Probably every person who likes to work in their own suburban area has heard of such a concept as hydroponics at home, carried out by their own hands. What is the technology, what are the benefits of growing cultivated plants in this way? We will try to answer these and other questions in the material presented.
What is hydroponics?
In fact, this method involves the cultivation of vegetables without soil. The nutrients necessary for the growth and formation of fruits, cultures are obtained from special solutions.
Hydroponics, equipment for growing vegetables in particular, makes it possible to regularly receive a rich harvest on a small area. In this case, the fruits are distinguished by ecological purity, an abundance of vitamins and minerals. