New Research

Ongoing research with plants such as tomatoes in floating systems indicate that larger plants require more above-water rooting volume (more air-space) in order to produce successful yields. To produce more root mass above the water, you may want to test a system that uses two stacked styrofoam floats with holes drilled in the bottom one and all but a six-inch edge around the perimeter cut out of the top one. Fill the empty top float with perlite, vermiculite, or other hydroponic media and plant vegetables or flowers into it the same way you would plant a normal garden. Preliminary results show this method to be promising if starter fertilizer is used on the young plants until their roots reach the fertilized hydroponic solution below the floats.