All you Need to Know About Hydroponics
Have you ever asked yourself are hydroponic systems expensive? Or how difficult is it to use a hydroponic system? Then we can help you. This article covers all you need to know about hydroponics. And the good news is that setting up a hydroponic system is worth and it not too difficult to set up and maitain. Once you learn the process and get used to it, it is just like growing in the ground.
Achieve Higher Yields
Did you know that you can achieve high yields in the grow chamber in a short amount of time without watering the soil? If you are tired of growing in the ground or are interested in switching to soilless cultivation, we recommend that you consider using a hydroponic system.
You may have heard of hydroponics before, but you may not have a good explanation about what it is. Moreover, how it helps you as a grower. Therefore, we decided to break down hydroponic cultivation so that we can see when you switch from a soil garden to a soilless garden.
What is Hydroponics and How Does it Work?
In hydroponics plants are grown without using the soil. The root system is supported by an inert growth medium and is named because it applies a water-based mineral or nutrient solution. These systems are designed for indoor use; they require special UV lighting to provide photosynthesis to plants. All hydroponic systems require specific equipment such as lighting, but there are many techniques for growing plants with hydroponics.
Advantages of Hydroponics
- Plants grown on hydroponic systems grow about 30% faster than plants grown on traditional soil. It happens because plants do not have to spend energy to find nutrients in the soil continuously. Instead, nutrients are transported directly to the plants and provide energy to grow.
- Compared with traditional soil cultivation methods, hydroponic systems can save up to 95% of water. Since the system is closed, the water used in the growth process will not be exposed to the outside, thereby reducing evaporation.
- Environmental conditions do not play a critical role in a successful harvest. As plants grow indoors, factors such as weather conditions and soil types will not affect crop growth. You can control the growth conditions more finely.
Disadvantages of Hydroponics
- Hydroponics can be an expensive way to grow plants to begin with. There are various kinds of hydroponic systems, but the MEGAPot system is the best hydroponic system in the UK.
- In traditional gardening, the nutrients stored in the soil are obtained from the plant itself. Hydroponics has no storage of nutrients. It means that you must feed the plants directly. If the system fails or is forgotten, the system will shut down.
Build Your Own Hydroponic System
Pre-built systems can be purchased online, but they can be very expensive. Alternatively, you can enjoy the system and create your own. Before we begin, we have to know the terms:
- Growing medium – the substance that the plant will put roots in (not present in every system)
- Growth tray – Where the plants will sit
- Nutrient solution – A mixture of water and critical nutrients for the plant to grow
- Reservoir – The tank that will hold the nutrient solution
Types of Hydroponic Systems
There are 6 main classes of hydroponic systems:
- Aeroponics
- Deep Water Culture (DWC)
- Drip Systems
- Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain)
- Nutrient Film Technique (NFT).
- Wick Systems
Wick Systems
The wick system is the most basic hydroponic system around. And is known as the training wheel of the hydroponic world for good reasons. It is easy to set up and use. Making it an ideal system for beginners.
The system has some innovations, but the overall concept predates hydroponics itself. You only need two containers: your plant, growth medium and core.
Deep Water Culture (DWC) System
The DWC system is a little bigger and a bit more complicated than the wicking system, but all in all, it is still relatively simple. The difference between this system and the wicking system is that it immerses the roots of the plant in the solution 24/7 instead of supplementing the nutrient solution to the growth medium.
Therefore, it is essential to manage the aquatic environment in which plants live correctly. Controlling the pH and oxygen level of the DWC is very important. It is necessary to use an oxygen pump to ensure sufficient oxygen content.
Only one tank is required to set up the DWC, and no grow tray is needed. The liquid storage tank is filled with a nutrient solution, and an air pump is installed to ensure proper dissolved oxygen.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) System
It is the most popular hydroponic system. It is an active system and requires a water pump to work, but otherwise, it is set up like a sweat system. Like the wicking system, NFT has both a water tank and a growing tray.
However, unlike the wicking system, a pump is used to deliver the solution from the lower container to the growth tray (or upper container). Then the solution flows through the tray and back to the lower container. The system also needs an air pump to ensure that the water is properly oxygenated.
Other Apparatus
The ebb and flow system plus the drip system are similar to the NFT system; the only difference is how the solution is delivered to the plant. The ebb and flow system uses a pump to periodically inject the grow tray where the plants are and drain it immediately. It does not keep driving the solution like NFT.
The drip irrigation system is similar to NFT. Still, instead of filling the top tank with a nutrient solution, the solution is dropped from the drip line above the plant into the grow tray, then the solution is permeated into the growth medium and falls into the tank.
To Conclude: All you Need to Know About Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a fun way to grow fruit, vegetables and plants in the comfort of your home. It can be complicated and expensive, but it does not have to be if you do not want it to be.
There is a simple system where you can enjoy fresh homemade products on the table. The MEGAPOT system allows planters to use 56L pots to achieve higher yields with fewer plants.