By John Molyneux. Hydroponics is a bit of a mystery to many growers but it is simply growing without soil and it has been used for centuries to help growers achieve better results than conventional soil growing.
In hydro plants are grown in an inert medium such as perlite or
pebbles, and a water and nutrient solution provides the
plants with all the nutrients they need. This soil-less method of
growing was used by the ancient Aztecs to create their floating
gardens. It is now used by commercial growers to produce 90% of the
flowers and 65% of the fresh fruit and vegetables sold in the U.K,
by NASA to feed astronauts on long flights and by polar explorers
at long-term camps.
What's the difference between passive and active hydro?
Passive hydro is simply growing without soil. This means that the
grower knows how much nutrient the media has started with (none) so
that they know how much
more to provide to the plant. Active hydro also involves using
inert media but plants are placed in an active hydro growing system
that automatically pumps water and nutrient from a reservoir,
around the plant roots and back into the reservoir. This means that
the plant has constant access to everything it needs and water
logging or nutrient build-up is prevented because whatever the
plant doesn't take is drained away.
Why does active hydro work?
In conventional growing the gardener has to guess or estimate how
much water and nutrient is in the soil or pot, so there is a risk
of over or under feeding. This is avoided in active hydro and other
benefits include:
So, put simply growing with hydro takes the guesswork out of feeding and watering, meaning that they get exactly what they need, when they need it, so that you get bigger and healthier plants.
If you would like to try this form of gardening go to Greenhouse Sensations for more information.