It may come out as a surprise to you, but do you know that you can grow your favorite vegetables without soil? This is what hydroponics is all about. It involves growing plants within a medium that is soilless, most often a water-based medium is favored. The system rests on the idea that vegetables grow, not because of the soil you plant them in but the nutrients. Below are five convenient reasons to grow plants hydroponically.
Save on Water
With this system, plants consume a very small amount of water. This solves your vegetable water needs through its recirculating nutrient reservoir. This means your vegetable roots will only up take the precise amount of water they require at any given time. The rest of the water remains in the reservoir for later consumption. You can cover this reservoir to stop water seeping out through the bottom and prevent evaporation as well.
Plants create their own vitamins and as such, vitamin levels will tend to remain similar irrespective of soil-based or hydroponic growth system. The mineral content within the hydroponic system may vary depending on the type of fertilizer you use. Water does not seep away in this system, which means you can give your plants precise mineral measurements and remain assured none goes to waster with seepage.
Save on Space
Normal soil-based gardening calls for sizable space. Plant roots require ample space in order to spread out within the soil. Growing plants hydroponically puts away the need for ample space because roots remain submerged within an oxygenated nutrient solution bath.
As such, rather than using soil to convey nutrients to your plants, hydroponics introduces customized nutrient solutions. The solution surrounds the plants with precisely calibrated nutrition throughout the growing process. This means you can put more plants close together, making huge savings on space.
Do Away With Weeding
Growing plants hydroponically means you no longer have to go on your hands and knees to reach the bothersome weed. Not working with soil means weeds have no medium in which to survive. It means you will not need special gardening tools and attire. Furthermore, with this unique system, you need not have to worry as regards which tractor accessories to use in your garden. Machines such as the lawn mower are no longer part of your gardening lexicon.
Plant Diseases and Pests Attacks Go Down
With soil no longer part of the plant-growing environment, pests and diseases that are associated with soil also cease to be your concern. This means health and environment harmful pesticides and disease-fighting chemicals cease to be a danger.
Now that you do not have to worry about pests or diseases, you can focus on key components that ensure top growth. You can focus on maximizing your efforts towards the key ingredients that produce healthier plants. This involves isolating nutrients your plants need to ensure optimum growth and maintaining a steady supply of such nutrients. Your produce becomes fit as a fiddle as a result.
Save on Time
Taking the other reasons in concert, hydroponic plant growth gives you more time to do other things you love to do besides gardening. You make savings on watering, disease and pest control, and weeding. In addition, your plants grow much faster giving you a higher return on your investment in the system. You will have an opportunity to make observations on your plant growth at a quicker pace. This allows you to pinpoint different things you may do to improve the faster growth for your future plantings.
The results arising from this process are that your hydroponically grown vegetables come out just as nutritious as those grown in soil. This will depend on the process pinpointing the appropriate fertilizers and minerals to apply.
Conclusion
Plants traditionally obtain most of the nutrients they need from the soil. With a hydroponic system however, plants gets their requisite nutrients from a solution you create instead. Most often, this system involves greenhouses or warehouses. Healthier plants mean a higher growth rate. This, in turn, means better quality herbs and vegetables for your labor. In addition, subjecting your produce to the hydroponics system is cost efficient and quite environmentally friendly.
