The Advantages of Hydroponics for Domestic Horticulture

Of course you’ll know that farmers who produce for supermarkets don’t just grow in fields any more.  You will have seen the poly tunnels and large greenhouses that house much of their growing all year round now.  These enclosed environments allow for growing conditions which are better and healthier for the plants, and may often mean better harvests and perhaps more of them.  Were you aware though that many farmers, and horticultural growers are now using growing techniques which no longer use soil as the growing medium?  No its not just in science fiction films any more.  This method of indoor growing without the use of soil is called Hydroponics.

Hydroponics is now also available to domestic horticulturalists thanks to online retailers such as Progrow who make smaller Hydroponics systems available at great prices to allow home growers to try out Hydroponics.  And once you go Hydroponics you will never go back.

What Are the Advantages of Hydroponics?

The primary advantage of Hydroponics is that you have a lot more control over the growing environment.  Soil isn’t used.  That might seem strange as the natural growing medium in nature for plants is soil.  But soil is hard to keep at an optimum level, the pH can have a massive affect on growth, as can water levels, type of soil and diseases and pests that reside in the soil too.  Take soil out of the equation and then control temperature, ventilation, lighting and exclude pests and suddenly you have the optimum environment in which to grow your plants.

The result of a Hydroponics system is more harvests per year, stronger and healthier growth, and no affect of the weather or pests to destroy a harvest.  It is estimated that compared to a traditional method you should harvest at least one hundred percent more per year from salad leaves, herbs, peppers, legumes, tomatoes and flowers with Hydroponics.

What Do You Need to Build a Hydroponics System?

The main kit you need and of course can all be bought online now is first of all a housing tent or container.  This controls access to the growing area, stopping pests entering, and keeping lighting, ventilation and temperature at constant levels.  So then of course you need heating and lighting units as well as a ventilation system.  You can buy systems which are manually adjusted or you can buy systems with thermostats and timers which are more automated.

You then choose your Hydroponics method, deciding which medium in which to grow your plants, if any, and what feeding system you want.  Here’s a run down:

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT): uses no growing medium, and suspends the plant over a water solution which is continuously circulated around the plants roots.

Ebb &Flood: uses a growing medium such as rockwool, clay pebbles or foam to hold the plants while growing solution is rained down on the plants at timed intervals.

Dripper: again uses a growing medium but constantly drips the feeding solution onto that medium.