Hydroponics made simple

There are many ways to ‘grow your own’ using hydroponics but it is a fast moving area and new ideas are coming to the market all the time.

The Grow Float is one such design that really shows how simple the technology can be. It essentially reduces hydroponics down to a receptacle for the nutrient-laden water and some floating baskets for the plants to grow in (you also need a water aerator but that is only used intermittently). The nice thing about the Grow Float is that it is so simple, you can almost just make your own DIY version, but part of the appeal of the official version is the 'polished' finish designed to look like a hip house plant that is comfortable on your kitchen countertop. It debuted on Kickstarter in 2014 and has since evolved into a small business for the creator. 

Another Kickstarter project, the GrowGrip, which is a new design for supporting plants in large-scale hydroponic systems is almost ridiculous in its simplicity. The GrowGrip units look like someone just did a quick cut out of some foam packaging (and maybe they have), but once you understand the idea behind it, you realise it really does solve an efficiency problem when growing lots of plants hydroponically, and it does so in such a simple way.