System Comparisons

Aeroponics and NFT both expose bare roots rather than burying them in media. NFT bathes the root mat in a continuous thin film of nutrient solution; aeroponics sprays the roots intermittently and leaves them in open air between cycles. Aeroponics wins on oxygen availability but pays for it in equipment cost, nozzle clogging risk, and how quickly a pump failure becomes a problem.

DWC and Kratky are both water-culture methods, but they solve the oxygenation problem in opposite ways. DWC uses an air pump to keep dissolved oxygen high while the root mass stays fully submerged. Kratky skips the pump entirely — as the reservoir level drops during the crop cycle, the upper roots take oxygen directly from the widening air gap. The tradeoffs split cleanly: equipment complexity and reliability versus absolute simplicity.

DWC and NFT are both fully water-based systems that keep roots in continuous contact with nutrient solution. DWC fully submerges roots in an aerated reservoir; NFT runs a thin film of solution across the root mat in sloped channels. The practical differences show up in hardware complexity, scaling behavior, and what happens when power cuts out.

Ebb and Flow and Drip are both media-based hydroponic systems — plant roots live in growing medium rather than bare in solution. Ebb and Flow floods the whole tray periodically and drains back to a reservoir. Drip delivers solution one plant at a time through individual emitters. The two systems suit different grow layouts: Ebb and Flow shares solution across a tray, while Drip isolates dose per plant.

Kratky and Wick are the two genuinely passive hydroponic methods — no pumps, no electricity, no moving parts. They solve the delivery problem differently. Kratky sets the reservoir once and lets roots follow the water down as they grow. Wick uses a capillary strip to lift solution from a separate reservoir into the growing medium. Both favor small, short-cycle crops and beginners, but they diverge on which crops they can realistically support and whether you can top up mid-cycle.