Hydroponics - this word comes from the Greek. ύδωρ - "water" and πόνος - "work" (literally translated - "working solution"). In practical applications, hydroponics is the cultivation of plants in a nutrient-rich aqueous solution without using soil. Hydroponics allows the grower to grow plants more efficiently and efficiently with less labor and time.
Hydroponics, as science claims that a plant does not need soil for growth, but a certain composition of macro and microelements that it contains. The soil acts as a repository for these nutrients and as a place where the roots of the plant are firmly anchored and support the structure of the plant.
In hydroponics, you supply your plants with the specific nutrients they need to thrive so that they can thrive and grow successfully. The nutrients are added directly to the water container. The roots of the plant are also placed in this container, without causing them any harm, but fully providing the plant with only useful and necessary substances.
Virtually any plant can grow using the hydroponic method, but some plants do much better with these growing methods. Hydroponics are ideal for growing fruit bearing plants such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Salads, herbs and herbs also do very well in the nutrient solution and show very good results when grown hydroponically. Most gardeners, hydroponic lovers, plant the same plants and flowers that usually grow in the ground and they succeed in doing this.
In large greenhouses, the environment and lighting of plants are brought to near-ideal conditions, while achieving fairly high results and yields. In the greenhouse, you can control the internal temperature of the room, the degree of humidity and illumination, which allows you to cultivate all year round, without worrying about the quality of the soil due to its absence. You can achieve the same result at home by allocating a separate room for this or using special grow boxes.
There are many benefits to growing hydroponically:
- Most hydroponically grown plants require less labor than potted gardens because there is no need to till and weed the land.
- Lack of soil in the hydroponic garden, at the same time eliminates harmful, pathogenic microorganisms.
- A hydroponic "garden" uses water more efficiently than conventional cultivation methods: water is not used to feed the weeds.
- A much larger number of plants can be grown using the hydroponic method, but in the soil, plants do not like crowding.
- A small hydroponic "garden" can be set up almost anywhere.
- By providing the required amount of nutrients to the plants, you can achieve their rapid growth and obtain a larger yield.
- Research has confirmed that hydroponically grown fruits have great nutritional value and are free of harmful substances and impurities.
- Hydroponic vegetables and fruits are tastier than regular vegetables.
- If the hydroponic system is installed indoors or in a greenhouse, it is possible to grow plants all year round.
In a typical garden, plants planted in soil receive nutrients from the soil. In hydroponics, the nutrient-rich solution is delivered directly to the roots. In some hydroponic systems, a neutral intermediate filler is used instead of soil, such as: rock wool, expanded clay, perlite, vermiculite, etc. Such fillers are able to retain liquid due to their structure, thus allowing plants to absorb the nutrient solution for a longer time.
Some hydroponic systems, such as NFT systems, do not use any intermediate layers and the plant roots are suspended in the setup.
Wick system
Fig. 1 Wick system
The wick system (Figure 1) is the simplest type of hydroponic system. The system is passive, which means there are no moving parts. The nutrient solution from the reservoir is fed to the plant using wicks. A wide variety of fillers can be used in such a system. The most popular interlayers are perlite, vermiculite, Pro-Mix or coconut fiber.
The biggest disadvantage of this system is that large and moisture-loving plants need more nutrient solution, but cannot get the full amount from the wick. Such plants can experience severe nutritional problems and even die. In this case, you need to detect the problem in time and transfer to another power system.
Water Culture System
Fig. 2 Aquatic culture system
The aquatic culture system (Fig. 2) is the simplest of all active hydroponic systems.
The support platform for the plants, usually made of polystyrene foam, floats directly on the surface of the nutrient solution. The air pump with the help of bubbles saturates the solution with oxygen, which the plant absorbs with the help of the roots in sufficient quantities.
Aquatic culture is an alternative way of growing salads, as well as fast growing moisture-loving plants. Not many plants grow well in this type of system. This type of hydroponic system is well suited for getting started with hydroponics skills and is popular with biology teachers.
Such a system can be made by yourself from an old aquarium or other waterproof tank. The biggest disadvantage of this type of system is that it is not suitable for large, long-term plants.
Nutrient Layer Technique (NFT)
Fig. 3 Nutrient layer technique
It is with this system that most people associate the very concept of hydroponics. In NFT systems (Fig. 3), the flow of the nutrient solution is constant or automatically turns on at short intervals.
The nutrient solution is pushed to the plant tray (usually in the form of a pipe or box) by a pump or pump, flows along the plant roots, and then flows back into the reservoir.
In this case, usually, no intermediate filler is used, except for air, which helps to save on changing the filler after harvest. Typically, the plant is contained in a small plastic cup and the roots touch the nutrient solution.
