Hydroponics: The Nutrient Enriched, Soil less Cultivation
The
cultivation technology in the gardening sector is changing day by day as the
horizontal land is decreasing by the intervention of anthropological factors.
People are now switching to the soil-less gardening technique, popularly known as Hydroponics farming,
which mostly uses vertical space. If you have ever kept some plant shoot clipping
in a glass of water, then it will generate roots. It’s an example of organic gardening,
in which plants are grown in nutrient enriched solution, instead of soil.
Hydroponic farming practice reduces the problem related to weeding, soil-borne diseases, time and
amount of fertilizer application, spraying pesticides, labors of cultivation,
tilling, soil texture, and many more aspects. It offers an easy way of growing
fruits and vegetables that are healthier and have more nutritive value. With
hydroponic gardening, we can expect big, better results in a short span of time,
as nutrients are dissolved in water and directly fed to the plant roots. This
garden is simple to maintain both indoors and outdoors environment. You can harvest
fresh, home-grown fruits and vegetables which will bring you happiness and peace
of mind while saving some money.
Techniques of Soil less Gardening
There are various scientifically advised techniques for
hydroponics like-
Ø Static Solution Culture
Ø Continuous-flow Solution
Culture (Nutrient Film Technique or NFT)
Ø Aeroponics
Ø Fogponics
Ø Passive Sub-irrigation
Ø Ebb and Flow or Flood and
Drain Sub-irrigation
Ø Run to Waste
Ø Deep Water Culture
Ø Top-fed Deep Water
Culture
Ø Rotary and
Ø Domestic Hydroponic
Farming.
Advantages of Hydroponic Gardening
Ø In hydroponic
gardening; plants can be grown anywhere as long as their growth requirements
are met.
Ø It uses only 1/20th of
water compared to traditional (soil-based) gardening.
Ø Water can be reused multiple
times leading to water conservation with less expense incurred on it.
Ø It provides a sterile
environment for plant production. This technique does not require pesticides,
fertilizers, and other chemicals, as there’s no chance of damage due to soil-borne
diseases or pests.
Ø Crops can grow faster in
hydroponic gardening.
Ø Yield is doubled leading
to more production from the same amount of space.
Ø It needs 20% of less
space in comparison to soil-based gardens, as plants with small roots can be
grown closer to each other.
Ø No environmental
degradation due to heavy runoff and leaching losses of nutrients as in the case of
conventional farming.
Ø Uses less labor.
Ø Simple to have complete
control over nutrient balance by using different formulated solutions like Olivia’s
Growing Solution.
Ø There are no soil setup
and testing hassles.
Ø Healthy plant growth with
better nutritional value. It has been proved that vitamin content is 50% more
in hydroponically grown plants as compared to the conventional ones.
Ø Easy harvesting.
Ø Crops can be grown all
year round.
Ø Hydroponic gardening is an
amazing stress relieving and a relaxing hobby. Moreover it is a great way to
spend quality family time.
Disadvantages of Hydroponic Gardening
Ø Initial setup cost of the hydroponic system is high.
Ø Hydroponic cultivation requires constant
supervision.
Ø Power outage is a major
drawback; in this case plants will dry out. If this ever happens, we have to manually
water our garden.
Ø Water-based microorganisms
can be easily introduced.
Ø Technical knowledge is
required for growing plants through hydroponics.
There
are numerous benefits of soil-less gardening. It can give excellent results in a short span of time with proper knowledge and techniques. Various environmental concerns, reduction in
arable land, and scarcity of water can be easily conquered with the use of this
technique. It is extremely beneficial for commercial farmers as well as home
gardeners.