Considerations of Hydroponic Gardening at Gothic Arch Greenhouses

The name "Hydroponics" was created from a latin word which means "Working Water". To most of us, it actually means growing plants without soil by supplying all needed nutrients in the plant's water supply.


This system is an easy way to grow plants therefore farmers and gardeners grow much of their crops hydroponically.

There are hundreds of different methods of hydroponic gardening. The foundation of all of these methods applies only three basic considerations.

What type of planting system will you utilize?

There are six types of hydroponic systems (stay tuned for future blogs for advantages and disadvantages of each)

Wick System

Water Culture

EBB & Flow (Flood and Drain)

Drip Systems (Recovery and Non-recovery)

N.F.T (Nutrient Film Technique)

Aeroponic



What type of feeding system will you utilize?

Most of the principles that apply to soil fertilizers also apply to hydroponic fertilizers, or nutrient solutions. A hydroponic nutrient solution contains all the elements that the plant normally would get from the soil. They come in liquid mixes or powered mixes, usually with at least two different containers, one for grow and one for bloom.

Testing pH is easy and essential in a hydroponics system. If the pH is too high or too low the plant will not be able to absorb certain nutrients and will show signs of deficiencies. pH should be checked once a week.

What type of growth media will you utilize?

The purpose of a growing medium is to aerate and support the root system of the plant and to channel the water and nutrients. Different growing mediums work well in different types of hydroponic systems. A fast draining medium, such as Hydrocorn or expanded shale works well in an ebb and flow type system. Hydrocorn is a light expanded clay aggregate. It is a light, airy type of growing medium that allows plenty of oxygen to penetrate the plant's root system. Both types of grow rocks can be reused, although the shale has more of a tendency to break down and may not last as long as the Hydrocorn. These grow rocks are very stable and rarely effect the pH of the nutrient solution.

Rockwool has become an extremely popular growing medium. Rockwool was originally used in construction as insulation. There is now a horticultural grade of Rockwool. Unlike the insulation grade, horticultural Rockwool is pressed into growing cubes and blocks. It is produced from volcanic rock and limestone. These components are melted at temperatures of 2500 degrees and higher. The molten solution is poured over a spinning cylinder, comparable to the way cotton candy is made, then pressed into identical sheets, blocks or cubes. Since Rockwool holds 10-14 times as much water as soil and retains 20 percent air it can be used in just about any hydroponic system. Although the gardener must be careful of the pH, since Rockwool has a pH of 7.8 it can raise the pH of the nutrient solution. Rockwool cannot be used indefinitely and most gardeners only get one use per cube. It is also commonly used for propagation.

Other commonly used growing mediums are perlite, vermiculite and different grades of sand. These three mediums are stable and rarely effect the pH of the nutrient solution. Although, they tend to hold too much moisture and should be used with plants that are tolerant to these conditions. Perlite, vermiculite and sands are very inexpensive options, and work charitably in wick systems, although they are not the most effective growing mediums.



Hydroponic gardening is the wave of the future. It is currently being studied in classrooms around the country, local horticultural societies and in government funded research at major universities and NASA. It is also becoming a popular hobby. Hydroponics is fun, exciting and easy to get involved in. Gothic Arch Greenhouses, Inc. can supply you with all of your Hydroponic needs.