Although hydroponics as a guide to gardening may be more widely used today, it isn’t really a new method of gardening. It is an old concept that was adapted from the Egyptians even before Christ came. It has been mentioned in Egyptian writings. Even then, growing plants in soil had been the practice of many in the belief that the soil anchors the roots of the plants which in turn distributes the nutrients it gets from the water absorbed by the soil. Unconsciously, this was how the early hydroponics guide was made.
Yet many scientists in the 1930s have proven otherwise. They realized that plants can actually be grown in water by directly dissolving nutrients in water. There are also some who grow them by adding mineral solutions to water. That was how the idea of hydroponic gardening came about.
What makes hydroponics stand out from the conventional type of farming is that is does not use soil. It is a form of gardening that grows plants on water with the help of proper lighting and a good amount of mineral nutrients. Holland has been practicing such a method in growing even the commercial production of vegetables and fruits. Hydroponic gardening has also become a very popular practice in Western Europe since more and more people have become health conscious, choosing to eat only those that are organic.
The popularity of hydroponic gardening has reached even Canada, which is considered as the world’s second largest producer of food, after Holland. Although it has been around for centuries, hydroponics became a renowned gardening practice in the past forty years. Recent studies have been conducted on the use of hydroponics in submarines and in outer space as well. Aside from the increasing demand to go organic, hydroponic gardening has become very beneficial to countries that do not have enough space for agriculture. And yet, there is more to expect from hydroponics in the coming centuries of its existence.
Less muss, less fuss!
Have you ever put a sweet potato or avocado or ivy in a glass of water, supported by toothpicks, and the roots just took off? If you have, then you have already experienced hydroponics indoor gardening. But, can plants survive and flourish is just a glass of water? Rarely, plants need nutrients and some support for their growth. Since hydroponics is a soil-less means of gardening, the plants are supported by use of inert media in their grow systems.
There are a variety of grow mediums available to choose from depending on the needs of the plant. This means, you wouldn’t want to use a heavy media for supporting delicate or fragile budding plants because media, when moved around, could damage the budding leaves. One should experiment with different grow mediums in your grow systems as you will find a particular one you like best for your specific needs. Hydroponics inert growing medium should have a good moisture ratio. The media needs to ensure both oxygen and moisture is available to the plant in quantities for the plant’s needs. The ideal media will also have the capacity to hold some water.
Let’s get down to it. Here are some of the grow media on the market today:
Perlite: has the capacity to promote robust root development. It originates from volcanic rock and is a sterile medium due to the heating procedures that is used during its manufacturing process. Perlite maintains an ideal balance of oxygen and water. Each particle of perlite consists of tiny air cells and the shape of the perlite forms large air gaps between the particles. This facilitates a good amount of oxygen being provided to the root system. Perlite is very cost effective to use.
Coco Coir: is compressed fiber from the coconut husks and looks very much like peat. It has an ability to protect the plant’s root system when in hot climates. Coco coir also has the capacity to promote robust root development. It is unique in that it can feed the plants based on its needs. (It will hold or release nutrient elements as needed.) Plant growth is very consistent in coco coir. It is a very forgiving media as it is tolerant of over or under watering.
What exactly is hydroponics gardening you might ask, it is simply gardening without soil. Yes, without any soil what so ever. It is a revolutionary new way to garden no matter what the weather condition might be. No matter what region you reside. Matter if fact, sunlight doesn’t even have to play a major role in the growth of your plants. The future of planting is hydroponics.
While these might not be the traditional way of gardening, it does have many benefits. Think of not worrying about sun exposure because most of the planting will be likely taking place indoors. No need to worry about erosion or getting the right soil. While compost does make excellent soil, many will rather avoid the labor that comes with it. No need to worry about pesticides and fertilizers. Think about all your favorite veggies, such as tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, etc; being able to grow them at your own convenience.
Hydroponics is very organic, especially due to the lack of artificial fertilizers that is used on a crop that is planted in the soil. It is simply the use of nutrient enriched water that keeps your garden growing fresh. Many have said that life on this planet will not be available without water, well now even farmers are starting to agree with that. As more and more people turn to hydroponic gardening for its convenience and it naturalness, the organic benefits will not only lead to a healthier society but even a better more environmentally-friendly way of gardening.
Getting started on hydroponics gardening saves time, effort and energy.
Hydroponics is a way of gardening. It involves using fish tanks, water, oxygen, nutrients, and proper lighting to make a closed system that is very efficient at growing certain types of plants. This technique has many advantages as well as disadvantages that you should be aware of.
The biggest advantage is that you can use this type of growing technique in any environment. Your conditions don’t matter so much because the system when set up properly deals with all the variable that you need to grow plants properly. You can grow indoors as well making use of very limited space if you wish.
You avoid soil based pest, weeds, and other issues that are associated with your plants. These things don’t exist in the hydroponic environment.
You can get fast yields in greater quantities since this type of growing is fairly efficient.
There is a huge conservation of water and nutrients. Both of these are circulated in the system so that your plants always have what they need.
While there are advantages there are a few disadvantages. The first is that setting up this system is somewhat technical and costly. It’s not as simple as traditional planting by any means.
Secondly if the system gets some sort of water based disease which technically can happen, you will end up losing that whole system and having to start over. While you avoid certain diseases, there is a chance of getting different types as well because it’s a slightly different environment.
Third, this requires electricity to keep the oxygen pumps working. For some this is a drawback since normal planting doesn’t require extra resources to keep going. Some prefer more natural methods of growing where outside electrical connections aren’t required.
Consider this type of planting carefully before doing it. It will require a bit of research to set everything up properly, but once done is an interesting way of growing.
