Passive Hydroponics

What Does Passive Hydroponics Mean?

Passive hydroponics is the growing of plants without an organic medium like soil, bark, compost, or leaves. The primary function of passive hydroponics is to grow the plant entirely using a nutrient solution flowing over the plant’s roots.

Maximum Yield Explains Passive Hydroponics

A simple form of passive hydroponics is a plant grown in a pot sitting in a fertilizer solution. Most often though, plants grown using passive hydroponics are grown in long narrow trays in the greenhouse. For the home gardener, gutters can be used, extending the length of a greenhouse rack and angled slightly for runoff of excess moisture.

Passive hydroponics can often use a system called wicking, where the plant’s roots permeate a cloth or other material and the nutrient solution is drawn from an outside source or tank. There is no pumping or recirculation of the nutrient solution.

There are other forms of hydroponics that include a tipped tray and a nutrient solution tank from which the water and solution are constantly pumped and recycled.

The important part of all hydroponic systems is to keep the roots constantly moist, but still exposed to the air for constant transpiration of excess moisture, or the roots will become so waterlogged that they rot and die.

Another thing to keep in mind for successful hydroponic growing is maintaining a carefully controlled humidity level. Passive hydroponics requires a higher humidity so that the plant’s leaves are constantly moistened.