Hydroponics is a great method of gardening indoors that requires no soil whatsoever, yet produces fabulous yields of fruits, vegetables and flowers. There are many types of hydroponics systems that you can try, including static solution, continuous flow solution, aeroponics and deep water culture. Among the most popular methods of hydroponics is the ebb and flow system.

With an ebb and flow style of hydroponics, plants are grown in a flat containing some type of growing medium. It could be peat moss, rockwool, vermiculite, perelite or many other types of media available to gardeners today. Beneath the flat is a container of hydroponic nutrients, which are dissolved in water. At regular intervals, a pump causes the hydroponic nutrients to flow up into the flat, soaking the roots, after which the solution drains, or ebbs, back into the container. The action of the solution rising and then falling in the medium helps to bring both oxygen and food to the plant roots.

There is some maintenance that needs to occur with the hydroponic nutrients in order to ensure that the plants are not harmed. The solution of hydroponic nutrients needs to be kept warm enough so as not to inhibit activity in the roots of the plant, yet not warm enough for germs to grow in the solution. Ebb and flow takes the temperature issue into consideration; by not allowing the hydroponic nutrients in solution to remain around the plant roots, the temperature of the solution is rendered essentially a moot point.

Some equipment is required to make the ebb and flow system work. A pump attached to a tube allows the solution to be pumped up into the flat, and also brings the solution back down into the container. How many times the growing medium needs to be flooded depends on which is used. To keep things simple with an ebb and flow system, most gardeners put the pump on a timer, so all goes according to schedule without constant attention on your part.

There are several benefits to the ebb and flow style of hydroponic gardening. One is that because of the movement of the solution around the plant roots via the action of the pump, you will not need an air pump but will still achieve appropriate oxygenation of the plant roots. The ebb and flow gardening method also uses less power than other hydroponic styles, and it is a quiet system, making it perfect for use in a home or office.