Hydroponics is a hands-on, engaging way to teach STEM concepts, sustainability, and innovative agricultural techniques. Whether you’re looking for simple systems to introduce hydroponic principles or advanced setups to challenge your students, this guide provides a range of options to suit any classroom.
From passive systems like the Kratky Method to creative designs like the Upside Down NFT, each system includes key details, materials lists, and learning objectives to help you bring hydroponics to life in your teaching. These systems not only teach plant biology but also incorporate physics, chemistry, and engineering, making them ideal for integrated STEM lessons.
Dive into the designs below to find the perfect hydroponic system for your classroom. Don’t forget to share your own classroom creations with us—your project could be featured on this page to inspire teachers and students worldwide!
Psshh: This page is a living document and will continually be updated with new, simple, DIY teaching projects. So keep checking back!
1) Deep Water Culture (DWC): A Classic Hydroponic System
Deep Water Culture (DWC) is a staple of hydroponics education. This system keeps plant roots suspended in nutrient-rich water, making it ideal for teaching oxygenation, root health, and rapid plant growth. After reading everything below, you can learn more about Deep Water Culture here.
Key Details:
- System Type: Active Hydroponic System
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Requires Electricity: Yes (for air pump and bubbler)
- Scientific Methods Learned:
- Nutrient absorption and oxygenation
- Impact of dissolved oxygen on plant growth
- Observation of root health and growth patterns
- Managing water chemistry (pH, EC, etc.)
Additional Information for Teachers:
- Estimated Cost: $30–$60 per system
- Time to Build: 1–2 hours (depending on complexity)
- Grade Level Suitability: Middle school to high school
- Materials Needed: Food-safe container or bucket, net pots, air pump, air stone, tubing, nutrient solution, and growing medium.
- Skills Taught:
- Assembling systems with moving parts
- Monitoring and adjusting water chemistry
- Understanding plant physiology and root-zone dynamics
- Learning Objectives:
- Explore the role of oxygen in plant root development
- Learn to test and adjust pH and nutrient levels
- Understand the connection between system design and plant health
- STEM Connections:
- Biology: Nutrient uptake and root development
- Chemistry: pH adjustment and nutrient solution management
- Engineering: Building and maintaining a system with moving parts
- Assessment Ideas:
- Measure and graph plant growth over time
- Conduct experiments with varying oxygen levels or nutrient concentrations
- Present findings on optimal conditions for specific plants
- Customizability:
- Can be scaled for individual or group projects
- Students can modify the air flow or test different plant types
- Potential Challenges:
- Ensuring proper oxygenation to avoid root rot
- Maintaining water chemistry within appropriate ranges
- Managing algae growth in open water systems
- Experimentation Opportunities:
- Test how different air stone sizes affect oxygenation
- Compare plant growth rates at various nutrient solution strengths
- Observe the effects of temperature on water oxygen levels
- Alignment with Standards: Aligned with NGSS for plant biology, chemistry, and engineering design.
2) The Candlestick Method: A Simple Wick System
Looking for an easy and affordable way to teach hydroponics? The Candlestick Method is a beginner-friendly wick system that uses basic materials to demonstrate capillary action and plant growth. After reading below, you can learn more about the Candlestick Method here.
Key Details:
- System Type: Wick System
- Difficulty: Easy (Beginner-friendly)
- Requires Electricity: No
- Scientific Methods Learned:
- Capillary action in plants
- Nutrient uptake mechanisms
- Observation of root development
- Atmospheric pressure and vacuum dynamics
Additional Information for Teachers:
- Estimated Cost: $15–$50 per system (can be more if making a large setup)
- Time to Build: 30–60 minutes (depending on student skill level)
- Grade Level Suitability: Upper elementary to high school
- Materials Needed: Food-safe container (for grow tray), nutrient solution, growing medium, 5-gallon bucket (or something similar), and seeds or seedlings.
- Skills Taught:
- Measuring and cutting materials
- Assembling simple hydroponic systems
- Understanding water and nutrient management
- Learning Objectives:
- Explore water movement and nutrient delivery to plants
- Develop hands-on problem-solving skills
- Connect plant biology to environmental sustainability concepts
- STEM Connections:
- Physics: Capillary action, fluid dynamics, atmospheric pressure, vacuum dynamics
- Biology: Root structures and growth patterns
- Chemistry: Nutrient solution preparation and pH balancing
- Assessment Ideas:
- Students track plant growth and document changes in a growth journal
- Present findings on how different growing mediums affect water delivery efficiency
- Create a hypothesis on optimal growing conditions and test it
- Customizability:
- Can be scaled for individual, group, or classroom-wide projects
- Students can experiment with different growing mediums or container sizes
- Potential Challenges:
- Ensuring proper wick placement for consistent water flow
- Avoiding overwatering or under-delivery of nutrients
- Experimentation Opportunities:
- Compare growth rates with different growing mediums
- Test different nutrient concentrations or pH levels
- Observe how light exposure impacts growth in this setup
- Alignment with Standards: Aligned with NGSS for plant biology and environmental science.
3) Floating Pots: A Simple and Flexible Hydroponic System
Floating Pots are an easy-to-build hydroponic system where plants are grown in pots suspended on a floating platform in nutrient-rich water. This method is great for teaching buoyancy, nutrient delivery, and the basics of hydroponic root health. After reading everything below, you can learn more about the Floating Pots Method here.
Key Details:
- System Type: Passive Hydroponic System
- Difficulty: Easy
- Requires Electricity: Optional (not technically needed but can be added)
- Scientific Methods Learned:
- Nutrient uptake and plant growth
- Observation of root system behavior in water
- Buoyancy principles and system stability
Additional Information for Teachers:
- Estimated Cost: $20–$50 per system
- Time to Build: 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Grade Level Suitability: Upper elementary to high school
- Materials Needed: Plastic container or small tank, floating platform (e.g., Styrofoam), net pots, nutrient solution, and seeds or seedlings.
