You are currently viewing Basic Tips For The Hydroponic Farming

Basic Tips For The Hydroponic Farming

Spread the love

Can you think farming without farm? Yes you are right.

Our mother nature is full of greenery and admiring beauty which is loved by everyone around. We are so rooted to our earth that we feel fresh and peaceful whenever we are with nature. The lands full of a variety of crops and flowers always attract us so much that we become more involved with gardening.

Gardening is a broader term and many other cultures are included in it as a part of Agriculture. One such culture is Hydroponic Farming where plants are grown without soil.

Sounds weird, right!

We have always seen growing plants in soil but this sounds different and something interesting.

Well! We will study in depth about it in this article.

 

What is Hydroponic Farming

 Hydroponics is a Greek word combined of two words ‘hydro’ meaning  ‘water’ and ‘ponos’ meaning ‘labour’ which means growing plants in water. Hydroponic is a process of growing crops/plants without Soil. It’s just a way to skip the soil and grow crops directly in a nutrient rich water with or without the mechanical support of sand or gravel. This is also known as aquaculture, nutriculture, soilless culture, or tank farming.

In general if we study about the growing of plants we know that plants grow and survive, makes their food through a process called Photosynthesis. In this process plants use sunlight and chlorophyll to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose (a type of sugar) and oxygen.

Here we go with the chemical equation,

6CO2 + 6H2O –> C6H12O6 + 6O2

 

Soil is nowhere mentioned that it is mandatory for growing plants. Plants only need water and nutrients to grow which they can obtain from outside too. Hence, we can conclude the theory and principle behind Hydroponics and its working.

Scope of Hydroponics in Agriculture

 Farming practices are changing day by day and new practices are being adopted. There is a misconception that staple crops and vegetables cannot be grown without soil, good water quality and plenty of sunlight but Hydroponic farming has shown us that we can grow crops without soil only with the help of water, nutrients and high quality seeds. Also it doesn’t require sunlight often, but only red, blue and yellow spectrum.

Population in India is rising indefinitely, so the arable land is reducing in availability and it is becoming difficult to provide staple crops to the whole population. With regard to this, Hydroponic farming is a convenient method to solve the requirement of arable space for cultivation as it doesn’t require  so much land.

Hydroponic farming consumes less water and growth of plants is rapid, so it will help the farmers to produce more food quickly for everyone.This will help to fight the scarcity of food and hunger. There could be more space for everyone to breathe and survive. Also the less consumption of water in it would help to use that in other purposes. It will also reduce pest and land pollution as the use of pesticides, weedicides or insecticide would be reduced.

Hydroponic farming could be an evolution in the farming sector. Traditional farming is the most common method used by our farmers and hydroponic farming is limited to metropolitan and cosmopolitan towns but soon it will reach everywhere in near future.

Materials required for hydroponic farming and its arrangement

Plants require basic 4 things to grow:

Light

Substrate

Water

Nutrients

 

Light: It depends whether you are cultivating your plants inside or outside.You just have to provide with ample amount of heat & light, either you provide it with sunlight or artificial light. If you use artificial lights, it should have a mixture of both red waves and blue waves so as to maintain the temperature for growing plants.

Substrate: There are different mediums that you can use as a support system for your plants, as for example you can have clay, coir peat, perlite, soil, gravel, wood fibre and rice husk.

Water: Ample amount of water is important for growing crops properly. Water should not be stagnant as it could harm the plants.

Nutrients: Different plants require different atmosphere for growing so to make your plant grow you have to first study about your plant and its requirements..In Hydroponics, the nutrient solution must contain main macronutrients like Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorus, Calcium, and Magnesium, as well as some important micronutrients, which include small amounts of Iron, Manganese, Boron, Zinc, Copper, Molybdenum, and Chlorine.

Apart from these, you should have a proper air supply for photosynthesis if you are growing it artificially. The basic requirements are to be fulfilled and other equipment depends upon your area and type of setup.

In Hydroponics, the plants are dipped in nutrient rich solution with all the basic requirements in a controlled environment. You can even hang the plants in growing trays which is also known as growing chambers.The materials are arranged likewise with all the above mentioned equipments.

How does Hydroponic system work

Hydroponic systems work by maintaining the environment like temperature and pH balance with maximum exposure to nutrients and water.

Plants grow properly when we provide the right materials needed for its growth at the right time. You just have to monitor the pH balance and the environment in which the plant is growing. This reduces many risk factors also.

Plants grow in a controlled environment. With decreased or no use of pesticides or insecticides, it enables healthy growing and good quality crops. There are no obstacles to hinder the growth of plants. Hydroponics enables us to grow plants indoors and at a faster rate.

Once you know about your plants, type of environment it requires, you can always isolate variables and you can easily balance the pH level, light and proper nutrient supplement without getting any type of headaches.

Best Crops to grow in Hydroponics

Depending on the type of system you have, the list includes different veggies, herbs, annual flowers, fruits, and many more. Hydroponics require less space so only plants that would not survive in it are those which require more space, typically climbers.

Some crops to be grown are:

  • Lettuce which includes all type of lettuce.Few to name are Romaine, bibb and butter crunch
  • Herbs which includes mints such as peppermint and spearmint, basil, marjoram and oregano. Some Other herbs that are rapid growers are chives and thyme.
  • Green plants like Mustard greens, Swiss chard, spinach, kale and watercress. Most common is Arugula, a slightly peppery salad.
  • Tomatoes
  • Strawberries

Growing plants is an art and if you want to master it you will have to learn about them. Proper environmental conditions enable them to grow faster and better and in contrast if it doesn’t receive the required materials it will stop growing.

