“The 6 Types of Hydroponic Systems”

Bill Osuch

*FULL TRANSCRIPT*

Hosted By Marjory Wildcraft www.TheGrowNetwork.com

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“The 6 Types of Hydroponic Systems”

Bill Osuch

Marjory: HelloandwelcometotheHomeGrownFoodSummit.ThisisMarjoryWildcraftandthissummitisbroughttoyoubytheGrowNetwork,whichisthepremiercommunityofpeoplewhomaketheirownmedicineandgrowtheirownfood.Wefrequentlygetquestionsabouthydroponicsandaquaponics,andournextpresentationisaverybasicpresentationonthesixdifferenttypesofhydroponicsystems.Beforeyougetallfreakedoutaboutthat,thisactuallyrangeseverythingfromalittlethingthatyoumighthaveonyourcountertopallthewaytothebigmegacomplexsystemsthatyou'rethinkingofwithallthewhitepipeseverywhere.

Ourpresenter,BillOsuchdoesaveryverygoodjobofjustverysimplyexplainingthesesixdifferenttypesofsystems,andifyou'reinterestedingettingintohydroponics,thiswillbeareallygreatintroductionforyou.Billhasbeenpreppinginurbanhomesteadingforover15years.He'sthefatherofthreeactive,inquisitiveboys.OhgoodLord,Ibettheirdinnertable...Ibettheirfood[inaudible00:00:58],Ithinktheirfoodbilleveryweekisexpensive.Anyway,whenhe'snotworkingonaproject,Billiswithhisboysandheenjoys,reading,traveling,andtargetsports.Here'sBillOsuchtalkingaboutthesixbasictypesofhydroponicsystems.

Bill: Hi.I'mBillwithSelfReliantSchoolandtodayIwantedtotalkalittlebitabouthydroponics.Now,whenmostpeoplehearthewordhydroponics,theythinkofoneoftwothings.Somegleaminglight,space-age,laboratorywithrowsandrowsofplantsstretchedoutoracoupleofshadylookingcharactersinawarehousesomewheregrowingsomemarijuana,butyoucandohydroponicsathome.Youcanactuallygrowalotoffruits,vegetables,herbs,andyoucandoitwithoutturningyourhouseintosomethingthatlookslikeaspace-ageNASAlaboratory.

Whatexactlyishydroponics?Well,thewordhydroponiccomesfromLatin,whichmeansworkingwaterandjusttoputitreallysimply,it's

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theartofgrowingplantsinasoillessmedium.Somethingwithoutusingregulardirt.Whenmostpeoplethinkofhydroponics,theythinkofsomesortofsystemwheretheplanthasitsrootsdirectlyintosomesortofabucketofwater,whetherit'sstillormoving.Thatisonetypeofhydroponicsystem,buttherearealotofothersthatlookalotlikejustyourstandardhouseholdcontainergarden.

Forexample,thisisasubstancecalledcoconutcoir.Asyoucansee,itlooksalotlikejuststandardpottingsoil,butwhatitreallyis,isshreddedcoconutshells.Now,that'saninertmaterial,itdoesnotprovideanynutrientstotheplant'srootsthewaydirtwould,soitwillholdyourplantsinplacejustthesameaspottingsoilwould,butyouhavetoprovidethenutrientsyourselfintheformofanutrient-enrichedwater.Theplantsaregoingtodrawallthatupratherthanpullinganynutrientsfromthesoil,orinthiscase,fromthecoconutcoir.

Now,thereareothersystemswhereyourplantsareheldinthingsliketheselittleclaypellets.Somesystemswilluselargerrocksinthat,lavarocks,riverrocks.Somesystemscanusesand.Somesystemscanevenusethingslike,they'recalledpolymerpelletsandwhattheyreallyareiswater-absorbingcrystals,basicallyjustthesamethingyoufindinababy'sdiaper.Youaddwatertothem,theypuffupreallygoodandtheyholdthewaterforalongtime.Theykeeptherootsmoistandtheykeepdeliveringthatnutrienttotheplants.

