Smart Green House: May 2020

What is a hydroponic garden?

Simply put, hydroponic gardening is method of growing plants without soil. ... In a traditional garden, plant roots have to seek out nutrients in the soil. In hydroponic gardens, nutrients are dissolved in the water that surrounds the roots, so plants have even easier access to the nutrition they need.

What are the pros and cons of hydroponics?

Top 3 Pros and Cons of Hydroponic Systems

Nutrient Intake. While figuring out the perfect blend of nutrients can be hard at first, they are much easier to control. ...
No Pests, No Problem. Ok, so maybe your plants won't be completely guarded from pests, but for many soil is necessary to live. ...
More Personal Space. ...
Setup Costs. ...
Learning Curve. ...
Equipment Failure.

How does hydroponics work?

Hydroponics, by definition, is a method of growing plants in a water based, nutrient rich solution. Hydroponics does not use soil, instead the root system is supported using an inert medium such as perlite, rockwool, clay pellets, peat moss, or vermiculite.

What is the best medium for hydroponics?

Some of the most widely used growing media's include Rockwool, Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate (called, Hydrocorn or Grow Rock), Coconut Fiber/Coconut chips, and Perlite or Vermiculite.

Is hydroponic expensive?

Cost is one of the biggest disadvantages of hydroponic gardening. Both upfront and operational costs tend to be higher for hydroponics than they are for normal soil gardens. ... Larger-scale hydroponic systems tend to be more cost-effective than small-scale gardens, according to the Oklahoma State University Extension.

Why is hydroponics bad?

Disease: Many people believe that hydroponic plants are free from diseases. This is not true because most of the plants share the same solution. So, water-borne diseases can spread easily throughout your garden. The chances of contacting disease are more when compared to the normal gardens

How do I start a hydroponic garden for beginners?

The Deep Water Culture (DWC) hydro system is the easiest for beginners to use. In a DWC hydro system, you simply fill up a reservoir with your nutrient solution. You then suspend your plant's roots in that solution so they receive the steady, continuous supply of water, oxygen, and nutrients.

Why is hydroponics better than soil?

Hydroponics saves an incredible amount of space compared to traditional soil gardening. ... Instead of using soil as a carrier for the nutrients your plants need, hydroponics uses a customized nutrient solution to surround your plants with perfectly calibrated nutrition all of the time.

Why is growing hydroponically better than growing in soil?

Plant Growth

Plants grown hydroponically tend to grow faster than soil-grown plants because oxygen and nutrients are delivered directly and intensively to their roots. The fast growth leads to shorter times until harvest, and more growth cycles can be fit into a given time period.

Can I use perlite for hydroponics?

Perlite was one of the first reliable hydroponic growing mediums available to the horticulture market. You have seen it in the form of hard white bits in potting soil, but perlite can be used by itself in many hydroponic systems. You can find varieties of perlite in liquid filtration systems, insulation and even soap.

Can you use rocks for hydroponics?

Yes, you can use natural rock as a growing medium for Hydroponics and indoor growing. The growing medium takes the place of the soil. Some of the most widely used growing media's are Rock wool, Soil & Coco etc.

Is hydroponic food healthy?

The bottom line is it depends on the nutrient solution the vegetables are grown in, but hydroponically grown vegetables can be just as nutritious as those grown in soil. ... It's the mineral content that can vary in hydroponic crops, depending on the fertilizer used.

What are the 6 types of hydroponics?

There are 6 basic types of hydroponic systems; Wick, Water Culture, Ebb and Flow (Flood & Drain), Drip (recovery or non-recovery), N.F.T. (Nutrient Film Technique) and Aeroponic. There are hundreds of variations on these basic types of systems, but all hydroponic methods are a variation (or combination) of these six.