|
FAQs
What is hydroponics?
Hydroponics is the term used to describe growing plants without soil. The word
"hydroponics" comes from the Greek words for water (hydro) and work (ponos). It
literally means let the water do the work. The concept has been around since the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but modern applications began only in the 1930s
following research at University of California.
How do plants grow without soil?
Plants don't really need soil; they need mineral elements, water, air, light and
something to support them. In this equation, soil provides the mineral elements
and means to support the plant. In hydroponics, mineral elements are added to
water to form a nutrient solution which feeds plants and an inert growing medium
is generally used to support plants.
What replaces soil in a hydroponic garden?
Different growing media are recommended for different types of hydroponic
systems. Rockwool, clay pellets, vermiculite and soilless mixes are currently the
most common. While vermiculite and soilless mixes such as Promix may be well
known to most gardeners, clay pellets and rockwool may not. Clay pellets are a
commercially produced inert growing medium. They are generally round, smooth
and reddish-brown in colour. Prepared in a very hot kiln-fired oven, good quality
clay pellets will last forever. They promote good drainage, hold moisture and are
favoured by many gardeners because they are very clean, lightweight and easy to
handle.
Rockwool has become very popular with commercial greenhouse growers. Its thin
strand-like fibres are made primarily of limestone, granite or other types of rock.
Rockwool is inert, sterile, non-degradable, lightweight and very porous. Available
in large growing slabs or sheets, propagation cubes, or blocks, rockwool should
be handled with the same care as insulation materials such as fibreglass.
Rockwool's chemistry requires some pH adjusting. Plants must live in an
environment with a pH reading around 5.8 to absorb nutrition properly through their
roots.
Is hydroponics for gardening indoors or
outdoors?
The vast majority of hydroponic gardens are
indoors. In places where climate permits,
hydroponics is used for large scale cultivation
outdoors. In North America, outdoor hydroponic
gardens are generally found only on patios,
terraces or balconies.
What can you grow in hydroponics?
Just about anything you can grow in soil except
root crops such as carrots, potatoes, turnips and
beets.
Is it hard to do?
No. Hydroponics, like any hobby, has many levels of simplicity or difficulty. Some
small houseplant pots or mini-herb garden systems are actually simpler to use
than growing in soil. The more complex systems are recommended for people
with more experience.
How much does it cost to get started?
A small complete kit for a houseplant starts at about $10. Most larger home
hobby kits range from $100 to $500 depending on the size of the garden you want.
Larger indoor gardens will also require the purchase of additional equipment such
as a grow light.
Where can I find out more about hydroponics?
Today, there is a lot of good information on the internet, but like anything online,
be selective. Most large book stores and specialty hydroponic/indoor gardening
stores carry a selection of books and magazines on the subject too.
What are the advantages of hydroponics?
Great for people with allergies to soil, fungus, etc.
Easier control of watering/feeding.
Faster growth. Food and water are delivered directly to plant roots, so energy
can be directed into vegetative growth above the surface instead of to a large root
system allowing for an earlier harvest.
Greater yield, limited only by the size of the mature plant.
Control over plant feeding. Removes guesswork of adding fertilizer to soil.
Cleaner, more sterile, important when gardening indoors.
Fewer pests. No soil-borne pests.
|
|
