Hydroponics at home. Advantages and disadvantages

Unusual methods of growing plants always attract enthusiastic gardeners. The hydroponic buckets is especially popular. A fairly young method with high efficiency is hydroponics. How to grow plants on hydroponics at home?

What is hydroponics at home

Thanks to the proper selection of hydropopon composition, illumination, temperature and humidity of the air, plants grow harmoniously, without stress and fading in growth. Their productivity is always at altitude: cultures on hydroponics are less likely to get sick, do not spend strength on the search for nutrition.

Hydroponics is widespread in the industrial cultivation of vegetables, berries, flowers and herbs. However, in indoor conditions it is no less in demand. If desired, you can purchase a hydropopon system or assemble it with your own hands.

Highlight the main varieties of hydroponic systems:

1. Substrate. Plant roots are placed in the substrate similarly to the soil. Materials should be moisture and breathable. Moisturize the substrate with different methods: ordinary watering, through a wick or method of support, when the water is constantly in the lower layer of the substrate and steals it. In the substrate, the roots of plants do not rot, but they can dry out with insufficiently frequent and full -fledged moisture.
2. Water. Plant roots are located directly in the nutrient solution, from which all the elements necessary for growth are obtained. However, with constant location in the aquatic environment, the roots can be bent. Therefore, the hydropopon system is equipped with a compressor for supplying air roots.
3. Air. The roots of the plant are soaked with moisture with the help of "dry fog", they do not contact directly with a nutrient solution. The plants themselves grow without a substrate at all, so it is important to provide cultures with sufficient hydration. With a lack of moisture, the roots will dry quickly, and the plants will die.

The most common methods in indoor cultivation are water and substrate hydroponics.

How to grow hydroponics at home

At home, you can grow almost any vegetable crops and greens, some berries. The exception is only root crops - carrots, potatoes, beets

• cucumbers;
• Bulgarian pepper;
• cabbage;
• beans;
• tomatoes;
• onion;
• basil;
• parsley;
• arugula;
• strawberries;
• Strawberry.

The hydropone method can be grown both compact, low cultures and tall - up to 2 m. Tulips and daffodils, lilies, flowering and decorative indoor plants grow well on a hydropopon solution.

For each specific culture, it is necessary to choose a tank for growing and a nutrient solution that meets the requirements of plants.

Nutrient solution

The basis of the nutrient fluid is water - filtered or defended. It should have a minimum of impurities so as not to violate the balance of pH and the number of nutrients required by the plants.

Ready liquid fertilizers suitable for hydroponics are diluted to the desired proportion. They must contain micro- and macro elements in the required quantity. It is not recommended to select dosages of substances yourself, since this requires knowledge and skills.

An incorrectly composed or selected solution will not fully provide plant needs, they will not be able to fully develop and bear fruit in conditions of deficiency of some elements.

System for growing

For hydropopon cultivation, it will be necessary to make a whole system. The simplest home hydroponic installations consist of plastic bottles of different containers. The most in demand are 2-5 liters of bottles, which are cut into two parts. In a narrow part, the plant is planted in sphagnum or other loose neutral substrate, and the lower, wide part is filled with a nutrient solution.

More complex systems consist of:

• pots for plants with the obligatory presence of drainage holes;
• tank for hydropopon solution;
• fixators for fixing pots;
• hose systems;

Compressor for pumping air to the roots.

All of them are connected to ensure the circulation of the solution and air in the basal zone.

Substant for hydroponics

Plant roots with hydropopon growing can be located directly in moisture, or in loose, breathable and moisture -resistant substrate.

As a basis, you can use:

• moch-sphagnum;
• expanded clay;
• gravel;
• hydrogel;
• coconut fiber or chips;
• perlite;
• vermiculite;
• Mineral wool.

Any of the fillers should be disinfected before use. This will eliminate plant infection with dangerous diseases or pests.

Advantages and disadvantages of hydroponics

Hydroponics allows you to grow familiar garden crops at home. However, not all gardeners switch to landless cultivation, since the method is characterized by their disadvantages and advantages.

Hydroponics is attractive for the following reasons:

• compactness of plant cultivation;
• lack of "dirty" works;
• The minimum risk of developing diseases - plants have good immunity due to the proper ratio of nutrients;
• lack of soil pests;
• The year -round process - you can grow vegetables and berries throughout the year;
• Plants do not lack nutrients, do not stop in growth for this reason;
• Hydroponic crops do not need loosening, digging, weeding.

However, the hydroponic system of plant cultivation is not ideal: it is characterized by some disadvantages.

These include:

• The need for knowledge and experience - without theoretical foundations, it is impossible to master hydroponic;
• dependence of crops on the quality of the nutrient solution;
• the need for planting of plants with a lack of natural light;
• The need for preventive cleaning of the system.

Despite the shortcomings, hydroponics is one of the most attractive and reliable ways to grow plants.

Hydroponics is an unusual landless way of growing familiar crops, thanks to which you can get high yields of vegetables, berries, greens. All fruits obtained are absolutely safe for humans, do not contain harmful substances.

Source: https://hydrogardengeek.com