Grow A Garden Minus The Soil Using Hydroponic Gardening
The benefits of hydroponic gardening are many. It has impact on the environment. It saves you time and garden work. The system can grow plants, fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. It takes 20 percent less space than a garden that uses soil.
A hydroponic garden uses water, nutrients and a medium to grow plants without soil. Since the plants don’t need to compete with each other or seek food in the soil they have more energy to use for growing. These plants grow 30-50 percent faster. The nutrients go directly to the roots with watering. They are much less likely to have bug infestation, fungus and disease than a soil garden. The garden can be grown indoors or outdoors.
These gardens are better for the environment as they use less water than a soil garden. The do not use any topsoil so that is preserved as well. A medium is usually needed since there is no soil, although one is not always used. They can be grown with baskets or just air in an Aeroponic system.
The mediums available that are least expensive are air, perlite, sand, or gravel. These will work but tend to hold too much moisture. They also require more work than some other mediums. One popular medium is Hydroton. This is a fast draining shale based clay. It is light and airy allowing plants to get plenty of oxygen.
Rockwool is a popular medium but is not good for using repeatedly as it breaks down easily. It does hold 14 times more water than soil will. It also holds 20 percent air. It starts with volcanic rock and limestone that is melted down and spun quickly. It is then pressed into blocks, cubes or sheets for use.
The garden needs nutrients mixed with the water to grow. These come in liquid and powder form. They can also be chemical or organic. The organic nutrient can often clog a system that uses pumps. The liquid nutrient is easiest and fastest to use as it dissolves quickly in water. The powder takes more time to dissolve so must be mixed thoroughly. There is nutrient for growing and one for blooming plants.
Maintaining proper pH levels is important. There are simple inexpensive tests available. If pH is too high or low your plants will not be able to absorb the nutrients it needs to thrive. The ideal range is 5.8 to 6.8 pH. If it needs to be lowered phosphoric acid is usually added. Potash is added to raise it.
There is more than one hydroponic gardening system. The ebb and flow system raises and lowers the water level over several hours. The continuous drip system is self explanatory and usually uses a pump to gather the water and nutrients for reuse like the ebb and flow system. There is also a wick system that uses actual candle wicks to get the roots their nutrients. You will save yourself time, work and use less of your garden space to produce something beautiful no matter what system you choose.
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