Some tips for best Hydroponic farming

Hydroponic farming system is a method of growing plants without soil in nutrient rich solution with proper supply of important material required for its growth. If it doesn’t receive all the things that are required it will stop growing.

Some of the tips to grow plants hydroponically are:

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. – In a plant growth chamber in the KSC Space Life Sciences Lab, plant physiologist Ray Wheeler checks onions being grown using hydroponic techniques. The other plants are Bibb lettuce (left) and radishes (right). Wheeler and other colleagues are researching plant growth under different types of light, different CO2 concentrations and temperatures. The Lab is exploring various aspects of a bioregenerative life support system. Such research and technology development will be crucial to long-term habitation of space by humans.
  1. First make a list of crops you wish to grow in your farm and study about its life cycle, nutrient requirement, growing season, availability of seeds, space requirement and its growing habit.
  2. Choose your ideal hydroponic system for your plants.
  3. Learn about the equipments you require, its advantages, demerits, & costs.
  4. Gather all the required nutrients in proper amount before starting the plantation.
  5. Maintain proper light.Young plants require approximately 8 hours of light. As your plant starts growing, increase the light timing upto 12 hours and remember that excessive amount of light could harm the plants.
  6. Humidity must be maintained according to the requirements of the plants. Excessive humidity can encourage fungus or even diseases.
  7. Maintain a heat range of 65-85 degrees of Fahrenheit to regulate the health of plants.
  8. Monitor the pH balance of nutrient solution of 6.5.

To grow best in Hydroponics you just need to plan everything properly to succeed.

Benefits & Advantages of Hydroponic Farming system

 There are many advantages in a hydroponic farming system. They can help solve many problems as it doesn’t require excessive use of space or water, and are known to produce vegetables with high nutrient content at a faster rate than traditional growing methods.

Some of the benefits are:

  1. Maximizes Space: Hydroponic farming system requires less space than plants grown in soil. The roots of the plants do not have to spread out for nutrients and moisture. These are delivered to the roots directly and it is proven to use 99% fewer lands in some hydroponic systems.
  2. Conservation of Water: It requires 98% less water than traditional farming techniques. Water conservation is important as we always see the scarcity of water making irrigation more difficult and less profitable.
  3. Macro Climate: Plants are kept in an environmentally controlled atmosphere. Plants are grown all year round without being affected by the outside climate. There is no issue of pests so no use of pesticides or insecticides which enables healthy growing of plants. Artificial light helps them to get proper light with no problem of sunlight being available or not.
  4. Higher Yields: Ideal growing conditions help the plants to grow efficiently and at a faster rate. When the nutrient comes in direct contact with roots it help them grow at a faster rate than traditional farming techniques. Also we can grow all throughout the year which helps to produce more and more crops all year round. Research shows that it produces 240 times higher yield than any other farming practices.
  5. High Quality Crops: Crops grown in the Hydroponic system are of high quality as it is produced without any involvement of harmful chemicals or pesticides.
  6. No requirement of Soil: Soil becomes a hindrance to traditional farmers as certain crops grow in a preferred soil only. With hydroponic farming, farmers can grow whatever crops they need and want without concern for soil degradation.
  7. Faster growth: Crops grow at a faster rate and it is found that it is 30-50% higher than traditional farming techniques. Most plants take a longer time to reach maturity as they take nutrients from soil which is a slow process and often the nutrients get wasted.
  8. Zero Weed: Weeding is complimentary in soil farming. As it is soilless it doesn’t require tilling or weeding which also reduces labour and labour costs.
  9. Cost Effective: As it requires less space, less water, it reduces the cost of lands and cost of irrigation. Labour costs are also reduced and at a particular time period you can get higher yield and at a faster rate which also increases the income and profits. It enables abundance of food production that is fresh, and is readily available.
  10. Ease of use: Crops can be grown at the ease of your home. There are no barriers of sunlight, water or climate control. You can maintain everything on your own by simply knowing your plants and its needs.

DISADVANTAGES OF HYDROPONIC FARMING

Apart from its advantages, there are some demerits too. Some of them are:

  1. Setup of the Hydroponic system is not cheap.
  2. Regular monitoring and supervision is required.
  3. Easily affected by power outages.
  4. Water borne diseases are very common.
  5. Growing under Hydroponics requires technical expertise.
  6. Any type of system malfunction or any mistakes could harm the plants very quickly.
  7. Water quality should be very good. It should not be stagnant.

Conclusion

 Farming practices are changing day by day and new practices are being adopted. There is a misconception that staple crops and vegetables cannot be grown without soil, good water quality and plenty of sunlight but Hydroponic farming has shown us that we can grow crops without soil only with the help of water, nutrients and high quality seeds. Also it doesn’t require sunlight often, but only red, blue and yellow spectrum.

Population in India is rising indefinitely, so the arable land is reducing in availability and it is becoming difficult to provide staple crops to the whole population. With regard to this, Hydroponic farming is a convenient method to solve the requirement of arable space for cultivation as it doesn’t require  so much land.

Hydroponic farming consumes less water and growth of plants is rapid, so it will help the farmers to produce more food quickly for everyone. This will help to fight the scarcity of food and hunger. There could be more space for everyone to breathe and survive. Also the less consumption of water in it would help to use that in other purposes. It will also reduce pest and land pollution as the use of pesticides, weedicides or insecticide would be reduced.

Hydroponic farming could be an evolution in the farming sector. Traditional farming is the most common method used by our farmers and hydroponic farming is limited to metropolitan and cosmopolitan towns but soon it will reach everywhere in near future.

 

 

 

 


Spread the love

Leave a Reply