mr.greengenes
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I found this site on the web and thought it would be very useful to newbies like me...
What is Hydroponic Gardening and what are it's advantages?
Simply put, hydroponic gardening is a method of growing plants, without soil, by providing food and water directly to the roots of the plant. By doing so, we eliminate the need for the root system to look for food and water, so the energy normally used by the plant to search for food is used for faster upward growth and fruit production.
Since we don't have competing root systems, we can grow significantly more plants using hydroponics in a given area than those grown in soil. In addition, we recirculate the water and nutrients, so hydroponic gardening ends up using a fraction of the water, with no fertilizer run-off.
Another primary advantage to hydroponic gardening is control. We can quickly make adjustments as necessary to the strength of the nutrient solution, the pH, temperature, etc. to provide the perfect growing conditions and we eliminate soil as a breeding ground for common garden pests, reducing the need to apply harmful pesticides.
Back to Top
What are the different types of hydroponic systems?
There are several types of hydroponic systems, but they all accomplish the same thing, bringing the food and water to the roots of the plants. The most popular hobby hydroponic methods are Passive, Ebb and Flow, NFT or Nutrient Film Technique, and Aeroponics.
In a passive system, plants sit directly in the nutrient solution and the nutrient solution is oxygenated with an aquarium air bubbler so that the roots don't rot. This is the simplest form of hydroponic gardening.
An ebb and flow system has a separate nutrient reservoir with a growing tray directly above. A submersible pump in the reservoir, (like the ones used in ponds), is connected to a fill and drain fitting in the growing tray. The pump is plugged into a timer, which automatically waters the plants in the growing tray 3 or 4 times a day for a few minutes each watering. When the watering cycle is finished, the solution drains back into the reservoir, pulling oxygen into the plant's root system.
Nutrient Film Technique is a system that utilizes sloping gutters or PVC pipe. The plants sit evenly spaced in the gutters and a continuous stream of water and nutrients are pumped into the high side of the gutter. The stream has to be very shallow, no more than 1/8 of an inch deep or so. What happens in NFT is that the roots spread out and intertwine along the bottom of the gutter. The roots in the solution take up the food and water, while those that are growing above the water level take in air and oxygen.
Aeroponic systems use a very fine mist or spray directly on the roots of the plants. In other words, the root systems are not submerged with aeroponics, rather the nutrient solution is sprayed directly onto the root system.
Back to Top
What is involved in taking care of a hydroponic system?
Once you get your system up and running, it will pretty much take care of itself except for some simple maintenance. Once weekly up to 4 or 5 times per month, you will "top off" your hydroponic system. This means that you will replace the nutrient solution that your plants have used with additional, solution.
After topping off your reservoir six to 10 times, it will be time to change out the solution completely by draining or pouring off all of the old solution and replacing it completely with fresh nutrient solution. The frequency of topping off and changing your reservoir will depend on what you are growing and what stage of growth the plants are in. For example, tomatoes in full production will use solution more quickly than young tomato plants or non-fruiting plants such as salad greens. For more exact nutrient management and even faster growth, nutrient test pens are available. You would want to test your pH levels and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) levels. ph and TDS are very important and should be tested every 2-3 days.
Back to Top
What is the hardest thing about indoor gardening?
Learning to pronounce the word 'hydroponic' correctly! Seriously, while hydroponic gardening may sound like rocket science to many, it is a very easy to master this method of gardening.
Back to Top
What is a hydroponic medium?
Even though we have eliminated the soil, plants still require a place for their root systems to develop. A hydroponic media is an inert substance that can provide some support for the root system that has no nutrient value. Almost any inert substance can be used. A few examples include sand, gravel, vermiculite, perlite, LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) and rockwool.
Back to Top
What kinds of plants are grown hydroponically?
Virtually any kind of plant can be grown with the hydroponic method. The most popular hydroponic crops are lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, which you can now buy in many local supermarkets. Most of the cut flowers delivered in the U.S. are now hydroponically grown as well and home gardeners are discovering the benefits of having a cut flower production system on their balcony or patio.
