Regardless of whether you have recently started gardening or simply want to familiarize yourself with the new ways of hydroponic planting, our guide will certainly be of use to you. The new types of gardening continue to fascinate us. Given the great interest in hydroponics, we have decided to provide you with detailed information about these production methods of horticultural products. It is quickly gaining popularity around the world.
Hydroponic Plants – A Revolutionary Soil Fertility
Hydroponics and hydroponic systems are becoming increasingly popular, but are not actually new versions of gardening. The strange thing is that you only need water to plant. The potting soil is replaced with clay balls, mineral wool or coconut fiber. The culture of vegetation begins first in the substrate and then continues in special containers in which thePlants benefit from an irrigation system.
For information, the irrigation system that provides nutrients to plants exists in two types: active and passive. However, we must clarify that this hydroponic culture includes two other versions of systems that we can call open and closed circuit. Before you start using the hydroponic method, we recommend that you inquire about the variants available.
Some advantages and disadvantages of hydroponic planting
The hydroponic system has several advantages such as the ability to grow many plants such as herbs, flowers, fruits, etc. On the other hand, the big disadvantage is that water needs to be replaced periodically as it loses nutrients over time. You may be wondering why this operation is a defect - for the simple reason that polluted water and its discharge is harmful and unfavorable to the environment.
Due to the fact that vegetables and other crops do not benefit from natural soil or light, they lose their flavor. This method of above-ground cultivation allows the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, flowers, aromatic herbs and much more. Accordingly, it is important to know that hydroponics only uses water and chemically produced nutrients to grow plants.
The etymology of the term
Today we see thousands of new terms adopted from around the world. It is not uncommon for this mixture of languages to condition the general misunderstanding. To be precise, hydroponic planting is far from a new phenomenon. On the contrary, this term comes from the Greek words “hydro” (water) and “ponos” (work) and literally means “work with water”. Hydroponics is a gardening technique in which plants grow in water. If this explanation has piqued your curiosity, read on and get familiar with the technique and how it works in general.
What exactly are hydroponics?
As mentioned above, hydroponics is one of the trendy alternative horticultural production techniques. It is a method of growing above ground and to produce hydroponic plants, mainly only water is used. Do not be surprised to see the use of one or another growing medium, despite the claim that it is a hydroponic culture based purely on H2O.
As we discussed above, the soil is replaced by, among other things, an inert and sterile substrate such as clay balls, coconut fibers and mineral wool. In addition, the cultivation of seedlings begins at the beginning using the above-mentioned questionable nutrient medium and continues in special compartments where planting material is again supplied with nutrients through an irrigation system. These are intended to ensure automatic and uniform distribution of the nutrient solution for the plants. The so-called active mode is based on oneSystem of pipes, diffusers (aerators), compounds and so on. As for the passive type of irrigation, it is based on the principles of gravity and capillarity.
Open and closed hydroponic systems
So the diversity doesn't end here. It is important to note that hydroponics distinguishes two main types of systems: open and closed loops. Before making a decision, it is important to understand the pros and cons of each of the possible options. As you've no doubt already guessed, open cycle hydroponic planting is the least economical and ecological of the two. Why? The answer is closely related to choosing the right place where the water can flow optimally. This means you can avoid a constant loss of nutrient solution.
On the other hand, the closed circulation system proves to be much more gentle and cost-effective as it does not create any waste of nutrient solution. However, you must always keep such a hydroponic culture under control by constantly checking the nutrient content. Given what has just been described, it is obvious that it is the closed circuit that is best suited for such indoor hydroponic plants.
Overview of the properties of hydroponics
Believe it or not, hydroponic planting is now accessible to both newbies and experienced gardeners. This version of gardening is particularly suitable for growing lettuce and tomatoes indoors or outdoors. In addition, hydroponics is also ideal for producing aromatic herbs, fruits, vegetables and even ornamental plants. This type of horticultural cultivation promises impressive productivity in the greenhouse and enables significant growth. Added to this is the fact that hydroponic culture is significantly less maintenance and cleaner than traditional gardening. In addition, the absence from the ground eliminates the danger of germs and insects with a tendency to hide on the ground. Consequently, the use of insecticides and fungicides is theoretically completely unnecessary.
It is important to emphasize that this system guarantees rapid growth of plants as well as high yields. Hydroponic plants virtually eliminate water loss through evaporation and prevent overwatering. Finally, the possiblevertical plantingthis version of hydroponics even more tempting.
Some disadvantages of hydroponics
Of course there are two sides of the same coin. Hydroponic planting is much more beneficial, but it also has a lot to complain about. The main disadvantage of hydroponics is the need for periodic replacement of water, which loses nutrients over time. The problem occurs because the discharge of dirty water containing chemical elements can harm the environment. Plus, everyone knows how expensive a dirty sewer can be. Now let's go back to what was said about the ecological nature of hydroponics. Although this system allows significant savings of water, this is not particularly the case for the large expenditure of energy that it generates when you use it in the greenhouse.
Unfortunately, that's not all. The vegetables from hydroponic plants are rarely truly organic. Without sun and natural and living soil, the harvest has few qualities in terms of taste. Finally, unlike aquaponic culture, there is no life in hydroponics.
What types of plants can you grow?
Given everything we've discussed in this guide, getting started with hydroponic planting remains a completely personal decision. If you consider the many benefits of hydroponics without neglecting the significant inconveniences, everyone can determine for themselves whether they are able to participate in it. Whether this affects us or not, it is always useful to become more knowledgeable about plants suitable for hydroponics. If you already have this question in mind, you will be happy to be able to grow almost any variety with it. For obvious reasons, plants that need sunlight only grow when exposed to it. In summary, various types of fruit, vegetables, salads, aromatic herbs, flowers, trees, etc. are suitable for such revolutionary gardening.
So hydroponic planting only uses water and chemical nutrients to grow plants. In most cases, it is a closed-loop hydroponic system that is easy and economical to operate. To clarify this, we invite you to review the diagram above and observe how the system works in the simplest way. At the bottom of the diagram there is a container with the nutrient solution (water and fertilizer). This is fed through a pump to the plant roots and then back into the tank. A hydroponic system also allows for fully automated harvesting.
Mini gardens with hydroponic plants
Hydroponics is a part of the horticultural production techniques that are quite trendy and whose environmental benefits are more or less interesting. With this in mind, aquaponics is another type of alternative planting that is also quite advanced. If you are still hesitant to take the plunge to develop an alternative gardening art, perhaps our article will be able to enlighten you in detail about the above methods so that you make the right choice.
So if you are interested in the subject of hydroponic plants, there are a variety of indoor mini greenhouses that are ideal for hydroponics.Hydroponic mini gardensare offered on many websites, accompanied by all the necessary tools, including seeds, fertilizers and lighting. Even Swedish company IKEA has launched a collection of above-ground plants for those who want to learn how to grow greenery in water. Thanks to this invention, growing plants at home is possible for everyone all year round. Now that you know the principle of hydroponic planting better, you can decide for yourself whether you want to start with it.
