How Often Do I Water in an Active Hydroponic System?

Hand-Watered System

• A hand-watered hydroponic system depends on the gardener to add nutrient-laden water by hand on a regular basis. This type of system is usually housed in a simple pot with good drainage. The pot is filled with an inert growing medium, such as clay pellets, perlite or silica rocks. Water-containing nutrients must be added to this system at least three times a day, and four if the weather is hot, the plants are large or there are a lot of fruits or vegetables on the plants.

Deep Water System

• A hydroponic deep water culture system (DWC) is a closed system that does not use up water very quickly. Plants are suspended over a tub of nutrients, and water is kept heavily oxygenated through continual bubbling provided by an aquarium pump and an air stone. Since the tub has a lid on it, the water does not evaporate quickly. It should be checked at least twice a week or three times a week if the plants in the system are large. If the level has dropped below the fill line on the tub or if it is more than 1 to 2 inches below the top of the tub, plain water must be added.

Ebb and Flow System

• An ebb and flow system is a common type of hydroponic system that is much like the manual hand-watered system, except that it is run automatically with pumps and timers. The liquid nutrient solution is held in a storage tank near the plants; three to four times a day it is pumped into the plant containers then drains back into the storage tank. This system is prone to evaporation and should be checked at least every other day. Plain water should be added if the level drops below the fill line on the tank or if there is not enough liquid to fill the plant containers.

Raft Garden

• A raft garden is one of the simplest hydroponic systems. In this type of setup, the plants float on a raft on the top of a large tub, pool or other container that holds the water and nutrients. It can tolerate a certain amount of evaporation and loss of water, but it should be checked at least once a week and refilled with plain water to its original depth, usually 6 to 10 inches.