What is Hydroponics

Facts about Hydroponics, Hydroponics is a division of hydroculture, and it is a process of developing plants by making use of mineral nutrient liquids, such as water, with no soil. Earthly plants may be developed only through their roots in the mineral nutrient solution or in a static medium, such as gravel, which is made up of unconsolidated rock parts and Perlite, a formless volcanic glass that has a fairly high water content.

Types of hydroponics

There are two major types of hydroponics, such as medium culture and solution culture. The medium culture type of hydroponics includes a solid medium for the roots, and it is named for the kind of medium, such as gravel culture, sand culture, or Rockwool culture. Solution culture type of hydroponics does not exercise a hard medium for the roots, but the nutrient solution only. The solution culture is further divided into three major types, such as continuous-flow solution culture, static solution culture, and Aeroponics.

There are two major differences for each medium, such as top irrigation and sub-irrigation. For all methods, currently, hydroponic reservoirs are mostly constructed of plastic material, but occasionally, other materials, such as glass, concrete, metal, wood and vegetable solids are being used, as well. The containers are supposed to keep out light to stop the growth of algae in the nutrient solution.

Static solution culture

In the static solution culture, plants are developed in containers, containing nutrient solution, like glass Mason jars, usually, in domicile applications, tubs, plastic buckets, or tanks. Usually, the solution is tenderly aerated, but it may also be un-aerated. If the solution is un-aerated, its level is maintained low enough such that adequate roots are over the solution, so they get sufficient oxygen. A hole is made in the cap of the reservoir for every plant. There can also be more than one plant for each reservoir. The size of the reservoir can be increased as the size of the plant increases.

A homemade system can be built from glass canning jars or plastic food containers with ventilation provided by an aquarium airline tubing, aquarium pump and aquarium valves. Clear pots are covered with butcher paper, aluminum foil, black plastic, or other substance to keep out light, thus assisting to remove the algae formation.

The nutrient solution may be changed once in a week, or while the concentration falls below a definite level as determined by means of an electrical conductivity meter. At any time the solution is exhausted below a definite level, either water or new nutrient solution is included, a float valve, or a Mariotte's bottle can be employed to keep up the level of the solution automatically.

In the raft solution background, plants are positioned on a sheet of floating plastic, which is floated on the nutrient solution surface. That way, the level of the solution not at all drops below the plant roots.

Aeroponics

Aeroponics is a method, wherein the roots of the plant are incessantly or intermittently maintained in an environment drenched with fine drops of nutrient solution. The technique needs no substrate and involves developing plants with their roots balanced in a growth chamber or deep air with the roots damped periodically by means of a fine mist of atomized nutrients. Outstanding aeration is the major benefit of Aeroponics.