One of the methods of growing plants in greenhouses and at home is hydroponics - without the use of soil on an aqueous solution. Although this method is not the newest, but it has become widely used recently, and many gardeners still know very little about it. In this article we will consider the essence of the use of the hydroponics method and possible harm from it.
Principle of operation of hydroponics
The method of hydroponics is based on the principle of creating favorable conditions for the development and nutrition of the roots, which consist in the following:
- organize the contact of roots with nutrient solution;
- ensure a constant air circulation;
- maintain optimum moisture in the space between the nutrient solution and the roots.
The technology of hydroponics consists in the following: the plant takes root in a layer of substrate laid on the basis of a grid, placed on a container with a nutrient solution. For such growing plants you need to buy a special hydroponic pot, but you can make it yourself.
As a substrate, you can use vermiculite, perlite, peat, moss , expanded clay and other materials that meet the following requirements:
- has a weakly acid or neutral reaction;
- easily transmits air;
- well wetted by solution;
- does not enter into a chemical reaction with dissolved substances.
Hydroponics uses a nutrient solution obtained by dissolving chemical salts in water, consisting of the substances necessary for the plant to live and grow (nitrogen, boron, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron, sulfur, etc.).
Types of hydroponic systems
Depending on the method of feeding the nutrient solution to the roots, there are 6 main types of hydroponics systems:
- Wicking hydroponics is the simplest form, in which the solution is supplied with the help of wicks. Not suitable for moisture-loving plants.
- Deep-water culture is a kind of active system, the floating platform is made of foam.
- Hydroponics with a nutrient layer is a kind that does not use a substrate.
- The system of periodic flooding - based on a temporary inflow and decrease of nutrient solution in a container with plants, is equipped with a timer.
- The drip irrigation system is an easily variable design, especially when using individual pots instead of large capacity.
- Aeroponics is the most technological kind, in which the roots in the air are moistened with a nutrient solution with the help of nebulizers controlled by a timer.
Hydroponics: harm or benefit?
Hydroponics is considered a young sphere of agriculture, using high technologies for growing products. And at the very beginning of its application in agriculture (50-60 years), the use of an artificial method was considered "harmful", and the quality of the products received was worse. Therefore, even now, when the way of growing vegetables becomes more popular, it is still the old fashioned way to believe that products grown with the help of hydroponics harm the high content of "chemistry". But this is not correct, as this technology is constantly being improved, and with this growing less harmful chemical elements are used than with conventional cultivation in the ground.
If, when growing in the open ground, not all the harmful substances used fall into the fruits and vegetables that are obtained, in hydroponics the entire nutrient solution passes completely into the fruit.
- cultivates with her narcotic plants (marijuana);
- uses in the construction of poor-quality materials;
- uses for the acceleration of growth in nutrient solution biological additives;
- uses poisonous substances to combat plant diseases.
In all other cases, the hydroponic method is considered quite safe and meets modern conditions.