Soil is So Last Season. This season in gardening is all about increased yields. The gardeners of today demand higher crop production in a shorter amount of time. Most gardeners are constantly seeking new and improved gardening systems to aid in their crop production. Systems that are efficient, productive and eco-friendly. Our ebb and flow (e/f) hydroponics system is one of the most popular systems on the market. It mimics the ebb and flow of the tides, circulating water and nutrients around plants in a soil-less environment. Join the revolution and say goodbye to pest problems, drought, and tough, hard to grow soil.
Ebb and flow systems are highly touted for simulating natural growth patterns to deliver the most nutrients possible to your plants. Urban gardening with herbs and veggies has become a popular pastime, and with ebb and flow systems even the tiniest grow space can be transformed into an amazing garden. Learn awesome ways to put these systems and your garden to their best use in the following pages. You’ll be a master gardener in no time!
Understanding the Ebb and Flow Hydroponics System
Ebb and flow hydroponics systems, also known as flood and drain systems, are very popular in the field of soilless gardening. The ebb and flow system is easy to use, promotes rapid plant growth and high yields. The grow tray in an ebb and flow system is periodically filled with nutrient rich solution and then allowed to drain back into the reservoir. This on/off cycle allows for the roots to receive necessary oxygen as the water empties from the tray as well as the right amount of nutrients while the fill cycle is active.
The foundation of any successful ebb and flow system is the timer-controlled submersible pump. This pump will control the number of floods per hour that your plant roots will be treated to along with the length of the flood. With so many different species of plants able to reap tremendous rewards through the use of an ebb and flow system (from lettuce to fruiting plants like tomatoes and peppers) it is no surprise that many growers consider increasing or decreasing the flood events per hour as the most productive method of tuning their system. Of course there is always room for explanation as to why this is so productive, and that primarily lies in the fact that unlike other styles of hydroponics there is very little water waste with an ebb and flow system. For those looking to cultivate a wide array of plant species in an environmentally friendly fashion, there may be no more sustainable method of modern gardening than an ebb and flow system. By grasping a few simple principles you can have a fantastic ebb and flow system up and running in your very own hydroponic room.
Setting Up Your Ebb and Flow Hydroponics System
Before building an ebb and flow system, you’ll need to decide on a few key components. These generally include a grow tray, reservoir, pump and growing medium (such as clay pebbles or rock wool). To set up an ebb and flow system, you’ll first need to select a grow tray which should be sized to fit in your available space and be large enough to hold the root system of your plants. The reservoir should hold about 5 to 20 gallons of nutrient solution. Once you have your components, set up your entire system on a level surface to ensure even flooding and draining.
After assembling all the parts together, put the submersible pump into the reservoir. The pump then circulates the nutrient solution in the reservoir and pumps it up into the grow tray tube. An overflow valve is required to be installed on the grow tray to avoid overflow. Excess solution flows back to the reservoir for safe return to the reservoir. Fill the grow tray with growing medium of your choice, and make sure it is firmly placed in the tray, but provided with ample aeration. Mix nutrient solution as recommended by manufacturer and adjust pH to the recommended range 5.5–6.5 for better nutrient uptake. Program timer to water the tray 3–6 times a day for 5–15 minutes at a time, depending on size and types of plants. After all the parts have been assembled it is time to plug in the pump and observe the first cycle of liquid flow, making sure that every part of the grow chamber is flooded with an equal amount of liquid, and that everything empties completely before repeating the cycle.
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It is beneficial to have some control over the water level as well as the number of floods in order to maintain healthy root systems. Too much fluctuation can cause plants to stress, and too few floods can cause critical nutrient deficiencies. Start with minimal fluctuation and increase as required.
Monitor the reservoir water level daily and refill with fresh nutrient solution when the water drops by more than 1/4. For best results, use an opaque liquid feed container to keep light out to help prevent algae growth. Monitor the number of pump cycles and plant health. Over time adjust the ebb and flow times to best suit your plants needs for oxygen, nutrient uptake and overall health and growth. Keep a gardening journal to log changes.
Enhancing Growth and Yield with Advanced Techniques
Once you feel comfortable with the performance of your ebb and flow system it is time to scale up your operation and make some more plants. Supplemental lighting can be a very effective method to increase your yield in a full indoor setup. By providing supplemental lighting you can extend the plants daylight hours and keep your plants in a state of increased photosynthesis. Remember to keep the supplemental lighting at a lower intensity than you would on soil to avoid burning your plants. Also make sure that all surfaces are being lit up to an acceptable level.
Add microbes or mycorrhizal inoculants to your nutrient solution to enhance plant health. These small organisms can form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of your plants. This can enable your plants to gain protection against disease causing pathogens, as well as to absorb more phosphorus and micronutrients such as boron. Larger growers can benefit from an accurate pH and EC reading from a high quality plant monitoring sensor. This is best combined with an automatic dosing pump. The grower can simply program in the required levels for the nutrient solution, and the pump will lock the levels within the desired parameters all grow cycle long, without any manual intervention. Crop rotation and selective pruning should also be included to improve your overall grow cycles and prevent nutrient lock out.
Conclusion: Mastering Growth with Ebb and Flow Hydroponics
Being aware of the ebb and flow dynamics and having a proper setup will help your plants thrive. Monitoring the water level, as well as the cycles of the plants and nutrients, and other environmental factors will help you be aware of any potential problems and enable you to reach maximum growth with your plants.
In addition to these features, supplemental lighting, beneficial microbes and automated functions can help take the garden to the next level producing higher yields and better crops. With time and testing one can produce an extremely productive garden in their own backyard using ebb and flow hydroponics.
