Throughout history, many civilizations have opted for hydroponic cultivating methods. Even though, hydroponics is one of the oldest technique to grow plants, across the years, this revolutionary field of agriculture has made significant progress. Hydroponic is the method to grow plants without soil. Plants can be grown without soil, as their roots are submerged in a nutrient solution that requires no soil. Otherwise, plants essentially require is nutrients and water, which they obtain from soil. So, when the standing roots are submerged in the nutrient solution, it means they are growing in water. That is how the principle of growing plants without soil works and is called as Hydroponics.
The method of hydroponics is beneficial as it allows you to grow plants without worrying about the environment. Not only will you be able to regulate the temperature provided to the plants, but also regulating the nutrient solution given to your plants. Hydroponics eliminates the use of pesticides in growing plants, which in turns means cleaner soil, water, and air. And it has the potential to generate larger outputs than conventional soil based cultivation.
How Does the System of Hydroponics Works?
Hydroponics system works in different ways, as there are several ways plants can be grown hydroponically. The system works by enabling you to regulate the temperature and pH balance of the plants to significantly maximize their nutrient, water exposure. The different techniques of growing plants hydroponically are:
- Aeroponics
- Nutrient Film Method
- NFT
- Drain and Flood System
One of the methods of growing plants is, standing the plants inside a plastic container, and allow a nutrient-rich solution to flow through the plant’s roots, by using gravity and a pump. This method is known as Nutrient Film Method. The nutrient works by continually slipping through the roots, to supply them the liquid they require. Similarly, plants can be grown with roots standing in the nutrient solution of sand, Rockwool, which works as a replacement for soil.
The other technique for growing plants is called Aeroponics, in which a famous product known as AeroGarden typifies it. Even though the name of the technique implies that the plants are grown in air, but the roots are standing in a container filled with air that is humid. The roots then effectively grow in an aerosol rich with a nutrient that is filled with minerals. When the environment, nutrient and pH is balanced of the plants, they grow increasingly fast. There is less harm of pesticides, fungus infiltrating the soil, etc. Hydroponics lets you monitor how much sunlight is needed by the plants, as well as the levels of ph. So, when there is less risk of chemicals, the food is cleaner and healthier.
Ebb and Flow System is another hydroponic technique of growing plants. In this, from a reservoir underneath the growth bed is flooded with a solution of nutrients. The recirculating pump is fitted with a timer in the reservoir. As the timer begins, water and nutrients are loaded in the growing bed by the pump. As the timer ends, the water is drained out by gravity from the growing bed, and it is flushed back to the tank. The roots absorb the water and nutrients when they are flooded. To ensure the stalks and fruits are not damaged by over flooding, the device is fitted with an excess tube that makes sure that it doesn’t over flow. This is one of the famous hydroponic methodsthat can handle essentially any kind of vegetation. Among the plants that grow efficiently with the hydroponic method are fruit corps, including lettuces, herbs, tomatoes, and strawberries.
Advantages of Using the Hydroponics System
There are many advantages to using the hydroponic system to grow plants without soil. It has the potential to generate larger outputs than conventional soil based cultivation. Since, the plants that are grown hydroponically, their roots are submerged into a nutrient solution, so they tend to get what is require much faster than soil grown plants, and small roots system is required so they can easily channel greater nutrients in the leaves and stem development. As a result, small roots system means increased production of plant growth in the same ground. It works perfectly if you are growing plants in a greenhouse.
The plants grown hydroponically grow rapidly fast. As there’s less risk of pesticides in the soil, so the crop yielded turns out to be cleaner. And the plants and food grown in the crop in the environment aredone so without any risk of getting infected. The added benefit of growing plants hydroponically is that they can be grown throughout the year, whatever the climate condition maybe because they are grown indoors. The plants are managed by systems that are automated and can be controlled through timers, which makes looking after the plants easier and quicker.
Different methods of hydroponics have their own advantages. For instance, in the Nutrient film method, plants don’t require a large consumption of water to effectively grow. And they don’t even need a growing medium. Similarly, in the drain and flood system, it is commonly versatile because it can handle any kind of vegetation, fruits, vegetables, herbs all can grow easily in this system. And it is controlled by a timer so the roots don’t damage.They can be set up easily anywhere, in your balcony, greenhouse, and they yield a surplus amount of plants. Similarly, Aeroponics is famous Hydroponic method because it is versatile and environmentally friendly. They are expensive than the other methods of growing plants but the increased amount of oxygen that is absorbed by the roots results in the rapid growth of the plant.
Conclusion
Hydroponics is an eco-friendly method of growing plants without soil. It may appear complex at first, but yields a bountiful crop when the plants receive rich nutrient solution and water to grow. They are free of pesticides, or any other insects, so the food that grows is healthier.