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Plants Growing Hydroponically in a Nutrient Film Technique System

How to Grow Hydroponics

More and more number of people are getting curious to know how to grow a Hydroponic garden. Hydroponics or hydroponic farming is a method used for cultivating plants and vegetables using mineral nutritious solutions in water instead of agricultural land. The word hydroponics comes from the Greek, 'hydro' meaning water and 'ponos' meaning work.

Roots receive a balanced nutrient solution dissolved in water with all the chemical elements essential for the development of plants that can grow in a mineral solution only or in an inert medium, such as washed sand, gravel or perlite, expanded clay pebbles, among other.

Hydroponics gardening is a new wave and revolution in a garden free of dirt. As the population has grown and the space available in the soil to grow plants has declined, such situation has given birth to hydroponics gardening – a new technique of growing plants and vegetables.

Hydroponics is the art of growing plants through a mixture of water and nutrients. It is an easy and an efficient way of growing plants. Plants grown hydroponically are much healthier compared to plants from the soil, as the basis of all the necessary nutrients are fed directly to the roots, without large bags of gardening soil.

To begin hydroponic farming, you have to place seed products as you might for virtually any other kind of gardening, after deciding on a culture medium. The medium might be sets from composted debris to peat bog to fine sand to nutrient rich normal water. Beginners can purchase hydroponic kits which is easily available in the market or via any garden supplier, to get started quickly. For the novice, this could be the easiest method to go, as one can acquire everything that is needed and not to mention the expert advice.

There are many advantages to growing plant via hydroponic method. You can grow organic food without the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. Also you can save lots of water as this method uses re-circulated water in a specialized technique. This is excellent news for those residing in desert regions or in locations where water is hard to find.

Maintenance of hydroponic garden is almost next to nothing. Also it is very cost effective method of gardening because you do not need to dig grounds as the products are grown in water. Better still, using this method, absolutely no weeding concerns will trouble you. Moreover, Crops develop more rapidly, too. Just about in 30 to 40 days, growth from seed to fruit or flower is typical. It is actually 30-50% quicker compared to vegetation cultivated in soil.

With hydroponics gardening, fruits and vegetables can be cultivated throughout the year. This means you can enjoy even seasonal fruits and vegetables at any time of the year without paying extravagant rates for them. Additionally, you don’t even have to worry about the freshness and purity of the vegetation as you fully understand the quality because it was raised under your control.

Furthermore in traditional method of farming, instead of all the precaution and technology it is difficult to determine if your growing crops are getting all the required vital nutrient for growth. In hydroponic method, you control the nutritional level that goes within the roots of the plants. This not merely guarantees the very best quality, but in addition takes the guess work out of farming. This helps you to relax and enjoy gardening while being safe.

The steps to follow to grow plants successfully in a hydroponic garden are as follow:

Step 1: Choose containers for plant crops for your hydroponic garden. You can consider plastic containers, to use a hydroponic system of plants in water.

Step 2: Select appropriate plants according to the size of the containers. You can choose from almost any vegetable or fruit, such as lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers to grow.

Step 3: Assign a sunny place for hydroponics. Hydroponics need the same amount of sunlight that the plants grown on the ground.

Step 4: To build a hydroponic garden, you need to order hydroponics kits through any garden suppliers. You would require a simple hydroponic tray of plastic mesh, an air pump and a medium soilless growing for supporting the roots of the plant. You can choose sand, coconut shells as gravel for the culture medium.

Step 5: To prepare the container for crop planting, add an inch or two of sand or coconut shells in the bottom of the container.

Step 6: Place the air pump and add the nutrient solution for plants, enough to fill the container at a reasonable level and then place the mesh tray to cover the top of the container.

Step 7: Place the plants in the tray, allowing the roots to hang from the top.

Step 8: Up the air pump when you have finished entering the plants in the tray. The air pump will help provide oxygen for plant roots.

Step 9: Check the level of nutrient solution in the container.

For starters, it is suggested that a simple and easy to set up and maintain the “water culture” hydroponics system should used as a first step. All that is required for this system is a hydroponic nutrient solution, some net pots, an air pump and an air stone, a box containing the entire interior, and some plants.

Hydroponics gardening is gaining a lot of popularity amongst amateur and professional gardeners. As more and more number of people have started realizing the importance of saving their environment, this trend is probably going to carry on. So if you are seeking a hobby or perhaps a new eco-friendly approach to farming, hydroponic garden is certainly worth enduring, just be cautioned that when you begin you may not want to quit it. The fruits of it's labor will likely be too good to quit.

If you have a better method to share, please feel free to add your comments below.

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