Maximum Yield USA November 2018 | Page 44

“Clever system design is crucial for effective growth throughout multiple growth cycles.” Ideally, your hydroponic system will prevent light shining onto the water solution and provide ample water movement and aeration without accumulating algal growth. It should be easy to drain, clean, and maintain, even with a heavy fruiting tree in the system. My advice for effective design is to always use plumbers tape on all pipe joins, err on the larger end of pipe sizing, and try to have the correct water monitoring technology to keep an eye on all your important parameters (pH, EC, and temperature). 6 7 Plant Spacing and Pot Sizing Plants require much smaller pot sizes in DWC systems, as there’s no need to accommodate soil particles or substrate. Depending on personal preference, you may put many plants in a single large reservoir, multiple plants spaced in their own modules, or a combination approach. However, deleafing and checking individual plants can become difficult if plants are not spaced correctly. This also affects your support trellising and training later in the flowering stage. The important lesson here is to expect larger and faster growth than traditional soil cultivation, so prepare your spacing and netting accordingly. 44 Maximum Yield