NFT systems are susceptible to power outages as well as pump breakdowns.
The operation of such systems is based on a temporary inflow of nutrient solution into a vessel or tray with plants, and then its outflow back into the reservoir. The method is also called the "Inflow and Outflow Method". Many commercially available systems operate in this way.
The operation of the intermittent flooding system (Fig. 4) is carried out using a pump submerged in water, connected to a time sensor. When the timer activates the pump, the nutrient solution is pushed into the plant container. When the timer turns off the pump, the solution flows by gravity back into the tank.
The timer is set to turn on several times a day, depending on the type of plant, temperature and humidity, and the type of intermediate layer used.
Intermittent flooding system (EBB & Flow)
The operation of such systems is based on a temporary inflow of nutrient solution into a vessel or tray with plants, and then its outflow back into the reservoir. The method is also called the "Inflow and Outflow Method". Many commercially available systems operate in this way.
The operation of the intermittent flooding system (Fig. 4) is carried out using a pump submerged in water, connected to a time sensor. When the timer activates the pump, the nutrient solution is pushed into the plant container. When the timer turns off the pump, the solution flows by gravity back into the tank.
The timer is set to turn on several times a day, depending on the type of plant, temperature and humidity, and the type of intermediate layer used.
Drip System
Fig. 5 Drip irrigation system
The drip irrigation system (Fig. 5) is a very flexible system that can be used with a wide variety of fillings. The plant tray can be filled with stones, gravel, granular basalt and other fillers.
Many people prefer to use separate pots filled with some kind of filler. This makes it easier to rearrange plants, add and remove them from the system.
The main disadvantage of this system is that when using some fillers (gravel, expanded clay, perlite), the system becomes sensitive to power outages and pump or timer malfunctions. Solution hoses may become clogged.
The roots can dry out quickly if the water supply is interrupted. This problem can be partially solved by using fillers that absorb water (expanded clay, vermiculite, coconut fiber or special mixtures such as Pro-mix or Faffard).
Aeroponics
The aeroponic system (Figure 6) is arguably the most technologically advanced type of hydroponic gardening. As in the NFT system, there is air under the intermediate filler layer. Hanging roots are moistened with a nutrient solution using special spray nozzles.
The solution is usually sprayed every few minutes. Since the roots are in the air, they can dry out quickly if the humidification process is interrupted.
As with other hydroponic systems, the supply of solution is controlled by a timer, only aeroponic systems have frequent pumping cycles that occur every two minutes.
Did you know that most of the plants are 90% water? It is an essential component of photosynthesis, essential for the normal functioning of the cell, and it is the medium in which nutrients are transported throughout the plant. Plants need water in different quantities, depending on the stages of growth. A large cucumber bush, when the crop is ripening, can consume up to 4.5 liters of water per day! (Most of the moisture consumed by the plant evaporates). In hydroponics, water with nutrients dissolved in it is used as a "bath" or "shower", periodically irrigating a vessel with plants or sprayed directly onto the roots.
When growing plants using traditional methods, the roots of the plants are in the soil. They support the plants and seek out nutrients and water on their own. In hydroponics, a filler layer is often used instead of soil. The roots of plants grown in this way do not need hard work to find substances and moisture, since they receive everything they need with a nutrient solution.
Ideal fillers are chemically neutral (do not affect the acid-base balance), have a porous structure and can quickly dry out. Many materials are used as hydroponic fillers: vermiculite, sawdust, sand, peat moss and more modern mineral wool, perlite and expanded clay. Popular today: perlite, mineral wool and expanded clay.
Perlite
Perlite is obtained from volcanic rock by heating to very high temperatures. The breed explodes like popcorn, forming a porous white substrate used in hydroponics. Perlite can be used in bulk, in pots, or packed in thin plastic bags called "growth bags" because the plants are grown in these bags.
Plants in these bags are grown using a drip irrigation system. One bag is enough for 3-4 harvests of long-growing plants.
Mineral wool
Mineral wool is made from basalt rock. It also heats up to a high temperature, but then breaks down into fibers that resemble insulating material. These fibers are packaged in the form of cubic or square plates for hydroponics.
The cube-shaped cotton wool is commonly used for plant propagation, and the plates are used in the same way as “growth bags” of perlite. The plant is planted in a mold, and there it grows. The roots of the plant grow through the bottom of the plate. One rock wool plate is usually enough for 3-4 long-growing plants.
Expanded clay
Many gardeners, lovers of hydroponics use expanded clay as a filler. Expanded clay has a neutral acid-base balance and excellent porosity. Expanded clay in pots is often used in Batch flooding systems as a filler.
Now you have some idea of what a hydroponic system is.
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