Back to Top
Are there any drawbacks to hydroponic gardening?
Since we don't have a large, supportive root system, heavy fruiting crops like tomatoes and peppers may have to be trellised, depending on the hydroponic system used and variety. Root crops like carrots and potatoes present a special challenge as well, although while a bit more difficult to grow hydroponically, it can be done and with pretty spectacular results as well.
Back to Top
What does N-P-K stand for?
N = Nitrogen 7-9-5 Nitrogen is the first major element responsible for the vegetative growth of plants above ground. With a good supply, plants grow sturdily and mature rapidly, with rich, dark green foliage.
P = Phosphorus 7-9-5 The second major element in plant nutrition, phosphorus is essential for healthy growth, strong roots, fruit and flower development, and greater resistance to disease.
K = Potassium (Potash) 7-9-5 The third major plant nutrient, potassium oxide is essential for the development of strong plants. It helps plants to resist diseases, protects them from the cold and protects during dry weather by preventing excessive water loss.
Back to Top
What is pH and how does it apply to hydroponic growing?
pH is a term used to describe the measurement of how alkaline or acidic something is. In the case of hydroponic gardening, it means how acidic or alkaline the nutrient solution or growing medium is. Plant nutrient uptake is what nutrients the plant takes up. How much plants take up is dependent on the solution being within a certain pH range. Most pH ranges are often around 5.5 to 6.2. Hydroponic nutrients developed for the hobbiest are pH buffered for excellent nutrient uptake over a wide pH range, so exact pH control is not critical. However, your plants will grow faster and be healthier if you keep your solution's pH close to the recommended range, 5.5 to 6.2.
With some nutrients, you will find that your pH range is automatically where it needs to be with no adjustment necessary. If you discover you need to adjust the pH of your nutrient solution, you may do so by adding a few drops of pH up or down, then re-testing to make sure the adjustment is complete. Remember, pH adjustment solutions specifically for hydroponic use are very inexpensive and will provide much more stable adjustment than household products such as vinegar or baking soda. Stability is important, because overuse of pH control products can affect your plants, too!
What is Hydroponic Gardening and what are it's advantages?
Simply put, hydroponic gardening is a method of growing plants, without soil, by providing food and water directly to the roots of the plant. By doing so, we eliminate the need for the root system to look for food and water, so the energy normally used by the plant to search for food is used for faster upward growth and fruit production.
Since we don't have competing root systems, we can grow significantly more plants using hydroponics in a given area than those grown in soil. In addition, we recirculate the water and nutrients, so hydroponic gardening ends up using a fraction of the water, with no fertilizer run-off.
Another primary advantage to hydroponic gardening is control. We can quickly make adjustments as necessary to the strength of the nutrient solution, the pH, temperature, etc. to provide the perfect growing conditions and we eliminate soil as a breeding ground for common garden pests, reducing the need to apply harmful pesticides.
Back to Top
What are the different types of hydroponic systems?
There are several types of hydroponic systems, but they all accomplish the same thing, bringing the food and water to the roots of the plants. The most popular hobby hydroponic methods are Passive, Ebb and Flow, NFT or Nutrient Film Technique, and Aeroponics.
In a passive system, plants sit directly in the nutrient solution and the nutrient solution is oxygenated with an aquarium air bubbler so that the roots don't rot. This is the simplest form of hydroponic gardening.
An ebb and flow system has a separate nutrient reservoir with a growing tray directly above. A submersible pump in the reservoir, (like the ones used in ponds), is connected to a fill and drain fitting in the growing tray. The pump is plugged into a timer, which automatically waters the plants in the growing tray 3 or 4 times a day for a few minutes each watering. When the watering cycle is finished, the solution drains back into the reservoir, pulling oxygen into the plant's root system.
Nutrient Film Technique is a system that utilizes sloping gutters or PVC pipe. The plants sit evenly spaced in the gutters and a continuous stream of water and nutrients are pumped into the high side of the gutter. The stream has to be very shallow, no more than 1/8 of an inch deep or so. What happens in NFT is that the roots spread out and intertwine along the bottom of the gutter. The roots in the solution take up the food and water, while those that are growing above the water level take in air and oxygen.
