Hydroponics is a practice which is used to grow plants without the need for soil; water which contains all the nutrients that the plants need to thrive are used instead. This makes the process of growing many plants much more simple than it would otherwise be and with good hydroponic systems in place, it is much simpler to keep plants alive and looked after, even when you need to be absent for a period of time.
Hydroponic Systems
There are two different hydroponic systems which are commonly used to grow plants without soil. The first system requires a growing medium to be used in place of the soil and the second of the two hydroponic systems requires air or water to be used to grow the plants. This method is by far the most popular of the two today, but whichever of the two hydroponic systems are used, it is vital that a nutrient based water is used in order to ensure that the plants get all of the minerals that they need to survive and grow.
Growing Medium
For those who wish to use hydroponic systems which require a growing medium, sand and gravel are perfect materials to use. They allow the roots of the plant to be buried in them, much as they would be in soil and are fine enough that nutrient rich water can easily pass through them to the roots, where the plants can soak up the much needed nutrition.
Air and Water
When using hydroponic systems which use air or water as the means of growing plants, you will find that there are many advantages Not least, you will never have to buy, maintain or replace soils, sand etc like you would with normal cultivation practices, or medium based hydroponics. However, as the roots are exposed to the air, you need to be very careful that the roots of your plants do not become too dry.
Whichever of the hydroponic systems you decide to use, you must be sure that your plants are receiving enough of the right nutrients, or they will have trouble thriving.
Hydrohobby
Hydroponicsis one of the UK’s leading suppliers of hydroponic systems. Visit them to find everything you need to begin cultivating your own plants.
