Hydroponics—the science of growing plants without soil

Hydroponics is the science of growing plants without soil,most often in a soiless mix.In fact,many gardeners are already cultivating hydroponically.Cultivating cuttings in rockwool,peat moss,and coconut fiber is growing hydroponically.Growing mature plants in soiless Sunshine Mix or Terra-Lite,even when watered by hand,is hydroponic gardening.With hydroponics,nutrient uptake and grow medium oxygen content can be controlled easily.Manage these two factors,along with a few other requirements,to grow a bumper crop with every harvest hydroponic nft.

The inert soilless hydroponic medium contains essentially no nutrients.All the nutrients are supplied via the nutrient solution-fertilizer diluted in water.This solution passes over or floods around roots at regular intervals,later draining off.The extra oxygen trapped in the soilless medium and around the roots speeds nutrient uptake by tiny root hairs.Plants grow fast hydroponically because they are able to take in food as fast as it can be used.In soil,as in hydroponics,the roots absorb nutrients and water.Even the best soil rarely has as much oxygen in it as a soilless hydroponic medium.

Contrary to popular belief,hydroponic gardens often require more care than soil gardens.If growing hydroponically,expect to spend more time in the garden.Extra maintenance is necessary because plants grow faster,there are more things to check,and more can go wrong.In fact,some gardeners do not like hydroponic gardening,because it requires too much additional care hydroponic channel.

Hydroponic gardening is productive,but exacting-not as forgiving as soil gardening.Soil works as a buffer for nutrients and holds them longer than inert hydroponic growing mediums.In fact,advanced aeroponic systems do not use a soilless mix;they use nothing at all!

In hydroponics,the nutrient solution can be controlled,so plants grow less leafy foliage and more profuse flower buds.The flower faster and be ready for harvest a few days earlier than soil-grown plants.

Small flowering plants grow well in small hydroponic containers and horizontal tubes.Large plants grow longer and are best suited to a large bucket system,which allows room for root development.The plant’s root system is easily contained in the bucket.For example mother plants used for cuttings must have a huge root system to take in lots of nutrients to keep up with the heavy growth and cutting production schedule.

Most indoor gardens have two limiting factors:the number of plants in the garden and the electrical consumption expressed in watts.The flowering room could be illuminated with two 600-watt HP sodium lamps.A 40-watt fluorescent fixture could be used to root cuttings,and a 175-watt metal halide will keep vegetative plants growing.This is a total of 1415 watts that cost about $35 to $60 mothyly.That’s a bargain,condidering the indoor garden’s bountiful yields!