Hydroponic Systems for Growing Marijuana

Using a Hydroponic system to grow indoor cannabis is one of the best decisions you can make when it comes to growing the biggest plants in the shortest time. Hydro grow systems are easy to use and are the best way to grow your marijuana plants if you are growing big plants with high yields.

What Hydroponic System works best?

There are 3 different types of Hydroponic Systems for Growing Marijuana. Each one is unique in its own way. Every grow room is different in size, therefore each one will vary in what type of hydroponic systems they use. I personally use a mixture, depending on what stage they are in. Ebb & Flow, Top-Feed Systems, and Vertical Top-Feed Systems are the different systems used in marijuana cultivation.

Ebb & Flow Hydroponic Systems

Also known as Flood and Drain, Ebb & Flow hydroponic Systems are the most popular because they have been proven over many years to be low maintenance and easy-to-use gardens for Medical Marijuana Growing. Individual plants in pots or rockwool cubes are set on a table designed just for that specific system. The table is a growing bed that can hold up to 4 inches of water nutrient solution. The nutrient solution is pumped from a reservoir below the tables via a submersible pump up to the tables. Once the water level gets to the desired level, the nutrients then slowly drain back down into the nutrient reservoir. When flooding marijuana plants from the bottom, as you do with ebb & flow systems, the water pushes the oxygen-poor air from the bottom, up and out the top of the bucket. Ebb & Flow systems are great for using a Sea of Green Method to grow small, bushy medical marijuana plants.

Deep Water Culture (DWC)

These gardens are simple by design and very easy to use. Deep Water Culture (DWC) systems use an air pump to aerate the water that the roots sit in 24 hours a day.

Air Table Systems for Growing Marijuana

Air Table Systems are very simple to use no matter what your experience is with growing marijuana. They are very low maintenance, and run on a unique operating principle. The nutrients are forced up to the growing table using air pressure that comes from an external air pump like the one in the picture above. The tray tables are flooded, then drained to the reservoir below after a few minutes or whatever you choose to set your feeding schedule at. There is always constant air pressure, which keeps the water aerated at all times. Aeration helps eliminate algae and evaporation of the nutrients. You can use many grow mediums with this system, the most common being rockwool, coco coir, peat or any other composite growing medium.

Nutrient Reservoirs for Hydroponic Systems

Always make sure that the nutrient reservoir is as big as you can get for the size room you have. Reservoirs with lids work best as they keep nutrient evaporation to a minimum. The average marijuana garden uses 15% of the actual nutrients every day. The more nutrient solution that you have in the reservoir, the more balanced the nutrients will stay. Always remember to flush the reservoirs weekly to avoid chemical imbalances in the plants. Hydroponic Systems for Growing Marijuana can be purchased from grow/hydroponic stores or can be custom built.