Hydroponics did not reach India until 1946. In the summer of that year the first research studies were commenced at the Government of Bengal`s Experimental Farm at Kalimpong in the Darjeeling District. At the very beginning a number of problems peculiar to this sub-continent had to be faced. Even a cursory study of the various methods which were being practised in Britain and in America revealed how unsuited they were for general adoption by the public of India. Various physiological and practical reasons, in particular the elaborate expensive apparatus required, were sufficient to prohibit them.
A novel system, of which practicability and simplicity must be the keynotes would have to be introduced if hydroponics was to succeed in Bengal, or in fact ever to prove of widespread value to the people of this part of Asia. Careful appraisal of salient problems during 1946-1947 resulted in the development of the Bengal System of hydroponics, which represented an effort to meet Indian requirements.
One object guided all the experiments carried out; to strip hydroponics of it`s complicated devices and to present it to the people of India and the world as a cheap, easy way of growing vegetables without soil. Now in India, thousands of householders raise essential vegetables in simple hydroponic units on rooftops or in backyards, the Bengal System has far more than proved itself, as being useful in the most adverse conditions.
Why use hydroponics when we have plenty of land if we would only develop, and by means of better cultural practices, including manuring, improve it? And then the cry: But hydroponic yields are after all no better than those which could be obtained under ideal soil conditions!
It started out as a simple school project: Grow a head of cabbage at home.
But 9-year-old Bryson Carberry of Valencia didn’t want to settle for an ordinary head-sized cabbage plant.
He wanted the biggest one in California.
That title comes not only with bragging rights, but a $1,000 college scholarship.
So for the last 100 days or so, Bryson has spent every day tending to the vegetable, which has grown large enough to name — Rex.
Instead of using soil, the Helmers Elementary School third-grader used the aero- hydroponics method that depends on specialized pellets and water to grow.
Along with hours of daily sunlight, Bryson gave Rex the Cabbage vitamins to grow bigger and faster.
The family even added ladybugs to catch unwanted bugs that would damage the vegetable, which is significantly larger than the third-grader.
In the next week, the family will submit a photo of the cabbage in the hopes that their son will win the scholarship.
Meanwhile, the family has been showing off the enormous plant to friends and family. Even Bryson’s teacher stopped by the house this week.
“She was pretty stoked,” Bryson said.
As for the future of the cabbage, the Carberrys won’t let it go to waste.
The family has picked up recipes for stuffed cabbage and soups.
“We’ll put it into tacos,” Shawn Carberry said.
Lots of tacos.
The process has taught Bryson about agriculture and that not everything needs soil to grow, he said.
“He can now plant organic and be good to the earth,” Shawn said.
And in the next couple of days, Rex the Cabbage should be good to eat.
Featured in this video was a explanation about the Sally’s Plant food that was been used to plants that died after the snow and recovered by the help of the said plant food.
Featured in this post was a video about the natural plant food called Garrett Juice Formula. This plant food is consist of 1 cup compost tea 1 ounce molasses, 1 ounce natural apple cider vinegar, and 1 ounce liquid seaweed. Learn on how to prepare this plant food by watching the video.
Those jarring late-night infomercials hawking the “Topsy-Turvy,” a planter designed to dangle tomato vines instead of the traditional stake-and-tie method, would have gardeners believe the planter is an innovation on par with hydroponics. But in practice, green-thumbed residents of Northwestern Connecticut said they’re still trying to figure out whether the hanging tomato is a trend or a transformation.
For Torrington resident Sherri Waldron, a mom of two kids whose backyard ball-playing would leave a vegetable garden in shambles, hanging tomato plants has emerged as a perfect solution. Waldron got in on the Topsy-Turvy craze early, starting a cherry tomato variety about five years ago, and she’s fed her family from the hanging tomato-studded vines ever since.
“I don’t have a lot of space in Torrington so I could hang it off my porch and let ‘em rip,” Waldron said. “It’s really the new thing to do,” she added, saying the planters are popular among customers at Litchfield Hills Nursery, where Waldron works.
Store-bought upside-down tomato planters, which cost between $10 and $15, consist of a simple construction of a wide cylinder topped off with a plastic lid that has an opening to add water and a sturdy wire hanger, with a small hole for the plant to sprout from the bottom. Several websites, including YouTube, have do-it-yourself guides to building an upside-down planter using materials ranging from two-liter bottles to five-gallon buckets.
Montana is well known for its wild weather swings, which sometimes makes it hard for gardeners to get their plants in the ground. But one local store is helping them get a head start by growing indoors.
It’s a concept dating back hundreds if not thousands of years, using nutrient-rich water or even the air to grow plants. “We use it for winter time, it gives us a jump start on our gardens outside,” says Cody Bachall, owner of the Lime Light in Great Falls, “and this guy came in and he was like ‘you know i stuck all my stuff out and then it snowed’…so he came in an got a hot house.”
Bachall and his girlfriend opened the indoor growing specialty store just this spring and so far, he says, business has been brisk, “we’ve got letters up here from the community thanking us that we’ve opened up….everybody that comes in is happy that we’re here.” Bachall’s interest in hydroponics began a few years ago and before deciding to open this store, bought most of his supplies from the internet. He says it can be expensive to get started, one hydroponic unit retails for about $200 and the nutrients, lights and growing medium - such as clay pellets - are an added cost. But Bachall says its worth it, “growing for yourself whether its hydroponically or soil or aeroponics, you know what’s in your food, you know there hasn’t been any chemicals if you’re putting all your own nutrients and additives in.”
A few may think a store specializing in indoor growing caters only to those interested in growing marijuana - whether for medicinal purposes or not. Bachall sure some of his customers buy supplies for that but that’s not who he’s targeting, “I have it posted in the window we’re not associated with medical marijuana, we’re not associated with any caregivers. the majority of people that come in here are probably forty and above…so far, that’s our clientele, older people.”