Knowledge base
Hydroponics — everything you need to know
Everything about soilless growing in one place — how the system works, which values to watch and what to do when something goes wrong. No marketing, just concrete numbers.
20 topics · free, no sign-up
Basics
What Is Hydroponics? Growing Without Soil, Explained SimplyHydroponics means growing plants in water with dissolved minerals instead of soil. We explain how it actually works, why the plant notices no difference, and where the limits are.ReadHydroponics: Myths and Facts — What Holds Up and What Doesn't“It's all chemicals”, “there are no vitamins in it”, “plastic in your food” — the five most common objections to hydroponics, split into what is true and what is not, with real numbers and an honest list of weak points.ReadThe Advantages of Hydroponics — and the Drawbacks, With NumbersUp to 90% less water, 32 plants on half a square metre, harvest 30–40% faster. But also: dependence on power, measuring, and crops that simply do not work. Every claim with a real number.ReadHistory of Hydroponics: From a Willow in a Pot to Lettuce on the ISSFirst measured experiment in 1648, first nutrient solution in the 1860s, the name only in 1937. Real dates and names — including an honest look at the Hanging Gardens legend.ReadThe future of hydroponics: what is real and what is marketingVertical farms, climate change, EU strategies and sensors — a sober look at which promises came true, which collapsed, and what of it actually reaches your apartment.Read
Systems
The Vertical Hydroponic Tower: How It Works and Where Its Limits AreA pump lifts water 1.8 m to the top, gravity returns it through the modules to the tank. We cover the pump, intervals, power draw, siting — and why a tower is not the best choice for everyone.ReadThe Kratky Method: Hydroponics Without a Pump or PowerFill the container once, plant, and do not touch it until harvest. We explain why the roots do not suffocate, how much solution each plant needs, and where the method genuinely stops working.ReadNFT System: The Nutrient Film Technique in PracticeIn NFT a nutrient film just 1–3 mm deep runs continuously through a sloped channel with the roots lying in it. Maximum oxygen — and zero buffer when the pump stops. Real slopes, flow rates and limits.ReadDWC Systems: Roots in Water, Oxygen as the KeyDeep Water Culture is the fastest and simplest hydroponic method — until the water gets too warm. Concrete numbers on oxygen, temperature and air pump sizing, plus how RDWC differs.Read
Water & nutrients
pH in Hydroponics: The Number That Decides EverythingpH does not feed the plant, but it decides how much of the nutrients the roots can actually take up. Target ranges per crop, how to measure, how to correct, and why pH drifts after feeding.ReadEC Value: What You Are Actually Measuring and Which Targets to HitEC measures the total amount of dissolved salts, not which ones. We explain the units (µS/cm, mS/cm, ppm scales 500/640/700), target values by crop and phase, and why EC in the tank climbs on its own.ReadHydroponic Nutrients: N, P, K, Calcium and Trace ElementsWhat each element actually does, what its deficiency looks like, and why calcium is a transport problem rather than a dosing problem. With concrete mg/l figures and a Masterblend recipe per 10 litres.ReadAlgae in a Hydroponic System: Cause, Damage and How to Get Rid of ThemAlgae appear exactly where light meets nutrient solution. We explain why they cost you oxygen and iron, how to make the system light-tight, and how much 3 % hydrogen peroxide belongs in a 40 or 50 litre tank.ReadWater Quality in Hydroponics: Tap, Rain or Reverse Osmosis?Water is not an empty container — it already carries minerals. We explain the base EC of tap water, hardness, chlorine and chloramine, sodium as the real problem, when RO pays off, and why 18–22 °C is the number that matters.Read
Practice
Hydroponic Growing Media: Rockwool, Coco, Clay Pebbles and the RestSeven growing media compared — water retention, pH out of the bag, price per unit and what actually belongs in a recirculating system. With an honest beginner recommendation.ReadHydroponic Lighting: PAR, PPFD and DLI Without the ConfusionLumens measure light for the human eye and say almost nothing about plant light. We explain PAR, PPFD and DLI, give target values per crop, distance rules for the lamp and a concrete electricity cost calculation.ReadPests and Diseases in Hydroponics: Spot Them Early, Prevent, Treat BiologicallyFungus gnats, aphids, spider mites, thrips and whitefly — how to catch them early and control them without chemicals. Plus root rot, powdery mildew and botrytis: causes and fixes.ReadGermination and temperatures: the numbers that decide whether seed sproutsA table of germination temperatures and times for 12 crops, light vs dark germinators, sowing into rockwool step by step, and a clear rule for when a seedling may enter the tower.ReadCalibrating a pH and EC Meter: How, How Often, and Where It Goes WrongA glass electrode ages and starts lying to you while the display still looks perfectly convincing. We cover two-point calibration with pH 7.01 and 4.01, why distilled water kills electrodes, and when a meter is simply done.ReadMaintaining a Hydroponic Tower: Weekly, Monthly and Through the SeasonHow much work a vertical tower actually takes: 10 minutes a week, half an hour a month and one winter shutdown. Concrete numbers for 40 and 50 litre tanks, pump cleaning and frost protection.Read