Aeroponic systems use a very fine mist or spray directly on the roots of the plants. In other words, the root systems are not submerged with aeroponics, rather the nutrient solution is sprayed directly onto the root system.
Back to Top
What is involved in taking care of a hydroponic system?
Once you get your system up and running, it will pretty much take care of itself except for some simple maintenance. Once weekly up to 4 or 5 times per month, you will "top off" your hydroponic system. This means that you will replace the nutrient solution that your plants have used with additional, solution.
After topping off your reservoir six to 10 times, it will be time to change out the solution completely by draining or pouring off all of the old solution and replacing it completely with fresh nutrient solution. The frequency of topping off and changing your reservoir will depend on what you are growing and what stage of growth the plants are in. For example, tomatoes in full production will use solution more quickly than young tomato plants or non-fruiting plants such as salad greens. For more exact nutrient management and even faster growth, nutrient test pens are available. You would want to test your pH levels and TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) levels. ph and TDS are very important and should be tested every 2-3 days.
Back to Top
What is the hardest thing about indoor gardening?
Learning to pronounce the word 'hydroponic' correctly! Seriously, while hydroponic gardening may sound like rocket science to many, it is a very easy to master this method of gardening.
Back to Top
What is a hydroponic medium?
Even though we have eliminated the soil, plants still require a place for their root systems to develop. A hydroponic media is an inert substance that can provide some support for the root system that has no nutrient value. Almost any inert substance can be used. A few examples include sand, gravel, vermiculite, perlite, LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) and rockwool.
Back to Top
What kinds of plants are grown hydroponically?
Virtually any kind of plant can be grown with the hydroponic method. The most popular hydroponic crops are lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, which you can now buy in many local supermarkets. Most of the cut flowers delivered in the U.S. are now hydroponically grown as well and home gardeners are discovering the benefits of having a cut flower production system on their balcony or patio.
Back to Top
Are there any drawbacks to hydroponic gardening?
Since we don't have a large, supportive root system, heavy fruiting crops like tomatoes and peppers may have to be trellised, depending on the hydroponic system used and variety. Root crops like carrots and potatoes present a special challenge as well, although while a bit more difficult to grow hydroponically, it can be done and with pretty spectacular results as well.
Back to Top
What does N-P-K stand for?
N = Nitrogen 7-9-5 Nitrogen is the first major element responsible for the vegetative growth of plants above ground. With a good supply, plants grow sturdily and mature rapidly, with rich, dark green foliage.
P = Phosphorus 7-9-5 The second major element in plant nutrition, phosphorus is essential for healthy growth, strong roots, fruit and flower development, and greater resistance to disease.
K = Potassium (Potash) 7-9-5 The third major plant nutrient, potassium oxide is essential for the development of strong plants. It helps plants to resist diseases, protects them from the cold and protects during dry weather by preventing excessive water loss.
Back to Top
What is pH and how does it apply to hydroponic growing?
pH is a term used to describe the measurement of how alkaline or acidic something is. In the case of hydroponic gardening, it means how acidic or alkaline the nutrient solution or growing medium is. Plant nutrient uptake is what nutrients the plant takes up. How much plants take up is dependent on the solution being within a certain pH range. Most pH ranges are often around 5.5 to 6.2. Hydroponic nutrients developed for the hobbiest are pH buffered for excellent nutrient uptake over a wide pH range, so exact pH control is not critical. However, your plants will grow faster and be healthier if you keep your solution's pH close to the recommended range, 5.5 to 6.2.
With some nutrients, you will find that your pH range is automatically where it needs to be with no adjustment necessary. If you discover you need to adjust the pH of your nutrient solution, you may do so by adding a few drops of pH up or down, then re-testing to make sure the adjustment is complete. Remember, pH adjustment solutions specifically for hydroponic use are very inexpensive and will provide much more stable adjustment than household products such as vinegar or baking soda. Stability is important, because overuse of pH control products can affect your plants, too!
