrients to the plant’s roots in the form of droplets and, is best suited for large-scale agriculture. The drip system is also suitable for vertical farming as water is pumped to the top of the system and gravity does the rest.

Drop-by-drop hydroponic systems come in two categories.

Re-circulating or recovery system.

Mostly common for home gardeners. In this system, water and the nutrient solution are recirculated and reused by the plants. As the solution recirculates again and again, the roots of plants absorb nutrients, which causes changes in both the pH and the concentration of nutrients. Therefore, it is important to periodically check the solution and adjust the pH and nutrient strength according to the needs of the plants. This aims to guarantee a balanced solution for crops.

Non – recirculating

Currently used in commercial agriculture, the nutritional solution is not recycled. This system is cheap to maintain since none of the used solutions is recovered back in the reservoir, meaning that solution pH and concentration do not change; thus no adjustment is required. Excess water drains into the waste ground.

Advantages

This type of hydroponics system is easy to build and operate to grow plants all year round.

The system provides increased control of nutrients and water.

Minimal maintenance is relative to other types of hydroponics.

Disadvantages

This is complex and costly to small farmers.

The non-recovery system leads to the wasting of nutrients and water.

Conclusion

Indeed, it is possible to grow plants without using the soil. This is possible by utilizing the different types of hydroponics systems discussed in this article. Instead planting in soil, you should feed the plants with nutrients solution enriched with necessary nutrients for plant growth.

The different types of hydroponics systems have varying characteristics, which make them suitable or not suitable for a particular farmer.

Therefore, it is important for a farmer to understand each system’s features well, bearing in mind what his/her needs for hydroponics farming are. For example, for small scale, they should consider a simple system that requires little initial setup in terms of capital and space. E.g., wick system or water culture system. If a farmer wants to grow a wide range of plants for commercial purposes, a drip system or N.F.T. system will be the best choice.

References

https://sensorex.com/hydroponic-systems-explained/.

https://biologyreader.com/types-of-hydroponic-systems.html.

https://youtu.be/zEl66nc4358.