Grow Vegetables Minus The Soil Using Hydroponic Gardening
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You can grow beautiful and tasty vegetables with hydroponic gardening. It will give you twice as much yield as with a soil garden. It also takes less space than a regular garden. You can also grow herbs, flowers and plants.
No soil is used in this type of garden. Each plant is grown in it own pot with water and nutrients delivered directly to its roots. The plant does not have to look for its food and water. It does not have to compete with other plants for it either. It uses its energy to grow. These plants grow 30-50 percent faster. They yield twice as much also. They can be grown out on the patio or in your home. Since it so contained there is less incident of bugs, disease or fungus.
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 used to grow the plants are sand, gravel, vermiculite or just plain water. These are the less expensive ones but they work well. The only downside to these is that they tend to hold on to too much moisture. Hydroton is a popular medium made with shale. It is clay that drains fast and is light and airy. This allows plants to a get lot of the oxygen they need to grow.
One medium that is used a lot is called Rockwool. It is made from volcanic rock and limestone. This mix is melted at high temperatures and the solution is mixed by spinning it. The result is made into sheets, cubes and blocks. Rockwool is popular because it holds 20 percent air and up to 14 times more water than soil. It is not good for repeated use because it breaks down easily.
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.
The garden needs to be kept at certain pH levels. If it is too high or low it impedes the plant from absorbing all the nutrients it needs. The ideal level to keep them is at a 6.3 pH but it is more realistic to keep it at a range of 5.8 to 6.8. When the level is too low phosphoric acid can be added. If it is too high potash is added. The test are simple to use and don’t cost much.
There are several hydroponic gardening systems for growing. These can be purchased or built. Most of them use submersible pumps to move the water and nutrients. There is the ebb and flow system, the continuous drip system, or wick system. The first two can reuse the same water and nutrients repeatedly. The wick system is a passive system and cannot reuse its nutrients and water. No matter what system you choose it will take considerably less time, work and space than a soil garden.
A hydroponic grow system is readily available. Take advantage of an expert on LED grow lights with a review and comparison.
categories: indoor garden,indoor gardening,hydroponic,hydroponic gardening,hydroponics,gardening,home,garden,family,food,environment,hobby
EarthBox 1010002 Garden Kit, Terra CottaThe patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm. This maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growi... Read more...
EarthBox 1010002 Garden Kit, Terra CottaThe patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm. This maintenance-free, award-winning, high-tech growi... Read more...
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