Odell
June 27th, 2008, 02:31 PM
WHAT IS HYDROPONICS?
The name "Hydroponic" comes from Latin and means "Working Water".
In reality hydroponics is the growing of plants without soil.
The advantages of hydroponics:
1. Increased yield through complete nutritional and environmental control.
2. The absence of competing weeds and soil-borne diseases.
3. Increased crop density and reduced water consumption.
4. Uses one-tenth the amount of water used by irrigated agriculture.
5. Soil less growing mediums are easily sterilized and conditions can be
altered quickly to suit specific crops or the growth stage of a particular crop, such as during flowering or fruit production.
The disadvantages of hydroponics:
1. Is the initial set-up cost.
WHY HYDROPONICS?
Because you give the plant exactly what it needs,
when it needs it, in the amount that it needs it in.
This allows the plant to be as healthy as is genetically possible.
With soil less medium, this is an easy task, in soil it is nearly impossible.
The plants are grown in an inert growing medium, the plants do not get anything from the growing medium.
The plants receive only what you give them, you have complete control over pH, nutrients and the nutrient strength.
In soil you really have no idea what the plants are getting.
Unless you have a very expensive soil analysis run.
Therefore it becomes a big guessing game:
How much of what I applied was washed away by the last watering or rain storm?
What about the essential micro-nutrients?
How much nutrient does the soil contain?
How much do I apply?
Should I fertilize?
The questions go on and on.
WHAT IS "GROWING MEDIUM"?
Growing medium is what the roots of the plants are growing in.
There are many variety's of soil less materials, including Rockwool. perlite,
vermiculite, coconut fiber, gravel, sand, even air can be a growing medium.
The soil less medium is an inert substance that doesn't supply any nutrition to the plants,
all the nutrition comes from the nutrient solution (water and fertilizer mixed).
You can therefore easily control everything the plants receive, the strength and pH of the
nutrient solution is easy to adjust so that the plants receive just the right amount of nutrient and water.
The watering cycles can be controlled so that the plants get watered when they need to be.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HYDROPONIC AND REGULAR FERTILIZERS?
Both hydroponic and regular fertilizer contain the three major nutrients: Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The major difference between hydroponic fertilizer and regular fertilizer is that hydroponic fertilizers
contain the proper amounts of all the essential micro-nutrients that regular fertilizers do not include.
Problems can arise for plants if any or all of the micro-nutrients are not present in the soil or are depleted by successive or excessive plantings.
Hydroponic fertilizers are usually in a purer form with fewer impurities than regular fertilizers making them more stable and water soluble.
WHAT ARE MICRO-NUTRIENTS?
The micro-nutrients that are required for healthy plant growth are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.
These nutrients are essential elements that plants need in very small amounts. Without these trace elements plants can become
"sick" and develop all sorts of problems, depending on which micro-nutrients are missing.
Concerning food crops, the lack of micro-nutrients in the soil can mean a lack of nutrients in the food, which means at best that the food
isn't as healthy as it could be and at worst that people can develop heath problems due to the lack of these essential elements.
IS HYDROPONIC GARDENING COMPLICATED?
Hydroponics can be very complicated, with computers and sensors controlling everything
from watering cycles to nutrient strength and the amount of light that the plants receive.
On the other hand, hydroponics can also be incredibly simple, a hand watered bucket of sand with a single plant is also a method of hydroponic gardening.
Most hobby oriented hydroponics systems are somewhere between the two extremes mentioned above.
The hydroponic system usually consists of a few basic parts:
A growing tray, a reservoir, a simple timer controlled submersible pump to water
the plants and an air pump and air stone to oxygenate the nutrient solution.
Of course, light (either natural or artificial) is also required.
HYDROPONICS IS THE BEST WAY TO GrOw!!!
.
The name "Hydroponic" comes from Latin and means "Working Water".
In reality hydroponics is the growing of plants without soil.
The advantages of hydroponics:
1. Increased yield through complete nutritional and environmental control.
2. The absence of competing weeds and soil-borne diseases.
3. Increased crop density and reduced water consumption.
4. Uses one-tenth the amount of water used by irrigated agriculture.
5. Soil less growing mediums are easily sterilized and conditions can be
altered quickly to suit specific crops or the growth stage of a particular crop, such as during flowering or fruit production.
The disadvantages of hydroponics:
1. Is the initial set-up cost.
WHY HYDROPONICS?
Because you give the plant exactly what it needs,
when it needs it, in the amount that it needs it in.
This allows the plant to be as healthy as is genetically possible.
With soil less medium, this is an easy task, in soil it is nearly impossible.
The plants are grown in an inert growing medium, the plants do not get anything from the growing medium.
The plants receive only what you give them, you have complete control over pH, nutrients and the nutrient strength.
In soil you really have no idea what the plants are getting.
Unless you have a very expensive soil analysis run.
Therefore it becomes a big guessing game:
How much of what I applied was washed away by the last watering or rain storm?
What about the essential micro-nutrients?
How much nutrient does the soil contain?
How much do I apply?
Should I fertilize?
The questions go on and on.
WHAT IS "GROWING MEDIUM"?
Growing medium is what the roots of the plants are growing in.
There are many variety's of soil less materials, including Rockwool. perlite,
vermiculite, coconut fiber, gravel, sand, even air can be a growing medium.
The soil less medium is an inert substance that doesn't supply any nutrition to the plants,
all the nutrition comes from the nutrient solution (water and fertilizer mixed).
You can therefore easily control everything the plants receive, the strength and pH of the
nutrient solution is easy to adjust so that the plants receive just the right amount of nutrient and water.
The watering cycles can be controlled so that the plants get watered when they need to be.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HYDROPONIC AND REGULAR FERTILIZERS?
Both hydroponic and regular fertilizer contain the three major nutrients: Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The major difference between hydroponic fertilizer and regular fertilizer is that hydroponic fertilizers
contain the proper amounts of all the essential micro-nutrients that regular fertilizers do not include.
Problems can arise for plants if any or all of the micro-nutrients are not present in the soil or are depleted by successive or excessive plantings.
Hydroponic fertilizers are usually in a purer form with fewer impurities than regular fertilizers making them more stable and water soluble.
WHAT ARE MICRO-NUTRIENTS?
The micro-nutrients that are required for healthy plant growth are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc.
These nutrients are essential elements that plants need in very small amounts. Without these trace elements plants can become
"sick" and develop all sorts of problems, depending on which micro-nutrients are missing.
Concerning food crops, the lack of micro-nutrients in the soil can mean a lack of nutrients in the food, which means at best that the food
isn't as healthy as it could be and at worst that people can develop heath problems due to the lack of these essential elements.
IS HYDROPONIC GARDENING COMPLICATED?
Hydroponics can be very complicated, with computers and sensors controlling everything
from watering cycles to nutrient strength and the amount of light that the plants receive.
On the other hand, hydroponics can also be incredibly simple, a hand watered bucket of sand with a single plant is also a method of hydroponic gardening.
Most hobby oriented hydroponics systems are somewhere between the two extremes mentioned above.
The hydroponic system usually consists of a few basic parts:
A growing tray, a reservoir, a simple timer controlled submersible pump to water
the plants and an air pump and air stone to oxygenate the nutrient solution.
Of course, light (either natural or artificial) is also required.
HYDROPONICS IS THE BEST WAY TO GrOw!!!
.