GROW YOUR OWN

Hydroponic Growing Techniques

Hydroponic growing is the wave of the future, offering many benefits over traditional growing methods such as insane yields and accelerated growth rates. You can easily reap the benefits of this emerging industry with various hydroponic growing methods and techniques to suit your needs. Hydroponic growing delivers nutrients to plant roots through a water system, without using soil as the grow media. Plants grown in soil have a large tap root, while roots grown with hydroponics consist of a large bunch of small, clean white hairs.

The type of hydroponic grow system you choose determines the type of media used, such as clay pebbles, coco fiber and rockwool. Instead of using soil as a medium to hold the roots, you can use an inert medium, something that does not have the quality problems found with ordinary soil. These are excellent substrates and provide a buffer of nutrient solution and oxygen in the root zone, promoting healthy root growth.

Hydroponic growing methods include:

Aquaponics – Aquaponics is a combination of two traditional techniques, hydroponics & aquaculture. The concept of aquaponics is based around the idea of raising fish and growing plants together in one integrated and soil-less system.

DWC (deep water culture) – DWC is a popular type of hydroponic growing where the roots are suspended in a nutrient system, without a flood and drain cycle. An air pump provides aerated water which is required to keep oxygen flowing to the root zone and prevent your plants from drowning. This method is simple to set up and should be flushed every 1-2 days so plants do not get cut off from beneficial nutrients.

Ebb and Flow – also known as flood and drain, is a popular hydroponic growing system where an intermittent water flow floods the root zone with nutrients then drains back into a reservoir. This process repeats in programmed cycles.

Hydroponic growing provides advantages with quantity and quality, you’ll grow bigger plants and bigger buds, faster, allowing for more harvests.

Additional growing methods include:

Aeroponics – A newer technique in which roots hang suspended in a mesh basket and nutrients are delivered with a fine mist, allowing for maximum oxygenation. This method produces amazing roots with insane growth.

Soil & Soilless Grow Media – Soil is by far the most popular. We carry a large variety of some of the best soil and soilless grow media to choose from with experienced advice from horticulture specialists.

Hydroponic Growing Supplies

RainMakers Supply offers all the growing supplies needed to get started such as hydroponic grow tents, lighting, containers, nutrients, pest control, fans and more. Check out our large selection of quality grow equipment and ask one of our growing experts for guidance in choosing the best hydroponic grow equipment for you.

RainMakers Supply offers the best in quality hydroponic growing equipment and supplies, with everything you need whether a beginner or a master grower. We provide knowledgeable and experienced customer service to ensure your growing success. Contact us for all your growing solutions as Chicagoland’s premier hydroponic grow store.