Water-feed and Soil
3:31 pm in Getting Started, made from scratch (without a kit), Nutrients, questions, Seeking Advice, Starting Seeds by Sarah Greenwell
Hello All!
I’m getting ready to construct my first window farm, and am wondering if I will have success just water-feeding my plants? (Instead of adding nutrients.) Also, can I put putting soil in the net cups, or will it only work if I use the clay pellets? I will be using seeds.
Thank you in advance for your help!
Sarah 
In any type of gardening be it soil based or hydroponics (soil-less), you will need nutrients in one form or another so just water will not work. Windowfarms is a hydroponics based system and the nutrients are in a special liquid form that the roots can absorb. The net cups have large holes in them that hold the clay pellets. Any type of soil would end up getting washed out of the net pots and end up in the resevoir which would plug up the pump.
http://www.windowfarms.org/whatisawindowfarm
Thanks Tony!!
There is nothing saying you can’t have a soil based vertical garden, but it wouldn’t be hydroponics.
Nutrients are needed if you do hydroponics because just plain water is not enough.
the first month no nutrition is necessary. Only water until the young plants are starting the second or third leaf rank. IMHO.
greetings from Vienna/Austria
Yeah, so “good” soil contains nutrients. They will dissappear (be eaten) over time, but if you have “good” soil (that contains nutrients), you could use that, and have the pump just keep it moist with plain water (you would need MUCH less pump-time to keep soil wet!!)
Hydroponics plants grow faster than soil plants, dirt in your living room might be more annoying than clay pellets (our cats love them ;-> ), and it could clog up your system. With a t-joint air lift, that wouldn’t be a real problem i think. Just make sure the water intake does not take the water from the absolute bottom of the reservoir, where all the dirt is. Ideally, take the water from a “clean corner” of the reservoir.
I got to say – Dirt in this system would be a disaster. The clay pellets are the way to go and once you have nutrients and every thing set up – maintenance is very easy. So far I am very impressed with the performance of this hydro set up.
This is also my first attempt at hydro. Don’t be afraid to give this “dirt-less” thing a try.
As we’re talking medium here, I’m planning to use plain old gravel straight from my garden, well washed, disinfected and submerged in pH balanced water, but still just pebbles. Anyone think this is a bad idea and if so, care to save me making a huge mistake! My first seedlings need to come out of the propagator really soon so some quick advice would be well appreciated. Thanks, Ed