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Homemade Hydroponic System

Homemade Hydroponic System 3 Months Later

Flood and Drain Hydroponic System

The Flood and drain hydroponic system is "media-based", meaning that plants are cultivated in a planting tray that is filled with not just water, but also grow media (moisture-retaining material) such as vermiculite, expanded clay pebbles or coconut fiber.

The flood and drain hydroponic system is so called because the planting tray in continuously flooded with the nutrient solution. The grow media absorbs this nutrient solution and excess solution drains into a reservoir. During this draining process, air is sucked down to the plant roots.

The flood and drain hydroponic system uses a pump and a timer to deliver nutrients to the plants, and owing to active delivery, the flood and drain hydroponic system is called  an ‘active' hydroponic system.

The simplicity and effectiveness of the flood and drain hydroponic system is a prominent reason why most homemade hydroponics systems are flood and drain systems.  Additionally, the flood and drain hydroponic system is appropriate for growing a large variety of vegetables, herbs, and other plants.

In addition to edible items, the flood and drain system is quite widely used for growing flowers and ornamental plants. These can be grown in individual media-filled pots which are set in the planting tray, instead of being planted directly in the planting tray.

A drawback of the flood and drain hydroponic system is that it is dependent upon electricity. Thus if you are concerned about expense or power outages the flood and drain hydroponic system is probably not the best choice to use!

There are no specific rules as to how often you should flood and drain if you are using the flood and drain hydroponic system. There are several factors that vary from one hydroponic garden to the other. These factors are discussed below in order to provide an understanding of how often you need to flood and drain your hydroponic garden.

• · Plant size

A key factor in the flood and drain hydroponic system is the size or biomass of the plants.  Since plants transpire moisture into the atmosphere, their roots absorb more water which then travels up the plants and results in leaf yield. Larger plants tend to transpire more water, and it is necessary, therefore to ensure that you frequently flood and drain your hydroponic garden.  Additionally, as the plants grow in size, you will need to do this more often.

• · Light

In the flood and drain hydroponic system, it is necessary to know the strength, proximity, and duration of light, especially if artificial lights, like grow lights are used. Since light has an impact on the plant water transpiration rate, it will also serve to determine how often you need to flood and drain.

• Temperature

Besides light, the climate and domestic heating systems can create a warm atmosphere for your hydroponics garden – and thereby speed up the plant water transpiration rate. When using the flood and drain hydroponic system, you may need to control the flood and drain times throughout the year, to match the seasonal variations in temperature and humidity levels.

• Humidity

Plants transpire water more easily in dry atmospheres. The drier the atmosphere, the more frequently you will need to flood and drain your hydroponics garden. In humid atmospheres, conversely, will not need to flood and drain as often as in dry atmospheres.

• Grow Media
  
  In the flood and drain hydroponic system, you can use a variety of grow media, like expanded clay pebbles, Rockwool or coconut coir. However, each grow medium differs in water absorption and retention rates.For example, clay pebbles need both longer and more frequent flood and drain cycles than Rockwool because they absorb water more slowly and retain it for less time.

• Size of your hydroponics system

The larger and deeper your flood and drain hydroponic system, the less often you need to flood and drain your garden.  Deeper systems need less frequent but longer flood and drain cycles than the more usually used flood and drain systems.

• Type of plants

Some plants need more water than others, and it is therefore necessary to be knowledgeable and informed as to how long you flood and drain to suit your plants' watering requirements.

When growing a variety of plants, you will need to adjust the times as to how often you flood and drain, until you feel that you adequately meeting the water requirements of all your plants. For convenience, you may have separate hydroponics gardens, cultivating plants with similar needs.

• Calculating flood and drain times

Stated here are guidelines for three popular types of grow media, indicating the flood and drain times for seedlings/starter plants through to large plants.  You should note that a "day" means approximately 16 hours, when the lights are on. You should never flood and drain during dark periods.

Expanded clay pebbles: 4 to 8 times a day

Coconut coir: 3 to 5 times a day

Rockwool: 1 to 5 times a day

These guidelines are just a suggestion, you may feel free to use your own judgment when using the flood and drain hydroponic system. Finally, it is imperative, that your hydroponic garden is never dry!

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