Hydroponics

There are also a range of hydroponic systems which employ some kind of substrate, which is always inert, such as coco fibre, arlita or expanded clay balls, mapito, volcanic rock, stones, among others, that serve as support for roots but in which water, and the nutrients it contains, still form the only food source for the plants.

After years of research and development into the new technologies implemented in hydroponics, two types of hydroponic cultivation systems have emerged, recirculating systems and drain-to-waste systems.

In hydroponic cultivation the growth of cannabis plants is explosive, being the fastest and most productive system that we can find on the market, making it ideal for growers seeking vigorous growth and abundant harvests.

Hydroponic systems with recirculation

Recirculating hydroponic systems are based on a closed circuit with a tank or reservoir where the water with nutrients is found. This nutrient solution leaves the tank and makes a circuit, which can vary according to system, where the water always returns to its starting point, the deposit tank, after passing through the plants' root zone.

In recirculation systems, such as: Atlas, GHE EBB & Grow, Eros, Aqua Farm, Water Farm, Nutriculture, among others, proper maintenance of the nutrient solution (water + fertilisers) must be carried out. This involves keeping stable EC and pH levels in the tank, meaning that when these levels are mismatched they must be readjusted to the correct parameters, and it is also necessary to completely change the nutrient solution every 10 days.

Drain to waste hydroponic systems

Hydroponic systems which drain to waste, unlike recirculation systems, are based on an open circuit where the starting point is the same as with recirculation: the nutrient tank, but the irrigation water is not returned to the deposit. The basic difference is that the water with nutrients that leaves the tank is not re-used for irrigation, but it goes to a collection tank to be discarded.

When assembling up a drain-to-waste system, the grower must set up a nutrient tank, an automatic irrigation system and a drainage tray with a small water collection tank installed below to be discarded later.

Automatic control of EC and pH in hydroponics

To facilitate the automatic maintenance of the EC and pH in the recirculation systems or in drain-to-waste systems we stock a range of products such as the Kontrol01 pH Pump or the Milwaukee EC MC740 EC dosing pump that help us to control and maintain the nutrient solution.