This is a diagram of a drip hydroponic system

What Is Drip Hydroponics?

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Drip hydroponics can work well for many different types of hydroponic gardeners. Since drip hydroponics can be so versatile, it’s used by beginners on up to commercial growers. The process is simple and allows you the ability to control exactly how much nutrient solution your plants are getting. Drip systems can be set up to be customizable, growing a single plant or many plants at a time.

How Do Drip Hydroponic Systems Work?

With drip hydroponics, water is pumped in tubing that can end at a single plant or can branch off with several tubes ending at many plants. Systems are usually set on a timer to kick on every so often. The nutrient-rich water then flows over the grow medium and drips down over the plant roots. Drip hydroponic systems can be set up in either a recovery or a non-drip recovery method. With non-recovery methods, nutrient water that runs over the plant’s roots does not go back into a reservoir; it’s only used once. Recovery systems do just the opposite and reuse the nutrient solution after it’s dripped over the roots. The efficiency can not only save you money in some cases on water but also save you on nutrient solution.


What Types Of Plants Work Well In Drip Hydroponic Systems?

Drip hydroponics can be set up for almost any type of plant you would like to grow. Some plants need less water than others and drip hydroponic systems can be set up to easily control how much water your plants are getting. When considering your drip rate you also have to take into account what grow type medium you’re using. Different Grow mediums hold different amounts of moisture and some no moisture at all. With a timer hooked up, you can make sure the plants are set up on a regular schedule of watering and not being over watered. When using drip hydroponics your roots should always remain moist. Individual drip emitters can be placed in the tubing allowing different amounts of water to different plants.

Some Things To Watch For When Using Drip Hydroponic Systems

In addition to keeping an eye on the PH level, drip hydroponics comes with the task of watching for clogged tubing and emitters. This is mainly a concern with recovery systems since plant matter can flow with the nutrient solution back into the reservoir. Adding a filter to the drainage tube is a simple an effective way to help with emitter clogging, but make sure to clean it out often to prevent the drainage from clogging instead. Another thing to watch for is over saturation of nutrients in your grow medium over time. This is also a preventable situation that can be taken care of by periodically flushing your grow medium with just water.

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