Plant Care
- • Climate Control & VPD16
- • Disease & Pest Management14
- • Nutrient Solutions & EC34
- • Plant Health Monitoring7
Inputs
12 parameters · live recalculation on every change
M²
1m²
10m² default
500m²
$
100$
500$ default
20000$
Pro Settings — Lab Controls
PPM
0ppm
200ppm default
2000ppm
°C
-10°C
22°C default
45°C
%
20%
60% default
90%
Advanced Settings — Deterministic Corrections
H/WK
1h/wk
10h/wk default
80h/wk
KG/MO
1kg/mo
20kg/mo default
1000kg/mo
Deterministic model
12 inputs · 10 outputs
Runs 100% in your browser
This is a deterministic model: the same inputs always produce the same outputs, calculated entirely in your browser with nothing sent to any server. It is a planning aid — not a quote, not a dosing instruction, and not a yield forecast. Treat every line as a working estimate and validate it against your own prices and measurements.
It models one system: The systems-decision quiz that scores kratky, DWC, NFT, ebb & flow, drip, vertical tower, RDWC and aeroponics against your space, budget, experience and crop — then sizes the exact build, cost and payback with a green—yellow—red safety read.
What the System Matcher Quiz — Find Your Perfect System returns
The engine computes 10 outputs from your 12 inputs. The headline number is Recommended System, alongside Match Score, Estimated Yield, Estimated Cost. Every output updates live as you change a parameter.
What it does not do
Outputs depend on the inputs and assumptions shown here. Confirm relevant measurements and local conditions before acting.
STEP 01
Score the matrix
STEP 02
Apply penalties
STEP 03
Pick the winner
STEP 04
Price the build
STEP 05
Price the harvest
STEP 06
Rate the effort
S_{sys} = \frac{1}{7}\sum_{i=1}^{7} f_i \times w_q \times w_t \times w_h
System score = mean of 7 factor scores, then water-quality · temp · humidity penalties
\text{match} = \max_{sys} S_{sys}
Match score = best system score (0-100), that system is recommended
Y = A \times y_{sys} \times f_{crop}
Yield = grow area × system yield/m²/mo × crop factor
C = b_{sys} + A \times c_{sys}
Cost = system base + area × per-m² cost (capped at 1.2 × budget)
\Pi = Y \times p - (O_w + O_p + O_n)
Monthly profit = yield × price − water · power · nutrient opex
W = A \times L_{sys}
Water use = area × system litres/m²/day
P = A \times K_{sys}
Power use = area × system kWh/m²/day
D = \min(w_{x}, \max(1, d_{sys} + e))
Difficulty = system complexity + experience shift, clamped 1-10
Systems: NFT, DWC, Kratky, Aeroponic, Vertical Tower, Ebb & Flow — each scored 0-100 on seven factors then averaged.
Crop compatibility: lettuce NFT 95 DWC 90 Kratky 85 Aero 80 Vertical 95 Ebb 70; tomato NFT 60 DWC 70 Kratky 40 Aero 85 Vertical 80 Ebb 90; cucumber NFT 70 DWC 75 Aero 90 Vertical 85; strawberry suits DWC 80 and Aero 85 far above Kratky 40.
Experience: beginner Kratky 95 NFT 80 DWC 85 Aero 40 Vertical 60 Ebb 70; intermediate NFT 90 Aero 70 Vertical 85; expert Aero 95 Vertical 90 NFT 85 — budget bands give Kratky 95 under $300 and Aero 90 over $1,000.
Space: under 5 m² Vertical Tower 95 Kratky 90 NFT 80; past 20 m² NFT 90 DWC 85 Aero 90. Power low favours Kratky 95, power high favours Aero 90 NFT 90. Water low favours Kratky 90; climate none favours Kratky 95, climate full favours Aero 95 NFT 90 Vertical 90.
