Super Fitness Health BlogTwo Main Types of Hydroponic Systems
Now an increasing number of people are cultivating their crops hydroponically, and with good reason. The growth rate of hydroponic crops is 30 to 50 % faster than conventional soil based plants, cultivated under similar conditions. In general, hydroponic crops are far healthier since the needed nutrients for optimum plant growth are supplied directly to their root system. The plants don’t need to look hard beneath the soil for the nutrients they need, permitting them to preserve their energy for healthier and faster growth and bigger yields.
If you are ready to actually discover the advantages of hydroponic gardening, there are two primary kinds of systems that you can use, the recirculating and run to waste system.
Recirculating/Recover System
The recirculating or recovery systems drive the nutrients and water from the primary reservoir to the root system of the plants. The unused nutrients are returned to the reservoir to be used for another cycle. You can have either a recirculating system without a medium or with a medium. The most common recirculating system without a medium is the Nutrient Film Technique or NFT and aeroponics, while the prevalent growing media for recovery systems are expanded clay, rockwool and perlite. These kinds of systems are very well-known among hydroponic growers because they are a lot more cost-efficient than the run to waste systems.
But, the use of recirculating systems also has its drawbacks. Because these systems maximize cycled nutrients instead of fresh and new batch of nutrient solution, it is important to frequently inspect and adjust their pH and EC levels. This adds to the maintenance time you will need to spend in the grow area. If you fail to keep an eye on the appropriate pH and EC levels, the system can grow unstable. Another probable risk that you might encounter with recirculating systems is the fast spread of infectious diseases such as pythium root rot which can easily be moved from plant to plant due to the re-circulation of infected water and nutrient solution.
Run to Waste/Non-recovery System
In the run to waste or non-recovery system, water and nutrients run from the tank, past the plant roots, going to the base of the pot and straight right to the ground, waste basket or catchment tray. Excess nutrients and water are dumped and never re-circulated. The wick system is a great example of the run to waste variety of hydroponic system. Whilst, it is more pricey to manage than recovery type, the run to waste system gives more stable levels of pH and EC. And if several of your plants acquire root disorder, there are minimal possibilities of cross contamination considering that the nutrient solution is never reused.
According to Mike Biggs, owner of CX Hydroponics, “There are many variations of both kinds of systems in the market. But, the success of any of these systems is based on the management of it. It is a good idea to obtain a basic knowledge of hydroponics and what these systems are designed to do before you start growing.”
If you are looking for a complete guide to hydroponics gardening, simply head over to http://www.cxhydroponics.co.uk/.
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