The Six Different Types Of Hydroponic Systems

Hydroponics is gaining popularity due to the advantage it provides to grow corps anywhere. Even on barren land, you can grow plants; this is possible because there is no use of land or soil in hydroponic systems. Also, productivity is increased significantly, ensuring high revenue for the producer. Using hydroponics farming’s micro climate, you can protect the crops from any type of damage and can rest assured of good quality crop production. When you read so the many benefits of hydroponic farming, you must have how to do this farming. Well, you need to be familiar with the six different types of hydroponics systems and choose the one that suits you best and proceed with the same

Many Agrarian Issues One Solution - Hydroponic System

There have been complaints from all over India regarding soil degradation and associated lower productivity. Due to the lesser nutrients available in the soil, the crop produced is poor in quality and does not attract buyers, leaving the producer in huge losses. Hydroponics farming is the solution to the grave issue. Hydroponic literally means growing crops without soil. It grows crops using nutrient-rich water for higher production, and the quality of the crop is excellent due to the abundance of nutrients. 

It makes optimal usage of water, and hence there is no case of wastage of water. The pests, strong winds, heat, and cold waves are all kept at bay, and the crop is protected. You can always rely on hydroponic systems for an assured higher yield of good quality crops. There are six ways in which hydroponics farming is done. You can choose one of them which you like only after being aware of all of them.

The Six Different Types Of Hydroponic Systems:

Wick Hydroponics System

The technique to grow crops without soil and without electricity is wicked hydroponic systems. Here you would attach the wick to the plant roots and drop the other end of the wick in a nutrition solution reservoir. The nutrient solution is the result of the addition of the required nutrients set by the crop grown in distilled water. The crop is well placed in the growing medium, and it grows quite easily.

One thing that is to be noted here is the installation part is easy but very crucial. Once the system is set up well, you do not need to do much labor, except for replacing the water once every two weeks. If the installation is done improperly or the wicks are handled well, then the crop’s growth will get hampered.

As it does not use electricity and many other associated electrical devices, it is the cheapest of all the techniques and hence is a good option for beginners to gain a good experience. Using this technique, you can only grow smaller crops like herbs and small houseplants. The large crops would require a higher amount of nutrients which is not supplied when the wick is deployed around the roots. 

Water Culture

Water Culture hydroponic farming involves an inexpensive and easily maintainable system. You will have to place the crop’s roots in the nutrient solution reservoir and use an air diffuser or an air stone to provide uninterrupted nutrient and oxygen supply to the roots. The crops grow very fast, and you will be amazed to see the speed of their growth. The high-speed growth demands the crops be placed fixed so that they may not hinder each other’s growth. The positioning is easily done using net pots. 

The water culture is quite useful for growing large crops and ensures the speedy growth of any type of crop. You can generate great wealth with the higher yield you get in a short period of time.

Nutrient Film Technique

The hydroponic system that produces the highest amount of crops in a certain time frame is the Nutrient Film Technique(NFT). Using the NFT system, you do not deploy a growing medium but place the crops using net pots in a sloping channel. The channel is connected to the reservoir of nutrient solution from both ends for the crops to have seamless access to the nutrients. 

The channel can not accommodate larger crops, and hence NFT is used only for small crops. The rate of growth of the crops is quite high, and you can grow numerous crops simultaneously. The high rate of productivity has made NFT popular among commercial farmers.

Aeroponics Systems

Aeroponics is the toughest system to install and clean. They are quite expensive but efficient too. You can grow any size crop using this system. Here the crops are suspended in the air for uninterrupted oxygen supply, and the roots are sprayed with nutrient solution from below using spray nozzles. The nozzles spray the solution when pressure is built in it periodically. The excess sprayed nutrient is collected in the reservoir placed below the set-up. You need to have good experience and training to manage the system.

Drip System

If you want to grow crops of different sizes, a drip system is a good option. You can adjust the set-up whenever you want to. The system involves tubes that are connected to the nutrient reservoir and provide the solution to the roots periodically in drops. The excess nutrient solution is returned back to the reservoir to be used again. The amount of drops the crop receives in a period is changeable to adjust as per the needs of different crops.

Ebb And Flow System

Ebb And Flow System use a large growing bed in which the growing medium is fixed. The plants are placed in the growing medium and provided with a nutrient solution through the medium. The solution stays for some time and is released into the reservoir. The time is decided by a timer set for this purpose. You can grow any sized crop but growing larger crops are not recommended. 

These are the six different types of hydroponic systems that you can choose from. 

To Sum Up

Hydroponic systems are of great use and can revolutionize the Indian agricultural sector. The users need to pick the best type of technique according to the space they can deploy, the size of crop they want to grow, and the investment they are ready to risk for a higher return. You can easily generate huge return using hydroponics when you use the systems with care and expertise. Agriplast Protected Cultivation Private Limited is all set to serve you with the best guidance related to hydroponics agriculture farming. We believe in bringing change in your lives with the change in the rest of the world