Hydroponic Plant Growing

Hydroponic Plant Growing

What exactly is hydroponics? Hydroponics is a new approach to growing plants. Thanks to soilless cultivation, it's a way to grow plants even in environments where allergy sufferers live. It's an undemanding system for growing not only houseplants in a water environment without soil. We can convert even very large plants to this growing method. The advantage is that we no longer need to repot them. Conversely, we can also grow small plants. For example, after a hyacinth has sprouted and grown into a bulb, we can place it in a glass vase and let it continue to grow and bloom, keeping its roots under close observation. Narcissus and hyacinth bulbs placed this way can create an interesting design element in the interior.

Advantages of hydroponic plant growing:

• With this type of cultivation, there are minimal allergens, dust, and mold.
• Easy watering control, reducing the risk of root rot.
• Faster plant rooting.
• More robust plant growth.
• Low-maintenance care, no need to repot the plant as often.
• The plant can survive several weeks without water (vacation without having to persuade neighbors to come water your plants).
• Higher air humidity in the room.
• Plants are healthier and more resilient.
• Plants are less susceptible to diseases and pests.
• You have control over the nutrient supply for plants.

We can also "teach" plants that we have previously grown in soil to grow hydroponically.

How to Start with Hydroponic Plant Growing

First, a bit of history. The ancient Egyptians already knew how to grow plants in water. This idea is thousands of years old.

Substrate

The most suitable substrate is expanded clay (LECA). It's expanded clay that conducts moisture well. This can lower the water level in the pot and thus limit algae growth and consequently root rot. At the same time, using expanded clay increases air supply to the roots, improving their growth. For cultivation, we choose containers with several holes at the bottom for roots.

We plant a pre-grown seedling into such a selected container. The plant's roots are pulled through the holes at the bottom and covered with expanded clay. We only plant healthy grown plants with healthy roots and leaves. We carefully clean the roots of the growing substrate. If we cannot remove the soil in a sterile manner, we use zeolite or seramis instead of expanded clay. We insert the container prepared this way into another, decorative one. The outer container should be waterproof. It can be plastic or metal and will serve as a water reservoir.

Freshly after such planting, the plant is grown only in pure water. We pour water to a height of 3.5-7 cm. We start fertilizing only after the plant has adapted. You can tell that the plant has already acclimatized and is doing well by the appearance of new roots. These typically have white tips. At the beginning, we prepare the fertilizing solution only at half concentration.

Utility plants are most often grown in greenhouses. Flowers intended for cutting, such as gerberas and carnations, are also grown hydroponically this way. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are grown either in mineral wool or in solution. In such systems adapted for hydroponic cultivation of utility crops, water circulates even outside the bed, where nutrients are replenished, pH is adjusted, and the solution status is monitored. Depending on the type of plant being grown, fertilizers and thus nutrients are added.

Watering

If you decide to grow houseplants this way, you can purchase containers designed for this purpose, including water level indicators. There is always one indicator per container. It is a transparent plastic tube with a float. It shows the minimum, optimal, and maximum level of the nutrient solution. Plants that we decide to grow without classic substrate are harmed by cold air and drafts. We ventilate carefully. These plants need light. However, we do not expose them to direct sunlight. For watering and misting, we do not use rainwater, cold water, chlorinated water, or water that is too hard. The optimal temperature of suitable water for watering is 20°C. Watering for plants grown this way is sufficient once every 2-3 weeks. For small containers, we add water after seven to ten days. The water level after watering should always be at the optimal mark on the indicator. When it drops to the minimum level again, wait two days before watering the plant back to optimum. Water to "maximum" only if you are going on vacation.

You can mix the nutrient solution for the plant from water and liquid or powder fertilizer. Never pour fertilizer directly into the expanded clay, always into the container that serves as the water reservoir. If you were to pour water with fertilizer onto the substrate, salts would precipitate on the surface and the expanded clay could become moldy.

And which plant to start with in hydroponic growing?

We recommend practically anything. Ivies, palms, and cacti do well. The fact that plants do better is also due to the fact that we control their nutrient supply, regular watering, and they have better access to oxygen.

Author: Hana Michalíková