The dictionary definition of hydroponic hy·dro·pon·ic /ˌhīdrəˈpänik/ is: the growing of plants in nutrient solutions with or without an inert medium (such as soil) to provide mechanical support.
It sounds like a simple equation: seeds + water + nutrients = plants
While that is technically all there is to it, there is a bit more involved than that.
First of all, there are six different types of hydroponics:
- Aeroponics
- Deep Water Culture (DWC)
- Drip Systems
- Ebb and Flow
- Nutrient Film Technique (NFT)
- Wick Systems
You can read more about each of them here.
Rise Gardens use Nutrient Film Technique or N.F.T. The blog Green and Vibrant has a good run down of how NFT works here. That technique allows for growing plants quickly and efficiently while also being easy to care for.
A key part of this growing technique is creating a system that will allow the plants roots to be constantly exposed to fresh, oxygenated water and nutrients at all times. That may also sound simple, but the engineering involved in pumping and circulating water can be quite complex. Our engineers have worked on the problem so you don't have to. Your plants will grow quickly, using much less water (sometimes as much as 90% less depending on the plant) than traditional soil as a growing medium, and they will never be exposed to pesticides, herbicides or fungicides.