Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hi!

I'm planning on experimenting with hydroponics, but I'm a little stuck on what to experiment with/test. I was maybe thinking how the electrical conductivity or salinity of the water affects the biomass of plants (maybe tomatoes). But I was wondering, what other factors could I test? And any suggestions for making homemade hydroponic system?

Thanks!
~Sneha

Several people have done hydroponic experiments in the past. Some of the questions that past hydroponic experiments concern factors such as nutrient content of soil, water oxygenation, pH of soil, etc. When setting up your experiment you might want to consider the duration of the experiment, light availability, type of plant, nutrients, and air temperature. Here is the link to Atlantis Hydroponics below:

http://www.atlantishydroponics.com/info ... experiment

You might also want to check out this past Hydroponics experiment for ideas.

http://classic.sidwell.edu/us/science/v ... /ccollier/