FAQ:What is Hydroponics? (2020)

What is Hydroponics?

Hydroponics is simply a method of growing plants without soil, using minerals and nutrients dissolved in water. The roots of the plants are exposed to this solution constantly or periodically, depending on the system employed.

What are the different kinds of hydroponics?

There is Deep Water Culture (DWC) which is the easiest, Ebb and Flow which is trickier to manage (also known as Flood and Drain), Drip or Top Feed and Nutrient Film Technique (which we don’t recommend.) In addition, there is a close cousin called Aeroponics.

What is Aquaponics?

Aquaponics is basically an ecosystem combining fish and plants in water.  The fish waste provides nutrition and the plants oxygenate the water. Japanese sometimes use aquaponics on a large scale, and our article has an entertaining video about that technique.

What is Aeroponics?

Aeroponics or Fogponics means your plant roots are suspended in air and fed with a mist of water and nutrient. Think of a rain forest with the vines hanging from trees without any visible connection to the ground. If you are in the South, you may have seen Spanish moss, which is basically an aeroponic plant.

Can I grow cannabis (marijuana or hemp) with hydroponics?

Yes, but hydroponics and aeroponics requires significantly more investment in time, money and expertise than just sticking your seeds in dirt and watering them. On the other hand, you can get significantly larger harvests with hydroponics and especially with aeroponics. For this reason, commercial marijuana growers often use hydroponics and are beginning to buy very expensive digitally-controlled aeroponic systems.

What do I need to start growing with hydroponics?

Time and money and equipment and expertise.  We can’t give you the time and money, but you can get a start on the equipment and the expertise with our very complete article on hydroponics, which covers pretty much every element of hydroponics and recommends many of the best available products.  If you want a shortcut, take a look at some of these hydroponic kits on Amazon.Table could not be displayed.Table could not be displayed.