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Flood and Drain

Flood and Drain (otherwise known as ebb and flow or recirculating) is a simple idea that has been around for a while. The basic idea is that plants are contained on a water tight tray that periodically gets flooded with nutrient solution, feeding the plant roots. This solution is contained in a central reservior that usually sits under the tray itself, and is forced up into the tray via a submersable pump. This pump has to be on a timer to periodically flood the table.

The tray can be used as a growing area, filled with medium and planted directly into for maximum root space or alternatively, pots can be filled with medium and sat on the surface of the tray.

Using a flood and drain table maximises the growing area under a 400 watt light easily, as the tables are generally square and sized for this purpose. These systems are very easy to set up and use, and growing in them is easy. Recommended for beginners to hydroponics, basically just set and top up nutrient in the reservior every few days.

Medias

Expanded clay is the medium of choice for standard flood and drain trays, because: