Adopting Hydroponic Gardening As A Hobby
Gardeners who feel they need a new growing challenge should consider taking up hydroponic gardening as a hobby. The past thirty or forty years have been a growth period for this new way of plant growth and the rewards can be quite fruitful. This process of growing plants without soil can be quite a learning experience and there is some prep work to be done in order to get started.
Necessities For Plant Growth
Both soil-based and hydroponic plants require the same type of requirements when it comes to plant growth, except for the fact in how they are delivered. If you wish to succeed in hydroponic gardening, you need to ensure that you have all the elements you need for success. For instance, temperature is important; each type of plant has an optimal range of temperatures for which they thrive. You will have to create growing conditions which mimic the proper temperature needed for the best plant growth.
Water levels are important when it comes to hydroponic gardening just as they are important to terrestrial based plants. You should have a system in place which controls the water levels to ensure that the plants do not get too much or too little. When it comes to light sources, a huge amount of sunlight is often needed for growth. When it comes to hydroponics, chances are they plants are in an indoor environment, necessitating the need for intense artificial light sources to mimic the sunlight.
Oxygen is essential to plant growth and most soil conditions offer this, but with hydroponic gardening, you may have to use a machine which will add air bubbles to the nutrient mix. Carbon dioxide is necessary for the production of plant carbohydrates which serves as food for the plant. Of course, the nutrients are among the most important things needed for plants growing without the benefit of soil. Each plant requires different nutrient mixes so you would have to be prepared to segregate your plants to ensure that each type gets the nutrient mixture they need.
Materials For Housing Soil-free Plants
The "house" for your hydroponic gardening endeavors must be made of certain materials, or that the materials used can in no way leach harmful chemicals or substances which could interfere with proper plant growth. Cement or concrete is popular, but as it is porous, it must be treated with a type of asphalt with no tars or creosote substances. Glass is normally fine as is metal, but the metal material would also have to be treated with the asphalt as described above.
An aerator may be necessary to pump oxygen to the roots and a light source is also important and can be in the form of special lamps. As far as the nutrients go, you should really look to your local garden center that has an expert in hydroponic gardening to lead you to the right combination of minerals and other nutrients for your individual plant varieties.
Gardeners who feel they need a new growing challenge should consider taking up hydroponic gardening as a hobby. The past thirty or forty years have been a growth period for this new way of plant growth and the rewards can be quite fruitful. This process of growing plants without soil can be quite a learning experience and there is some prep work to be done in order to get started.
Necessities For Plant Growth
Both soil-based and hydroponic plants require the same type of requirements when it comes to plant growth, except for the fact in how they are delivered. If you wish to succeed in hydroponic gardening, you need to ensure that you have all the elements you need for success. For instance, temperature is important; each type of plant has an optimal range of temperatures for which they thrive. You will have to create growing conditions which mimic the proper temperature needed for the best plant growth.
Water levels are important when it comes to hydroponic gardening just as they are important to terrestrial based plants. You should have a system in place which controls the water levels to ensure that the plants do not get too much or too little. When it comes to light sources, a huge amount of sunlight is often needed for growth. When it comes to hydroponics, chances are they plants are in an indoor environment, necessitating the need for intense artificial light sources to mimic the sunlight.
Oxygen is essential to plant growth and most soil conditions offer this, but with hydroponic gardening, you may have to use a machine which will add air bubbles to the nutrient mix. Carbon dioxide is necessary for the production of plant carbohydrates which serves as food for the plant. Of course, the nutrients are among the most important things needed for plants growing without the benefit of soil. Each plant requires different nutrient mixes so you would have to be prepared to segregate your plants to ensure that each type gets the nutrient mixture they need.
Materials For Housing Soil-free Plants
The "house" for your hydroponic gardening endeavors must be made of certain materials, or that the materials used can in no way leach harmful chemicals or substances which could interfere with proper plant growth. Cement or concrete is popular, but as it is porous, it must be treated with a type of asphalt with no tars or creosote substances. Glass is normally fine as is metal, but the metal material would also have to be treated with the asphalt as described above.
An aerator may be necessary to pump oxygen to the roots and a light source is also important and can be in the form of special lamps. As far as the nutrients go, you should really look to your local garden center that has an expert in hydroponic gardening to lead you to the right combination of minerals and other nutrients for your individual plant varieties.
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