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This method is characterized by having some tray(s) or other container(s) used to hold the growing media or substrate to provide structural support of the plants' roots into which the ionic fertilizer nutrient solution is dripped via poly. tubing or pipes from a stock reservoir. The dripping furnishes the plants with essential hydration and atomic compounds enabling them to build their structures and produce fruit or vegetative growth, depending.
The nutrient solution supply chain can consist of such things as simple poly. hoses with holes drilled in them, or pre-formed manufactured horticultural drip lines, or sweat-soaker hoses, etc. that are usually fed using a simple and efficient submersible pump sitting in the nutrient tank. Any excess nutrient juice that the plants don't use is returned to the reservoir using thru-hull fittings and hoses or tubing. The level of any latent solution left in the containers can be adjusted according to the positioning of the return fittings.
The drip system allows for quick and easy modularization by allowing for one reservoir to be able to supply the nutrients for many planting "zones", although it is always preferable to have more than one supply of fertilizer solution available just in case one batch ends up being contaminated or improperly monitored and adjusted resulting in nutrient imbalances.
Here is an unsophisticated illustration of a drip irrigation system:
Drip systems can be moulded into some of the most water sparing and efficient techniques possible as the nutrient solution can be aimed directly towards the plants' roots without any wastage.
One common problem with these systems is that toxic salts can build up in the rhizome causing plant damage and bio-mass production ratio reduction. This consequence can be avoided by performing routine flushing on a regular basis to wash away any unused fertilizer ions.
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