Yield per m² per month (lettuce): NFT 3, DWC 3, Kratky 2, Aeroponic 3.5, Vertical Tower 4.5, Ebb 2.8 kg. Cost: Kratky $50+$20/m², DWC $100+$50, NFT $150+$60, Ebb $200+$70, Aero $300+$100, Vertical $400+$80. Water: Kratky 2, DWC 5, NFT 8, Ebb 6, Aero 4, Vertical 6 L/m²/day. Power: Kratky 0.1, DWC 0.5, NFT 0.8, Ebb 0.6, Aero 1.2, Vertical 1.0 kWh/m²/day.
Safety: GREEN over 80% match with budget and power/water on target; YELLOW at 60-80% match, a tight budget, or power/water near capacity; RED under 60% match, budget below half the build cost, or water/power impossible.
- Reynolds, J. (2022) The Commercial Hydroponic Farming Handbook — system selection by crop and budget.
- Robak, J. (2020) Aeroponics: Science and Systems, high-pressure vs low-pressure comparison.
- Resh, H. (2013) Hydroponic Food Production — nutrient film, ebb and flow and tower design.
- Hochmuth, G. (2015) Nutrient Solution Formulation for Hydroponic Vegetables (UF/IFAS EDIS).
- Bhattacharya, A. (2021) Vertical Farming Economics and Yield Density Metrics.
- NASA CEA (2019) Crop Production Systems for Controlled Environments — kratky and wicking evaluation.
This model combines the earlier Kratky-calculator, Nft-slope, Vertical-tower-yield models.
Q1: How to start a vertical hydroponic garden? ▾
A vertical hydroponic garden starts with the footprint, not the tower: the system matcher scores vertical towers at 95 for spaces under 5 m² because density converts small floors into racks. Plan the build as base cost $400 plus $80 per m², give the top layer enough light, and start with a crop that fits the tower — lettuce and herbs score 95 crop compatibility while heavy-fruited tomatoes fall to 80.
Q2: Which hydroponic system is best for beginners? ▾
For a beginner on a budget, Kratky is the honest answer: 95 on experience, 95 on low power, 95 on low water and 95 with no climate control, built for $50 plus $20/m² with a 2/10 difficulty and barely a pump to fail. DWC is a close second at 85 for beginners when power is medium; NFT and aeroponic sit below 50 until intermediates with mains power arrive.
Q3: NFT vs DWC vs aeroponics — which is best? ▾
The matcher scores them by your environment: NFT wins at 95 for lettuce with mains power and medium-plus water and returns 3 kg/m²/mo, but loses to gravity when power is low. DWC is the load-bearing alternative at 5 L/m²/day with still water forgiving beginners, while aeroponic sits at 95 for experts with high power, clean water under 500 ppm and full climate — 3.5 kg/m²/mo at $300 plus $100/m².
Q4: Best hydroponic system for lettuce? ▾
Lettuce scores 95 on both NFT and vertical towers, 90 on DWC and 85 on Kratky in the compatibility matrix. NFT is the commercial answer — 3 kg/m²/mo on a 60-70 cm channel with mains power — while a vertical tower presses the same lettuce into a small footprint and Kratky covers the no-power corner at 2 kg/m²/mo. The matcher picks whichever pair clears your power, water and budget answers first.
Q5: How much does a hydroponic system cost? ▾
Priced by system: Kratky $50 plus $20/m², DWC $100 plus $50/m², NFT $150 plus $60/m², ebb and flow $200 plus $70/m², aeroponic $300 plus $100/m², vertical tower $400 plus $80/m². On a 10 m² budget of $500 the matcher lands on Kratky near $250 or DWC near $600 depending on power; the estimate is capped at 1.2 times the entered budget so an overspend shows as a flag, never a surprise.
Q6: Vertical hydroponic system components? ▾
A vertical hydroponic system is a tower column with pockets or gutters, a pump and reservoir at the base, feed tubing wound or dripped down the column, and a frame sized to your footprint (vertical-tower-yield math prices pockets per level and plants per tower). The matcher prices the build at $400 base plus $80/m² and the water loop at 6 L/m²/day, then checks it against your power answer because towers at scale draw a full energy budget.