Deep water culture was actually the first type of system invented for hydroponics. It is basically a straightforward growing system. There is a reservoir filled with nutrient solution, at the top of which the gardener sets a floating platform containing several planters. The roots of the plant are drowned in the nutrient solution, with the rest of the plant being held by the planters. Deep water culture systems, including deep water cloning, for how simple they are, can yield the highest producing harvest of all.

Areoponics cloning also revolutionized the duplicating of plants. Aeroponics cloning permitted the entire culturing process to be carried out in a single unit. Numerous plants can now be replicated simply from a single stem cutting. This was a major advantage to green houses attempting to propagate plants normally grown from seed.