With a vast choice of hydroponics equipment on the market today, it can be overwhelming to make the choice and get yourself the ideal beginner setup. There are literally hundreds of brands on the market, and their products can seem similar and even confusing to beginners. How do you know which hydroponics equipment will work best for your growing needs?
First, let's start by defining hydroponics, since it is not immediately obvious what that means and most people think of illegal activity when they hear the word "hydroponics." Hydroponics simply refers to the method of growing plants in hydroponics media, typically indoors, and without the use of soil and other organic growing mediums.
Plants are grown in small pots or tanks, often made of glass or plastic. The growing medium in the pot or tank is permeated with water and nutrients, enabling the plants to absorb the water and minerals as needed, and the plants eventually die or are removed at the end of their lifespan. This method of growing plants in hydroponic solutions is highly productive and is considered to be less demanding on the gardener's gardening skills than traditional outdoor gardening methods.
Hydroponics takes less room than planting in soil, so you can give this method a go even if you have limited space. Hydroponics requires less water than outdoor growing methods, using only a small amount of water for each plant. One of the biggest benefits of hydroponics is the fact that hydroponics doesn't require the plants to acclimatise to the outdoor conditions and you can always give your plants the most optimal conditions for growth.
Hydroponics systems often include specially measured nutrient solutions, which is a solution containing plant nutrients that allows plant roots to absorb the nutrients needed to grow and is designed to mimic the nutrients that would be available to field grown plants. Hydroponics nutrient is a highly nutritious and highly soluble product that is often made from natural sources such as seaweed.
Growing media in hydroponics systems can include expanded clay, rocks, perlite or horticultural gravel. There are many different media types, but hydroponics uses media composed of larger particles which allow good aeration to the roots, and so fine materials like sand should be avoided.
Hydroponics and aeroponics allows the gardener to control the amount of nutrient rich solution the plants get, as well as the amount of light and heat, eliminating the problem of nutrient overloading and eliminating the risk of frost or heat damage. This is particularly beneficial for people who do not have a large amount of growing space. It is also better for people who do a great deal of organic gardening as hydroponics farming does not require the use of harsh chemicals and rarely is there a need for pesticides. However, hydroponics is most beneficial to those who are new to organic agriculture and have yet to experiment with soil, air, or fertiliser.
A hydroponics system is usually small enough to be used indoors in the home, though larger scale systems can be set up outdoors or wherever you have the space. In general, hydroponics systems can be set up in any sized growing area, including a small apartment. However, commercial systems are often larger and will need to be customised to fit a commercial building or other large area.
In conclusion, hydroponics is a method of gardening in which plants grown in nutrient rich solutions are not planted in the traditional manner. In hydroponics, growing medium, often made from expanded clay or soil, is suspended in the reservoir. Water is pumped in through pipes to the hydroponics growing medium, where the plants are growing.
The medium is used to transport the nutrients directly to the roots, and allows for free movement of air and water to keep the roots healthy. than the source material, thus allowing the plants to absorb more water, allowing the growing medium to become the plant root system. There is less room for air pockets between the roots because they are shorter.
Hydroponics is a popular way to grow all kinds of plants, especially for people who do not have a lot of time to care for a garden. It also is less expensive and more reliable than planting traditional vegetables or fruits in traditional growing techniques. Hydroponics also is a good way to learn how to garden since hydroponically grown plants take less time to mature than traditional methods, and will give you a better idea of how plants should be treated.