Now,prettymuchanyonecansetupasystemtogrowhydroponicallyregardlessofthetypeofplantyouwanttogrowortheamountofspaceyouhave.Ifyoucantakecareofagoldfish,youcantakecareofahydroponicsystem.Now,whywouldyouwanttogrowhydroponicallyinthefirstplace?Withhydroponics,you'recreatingaperfectenvironmentfortheplant.Ifyougivetheplantexactlywhatitneeds,whenitneeds,it'sgoingtobethehealthiestitpossiblycan.Withhydroponics,you'recontrollingeverythingfromthetemperature,thelighting,thenutrientsthatyou'regivingtotheplant,theweather,predators,insects,everythinglikethat.

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Now,withhydroponics,you'redeliveringaPhbalancedliquiddirectlytotherootsoftheplants.Becauseit'sliquid,it'shighlysoluble.Thatmeansthattherootscanabsorbitreallyeasily,mucheasierthantheycouldabsorbnutrientsoutofsoil.Thisisgoingtolettheplantpullitsfoodinaloteasierthanitcaninsoilwheretherootshavetogosearchingoutforwhatitneeds.Iftheplanthastospendlessenergyonpullinginitsfood,developingtheroots,itcanputmoreofitsenergyintofruitingandfloweringandgrowingwhatyou'retryingtogrowtoeat.Again,likeIsaid,becauseyou'regrowingindoorsinmostcases,youcandohydroponicsoutdoors,butforthemostpart,peoplegrowindoors.Becauseyou'regrowingindoors,youcontroleverything.Youcontrolthelight,thetemperature,thewindblowingacrossyourplants.There'snoworryaboutfrost,there'snoworryaboutbunnyrabbits,grasshoppers,anythinglikethat.

Now,inhydroponics,you'regoingtobeaddingnutrientstothewateroftheplantandyou'regoingtoactuallybechangingoutthatwaterprettyregularly.Maybeeveryweekoreverytwoweeks.Becauseyou'redoingthis,you'realwaysdeliveringfreshnutrientstotheplantandyoudon'thavetoworryabouttaxingthesoil.Youdon'thavetodoanykindofacroprotationwhereifyou'regrowingthesametypeofplantyearafteryearinthesamespace,it'sgoingtobepullinginallthesamenutrients,soyoudon'thavetoputinadifferenttypeofplanttoreplenishsomeofthosenutrientsbecauseyou'rechangingoutthewater,you'redeliveringtheperfectconcentrationofnutrientstoyourplanteachtime.

Inmostcases,ifyoutooktwogeneticallyidenticalplants,twoplantsfromthesamecutting,seedsfromthesamebatch,thingslikethat,andyougrewthemside-byside,growonehydroponically,growoneinsoilunderidealconditionsoneach,you'llmorethanlikelynoticethatthehydroponicplantisgoingtogrowtaller,greener,alittlemorelush,andhavebetterfruitproductionforthesameamountofeffortthatyouwouldputintotheconventionallygrownplant.Also,hydroponicplantsaregreatifyouwantalittlesidebusiness,ifyouwanttosellsomethingatyourlocalfarmer'smarket.

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Forexample,hereinTexas,let'stakestrawberries.Strawberriesareprettymuchinseason,localstrawberries,fromaboutFebruarythroughApril.Therestofthetime,you'regoingtofindthatthey'reimportedfromsomewhereelseinthecountryorsomewhereelsearoundtheworld.Imagineifyoucouldtaketoyourlocalfarmer'smarketfreshlyharvested,locallygrownstrawberriesinSeptember,October,November,December,allyearround.Thatwouldbeaprettygoodseller.Then,herbsareanothergoodcroptotaketoyourfarmer'smarket.Forexample,basil.Basiljustgrowslikeaweed.Inacoupleweeksyou'llhaveahugeamountofitandsomestudieshaveshownthathydroponicallygrownbasilandothertypesofherbs,producemoreessentialoilsintheirleaves.Anywherefrom20%to40%morethanwhenyou'regrowingconventionally,soyou'regoingtogetamuchbetterflavortothemandyoucangrowahugevariety,whichgivesyougoodmarkettosell.

