Ancient Babylonians, Chinese, and the Aztecs of Mexico all utilized early methods of hydroponic growing. Hydroponics is hardly a new method of growing plants. In recent years, hydroponics has been used to grow plants in areas where it would normally be impossible or impractical. NASA does extensive research on hydroponics for their future space stations. The Many Types of Hydroponic Systems There are many different kinds of hydroponic systems.
Active systems rely on a pump to flow nutrient around the plant's roots and to provide aeration.
Passive systems work without a pump. Media-based systems rely on a growing medium to support the plants and hold nutrient solution around their roots. Water culture systems usually operate without media. The best way to learn about the different types of hydroponic setups is to check out our easy system plans. The tray is flooded by manually raising the bucket and drained by lowering it.