The first pump sends water into a nutrient mixing tank, which then floods the medium and plants. The water then flows back into the nutrient mixing tank, and then back into the reservoir to be replenished. Design found on Aquahub.com
Ebb and flow systems are simple and cheap ways to get started growing hydroponic plants indoors. This form of hydroponics set up is recognized for its simplicity, trustworthiness of operation, and low initial investment cost.
The Setup
Pots are filled with an inert medium which does not have role as soil or contribute nutrition to the plants but rather anchors the roots and acts as a momentary reserve for water and solvent mineral nutrients. This hydroponic solution interchangeably floods the system and is permitted to ebb away.
In a basic hydroponics system, water gets pumped in using a very simple pump. The roots get flooded with solution mix (the flood part of what is otherwise known as “flood and drain” system). Once the roots have been soaked, the solution automatically flows drains back out in to the main reservoir, allowing the plant roots to re-oxygenate.
This can be done with simply putting water into a pot with a medium from a reservoir, then letting it drain and the waste collect into another bucket. However, if you want to step it up a notch, you’d use a slightly more complex system, such as that to the right. The difference is that it uses two pumps so that the water and nutrients can be cycled.
Speaking on the technical side, the ebb and flow system works by temporarily flooding the planting tray with nutrient solution and then draining the solution back into the reservoir. This action is normally done with a submerged pump that is connected to a timer. When the timer turns the pump on nutrient solution is pumped into the grow tray, and when the timer turns the pump off thus nutrient solution is drained into the reservoir. The system can be set on a timer, and programmed to run every 4-6 hours – or however often you want. Ebb and flow can be used with nearly any of the growing mediums.
This ebb and flow hydroponic system is great for starters because it’s easy to build, use, and manage. More importantly, it gives abundant nutrient, because this system works on a flood/drain concept, so the grow tray will constantly get flooded with nutrient rich water. Not bad for a low cost of setup.