Hydroponics grows roots in a nutrient solution rather than a substrate. Nutrition is then immediately available, which speeds growth, but there is also no buffer left between a dosing mistake and the plant. What sits on this page is the simplest form of it, and the cleverest.
There is no water pump in it
The Terra Aquatica CultiMate, until recently sold as the WaterFarm and AquaFarm, runs on air. An air pump drives the solution up a pump column to a drip ring above the roots, from where it all drains back into the tank below. That is the whole moving part: no water pump to seize, no lines to kink, and the same pump that moves the water aerates it on the way. Terra Aquatica states a draw of under 2 watts.
Fifteen litres or forty-five
The CultiMate S has 15 litres of effective capacity, the CultiMate L 45. That difference is not about how large your plant may get but about how long you can go between refills, and about how fast your solution changes composition. In a small tank a large plant visibly draws the level down and the EC climbs within days; in a large one the same thing happens more slowly and more forgivingly.
What goes with it
Clay pebbles to hold the plant upright, and a meter to check more often than you would in soil. The clay pebbles are under Clay Pebbles and the meters under Measuring & Control. For more plants on one system, with a pump and pots in substrate, see Drip Systems. Without substrate, roots in the water, is under DWC.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I change the tank?
More often than you expect, because the plant takes up elements at different rates and what stays behind shifts. On a small tank that shows sooner than on a large one, so let your tank size set your change interval rather than the other way round.
Where did the WaterFarm go?
It is now called the CultiMate S, and the AquaFarm the CultiMate L. Function and size stayed the same.
Does this work without power?
No. There is no water pump in it, but the air pump is essential, because that is what moves the solution. For a system that runs with no power at all, see Watering Systems.
