When I moved from an apartment into my first house, a vegetable garden in the back yard was my priority. My goal was to plant vegetables in season, then can and freeze any extra for use later. While the goal was lofty, it was clear that I had a lot to learn. Take fertilizer for example. I had no idea that one kind was any better than the other. Fortunately, a kindly neighbor helped me to learn the value of soil analysis, reading the information on the packages before buying any product, and how the nutrients found in the product would affect the growth of different plants. If you are a novice gardener, let me help. I'll tell you what needs to be in that fertilizer, how to spread it properly, and what it will do for your vegetables.
One of the most useful options at your disposal if you are planning on growing plants for your own consumption or want to grow larger crops for sale is hydroponics, mostly because of the many benefits that it can provide. When you utilize hydroponics to grow your plants, you are actually forgoing the use of soil and are instead utilizing a system that has your plants resting above a tank of water and nutrients with the roots of those plants typically resting in or slightly above the water tank. Listed below are two reasons to consider hydroponic growing.
Shortens Growing Times
One of the biggest reasons to consider hydroponics is that it will typically allow you to shorten the growing times of your crops. The primary reason for this is that when you utilize hydroponics, you are ensuring that the necessary water and nutrients are delivered to the roots of the plants. This means that the plants themselves are not spending time sending their roots out to find the water and nutrients.
In fact, the plants have to exert so little effort to find nutrients that they can conserve energy and grow much faster. In some cases, this means that you can grow a hydroponic plant in as little as half the time that it would take to grow the same plant in soil. This means increased yields for you to actually feed to your family or sell.
Utilizes Less Water
Another major reason to consider hydroponics is that it will typically require you to use far less water to keep your plants healthy than typical growing methods. The main reason for this is that the water and the nutrient solution in the tanks are actually meant to be reused quite a bit before needing to be replaced.
An example of how this would work would be a flooding hydroponic setup. In this setup, the water is pumped up into the tank or tray holding your plants in order to submerge the root system in the water and nutrient solution for anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours.
At that point, another pump activates to pump the water and nutrient solution back into the lower tank. This is not only a great way to lower your water bills but it is also a great way to conserve water if you want to benefit the environment or are living in an area experiencing a drought.
Visit your local home improvement or gardening store today in order to discuss the merits of hydroponic growing and to get the equipment you need. Hydroponic growing is a great option because it can shorten growing times and utilize less water to keep the plants healthy and growing.
Share7 November 2016
