hydroponics

1. hydroponicscomesfromtwoGreekwords‘hydro’meaningwaterand‘ponos’meaninglabor.
One of the mostimportantfunctionsof soil isitsabilitytoretainwaterandnutrientsandsupply
these tothe roots of the plant.
In extreme cases,a waterborne disease can kill all the plants in a hydroponics
system within hours.
Wick systems:
Pros:
wick systems consume less water and nutrients than the other type of hydroponics
systems.
Another significant advantage is that a wick hydroponic system doesn’t require
electricity making it possible to set up in places that lack electricity power and
leading to electricity saving.
 Wick system hydroponics is also very water efficient because the system
is automated since the water-based solution delivery depends on the
plants’ consumption.
Cons:
 Larger plants and plants that produce fruits are not well suited for
wick system hydroponics because they are thirstier for water and
nutrients to support their growth.
best plants to grow with the Wick system are fast-growing lettuces and herbs
DWC:
massive advantage to DWC is that your plants’ roots will become huge and are less
prone to root diseases.
grow plants particularly fast
Pros:
 Reliable – If a power outage or equipment malfunctioning, you don’t need
to worry because the DFT systems hold enough water.
 relativelyeasy to scale the system up
Cons:
An air pump failure or a power outage will quickly lead to oxygen starvation and the
death of your plants’ roots

2.  Unexpected swings in the characteristics of the nutrient
solution (because of imprecise calibration) can lead to negative impacts
on your plants.
Ebb and flow:
Pros:
 With the ebb and flow hydroponics, you can have great
success with plants that don’t do well in other hydroponic systems,
for example, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and other medium-to-large
sized plants. In addition, plants that are in their flowering and fruit-bearing
stages respond exceptionally well to the practice of letting the roots dry out
between irrigation cycles.
 The ebb and flow system is nutrient abundant – Since the techniques work
on a flood and drain concept, the grow tray will constantly get flooded with
nutrient-rich water, which is also beneficial for plants requiring heavy
loads of water, such as strawberries.
Cons:
 Possible fluctuating PH levels can have harmful effects. If the structure
of your ebb and flow system fails, the water overflows into the containers,
consequently flooding your plants. In addition, the excess nutrients can
create an unbearable PH environment destroying the farm yield and
creating losses to the farmer.
 The ebb and flow system can be sensitive to power failure. If you
experience any equipment failure, your system might not operate. Since the
primary flooding system works on the use of a water pump.
 Breakdowns are common. Once you decide to improvise the materials and
build your structure, you have to be extra careful. Any small mistake in the
formation may cause the whole system to break down and stop functioning.
Some of the frequent breakdowns happen in the pumping machines.
Drip Systems:
Cons:
 Emitter Clogging – The primary disadvantage to drip system hydroponics
is that the drip emitters tend to become clogged. Unfortunately, it is a
problem that can plague any hydroponic drip system causing algae
growth and nutrient mineral buildup.

3.  requires high-accuracy cycle timers for precision solution delivery for proper
operation. If left uncontrolled, a drip system will floodthe plants and
eventually drown them.
Pros:
adapted for both small gardens and large-scale commercial operations
In hydroponics, a drip system has the following advantages:
 Provides more control over water and nutrient supply
 Flexible system that can be scaled for growth
 Requires low maintenance compared to other methods
 Affordable and cheap installation
 Less chance of system failure
It also has the disadvantages as follows, especially from a non-commercial
perspective:
 Might be too complex for a very small grow operation
 If using water recycle system, maintenance is high (for reservoir water)
 If using non-recovery system, there is chance of waste
NFT:PROS:
 Easy to inspect roots for a sign of disease, feed adequacy, etc. due to
absence of medium
 Low water and nutrient consumption
 Environmentally friendly – minimize the risk of contaminating localized
groundwater
 Unlike media based systems, you can avoid problems related to matters such
as supply, disposal, and cost
 Relatively easy to disinfect roots and hardware in comparison with other
system types

4.  Plant roots can maintain a uniform PH and conductivity thanks to regular
feeding (and associated flushing) that prevents localized salt build-up
CONS:
 If the flow of nutrient solution stops, the roots will dry out and become
stressed very quickly
 In a newly planted system, when exposed to intense sunlight, the channels
can heat up faster than the root zone would heat in aggregate or Rockwool.
However, the continuous flow of nutrient solution does have a cooling
effect.
 The channels can become blocked by roots of vigorous-growing plants
 Pump failure can cause death of crops in a few hours, especially in hot
weather
 Not suitable to grow plants with large tap-root systems like carrots
 Compared to run-to-waste systems, saline water is not the best choice for the
NFT because the salinity of the recirculating water will gradually decrease
Hydroponic systems are prone to a disease called “Pythium” orroot rot
 Water in hydroponic systems needs to be discharged periodically, as the salts
and chemicals build up in the water, becoming toxic to the plants. This is both
inconvenient and problematic as the disposal location of this wastewater needs
to be carefully considered. In aquaponics, you do not need to replace your water;
you only top it off as it evaporates.
In combining aquaculture and hydroponic systems, aquaponics
capitalizes on their benefits and eliminates the drawbacks of each.
 he tank water becomes polluted with fish effluent, giving off high concentrations
of ammonia. Water has to be discharged at a rate of 10-20% of the total volume
in the tank daily. This uses a tremendous amount of water. Again, in an
aquaponics system, you never need to discharge your water
 This water is often pumped into open streams where it pollutes and destroys
waterways.

