Keeping With the
Hydroponic Irrigation Systems
by Frank Rauscher
Hydroponics relies on water
flow. Here’s a look at how
two of the main irrigation
systems—drain-to-waste and
recirculating—keep plants
healthy and waste to a
minimum in their own ways…
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Maximum Yield USA | September 2012
Even though the name “drain-to-waste” seems
to suggest that using this system creates a lot of
waste, this is simply not true. The easiest way to
understand a drain-to-waste system is to compare it
to a recirculating irrigation system. In a recirculating
system, water that has drained off the growing
medium is returned to the water-nutrient tank and
then pumped once again over the growing medium.
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