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Deep pool hydroponics

Wednesday, April 11th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

Deep pool hydroponics is also referred to as floating or raft hydroponics, and it is a system used by a large number people who turned to soilless cultures. Somehow, deep pool hydroponics is considered one of the traditional systems in design and functionality, which is why it is embraced by most gardeners and horticulturists. Within the deep pool plant-growing system, the roots of the plants are completely submerged in the nutrient solution. This sets the system in opposition with aeroponics for instance, where the plant roots are suspended in the air and misted with the nutrient solution on a timed basis.

Technical use of hydroponics

Since it was the first to be used in the branch, deep pool hydroponics is the easiest model to build at home on your own. All you have to do is make sure that the plant roots are completely covered by the nutrient solution. However, special measures and precautions are to be applied in the seedling and cloning periods, when the roots are not completely developed yet. The plants would change the growth medium and have their roots immersed in the solution, once their evolution allows it. Mention should be made here that deep pool hydroponics requires the use of a deep growing room, since the plant roots will develop more than in the case of flood and drain system, not to mention aeroponics.

Let’s see how a deep pool hydroponic system actually works. You can either use a board with a growing pot attached to it that you will fill with medium or a Styrofoam surface drilled in order to hold plants. For the former situation, you will place the board with the plants on the nutrient solution that will enter the pots and feed the plants. Or, when using the Styrofoam surface, the plants will actually float on the solution and the roots will grow down inside it. In both cases you should take care that the nutrient solution level remains the same. If it drops too much, part of the plant roots will be left outside and nutrition won’t be complete. In time such negligence can lead to crop failure.

Further specifications

Whenever you turn to using the deep pool hydroponics, you have to keep in mind that the entire system is subject to failure if you neglect nutrient solution control. It is true that it has the advantage of not depending too much on an electric power supply, the way a flood and drain system does. But nevertheless, plants in hydroponic systems tend to be more fragile than those growing in soil. Make sure you are familiar with all the necessary steps for proper system functioning.