Maybe you’ve been wondering about what are hydroponic system that you can do? There is suddenly a rush of articles and advertisements on various media about hydroponic farmers.
If you want to grow some plants but have no time to do regular gardening, then you should try your hands on hydroponics. You don’t need a lot of space and the materials are affordable.
So, what are hydroponic system?
In laymen’s terms, hydroponic is planting without soil. To replace the soil, the farmer uses other mediums such as wood fiber and pumice stones. The key for the hydroponic system is by having the water filled with nutrient solutions to help the plant to grow.
The nutrient can come from fertilizers, manures, and other types that you can get. Of course, you need to put the plant types into account. As long as you are patient and keen enough to continue on the work. You can grow almost any plant using this system.
In a nutshell, there are two hydroponic systems. The sub-irrigation and the top irrigation. The difference between each system lies in where the water is in the process.
The sub-irrigation means that the plant is floating above the water level. being suspended and the water is right below the root. While the top irrigation is akin to dripping or sprinkling the water.
Each system is the basis of other techniques such as wick, run-to-waste, aeroponic, deep water culture, and many others. A farmer may combine several techniques to get the best result for their plants.
Why is it so popular lately?
To be fair the hydroponic system has been around for many decades. It’s not only recently popular. But the recent trend on urban farming brings hydroponic back to the spotlight.
You can see a lot of rooftops converted into a small garden. This is a refreshing breath of fresh air in concrete and glass-filled cities. Many urban farmers use this method to promote the local produce.
Another benefit from hydroponic is the massive reduction in water consumption. Hydroponics uses almost a quarter less than the regular planting method.
This may come as weird since water is one of the main elements here. But there are several methods on hydroponics such as aeroponics and deep water culture. But even with the deep water culture, you will use less water than in a regular garden.
Hydroponics can be the solution for areas with yearlong drought. As we know, some countries are suffering from a lack of water.
There are so many plants that you can grow using hydroponic. As a beginner, you may want to start with herbs like rosemary, mint, and rockets. As you get better, you can start growing lettuces, tomatoes, and strawberries. And before you know it, you will have a mini garden without having to expand your house.
And now that you know what are hydroponic system is in a nutshell. Good luck with your effort to start growing your plants. It may take some time to get used to it, but the result pays it off.