At-home hydroponic gardening offers a number of advantages. They offer a consistent source of healthy, fresh produce that will reduce the number of trips to the store. Without using soil, hydroponic gardening entails growing plants in a mix of water and nutrients.

 

What is hydroponics?

• Basically, it refers to the process of growing plants without the use of conventional dirt media and nutrient-rich water solutions. Fiberglass, sand, clay pellets, and nothing are all examples of that medium. Aeroponics, aquaponics, and other forms of hydroponics are among its many subfields.
  In many regions of the world, hydroponic farming has been accepted as a commercial farming technique, and it has grown to be a recognized field of agricultural research.
• You can grow hydroponic plants with great yields in a small area and on a tight budget. However, compared to hydroponic plants, your investment in commercial farming would be far larger. Hydroponic farming is also preferred by many since it is more easily guaranteed to be organic and uses fewer chemicals and pesticides.
• Hydroponics can be a fun and rewarding hobby that provides you and your family with quality products.

What are the benefits of hydroponics?

• Better plant yield: Hydroponic plants produce higher yields of fruits and vegetables because plants in a hydroponic system are spaced more closely together than the size of the land needed to grow the same number of plants.
• By providing constant and readily available nutrients, hydroponics allows plants to grow 50% faster in soil. Also, fresh produce can be obtained from a hydroponic garden year-round.
• Hydroponic gardening eliminates the need for herbicides and pesticides, which are great for both the environment and the produce grown.
• Any water used in hydroponic gardening stays in the system and can be reused, reducing the need for a constant fresh water supply.
• Better plant production: Hydroponic plants produce higher yields of fruits and vegetables because plants in a hydroponic system are spaced more closely together than the size of the land needed to grow the same number of plants.
• Less space: Hydroponic come in various designs, including vertical stacking systems that take up little space.

What is the equipment used in hydroponics? 

The equipment you need for hydroponics is water. As the word “hydroponics” implies, you’ll need water for your plants—and a lot of it, at once. Other equipment used in hydroponics are;

• Water basin
• Light
• Grow trays and tables
• Fertilizers or nutrients
• Growing medium
• Growing chamber
• Reservoir
• Submersible pump
• Air Pumps

How do you start hydroponic farming at home? 

• Selecting plants and germination
• Choose a light source.
• Using a hydroponic system
• Pick a hydroponic growing medium.
• Prepare a hydroponic fertilizer solution for seed beginning.
• Seeds should be placed in the growth medium.
• Get a pH meter and a pH up/down tester.

Can you grow garlic in hydroponics? 

• Growing garlic hydroponically is an easy and successful method to grow. Once you get going, however, you can continue to plant cloves from your existing bulbs for a more or less self-sufficient crop.
• Garlic can be grown in various ways, but many believe hydroponics is the best method. It mainly allows plants to grow faster and more efficiently than any other method. This continuous fertilization also leads to significantly higher yields than soil. All these benefits extend to garlic as well.
• Garlic can be grown in a hydroponic as long as the plants have a suitable substrate and strong artificial light, and the gardener understands how to take them out of their natural life cycle. Garlic also needs additional nutrients to sustain its growth.

What seeds grow fastest for hydroponics? 

The fast-growing plants that will thrive in a hydroponic system are Mustard Greens, Swiss chard, Spinach, Kale, and Watercress, and you can start harvesting them within a month of planting.

 

Tips for growing plants faster in hydroponics;

• Pay attention to temperature – the temperature of your ingredients is important. When the temperature becomes too high, the dissolved oxygen level from the aerators decreases.
• Stagnant water is not helpful water – When it comes to hydroponic reservoir water, how often you do water changes depends on the system and your preference. There are many opinions, so it’s best to try and find the way that works for you. Some people recommend changing the nutrient solution weekly or bi-weekly. Some may hold off longer than a week or two.
• Use an EC Meter – An EC meter will become one of your best friends in maintaining a hydroponic reservoir. These EC meters will give you an idea of ​​the amount of fertilizer in the water. Remember, plants don’t take up nutrients at the same rate, so if you “top off” your system (add some solution to the reservoir), it can cause some minerals to build up. When you completely change the solution and use an EC meter, you will help retain nutrients.

Does hydroponics need electricity? 

Pumps and machines used in hydroponics use relatively little electricity compared to lighting costs. Still, even less-used appliances will add to utility bills. Ultimately, the consumer inherits the high electricity cost of hydroponic gardening.

