There’s a long-standing debate among marijuana growers about whether not hydroponics or soil is the best way to grow plants. Regardless of where you stand, it’s undeniable that hydroponic systems have their benefits.
Soil provides support for plants because it develops a physical structure for the roots to hold on. But hydroponic systems are hugely popular for growers who want to have more control over the growth process. In a hydroponic grow system, the physical support provided by soil can easily be replaced.
There are quite a few different types of hydroponic systems on the market, making it challenging to know which one is right for you.
Although most of us often think about hydroponics in the context of state-of-the-art industrial grow rooms and innovative automated growing kits, hydroponics has actually been in practice for hundreds of years.
I’m referring to what was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – The Hanging Gardens of Babylon – which were (from what we can tell) hydroponically grown.
Very simply put, hydroponics is a growing method that requires no soil. Instead, plants are grown using a rich nutrient solution, sometimes with or sometimes without a growing medium (more on this later).
Types of hydroponic systems for growing marijuana
The first type of hydroponic system we will discuss today is the drip type.
A drip hydroponic system uses a trickle system to deliver nutrient-rich water to your plants. It can be used with both regular soil as well as other growing media and works well if you’d like to grow many plants at the same time, as it uses water efficiently.
Explained simply, a hydroponic drip system generally consists of a reservoir containing the nutrient solution, a rack with plants in individual pots, a pump to move the water to the plants, and thin tubing running to each particular pot to deliver the water. You can control the times the pump turns on and starts supplying water, and a run-off leading back into the reservoir makes sure nothing is wasted. As such, this is a pretty efficient way to grow your plants!
Also known as the ebb and flow technique, a flood and drain hydroponic system works exactly as its name suggests. It floods your plants a set number of times a day (often 2) and then lets them drain. You can easily make a flood and drain set-up yourself, although many choose to go the simpler route and buy one instead.
A flood and drain system consists of two containers stacked on top of each other, with the larger bottom one functioning as your water reservoir. It contains a pump hooked up to a timer as well as your nutrient solution. Once it’s time for the pump to start running, it floods the container above it (which is filled with your plants and a medium like clay balls). It keeps running for a minute or so before turning off again, allowing excess water to drain back into the reservoir. The risk of spills is minimized using an overflow drain. When it comes to hydroponic gardening, this is an excellent option for small indoor plant growers!
The third installment on our list of main types of hydroponic systems is the nutrient film variety.
The nutrient film technique doesn’t generally use a medium to grow the plants, just net pots that allow the roots to stick out. This is because the system will run a continuous stream of nutrient solution past the roots. It’s simple but ingenious and allows lots of oxygen to reach the roots, making your plants grow better.
A nutrient film system consists of a lightly sloped growing channel that the plants are placed in. Under this channel rests the water container and a pump, which can supply water to the higher end of the channel. See where we’re going here? The water flows downwards (forming the ‘nutrient film’), past all the hungry plant roots, and then returns to the container to be pumped up another time. Not a difficult system to set up, and you can make it as big or small as you want, although it works best for smaller plants like lettuce.
Water culture systems are about as simple as it gets in hydroponic gardening, and you can do this with as little as a single plant. As with the nutrient film method, the plants are not grown in any medium. Instead, they are placed in net pots and suspended over a tub, often using styrofoam with cut-outs that fit the pots, that contain a nutrient solution and an air stone for oxygenation. The aquarium hydroponic kits you might find in your local pet store are an example of water culture hydroponics.
If you’d like to get into growing a lot of plants at the same time, you can even set up a modular deep water culture system. This consists of multiple pots or containers containing plants as well as a central water container, with the water circulating constantly.
Although it differs a bit from the other techniques we’ve discussed so far and isn’t technically really hydroponics, aeroponics is still usually considered one of the six classic hydroponic system types. As with water culture and flood and drain, aeroponics involves growing plants without the use of any growing medium. Instead, a nutrient solution is misted onto the roots, which dangle down through net pots as we saw with the water culture technique.
An aeroponics system can be set up in a regular tub with a lid, although some like to use vertical towers to save space. It’s not the simplest of all the systems to build and set up but can still be done at home without too much of a hassle.
If you’re really looking to keep things simple while exploring hydroponic grow systems, you could consider setting up a wick system. No complicated setting up, no risk of overflows or malfunctions, and although some like to use an air pump, technically there’s not even a need for electricity!
Basically, a wick system consists of a basket with the plant sitting on top – think about hanging plants decor! The wicks run down from the growing media (usually something like coco coir or perlite) into the nutrient solution water below, wicking it upwards and transporting it to the thirsty roots. The method works best for plants that don’t get overly thirsty: small things like lettuce don’t carry fruits and, therefore, don’t need as much water.
Here are the basic things you need to raise cannabis in a hydroponic garden:
A space for growing, like a grow tent (check our complete reviews here.)
Lamps that mimic sunlight, A best led grow light can help your cannabis grow better and better.
“Soil” like coco coir or peat—or in hydroponics terms, a grow medium
Pots
Nutrient
pH tester for acid levels
What other Factors should You Consider when Choosing Your System?
Aside from ease of use and margin of error, you should also consider several factors that will affect your choice.
Space
Generally, a small hydroponic system requires around 16 square feet of floor space. Of course, the size of your system will also depend on the number of plants you want to grow. Make sure that the system you’re looking at will easily fit in the space you’re planning on setting it up.
Automation
You need to make sure that the temperature of your solution, the lights, humidity, and the water levels of your system are maintained at optimum levels. Things are definitely easier if you use an automated system so you may want to consider buying one that already has that feature.
Expandability
You may opt to start small especially if you’re only beginning your hydroponics journey. However, once you get a taste of success, you may want to get a hold of more plants to grow. Aside from needing more space, you may want to look for a hydroponic system that’s easily expandable to accommodate more plants. Otherwise, you may have to purchase a new system and start from zero all over again.
Energy Efficiency
Naturally, you’ll be making use of electricity to either pump water or air into your system. This means that you’ll need to make sure that you get a system that is energy efficient.
Setup Costs
Some systems can be bought pre-built which can save you time and money in the long run. DIY projects or those that require professional help when setting up will require you to pay more money. Either to get an expert to build it for you or to fix a mistake you made in building your system.
Final
For people who want to grow marijuana in marijuana grow tent, soil can be messy and too hands-on for indoor grow spaces. Hydroponic systems offer the potential for faster crop growth and more seamless growth cycles since they feed roots with a precise blend of essential nutrients with a balance of oxygen and water.
Hydroponics also use less water because you may reuse any irrigation water not directly consumed by the crop. With a hydroponic system, no need for weeding or herbicides. Therefore, your plants will never suffer the effects of harmful herbicides.
We hope this article gave you some insight into the benefits of hydroponics systems and whether or not hydro is the right medium for your grow style.