5.  Because of this unhealthy environment fish are prone to disease and are often
treated with medicines, including antibiotics. Fish disease is rare in an
aquaponics system.
Deep water culture(DWC)
There are a few primary methods of aquaponic growing widely in use today:
 Deepwaterculture (DWC) or raft based growing uses a foam raft that is floating
in a channel filled with fish effluent water that has been filtered to remove solid
wastes. Plants are placed in holes in the raft and the roots dangle freely in the
water. This method is most appropriate for growing salad greens and other fast-
growing, relatively low-nutrient plants. It is also most commonly used in larger
commercial-scale systems.
 Media-based Aquaponics Media growing involves growing plants in inert
planting media such as expanded clay pellets or shale. The media provides both
the biological filtration (conversion of ammonia to nitrates) and mechanical
filtration (removal of solid wastes) in the same system. Media-based systems are
great for home and hobby scale systems so you can grow a wide variety of crops.
In particular, large fruiting plants do really well in addition to leafy greens, herbs
and other varieties. Examples of media-based systems are the Harmony
(pictured), the AquaUrban 60 gallon system, and the AquaBundance system
 Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) NFT systems work by flowing nutrient-rich water
through a narrow trough, such as a PVC pipe. Plants are placed in holes drilled in
this pipe, and the roots dangle freely in this stream of water. This method of
growing works very well for plants that need little support, such as strawberries
(pictured) and other herbs. NFT is also a great way to utilize unused space
because they can be hung from ceilings above other growing areas.
 Vertical Aquaponics One of the greatest aspects of aquaponics is its ability to
grow an incredible amount of food in a very small area. No method does this
better than vertical aquaponics. Plants are stacked on top of each other in tower
systems such as the AquaVertica. Water flows in through the top of the tower,
and flows through a wicking material that the plants roots absorb water and
nutrients from. The water then falls into a trough or directly into the fish tank.
This form of agriculture makes the most of each square foot of space, and works
very well with leafy greens, strawberries, and other crops that do not require
support to grow.

6. Aquaponics uses these two in a symbiotic combination in which plants are fed the aquatic
animals’ discharge or waste
The fish and plants that you select for your aquaponic system should have similar
needs as far as temperature and pH. As a general rule, warm, fresh water fish and
leafy crops, such as lettuce, greens and herbs will do the best.
Aquaponics?
Benefits of aquaponics:
1) Aquaponics is a way to grow your own fish and vegetables at the same time. You feed the fish
and the fish will feed your plants through their waste output.
2) There is no need to use fertilizers because the fish provide rich nutrients for the plants.
3) In aquaponics, less water is used for the crops. Research has shown that aquaponic gardens use
1/10th of the water you would use for soil garden.
4) Regular gardening pesticides or other chemicals can’t be used because they would harm the
fish.
5) This results in healthier and organic vegetables.

7. 6) You won’t experience any soil borne diseases in aquaponics because there is no soil.
7) You can grow plants in very small space, and have a great harvest.
8) Plants grow fast because they get very nutritious substances from the fish waste.
9) Plants and fish production can be done in a controlled temperature environment.
10) Water is used in a closed system and circulated effectively, reducing the consumption and the
water bills.
Literally speaking, Aquaponics is putting fish to
work.It just so happens that the workthose fish do (eating and producing waste), is the perfect
fertilizer forgrowing plants. And man, fish can grow a lot of plants when they get to work
Importance of pH control in aquaponics
pH is an important part of aquaculture. Setting it to a perfect level can be a bit confusing since
there are three living organisms to care for: your plants, your fish, and the bacteria inside the
water and each of them has a different pH need. A neutral pH from 6.8 to 7.2 is good for the
aquaponic garden. Because of the fish waste, the pH will become acidic and you will need to use
aquaponic compatible pH adjusters. If the pH level is not beneficial for the system that is too low
or too high, the plants will not be able to absorb nutrients optimally and your fish will die
eventually. It’s very important to monitor the pH level each day and to keep it within the neutral
range.

8. A too alkaline or too acidic pH is one of the main reasons fish or plants die, leading to gardening
failure. The pH adjusters need to be specially designed for this type of growing system,
otherwise, they could harm the fish. You can find these adjusters in a local aquaponic gardening
supplier. Another thing to keep in mind is the water hardness because it affects how pH will
behave when trying to adjust it. Sometimes it would be necessary to also take care of the water
hardness when working the pH. Fish don’t like sudden changes in pH, so when adjusting it try to
lower or increase it slowly.
fish used in this type of aquaculture are freshwater fish, most popular being tilapia and
barramundi because they tolerate better diverse water conditions and they grow fast. Trout can
also be used especially for lower water temperatures. Other aquatic animals you can grow are
snails and shrimps.

11. As plantsmature the nutrientlevelsdecrease