Hydroponics is soilless gardening. Hydroponics means “working water” in Latin. Without soil, water provides nutrients, hydration, and oxygen to plants. Watermelons, jalapenos, and orchids all thrive in hydroponics. Hydroponic gardens create gorgeous fruits and flowers in half the time it takes regular agriculture.
While the technique may sound new, hydroponics dates back to the legendary Babylonian Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Euphrates River was channeled down the elaborate garden walls. Marco Polo described floating gardens in China in the 13th century. But hydroponics isn’t a medieval invention. NASA produced aeroponic bean seedlings in zero gravity onboard a space station in the 1990s, paving the way for future space agriculture. Hydroponics is a timeless and dynamic method of crop production and water conservation.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is soilless plant cultivation. Hydroponically grown flowers, herbs, and vegetables are provided with nutrient-rich solutions, oxygen, and water. That means faster growth, higher yields, and better quality. When a plant is grown in soil, its roots are constantly searching for nutrients. A plant’s root system exposed directly to water and nourishment requires no energy to maintain itself. Roots can re-direct energy used to obtain food and water to the plant’s maturation. As a result, leaf growth and fruit and flower blooming flourish.
Photosynthesis is how plants survive. CHLOROPHYLL CAPTURES SUN (a green pigment present in their leaves). They divide water molecules absorbed by their roots using the light’s energy. With carbon dioxide, hydrogen molecules form carbohydrate molecules. The oxygen released into the atmosphere helps keep our planet habitable. Plants photosynthesize without soil. They rely on the soil for water and nutrients. Nutrients dissolved in water can be flooded, misted, or immersed directly into the root system of plants. Hydroponics has proven to be a more successful and adaptable way of growth than regular irrigation.
What is hydroponics?
Hydroponic systems function by maximizing exposure to nutrients and water while controlling environmental factors like temperature and pH. Hydroponics works on the basic premise of giving plants what they need when they need it. Hydroponics uses fertilizer solutions that are specific to the plant being grown. They let you choose how much and how long the plants receive light. pH levels can be altered. Plant growth accelerates in a carefully regulated environment.
Many risks are reduced by regulating the plant’s surroundings. Various factors affect the health and growth of plants in gardens and fields. Soil fungi can infect plants. Wild animals like rabbits can eat your garden’s ripe produce. Pests like locusts can devastate crops in an afternoon. Hydroponics eliminates the uncertainty of outdoor and soil plant growth. Without the mechanical resistance of the soil, seedlings can mature considerably faster. Hydroponics produces healthier, higher-quality fruits and vegetables without pesticides. Plants thrive in an environment free of impediments.
Kinds of hydroponics
There are hundreds of hydroponic systems, however they are all variations of six main systems.
1. Deep-water aquaculture
Hydroponics is growing plants in aerated water. Deep water culture (DWC) systems are one of the most popular and easiest types of hydroponics. A DWC system suspends net pots of plants over an oxygen-rich nutritional solution. The roots of the plant are submerged in the solution, providing constant nourishment, water, and oxygen. Some call deep water culture the purest type of hydroponics.
What are the benefits of deep-water culture?
Low upkeep: After installation, DWC systems require little maintenance. Just keep replenishing the nutrient solution and running oxygen to the air stone. The fertilizer solution needs to be replenished every 2-3 weeks, depending on plant size.
Temp control: Your water solution must not exceed 68°F nor fall below 60°F. Because DWC water is not recirculating, it is more difficult to regulate temperature.
2. Wicks
Wick systems have plants on top of a reservoir, in growing material. This reservoir holds a nutrient-rich water solution. Wicks go from reservoir to grow tray. Water and nutrients go up the wick to the plants’ roots. These wicks might be constructed of rope, string, or felt. In terms of simplicity, wick systems are unmatched. Unlike pumps, wick systems don’t require mechanical parts to work. The lack of electricity makes it perfect for circumstances where it is unavailable.
Capillary action is how wicks systems work. The wick absorbs water like a sponge and distributes it to the porous growing media. Wick system hydroponics only works with growing media that can transmit nutrients and water. Coco coir (fibers from coconut husks) is great at retaining moisture and is pH neutral. In addition to its porous nature, perlite is pH neutral. Porous vermiculite with high cation exchange capacity. This means it can store nutrients. These three media work best in hydroponic wick systems.
3. Techniques of nutrient film
Plants are suspended above a stream of continuously running fertilizer solution that washes over their root systems. The plant channels are inclined, allowing water to stream down the grow tray and into the reservoir below. This aerates the water in the reservoir. A submersible pump then pumps the nutrient-rich water back up the channel. It is a recirculating hydroponic system.
Unlike deep water culture hydroponics, NFT systems do not submerge plant roots. Instead, the stream (or “film”) only touches their tips. This allows the exposed root system to get lots of oxygen and wick moisture up into the plant. The grooved channel bottoms allow the shallow film to easily slide over the root tips. In addition, it keeps water from accumulating around the roots.
4. Ebb and flow
Water from a reservoir is pumped into a grow bed, ebbing and flowing. The reservoir’s submersible pump has a timer. A water and nutrient pump starts when the timer goes off. When the timer stops, gravity slowly drains the grow bed and flushes the water back into the tank. The device has an overflow tube to prevent flooding and harm to the plants’ stalks and fruits. Unlike the previous methods, ebb and flow plants are not constantly submerged. The roots of the plants absorb the nutritional solution while the grow bed is inundated. The roots dry out as the water drains from the grow bed. The dry roots oxygenate before the next flood. The period between floods is determined by the grow bed and plant size.
5. Drip-line
In a hydroponic drip system, an aerated, nutrient-rich reservoir distributes fluid to individual plants via tubes. This solution drips slowly into the root zone, keeping the plants hydrated and fed. Drip systems are the most widely used hydroponics method, especially among commercial producers. It might be for a single plant or a large-scale irrigation
Drip system hydroponics comes in two flavors: recovery and non-recovery. Excess water is drained from the grow bed back into the reservoir and recirculated during the next drip cycle. Unrecoverable systems let excess water drain out of the growth media. Commercial growers prefer this strategy. Contrary to popular belief, large-scale farmers need very little water. These drip systems are solely designed to deliver the exact amount of solution needed to keep the growing media moist. Non-recovery drip systems use complex timers and feeding patterns to reduce waste.
6. Aeroponics
Aeroponics exposes the unprotected roots to a nutrient-rich mist. Many plants can be grown in a small enclosed space such as a cube or tower. To disseminate a thin mist of water with nutrients, the solution is held in an enclosed reservoir. The mist is frequently let go from the tower’s top, cascading down the room. Some aeroponics systems continuously mist the roots, similar to how NFT systems do. Others work more like an ebb and flow system, misting the roots periodically. Aeroponics thrives without substrate media. The frequent exposure to air allows the roots to take up oxygen and grow quickly.
Conclusion
From the following article we can conclude that Hydroponics is soilless gardening. Hydroponics means “working water” in Latin. Without soil, water provides nutrients, hydration, and oxygen to plants. Watermelons, jalapenos, and orchids all thrive in hydroponics. Hydroponic gardens create gorgeous fruits and flowers in half the time it takes regular agriculture.