I've notices that a lot of people growing for the first time use soil. That's cool, I supposed it could be easier than hydroponics. If you have the time and tools. These are working hydro systems that can be made from parts found at home improvement stores or garden centers. Just add light ventilation and nutes. Mediums for these are simple. The ones with pots use net pots with starter plugs and hydroton. The EBB/FLOW doesn't need pots. Containers can be any size. Ten gl tubs are around 6 bucks, and most of them in stores are already light proof. these can be made with fourty to fifty bucks easy(not including light cost). Hydroponic Techniques Wick systems are passive systems, meaning it has no moving parts and the nutrient solution remains in one place. Plants are fed through capillary action from a wick drawing nutrient solution into the growing medium from the reservoir. The biggest draw back of this system is that plants that are large or use large amounts of water and nutrient may use up the nutrient solution faster than the wick(s) can supply it. In this case additional wicks may be used as a supplement, or another technique can be utilized. Of all soilless methods, water culture, by definition, is true hydroponics. It is also the simplest active hydroponics system to set up on a small scale. In this system the plant roots are totally immersed in a nutrient solution. In a water culture system the roots grow directly into the reservoir as opposed to having a remote reservoir. The actual design of the system is limited only by the imagination of the builder. The system must provide means to (1) support the plant above the solution, (2) aerate the solution, and (3) prevent light from reaching the solution (to prevent the growth of algae). Drip systems are probably the most widely used type of hydroponic system in the world. They are similar to drip irrigation systems popular with commercial farmers for their ability to conserve water through direct feeding. Operation is simple; a timer controls a submersed pump, which turns the pump on and off. Nutrient solution is dripped onto the base of each plant by a small drip line. In a recirculating drip system the excess nutrient solution that runs off is collected back in the reservoir for re-distribution. The Ebb and Flow (or flood and drain) system works by temporarily flooding the grow tray with nutrient solution and then letting the solution drain back into the reservoir. This action is normally done with a submerged pump that is connected to a timer. The timer is set to come on several times a day, depending on the size and type of plants, temperature and humidity and the type of growing medium used. The drain cycle improves the oxygen contact with the plants roots. Using the right medium will ensure that moisture will be available for the roots so that they do not dry out between cycles. One of the main attractions of an Ebb and Flow system is the ability to containerize your plants and physically move them around. This aids in continuous production scenarios and enhances the control of a grower utilizing a veg (blue) and bloom (red) room scenario. The main disadvantage of this type of system is that unless your medium ensures moisture retention there is a vulnerability to power outages, since the only way for your plants to access food is through the action of the pump. The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) is a water-cultural technique in which plants are grown with their root systems contained in a plastic trough through which nutrient solution is continuously circulated. Work on NFT cropping was pioneered by Allen Cooper at the Glasshouse Crops research Institute in Littlehampton, England, in 1965. The term nutrient film technique was coined to stress that the depth of liquid flowing past the roots of the plants should be very shallow in order to ensure that sufficient oxygen would be supplied to the plant roots. Feel free to experiment by building your own hydroponic system. As long as you have oxygenated nutrified water at the proper pH it doesn’t matter how you feed them. The possibilities are endless! Be sure to enclose your reservoir so as to prevent evaporation and control feeding times via timers in the case of a top-drip or ebb and flow setup. Email PG or do a simple web search to find simple plans for construction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KVO26htvoQ This link is a hydro video lesson. The link takes you to the first on 9 videos. VERY INFORMATIVE. After you watch the first video just look on the right of the screen for the rest. Watch em in order. You wont be dissapointed.