Saturday, November 22, 2014

Vertical Hydroponics Offers An Economical Gardening Alternative For Quality Produce

By Ida Dorsey


The size of the typical residential backyard continues to get smaller, and as cities expand every year, it leaves relatively little space for those who enjoy growing fruits, vegetables, and other plants to do so. This is why vertical hydroponics is taking off as an alternative approach to gardening, which has the advantages of saving money, work, and water and ultimately produces superior crops.

Hydroponic growing can be done both indoors and outdoors and it does not use soil as a medium for planting, but rather relies on another substrate such as gravel or a nutrient-enriched solution. Gardening can be done all year in an environment with no pests, and it isn't necessary to rotate crops. The stacked growth system save space and allows for a larger number of plants. The gardener has considerably more control over the nutrient levels too.

It is usually possible to grow any plant regularly grown in soil using hydroponics. A higher degree of direct management and less dependency on nature is associated with hydroponic gardening because the grower monitors the level of all essential nutrients which in turn results in higher quality produce. The amount of money and labor needed to maintain this type of garden is considerably less which is another benefit.

Most gardeners also welcome the freedom from such tedious tasks as tilling, fertilizing, weeding, and mulching that goes along with having a standard garden. Being concerned about it receiving insufficient or excessive water is also a thing of the past, because the water level remains constant. Another advantage is that plants can grow day or night in any season with the use of special grow lights.

If the soil in the area is poor in quality, this is an ideal alternative for those who wish to grow their own produce. It is easier to grow produce organically using this approach too since there is no need to use pesticides or weed killers. Hydroponically grown plants take the essential substances including hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon from the air which they need for growth.

Crops produced hydroponically are usually more abundant and of higher quality than their soil-grown counterparts because the nutrients they need are consistently delivered to them by the grower. The threat of weeds and insects, sunlight or nutrient deprivation is eliminated, and the gardener saves money because there is no need to buy pesticides and herbicides.

Less water is needed for hydroponic gardens than those which use soil, since the plants are continually submersed in a solution rather than needing to be regularly irrigated. Some growers will also install a timer system to provide automatic fertilization at specified intervals to the crops, which helps to further limit water consumption.

The consistent supply of vital nutrients also encourages faster ripening in crops that are grown using hydroponics. There is less demand placed on the plants to seek out and absorb water and nutrients from the soil as with traditional gardening methods, allowing the growing plant to develop more fully, which makes for better overall quality in both health value and flavor.




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