- Skills Taught:
- Assembling hydroponic systems with floating components
- Managing nutrient solutions and water levels
- Monitoring plant growth in water-based environments
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand how plants grow in water-based systems
- Explore how buoyancy keeps the platform stable
- Experiment with nutrient concentrations and their effects on growth
- STEM Connections:
- Physics: Principles of buoyancy and flotation
- Biology: Nutrient uptake and root development
- Chemistry: Managing and adjusting nutrient solutions
- Assessment Ideas:
- Track plant growth and compare different nutrient concentrations
- Test the impact of various floating materials on system stability
- Document and present the process of system setup and plant growth
- Customizability:
- Can be expanded into larger systems or downsized for individual projects
- Students can experiment with different floating materials and plant types
- Potential Challenges:
- Ensuring platform stability with heavier plants
- Maintaining appropriate nutrient and water levels
- Controlling algae growth in exposed water
- Experimentation Opportunities:
- Test how different floating materials affect stability and plant growth
- Compare plant growth rates with varying light exposure or nutrient solutions
- Experiment with adding aeration to observe its impact on growth
- Alignment with Standards: Aligned with NGSS for plant biology, chemistry, and physics.
4) The Kratky Method: Passive Hydroponics Made Simple
The Kratky Method is a straightforward, passive hydroponic system that doesn’t require pumps or electricity, making it ideal for classrooms with limited resources. Plants grow in a container with nutrient-rich water, and the roots adjust to absorb nutrients as water levels drop. After reading everything below, you can learn more about the Kratky Method here.
Key Details:
- System Type: Passive Hydroponic System
- Difficulty: Easy (Beginner-friendly)
- Requires Electricity: No
- Scientific Methods Learned:
- Root adaptation to changing water levels
- Nutrient absorption and plant growth
- Observation of oxygenation through air gaps
Additional Information for Teachers:
- Estimated Cost: $10–$25 per system
- Time to Build: 30 minutes to 1 hour
- Grade Level Suitability: Upper elementary to high school
- Materials Needed: Food-safe container or jar, net pot, growing medium, nutrient solution, and seeds or seedlings.
- Skills Taught:
- Setting up and managing passive hydroponic systems
- Observing root growth and plant development
- Maintaining nutrient levels in a closed system
- Learning Objectives:
- Understand how plants grow without soil
- Explore how air gaps provide oxygen to plant roots
- Learn the role of nutrient solution in plant health
- STEM Connections:
- Biology: Root growth and nutrient uptake
- Chemistry: Preparing and maintaining nutrient solutions
- Physics: The role of air gaps in oxygen delivery
- Assessment Ideas:
- Measure plant growth over time and compare it to soil-based plants
- Document how water level changes affect root development
- Present a step-by-step process for setting up the system
- Customizability:
- Perfect for small-scale, individual projects
- Students can experiment with different container sizes and nutrient solutions
- Potential Challenges:
- Ensuring proper nutrient concentration without overfeeding
- Avoiding algae growth in clear containers
- Maintaining proper water levels as plants grow
- Experimentation Opportunities:
- Test the effect of different light levels on plant growth
- Compare growth rates with varying nutrient concentrations
- Observe the impact of different container materials on plant health
- Alignment with Standards: Aligned with NGSS for plant biology, chemistry, and environmental science.
4) Upside Down NFT: A Creative Hydroponic System
The Upside Down NFT (Nutrient Film Technique) system is a unique hydroponic setup where plants grow above an upside-down container, with their roots exposed to a thin film of nutrient-rich water flowing below. This innovative design teaches principles of water flow, root aeration, and creative problem-solving in hydroponics. While we’re working on a specific page outlining everything there is to know about the ‘Upside Down NFT’ system, you can learn more about the general concept of an Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) system here.
Key Details:
- System Type: Active Hydroponic System
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Requires Electricity: Yes (for water pump)
- Scientific Methods Learned:
- Understanding nutrient film dynamics
- Aeration and oxygen delivery to roots
- Observing root development in a flowing system
Additional Information for Teachers:
- Estimated Cost: $40–$80 per system
- Time to Build: 1–2 hours
- Grade Level Suitability: Middle school to high school
- Materials Needed: Food-safe container or tank, upside-down container for stability, net pots, water pump, tubing, nutrient solution, and growing medium.
- Skills Taught:
- Assembling hydroponic systems with active water flow
- Designing and troubleshooting creative system layouts
- Managing water flow rates and nutrient delivery
- Learning Objectives:
- Explore the role of flowing water in nutrient delivery
- Understand how oxygenation supports root health
- Learn creative approaches to hydroponic system design
- STEM Connections:
- Biology: Root structure and nutrient uptake
- Physics: Principles of water flow and gravity
- Engineering: Pump-driven systems and custom designs
- Assessment Ideas:
- Measure plant growth over time in varying flow rates
- Compare root health between flowing and static systems
- Present system designs and explain their functionality
- Customizability:
- Ideal for group projects focused on custom system designs
- Students can experiment with different flow rates or pump sizes
- Potential Challenges:
- Ensuring consistent water flow across all plants
- Preventing root clogs in the nutrient channels
- Maintaining proper nutrient levels and pH in a flowing system
- Experimentation Opportunities:
- Test the effect of different water flow rates on plant growth
- Observe how nutrient concentration impacts growth in a flowing system
- Experiment with various plants to determine adaptability to the setup
- Alignment with Standards: Aligned with NGSS for plant biology, engineering, and environmental science.
Have You Built a Hydroponic System in Your Classroom?
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