Today we’re talking about a growing method that has become a hot topic among gardeners in recent years. Hydroponics was once the preserve of large scale grow operations because it was relatively expensive to scale down for domestic use. It is something that has been used to grow plants in places without the weather for it because it can be done in a fully enclosed system, independently of the local climate. As such, it forms an important part of the food production cycle, feeding hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.
As the popularity of this method increased, manufacturers began to see its potential as something that could be done by anyone at home. Working to bring the price of these systems down and make them more affordable for everyday people has meant that anyone can have their own garden, even if they live in an apartment without access to outdoor space. The benefits of this have been impressive and have meant that it has really started to take off as a hobby.
How is hydroponics different from traditional methods?
Humans have been planting things in the ground since ancient times. Even hunter gatherer societies influenced the world around them so the plants they favoured became more abundant, but things really changed and took off during the agricultural revolution. Since we began growing plants in a concerted way we have been dealing with the challenges that come with it.
Bad weather or a pest infestation had the power to take out entire harvests, and early farmers were very much at nature’s mercy. With time, better methods for managing a crop were developed, but these can only be so effective, and many modern technologies have been found to be harmful to the environment.
For example, modern commercial pest control and weed killers linger in the soil and can damage the delicate ecology of soil biota. Some are known carcinogens and must be handled carefully. Runoff from agricultural sites enters rivers and pollutes them with chemical fertilisers that lead to algal blooms that choke the oxygen from water.
Hydroponics is different. Unlike traditional methods, plants grown using hydroponics are grown in enclosed environments so they are fully contained and protected from outside factors. For example, weather conditions have no bearing on the ability of hydroponic plants to grow unless they are grown using natural light and no supplemental heat. A grow light and a grow tent heater make it possible to grow things all year round.
Because hydroponics systems are enclosed, pests tend to be a minimal issue. For starters, the plants are not grown using soil so this removes the main breeding ground for insects. This makes it harder for pests to take hold among your plants, but at the same time it makes it harder for weeds to set in too. As this is the case, you will be able to spend a lot less time managing your plants and will only need to keep an eye on things rather than needing to be outside weeding your plot and mixing up pest control mixes.
Because you are able to fully control the environment, you can guarantee that your plants will be strong and will mature faster than usual. If you are growing foliage plants this may mean you need to prune the plants due to their increased growth rate. This is not necessarily a bad thing because regular pruning can encourage your showiest plants to become even fuller and more lush.
There are no other systems that give you the freedom and flexibility to grow such a huge variety of plants in such a convenient way. By choosing a hydroponics system you are giving yourself the chance to try something new and the flexibility to move onto something else if your current approach isn’t suiting you.
For example, if you want to move on from something simple like lettuce and try something more challenging you will just need to take your system apart, give it a good clean and then set it up again with your new seeds or seedlings. Just be aware that different plants have different needs so you may have to change your approach to light and nutrition.