How much cost does it take to start a hydroponic farm? 

The total cost of a hydroponic farm is Rs.5 to Rs.8 lakh. The setup cost for a hydroponic farm will be 110 lakhs to Rs.150 lakhs in one acre of land, excluding the price of land.

Can you grow hydroponics at home? 

Hydroponics is easy to start in your home, so you can grow year-round. You can create many different garden styles, the most common being wick systems, deep water cultures, and nutrient film techniques. With simple construction, you can easily have a garden in your home.

Are hydroponic vegetables healthy? 

• In their sprouting stages, seeds are the most nutritious because of the concentration of all nutrients.
• Hydroponically grown sprouts are even healthier because they get healthy nutrients from a water solution. And thus, sprouts can provide you with plenty of nutrition even when consumed in small amounts.

What are the 6 types of hydroponics? 

There are six types of hydroponics to consider for your garden:

1. Wick – Plant roots grow down through a medium while an absorbent “wick” transports nutrient-rich water from the water reservoir to the zone of the root system. In addition, a growing medium allows air (oxygen) to reach the roots.
2. Deep Water Culture (DWC) – Deep water culture (DWC) is the most straightforward system for most growers to maintain. It consists of a reservoir filled with water and nutrient solution. Plants are hung above the reservoir using a mesh pot and growing media. The roots are submerged in the reservoir, so they have a constant water supply and nutrients. Plant roots need oxygen. Suppose you used an air pump with an air stone to pump bubbles into the reservoir to oxygenate the water and then deliver the oxygen to the roots. DWC is inexpensive and low-cost to maintain. Maintenance is low and only requires a reservoir, suspension system, and basic air pump. This process is recirculating, which means less waste and more cost savings.
3. Ebb and Flow – Plant roots grow medium. Nutrient-rich water is pumped repeatedly (e.g., every 30 minutes) into the root zone area and allowed to return to the water reservoir.
4. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) – Plants are placed on a floating surface suspended in a slightly inclined trough. Plant roots hang down with the upper part of the root system exposed to air (oxygen). The lower part of the roots is exposed to nutrient-rich water that is poured into the trough at the upper (higher) end. Water flows back into the water reservoir through other root systems (downstream). The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) provides a thin film of nutrients to plant roots. The water and nutrient solution are kept in a large reservoir, with an air pump and air stone for oxygenation (such as a DWC system). However, unlike the submerged roots of DWC, the plants of the NFT system are grown in a close channel (in net pots).
5. Aeroponics – Plant roots are placed in an enclosed space and exposed to air (oxygen) where, periodically (e.g., every 30 minutes), nutrient-rich water is flowed through the enclosure or sprayed by mist.
6. Drip – In a hydroponic drip system, an aerated and nutrient-rich reservoir delivers solutions to individual plants through a network of tubes. It is slowly dripped into the growing media around the root system, keeping the plants moist and well nourished. It is the most popular and widespread hydroponics method, especially among commercial growers. Drip systems can be individual plants or large-scale irrigation works.

Does hydroponics need sunlight? 

Hydroponics requires light, but not necessarily sunlight. You can grow plants hydroponically outdoors or in a greenhouse, where your plants naturally get all the light they need. Or, if you have an indoor space with plenty of natural light, this will work too.

What plants can be grown in hydroponics? 

• The most common crops are Leaf Lettuce, Tomatoes, Strawberries, Watercress, Peppers, Cucumbers, Celery, and some herbs.
• An important factor in system design for a particular crop is its support of nutrient solutions.

What nutrients do I need for hydroponics? 

• Plants grown hydroponically are exposed to light to enable photosynthesis and to air to provide the roots with the oxygen they require to flourish.
• A growing medium is used in some hydroponic systems to nourish plant roots and promote more effective water absorption by the root system. Coconut coir, a shredded fibrous product produced from coconut husks, is one type of growing media that is frequently utilized.
• Aeroponics, a branch of hydroponics, doesn’t utilize a growing medium and only needs light, water, and fertilizers.
• To be ‘complete,’ a hydroponic nutrient must contain the essential elements for plant growth: Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K), Phosphorus (P), Magnesium (Mg), Sulfur (S), Calcium (Ca), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn).
• Hydroponic nutrients can last 7 – 10 days, assuming you extract, clean, and re-mix your nutrients and flush the system daily with plain water. Do it from the top. Nutrient strength will decrease as plants absorb nutrients in the system