Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil, using nutrient-rich water solutions to deliver essential minerals directly to the plant roots. In traditional soil-based agriculture, plants obtain nutrients from the soil, but hydroponics bypasses this medium and provides nutrients directly in a controlled environment. This method offers several advantages, including more efficient nutrient uptake, better control over growing conditions, and the ability to grow plants in areas with poor soil quality.
Deep Water Culture:
Deep Water Culture (DWC), as the name suggests, is a type of hydroponic growing method where plant roots are
constantly submerged in a well-oxygenated solution containing nutrients and water. This is different from other
hydroponic techniques such as Ebb and Flow, Aeroponics, and Drip Systems, where plants are only watered periodically.
In DWC, the term "deep" refers to the fact that plant roots are fully submerged in the water.
The reservoir holding the plants should have an ample amount of water, providing stability to the nutrient
solution and requiring less maintenance and monitoring.
In contrast to other hydroponic systems where plant roots are exposed to the air and receive continuous
watering, DWC involves sinking the roots into oxygenated water around the clock
If concerned about inadvertently overwatering their plants, particularly those who have experienced
issues with excessive watering in the past, it is reassuring to note that in Deep Water Culture (DWC) or
any hydroponic system, this is less likely to be a problem. In these systems, as long as you ensure that
plant roots receive enough oxygen and are in an appropriate environment with the right temperatures, nutrients, and light, your plants can thrive.
In DWC, the key is providing oxygen to the water. This is achieved by using an air pump or allowing water
to fall, creating air bubbles in the nutrient solution. This oxygenation is crucial for the plant roots.
In DWC, plants continuously absorb oxygen, nutrients, and water, promoting rapid growth. In many cases, this growth surpasses that of plants grown in soil.
Because the plant roots are submerged in water 24/7, it's essential to run the air pump and air-stone continuously.
If you neglect these components, the roots may become waterlogged, deprived of oxygen, and the plants could die as a result.
So, it's crucial to keep the aeration system running around the clock to ensure the health and vitality of your plants.
What plants are good for DWC (Deep Water Culture)?
Plants that do well in deep culture systems include those that don't need to bloom, such as various types of lettuce and herbs. These plants grow quickly and thrive. Additionally, you can cultivate tomatoes, peppers, and larger fruits like squash, although they require a bit more care.
Nutrient Film Technique:There are different ways to set up a nutrient film technique system, but they all share a basic design where a shallow nutrient solution flows through tubing. The plant roots, which are exposed, absorb nutrients from the solution when they come into contact with the flowing water. The NFT system is similar to the Ebb and Flow technique because they both use water pumps to deliver nutrients to the plants. However, unlike the periodic flooding and draining in an Ebb and Flow setup, the NFT system maintains a continuous flow. While passive systems like Wicking or The Kratky Method are simpler to build and operate, they don't create the optimal conditions for plant growth like the active NFT system, which relies on moving parts to function.
What you need for a simple nutrient film technique system (NFT) is:
Reservoir: A container for holding the nutrient solution.
Nutrient Pump: A pump to circulate the nutrient solution.
Tubes: These distribute water from the pump to the NFT growing tubes.
Growing Channel: The area where plants grow.
Net Pots: Containers for plants and growing media to start seedlings.
Return System: Tubing or channel to guide used nutrient solution back to the reservoir.
The NFT system has two main parts: the grow tray (or channel) and the reservoir
water and nutrients. In the grow tray, plants sit in net pots filled with growing media,
but many growers skip this step as the system provides enough moisture, nutrients, and oxygen.
Plant roots form a dense mat in the channel, with foliage on top, sometimes supported by a trellis.
The system uses a pump to deliver water to the grow tray and a drain pipe to recycle unused nutrient solution.
How it works: The grow tray is angled to let water flow toward the nutrient return pipe.
Excess solution flows out, moving to another channel or tube, recirculating through the system.
Plant roots hang down into the channel, touching the shallow nutrient solution film and absorbing nutrients.
The thin film allows plants to be watered without being fully soaked. It also keeps the upper roots dry, providing access to air and oxygen.
The NFT system works well for cultivating small, fast-growing plants such as various types of lettuces. Some people have successfully grown perennial plants like strawberries in commercial setups. For individuals seeking to cultivate sizable fruits such as tomatoes or squash, employing a self-standing trellis system becomes imperative to ensure adequate support for the plants. The NFT system proves suboptimal for substantial crops requiring significant support, given its design lacks a medium capable of bearing the weight of plant roots effectively.
When you decide to grow plants indoors, you often have to add artificial light since natural sunlight may
not be sufficient. Hydroponic lights play a crucial role in providing the necessary illumination needed by plants.
Greenhouses can use sunlight for most of their plants, but sometimes it's not enough. Even glass greenhouses need LED Grow light when sunlight is limited
We at Fluortronix have developed monochromatic multi-spectrum Grow lights tailored for Greenhouse or indoor farming.
These lights are designed to enhance the nutritional value and overall growth of vegetables. Currently,
we are conducting tests in an indoor farm to validate these anticipated benefits.
The utilization of LED grow lights has the potential to be a transformative element in greenhouse cultivation.
It may revolutionize the quality and quantity of production in indoor farms across India. As the agricultural
landscape continues to evolve, we look forward to the emergence of further ground-breaking studies in this field.