The “Ebb & Flow” is a hydroponic system that consists of filling and emptying a container with nutrient solution at regular intervals, in which the plants in pots or cups will be placed. The roots will periodically bathe in the solution, which allows them to oxygenate when they are in the open air.
It is a low maintenance hydroponic system.
Installing a hydroponic system in a tide table
To install your tidal table, you will need
- The infrastructure
- A tank, which will serve as a “tide table”.
- A tank that will hold the nutrient solution when it is not flowing on the tide table
- A pipe and a pump, which connect the tank and the tray.
- You will usually use a timer associated with the pump, to manage the flow of solution.
- The plants
- Pots with an open base, to let the nutritive solution penetrate
- Mediums with a seed. The best substrates are going to be rockwoll
The setup is extremely simple:
- You set up your pump, timer and table.
- You fill the tank with the solution.
- You place your potted plants on the table.
- You turn on the system and set the timer.
Advantages and disadvantages of hydroponics in a tidal table
Advantages of the tidal table
- The advantage of the tidal table is that it is easy to design and use. Indeed, you can clearly see where the nutrient solution is for all your plants
- There is very little maintenance required: your plants automatically get what they need. The process is efficient and the plants grow quickly.
- There is a large surface, you can grow many plants at the same time.
- You can precisely control the heat of the nutrient solution. This is an advantage, for example, compared to the outdoor deep water cultivation system: since the tank and the water are in the same place, the solution is exposed to cold or heat. With the tide table, on the contrary, you can isolate it.
The disadvantages of the tide table
The tidal table is a rather risky hydroponic system overall. For example, if the pump stops working, your plants can die quickly, being immediately deprived of water and nutrients.
There are also risks of toxicity: the
Finally, the pH is quite unstable.