Hydroponic Gardening

Hydroponic gardening refers to the growing of plants in a mineral nutrient solution, rather than by the traditional method of using soil. Plants generally take in mineral nutrients that are dissolved in water. While soil supplies these nutrients, it is not, by itself, essential for the growth of the plant. This discovery, made during the nineteenth century, spurred the development of hydroponic gardening.

The basic idea behind Hydroponics is that plants are given only the right amount of nutrients at only the right time. This makes it possible to monitor the exact amount of pH, nutrients, water, and light being received by the plants.

Today hydroponic gardening has become popular with gardening enthusiasts. One reason for its popularity is that it demands less space. Hydroponic gardening makes it possible for gardeners to work with smaller gardens or beds, which are ideal for growing vegetables such as tomatoes. Working on a smaller scale also requires less equipment and other resources. Thus, hydroponic gardening is more economical.

A home hydroponic system typically includes a growing tray, a light source (for natural or artificial light), a reservoir, a watering pump, and an air pump to provide oxygen to the nutrients. The more complex units even make use of computers to determine the plants' water, nutrient, and light cycles. You can either opt for a pre-assembled hydroponic gardening kit from a gardening supply store, or buy separate parts and make your own.

To set up your hydroponic gardening unit, you will require a suitable medium such as rockwool, perlite, coconut fiber, pebbles, gravel, sand, or vermiculite. You will also need to provide the micronutrients essential for healthy plant growth. These include boron, calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sulfur, and zinc. Regulating the pH balance will ensure the optimum growth and development of your plants. Aeroponic, drip, ebb and flow, N.F.T., water culture, and wick and are some of the commonly used hydroponic gardening techniques.

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