Many people are wondering - is it possible to provide the whole family with fresh herbs throughout the year? The answer is clear - of course! Modern technology makes it possible to do this. A technology such as hydroponics at home - greens allows you to get salad, parsley, dill, sorrel, celery and other crops that will decorate your table throughout the year.
Hydroponics at home looks like this:
Definition of a concept
The name hydroponics itself implies that water is a key component in this technology. It is based on the fact that plants are not grown on familiar soil, but in water, which is saturated with various useful substances. This method allows you not to recall problems such as weeds, weeding beds and all kinds of pests that just want to eat with the roots of our plants.
The solution for hydroponics saturates water with a huge amount of nutrients and microelements, which are almost in no way inferior to similar soil. So, where does the process of growing plants using hydroponics begin?
Hydroponics at home - greens: where to start?
First, we need plastic pots or plastic cups with holes at the bottom, with a diameter of 3-5 cm. This container will serve as a base for growing seeds. The container is placed in a pallet with high sides in which the compressor will be located. It serves to ensure that salts do not precipitate, and the solution is saturated with oxygen and evenly distributed between the roots of the plant. The pot or glass must be placed in the foam lid, in which you must first make a hole with a suitable diameter. If everything is done correctly, you will very soon be able to get fresh greens right at home. Here's what hydroponic onion cultivation looks like:
Growing algorithm
Every person who has a vegetable garden or garden in his household knows how hard it is to work on the ground. To grow something on your site, you need to plow or dig the land, plant a plant, loosen it, water it, process it from pests - and this is not the whole list of works that need to be done.
The algorithm for growing plants on hydroponics is as follows:
1) select the desired plant;
2) we select the desired solution: perlite, expanded clay and others;
3) prepare the container and plant the seeds in it;
4) we select fertilizers suitable for plants;
5) install the compressor;
6) immerse the completed container in water.
That’s all. All that remains for us is to monitor whether there is enough water for the plant and cut off the overgrown leaves of greens in a timely manner to accelerate the growth of new leaves.
As we can see, the process of growing using hydroponics is much simpler, in addition, it has several advantages over the usual soil method. For example, you can forget about back pain and body aches, and your hands will always be clean. In addition, you can grow plants without leaving your home, that is, you can even do this in your city apartment. Using hydroponics, you can grow almost any plant, with the exception of root crops.
Due to the ease of obtaining nutrients, plants can focus all their forces on growth. Accelerated plant growth provides optimal illumination obtained through the use of special phytolamps, and the roots receive all the necessary number of trace elements.
Each of these factors allows not only to grow the plant at an accelerated pace, but also to provide it with excellent taste. And since you have the opportunity to choose the nutritional value of the solution yourself, your crop is saturated with all the necessary substances that are needed for your health and beauty.
In addition, your greens become absolutely safe, since there are no parasites in the aqueous solution that can infect the plant with helminths and other dangerous diseases.
Hydroponics: materials and common techniques
In addition to the aqueous solution, you will also need to use a substrate - a substance that has a porous structure and has the ability to accumulate, absorb and release water.
But there are methods in which you can use only an aqueous solution without using a substrate. However, in most cases, a substrate saturated with a solution of water cannot be dispensed with. So, we came to the main methods with which you can grow greens at home.
Method No. 1
There is a technique, the principle of which is that you need to pour an aqueous solution with nutrients in containers, after which the root system of the plant, previously attached near the surface, is placed in them. This is necessary so that the plant is immersed in water no more than it should be.
After passing the process of slight evaporation of the solution, you need to replenish it with water. After a while, you need to completely change the solution. This technique is ideal for plants in which the root system suffers from a lack of oxygen. As a rule, this applies to crops with a well-developed root system.
Method 2
The second technique involves the use of double pots designed for growing flowers. In the first, more voluminous pot, you need to fill the solution with the necessary nutrients. The root system of the culture should be placed in the second container, after which it should be covered with a substrate. In this case, in the walls and bottom of the second pot you need to make a few minor holes (this can be done independently). After this, the second pot is immersed in the first. Make sure that the root system of the plant is not completely immersed in water, but only 2/3.
After some time, when replacing the solution, the second (smaller) pot should be removed and the aqueous solution in the outer pot replaced. This technique is very easy to use and is very popular among people growing vegetables at home.
Today in specialized shops and on the Internet you can buy all the necessary equipment for growing plants at home (including pots), and their choice is quite wide and varied. At the same time, the price does not “bite” at all, and anyone can afford such a pleasure.
External flower pots, which are sold in stores and designed for growing crops by hydroponics, are made using a special permeable material with various decorative elements. As for the inner pots, they are almost always transparent and have a special scale or markup, with which you can mark the level of the aqueous solution.
Method 3
And the last technique is called the submersible method. This method is perfect for the period when planning the procedure for growing vegetables, plants or herbs in especially large volumes.
To get started, take a bulk container (bath) and pour a nutritious aqueous solution into it. On the surface of this solution you need to place a floating platform (the best option is to use polystyrene foam). In the foam, it will be necessary to make several holes in which then the perforated pots with the substrate containing the plants contained in them will be placed. Alternatively, the root system can be immersed directly in the solution itself, that is, without the use of pots with a substrate.
The hydroponics system is installed as follows: we put an aerator at the bottom of the container - it is needed to regularly saturate the solution with oxygen, without which no plant will live. If there is no aerator, an alternative to an ordinary aquarium compressor can be used. With this technique, it is necessary to periodically drain the old one and fill in a new solution, since it has the property to evaporate and absorb the nutrients grown by the plant.
This is how it should look like you have:
Hydroponics at home - greens: what solutions are needed
One of the most important components of any hydroponics technique is a special aqueous solution that is needed to grow all kinds of herbs, vegetables and other plants. The main objective of this solution is to ensure that during the cultivation period all the necessary nutrients are brought into the culture, which contributes to the harvest year-round.
Today, there are many different options for an aqueous solution, the recipes of which are available in huge quantities, and it is not difficult to find them. They are described on the Internet or on thematic print media, such as "Garden", and others.
But there is also a more simplified, and, perhaps, a reasonable option - the purchase of a ready-made nutrient solution in special retail outlets. Today, such products can be purchased in almost all flower or garden shops. However, do not forget that each individual plant needs its own solution with a special composition, designed specifically for this culture. Therefore, before purchasing a solution, be sure to consult with the seller! In addition, read the instructions on the packaging in detail, this will help you buy exactly the type of product that is ideal for your plant.
Hydroponics is not only a full-fledged alternative to the usual soil method of growing greens and other plants. It also has a number of advantages, such as the absence of physically hard work on the ground, pests and the ability to grow plants not only in the country house or garden, but also in the apartment.