Now,whatwouldyounotgrowhydroponically?Mainlyrootcrops,carrots,potatoes,turnips,radishes.It'shardtofindagoodmediumforthemtogrowinbecausetherootwantstogrowdownandevenifyoudidfindagoodmediumandagoodsetupthatgrewthem,you'reprobablynotgoingtobeassuccessfulasyouwouldgrowingthemconventionally.Potatoesgrownhydroponically,you'renotgoingtoproducenearasmanyasifyoujustdidasimplepotatobucketoutonyourbackpatio.Then,youhavetothinkaboutwhetheryouwanttogrowsomethingliketomatoesorcucumbers.Theybothdoreallywellwhengrownhydroponically,buttheyrequirealittlemoreplanningbecausetheyareavegetablethatneedssomesortofatrellisingsystem.Youcan'tjustputtheminapotandmovethemaroundasyouwould,sayanherborsomesortoflettuceorsomethinglikethat.Youhavetoplanyoursystemoutanddecideifyoureallywanttoinvestthetimeandthespaceintobuildingatrellisforahydroponictomatogarden.

Now,letmetalkalittlebitabouthydroponicsystems.Everytypeofhydroponicsystemcanreallybebrokendownintooneofsixbasicsystems.Alotofthemaregoingtohavesomebellsandwhistles,somefancythings,lookalittlebitdifferentfromothersystems,butreallyyoucancategorizethemintooneofthesesixsystems.I'm

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goingtogooverthemfromthemostsimplestwiththefewestmovingparts,allthewayuptothemostcomplex.

Thefirstsystemwouldbewhat'scalledawicksystem.Now,forthisyouneedaprettytightgrowthmediumand,bythat,Imeansomethingprettyfine,likethiscoconutcoir.It'snotgoingtohavealotofgapsinbetweenitlikethesepelletswould.Thewaythisworksissimplyyoueitherstartaseedoraseedlinginapotjustlikethisandithassomesortofawickmaterialdroppingdownoutofthebottomofthepot.Couldbesomethingassimpleasjustarag,acandlewick,anythingthatcanpullliquidupintothepot.Then,yousimplysetthisontopofabucketofyournutrientsolution.It'sjustgoingtositthereandwicktheliquidupintothegrowthmedium.Thisisgoingtostayprettymoistandthentheplantisgoingtodrawupwhatitneeds.Thebenefittothisguyisthatthere'salmostnomovingparts.Youdon'thavetoworryaboutpowerfailures.Aslongasyoukeepyourbucketfullofliquid,it'sgoingtodogood.Youjusthavetoworryaboutkeepingtheliquidsupplysteadyandagoodlightingsource.

Now,onethingthatyoudoneedforasystemlikethat,andforalotofdifferenttypesofsystemswhereyouhavesomesortof,say,alargebucketwithwaterinit,youwanttoaerateyourwater.Youcandothatjustwithasimplelittleaquariumpumpwithanairstone.Youknow,thelittlebubblerthatyouputinyourgoldfishbowl.Whatthat'sdoingisit'sputtingoxygenintothewaterandthen,asthewaterisabsorbedupintothepot,intotheplant'sroots,theplant'srootsaregoingtotakeinthatoxygenaswell.Ifyoujusthavestillwaterwithnooxygenbeingpumpedintoit,theplant'snotgoingtodoaswell.

