Hydroponic Setups
How Does Hydroponics work?

If you have never seen a hydroponic system you really wonder how you can grow plants without soil!

The beauty of hydroponics is that you can do it nearly anywhere. And if you combine your hydroponic grow system with some grow light you can nearly produce fresh herbs and vegetables all year round!

That alone is a reason to convert a shed, garage or unused attic space into a productive growing paradise!

Photo: Ryan Somna

Hydroponic Systems
...active and passive

by Anne Clarke

There are basically two types of hydroponic systems.

Growing plants hydroponically is a revolutionary and innovative way to grow plants. Using hydroponics takes many different gardening supplies like hydroponic pumps, grow mediums, and water to make sure everything comes out smoothly.

Hydroponics challenge conventional thinking regarding how plants grow and we are going to cover some basic reasons on why that is in this article.

For hydroponically grown items the process is radically different. First there is no soil involved in the growing process because the plant is growing in water.

Because of this you have to add materials like pea gravel, enriched sand and other items that help plants achieve their full growth potential.

A porous growth medium helps the plants filter the nutrients it needs for optimum growth.

Because hydroponically grown plants dip their roots directly into nutrient-rich solutions, they get what they need much more easily than plants growing in soil, so they need much smaller root systems and can divert more energy into leaf and stem growth.

When growing hydroponically you have to remember that the traditional way of growing things in the dirt with water and sunshine is not going to be the same as what most people are accustomed to.

Usually when people garden, they till the land, plant some seeds, water and fertilize them, hope for a good amount of sunshine, and keep their fingers crossed for a good crop to grow.

Photo: chooyutshing

If you have chosen to grow hydroponically you need to have water pumps that pump in clean water, that helps the plant grow. The reason for the water pumps is that stagnant water will choke a plant to death.

Some people set up indoor hydroponic system in order to be able to keep a closer eye on their plants than they would be able to if the plants were to be planted in the outdoors. Others grow indoors to keep bugs and pests away from their plants and crops. Whatever the reason may be, just know that you are not sacrificing anything if you choose to grow indoors.

How Does Hydroponics Work?
The two basic hydroponic systems

There are two basic types of hydroponic setups:

active and passive hydroponics.

Active hydroponics work by actively passing a nutrient solution over your plants roots. They usually involve a large sized planting medium such as pea gravel, vermiculite and perlite.

A passive hydroponic system is a system that provides your plant with nutrients through a capillary or wick system. Working like a kerosene lamp, the wick draws the nutrient solution from the reservoir, up to the plants medium and root system. Utilizing mainly sand, sawdust or peat moss as a growing medium it involves no moving parts and is easy to setup.

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