What Is Hydroponics Gardening?
The word hydroponics comes from the Greek, “hydro” meaning water and “ponics” meaning labor. Hydroponics simply means growing plants without soil which is a concept that has been around for thousands of years. Food for the plants, called hydroponic nutrients, are dissolved in water and fed directly to the roots instead of the plant searching through the soil to find them.
|
|
Benefits of Hydroponic Gardening
There are a variety of benefits associated with a hydroponic garden, it is clean, extremely easy, requires very little effort and is proven to have several advantages over soil gardening. The growth rate on a hydroponic plant is 30% to 50% faster than a regular soil plant grown under the same conditions and the yield of the plant is also greater using less space. The extra oxygen in the hydroponic growing mediums helps to stimulate root growth. Plants with ample oxygen in the root system will absorb nutrients faster. Hydroponic plants also use very little energy to find and break down food, the plant then uses this saved energy to grow faster and to produce more fruit.
|
Hydroponic gardening also offers benefits to the environment. Because of the constant reuse of the nutrient solutions, hydroponic gardening uses considerably less water than using soil to grow the plants in your garden. Fewer pesticides are used on hydroponic crops because without soil you virtually eliminate all weed and pest problems.
Disadvantages of Hydroponics
The major disadvantage of hydroponics gardening is that the equipment is much more expensive than traditional soil methods. One other disadvantage of growing your plants and herbs using hydroponics is that you need to be prepared to provide extensive physical support for your plants because they are not anchored by soil and usually grow larger and stronger in the water.
Types of Hydroponic Gardening Systems
There are many types of hydroponic systems available for home and commercial use including; the Europonic Rockwood System, the Ebb and Flow System, Nutrient Film Technique, Aeroponic Systems, Continuous Drip Systems, and Rockwool Based Systems.
With Nutrient Film Technique, or NFT, the plants are held in troughs with nutrient solution constantly trickling over the roots. A reservoir with a submersible pump re-circulates the nutrient solution continually, pumping the solution to the top of the troughs to trickle back through the system.
Aeroponics is a system in which the plant’s roots are suspended in air and work best for growing herbs and leafy vegetables. The plants are held in web pots with only neoprene inserts to support the plant.
The Europonic System is modeled after commercial systems used in Europe. A nutrient solution is pumped from a reservoir to individual emitters at each plant; it trickles through the rockwool, over the roots, and back to the reservoir where it is re-circulated on a constant basis. Rockwool, or mineral wool, is the most popular and highly used hydroponic medium because it has a high water and air holding capacity.
In a continuous drip system, a single pot is used with a reservoir underneath. The system acts like a percolator as air is pumped down a vertical shaft, creating pressure, and forces the nutrient solution up another tube. A drip ring constantly irrigates and drains the nutrient solution back into the reservoir. This type of system is easy to use, inexpensive, and great for individual experimentation, but it is impractical for most commercial applications.
Ebb and flow systems are popular in hydroponics for crops such as lettuce, pepper plants, miniature tomatoes, and potted flowers. Ebb and flow systems can also be used to grow herbs and provide fresh basis, thyme, and oregano year round. Ebb and flow systems do have a drawback, as the water evaporates between flooding; the salts are left behind as a residue and may rise to toxic levels. Because of this it is necessary to flush the system with pure water periodically to take away any toxic salt buildup.
Hydroponic systems are also characterized as passive or active. An active hydroponic system “actively” moves the nutrient solution with an electric pump. Passive hydroponic systems rely on the nutrient solution to be absorbed by the medium or the wick and passed along to the roots. Passive systems are usually too wet to supply enough oxygen to the root system to maximize plant growth.
