You may have heard of the term Hydroponics. If you have not yet, you are missing out. Hydroponics is a way to grow plants which is water based. It is also very rich in nutrition. When you typically think of a plant, you think of the roots going into the ground and it grows up. Hydroponics is similar yet very different. It does not use soil and instead uses water to grow. This allows the root and plant to be in contact at all times with water as well as oxygen. This helps it to grow well.
This way of growing is great. If you are considering growing or looking to find a wholesale hydroponics company, make sure you keep reading this as we will talk about the benefits of Hydroponics, when you can use it, and the life of the plant. Soon, you will become a hydroponics growing expert.
There are many advantages of hydroponics. The biggest advantage is that your plants are going to grow more than they did before. In fact, plants can grow up to 30% more and even faster by growing them the hydroponics method. One of the reasons for this is because they don’t need to work to get to the water, their main nutrient, it is already there for them. So their energy goes into growing instead of searching. The other reason is growing faster is because it doesn’t grow down from the root, it simply grows up.
It is important to ensure the pH levels are correct as well as the nutrient solution. This will assist them in growing correctly and the hydroponics method.
The next advantage to hydroponics is that it is better for the environment. Everyone wants to be doing everything they can to help save the planet. Growing plants in a hydroponics way help do just that.
Many people are choosing to grow their plans like this because they have more control over the way the plants grow. Hydroponic can allow you to control the effects that going on within the gardening process.
If you have ever looked at a vegetable lately and it looks juicier than ever before and larger, that may be because it was grown the hydroponics ways. In the beginning, it may seem overwhelming to learn a new way of gardening. There is also different equipment that is involved. Once you try a couple times though you will soon get the hang of it. Don’t start with too large of a project. Just start with a couple of plants until you feel comfortable with more.
Like anything, there are disadvantages to hydroponics too. The biggest disadvantage is that it costs more than regular gardening with soil. The second disadvantage is that it can take some additional work setting up. Although it’s still a straightforward process, with gardening there really is no work that needs to be done. The couple things you need to be doing with hydroponics simply make it a little more work. The last disadvantage is that the pH and nutrient levels need to be looked at on a daily basis to ensure they are good and your plants will continue to grow. Again, this is not a big deal but more work than traditional gardening.
There are different types of hydroponic systems. That is what we are going to dig into next. You can always combine systems to make your specific and unique system, however, we would recommend when starting out by choosing one of the following below.
Deepwater culture
The first type is a reservoir method. This is the most traditional and easiest. This is when the roots are drowning in the water instead of in soil. The benefit of growing the plants this way is there are no places where it can clog, which can become one of the issues with hydroponics, so it is more straightforward.
Nutrient Film Technique
This is also known as NFT, which allows a constant amount of nutrition to go to the plants. This works well with a specific type of plant. Only the tip of the root is touching the nutrient solution. The rest of the plant has more oxygen to grow faster and larger.
Aeroponics
This is when the root is actually in the air. You will have a spray that lightly mists the roots. There is something called an AeroGarden. This is a simpler way to start out Aeroponics growing style.
Wicking
Wicking is one of the best ways to hydroponics. This is because it is the most cost effective and easiest to learn. Wicking is when you use cotton (or a material like it) and put it around the plant and one side of the plant is in the nutrient solution. This will help wick nutrients directly into the root.
Ebb and Flow
This is also known as the flood and drain system. The goal is to flood the growing area of the plant with nutrient solution. You will then drain it back into the reservoir. This method is perfect for plants that typically become dry or if you are in a dry area. The root will grow quicker because it is able to take in more nutrients faster.
Drip system
The final type of hydroponics is the drip system. This works by giving a small amount of nutrient solution to the plant at all times. The negative about this system is that it can cause clogging, which will ruin your gardening system.
As you can see, hydroponics is a great way to grow plants. It is effective and has many benefits. We hope you learned something about hydroponics. If you have any questions about hydroponics, contact us today.