Nexttypeofsystemwouldbesomethingthat'scalledadripsystem.It'sgoingtolookverysimilartoawicksysteminthatyouhaveapotprobablysittingontopofanotherpot.Theonlydifferenceiswhat'shappeninghereisyou'retakingawaterpump,nowwaterpump,notanairpump,andyou'repumpingwaterupfromthebottompottothetoppotandit'strickling.Basically,you'reconstantlywateringthepot.Now,thismightrun24/7oryoumighthaveitonatimerto

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whereitrunsforanhour,shutsoffforsixhours.Itjustdependsonwhatkindofgrowthmediumyou'vegothowwellit'sgoingtoholdthewater.Thiscoconutcoirisgoingtogetniceandwet,it'sgoingtostaymoistlongerthantheseclaypelletswould,soyoujusthavetofigureoutwhatyouneedtokeepyourrootsmoist,keepyourplanthealthy.Now,withthissystem,youdon'tneedanairpumpbecauseasyou'repumpingthewaterupfromthebottom,tricklingitdownthroughthetop,that'saeratingitrightthere.

Thenexttypeofsystemthatyou'llencounteriscalledawaterculture.Now,ifyoueverhaveseenoneoftheseAeroGardensinthestore,thisisawaterculturesystem,sometimescalledaraftsystem.Allthisis,isyouhaveaplatewithsmall,littlepotshangingdownfromtheplate,intothewater.Theplantsitsinthispotandtherootsgrowdownintothewater.Now,you'vegotanairpumpinherethat'sgoingtopumpairintothewater,again,toaerateit,giveairtotherootsoftheplant.That'sit.There'snothingthat'sgoingtopumpthewaterup.Therootsjustdangledownintothewater.Thisone'sgoodifyouhaveapowerfailureforalittlewhile.Allthat'sgoingtohappenisyourrootsaren'tgoingtogetaerated,butthey'llstillbedowninthewater.

Now,thedrawbacktosomeofthesetypesofsystems,theAeroGardenspecifically,isthatthisplateonthetopisfixedinposition.Whatthatmeansis,theplateissittingrighthereandyouhaveawaterreservoirbelowit.Ifyouforgetaboutit,thewaterlevel'sgoingtoevaporate.It'sgoingtogodownanddownanddown,andasitgoesdown,you'regoingtoexposetherootsontheplant,possiblydryingitout.That'ssomethingthatyouhavetowatchonthese.Youhavetomakesurethatyou'retoppingoffyourwaterprettyregularly.

Analternativetypethatmostpeoplemakeforthemselvesistheraftsystem.It'sidenticaltothis,theplantssitonatrayontopofthewater,butthetrayisn'tfixedinpositionlikethis.It'sactuallyjustfloatingonthetopofthewater.Asthewaterlevelgoesdown,thetraygoesdownwithit,sothatyourrootsarealwaysimmersedinthewater.Now,thisisoneoftheeasiestonestomake,also.Asyoucan

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seehere,Ijustcreatedoneoutofasimplelittleplasticstoragebinandsomeoftheselittlepots.Yousimplydroptheseedintosomesortoflittlegrowthmediumtoholditbecauseobviouslyifyoudroptheseedinhere,it'sjustgoingtofallrightdownintothewater.Yousimplydroptheseedinthereandpressthatinanditstarttogrow.Now,thisone,again,becausethelidissnappedon,you'vegotthatproblemwhereyouneedtowatchitandmakesureyourwaterleveldoesn'tdropdown.Youcouldalternativelysimplycutthelidoutandthenhaveeverythingfloatingonthesurface,soitcangoupanddownasyourwaterlevelroseandfell.

Now,thenexttypeofhydroponicsystemiscalledaNutrientFilmTechniqueorNFT.Now,thisiswhatmostpeoplethinkofwhentheythinkofhydroponics.It'salongtubeandagain,theplantsitsinsomesortofpotlikethisanditsrootsdangledownintothetube.ThedifferencebetweentheNFTandthewatercultureisintheNFT,thewateriscontinuouslymovingthroughthere.Youdon'thaveareservoirwithabigbucketofwaterthattherootsaregoingdowninto.Thinkof,forexample,oneofthethingsalotofpeopleuseisaraingutter.Now,justthesametypeofgutterthatyouhaveonthesideofyourhouse.Youanglethegutteralittlebit,sothatgravitycantakethewaterfromoneendtotheother.Then,youhaveplantsallalongthereandasthewaterisgoingdown,it'sgoingrightacrosstherootsoftheplants.Therootsarepullingupthatwater.Goesdownintoareservoirattheend,getssuckedbackup,andstartsthewholeprocessalloveragain.

