Using a digital outlet timer and a digital light timer in three hydroponic syste

Posted by AmandaTom on September 26th, 2013

 If you are planning to grow plants hydroponically, you should be aware of the fact that in each and every case there will be various cycles you will have to regulate. They range depending on the hydroponic system you decide to build, and on the plants you have. Invariably you will have to use a digital outlet timer or a digital light timer if you want to save yourself the hassle of turning your hydroponic equipment on and off in specific periods of time. Sometimes you will only have to do it twice a day, and sometimes you’ll have to flick the on/off switch several times during a 12 hour period. In any case it’s worth it to invest into a digital outlet timer and a digital light timer. If you utilize a digital light timer and possibly a digital outlet timer you will save yourself the hassle of having to set the alarm on your phone and being at your growing location to, say, turn the light off. Just imagine, you are in a middle of a party when suddenly your alarm rings, and you remember that you have to either drop everything and drive all the way to your home to turn the flow on, or risk having your plants die. This example makes it pretty obvious that any grower, no matter amateur or professional, should install a digital light timer and a digital outlet timer, if needed.

Let’s take a look which systems require just a digital light timer, and which will need a digital outlet timer, too.

The cheapest and easiest to build system is the water culture system. It’s a simple little system that is ideal for water hungry plants. More long term plants such as tomatoes won’t fare well with the water culture system, though. The basic idea of the system is to place the plants on a Styrofoam platform on top of the reservoir with a water and nutrient solution. The roots of the plants are suspended into the reservoir, and an air pump works to deliver oxygen into the water-nutrient solution. This system only requires a digital light timer. No digital outlet timer is needed.

Another cheap and simple system is the ebb & flow system. Ebb & flow systems are extremely versatile and multiple types of plants can be grown in such a system. It works by planting several plants into the growing medium, which can differ from plant to plant. The medium is then flooded by a nutrient solution, which is then drained back into the reservoir. The advantages of this system are its versatility and the possibility to customize the watering schedule of the plants basing on various factors such as the plant size and number, temperature, humidity, and so on. This system requires an outlet timer and a light timer.

The third and final type of system is the multi flow system. It’s a bit difficult to build, and requires more financial investments to work properly. It utilizes a tube going through the growth medium, which floods it with a nutrient solution. You can grow many different types of plants with this system, but it needs both a light timer and an outlet timer to work properly.

It doesn’t matter which hydroponic system you use, if you want to keep your plants and your sanity you will need a digital light timer installed. Some systems even require a digital outlet timer, but they also get you better results.