Now,thenexttypeofsystemiscalledanebbandflowsystem.Inthistypeofsystem,youhaveallofyourplantssittinginpotsinsomesortoflarge,waterproofcontainer.Alotofpeoplemightuseakidsswimmingpoolforthis.Whathappensis,onaregularschedulewaterispumpedupfromthereservoirintothepoolanditliterallyfloodsittoadepthofmaybetwo,three,four,allthewayuptosix,10inches,whateversizepotsyouhave.You'vegotyourfloodedpoolandthenitholdsitthereforafewminutes,lettingthepotsandthematerialinthepotsoakupthewater.Then,afterafewminutes,it'sdrained,thewater'salldrainedbackdownintothereservoir.Atthispoint,yourgrowthmediumherehasgottenniceandsoaked,so

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everything'sgoingtobedampforalittlewhile.Itwaitsawhileandthenitrepeatstheprocess,soitfillsit,drainsit,fillsit,drainsit,anddoesthatalldaylong.

Now,thedrawbacktothat,youneedalittlemorecomplexhardware,youhavetoknowexactlyhowmuchwatertopumpup,soyou'renotoverflowing,youhavetohaveatimerthatdoesmultipletimes.Youhavetobeabletoturnthesystemonandthenoffforafewminutes.Then,waitforprobablyafewhours,thenonandoffagain.Youaregoingtoneedquiteabitmorehardwareforthatandthen,apossibledrawbacktothat,ifyouhaveanykindofapowerfailureandyourpumpisn'tworking,thenyourplantsaren'tgoingtobegettingthemoisturetheyneed.It'snotsomethingthatyoucanreallyuseandwalkawayfromforseveraldayswithoutcheckinginonitoccasionally.

Anothertypeofsystemiscalledanaeroponicssystem.Aeroponicsisgoingtoreallysimilartooneofthesewaterculturesystems.You'regoingtohavetheplantssittinginsideofapot,hangingdown,butinsteadofhangingintothewater,they'reactuallyjusthangingthereinair.Then,insidehere,youhaveabunchoflittlemisternozzles.Whathappensonaregularschedule,thepumpisgoingtoturnonandit'sgoingtomistthebaseofyourplanthere,it'sgoingtomisttherootsjustthesameasifyouweretakingaspraybottleandsprayingthem.Now,thebigdrawbacktothatis,becausetheyarehanginginair,theycandryoutreallyquick,soapowerfailureononeofthesesystemsiscritical.Yourplantscandiereallyfast.

Nowsomesystems,likethiswaterculture,ifyou'reusingoneoftheselittleplugs,youcanjustdropaseedstraightinthereandputitstraightintothehydroponicsystem.Othersystems,likeifyou'reusingsomeoftheseclaypellets,you'renotjustgoingtobeabletodropaseedrightinthere.It'snotgoingtodoverywell,soyouhavetostartyourseed.Howdoyoudothat?Well,basicallythesameasifyouwerestartingyourseedindoorstotransplantoutdoors.You'regoingtostartitinalittleplug,inagrowtray,underagrowlight.Then,whenitsproutsintoaseedling,you'lltransplantthisintohere.Whattheseare,it'sasubstancecalledrockwoolandallitis,isrock

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that'sbeenmeltedatabout1600degreesandthenstretchedout,almostlikespinningcottoncandy.Feelsalotlikefiberglassinsulation.It'sreallyfluffy,butit'sinert,soaplantcan'tpickupanythingfromit.It'sdenseenoughtowhereitwillholdtheseedinplace,butlooseenoughtowhereeventhesmallestofrootscanjustgrowrightthroughitandthenoutintoyourgrowmedium.

Now,finally,thelasttypeofhydroponicsthatyoumighthaveseensomewhereisasystemcalledaquaponics.That'sasystemwhereyouwouldhaveessentiallyafishtankdownonthebottomwithplantsuponthetop.Whathappensisyou'vegotyourfishlivingdownbelowandthey'reproducingwaste.Yourfiltrationsystem,thesamethingthatwouldremovethewastefromafishtankisgoingtotakethewastewaterandpumpitbackuptotheplants.That'sthefertilizerfortheplants.Then,theexcesswaterisgoingtodripdownintothefishtank.Inmanycases,theplantsrootswillgodownintothetankandthefishcannibbleontherootsandthat'stheirfood.Ifyougotitright,it'saclosedsystem.Youdostillneedtocheckyourlevelsinthewater,allyourPhlevelsandnutrients,thingslikethat,justasthoughyouwouldineitherahydroponicsystemorinafishtank,butifyou'vegotitgoingright,thenthefisharegoingtofeedtheplantsandtheplantsaregoingtofeedthefish.

Now,itisamorecomplexsystemtostartoffwith,sowhatyoureallyshoulddoisyouneedexperiencetakingcareofafishtankonitsownandtakingcareofahydroponicssystemonitsownbeforeyoudecidetocombinethetwointoanaquaponicssystem.There'sallsortsofdifferentsizesyoucanget.Youcangetsomethingjustassimpleasasmall,littlefive-gallontankwithafewpotsofherbsonthetopofit.Inthatcase,thefishwouldprobablybejustsomesmallgoldfishorthingslikethat,andthat'smoredecorative.Therearesystemsthatgoallthewayupinhugesize,uptothesizeofaswimmingpoolwherethey'regrowingatonofvegetablesonthetopandthefisharegrowinglargeenoughdownbelowthatthey'reactuallyharvestedforfood.

Now,hopefully,thishasgivenyoujustabasicintroductiontohydroponics.Whatitis,thetypesofsystemsthereare,whyit's

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beneficial.It'sagreathobby.It'ssomethingthatthekidslovedoing.Youcangetstartedforreallyaboutthesamepriceasyouwouldforgrowingplantsoutside.Forjustyoursimplesystemslikeeitherawatercultureorawicksystem,allyouneedisacoupleofpots,whateveryou'regoingtogrowyourplantin,whetheritbethecoconutcoir,therocks,orjusttheselittleplugs,andthenanairpump.Youshouldbeabletogetstartedforunder,say$20-$25.Youwanttoknowevenmore,headonovertoSelfReliantSchoolandcheckusout.WehaveanentirehydroponicscoursewhereIgointodetail,step-by-stepinstructionsonconstructingeachofthesetypesofhydroponicsystems.Takecareandhaveagreatday.

Marjory: WellIreallydoenjoyBill'sstraightforwardanddowntoearthmethodandformofpresentationthere.IfyouwanttogetintouchwithBill,hehasthatSelfRelianceSchool.Theyteachyouhowtogrow,howtocook,andhowtopreservefood.Clickonthatbuttontotherightthere.ThatwillgetyouintouchwithBillandtheselfrelianceschool,whichisanawesomeresourceandofcourseyou'llgettoseemoreonBillonhydroponicsystems,especiallyasrelatedtoprepping.Downbelowthat,ofcourseisthebuttontopickupthewholesummitpackage,andIwouldwanttoencourageyoutodothat.That'showwesponsorthesetypesofprogramsandmakethisinformationavailabletoeverybodyisbypackagingtheseupandsellingthemandyoursupportreallyreallydoeshelpthiswholeprocess.Clickonthatbuttondownbelowandpickupacopyoftheentiresummitpackagewithour30somethingpresentationsinhere.Okay,andthencomejoinmeonanotherone.ThisisMarjorieWildcraft.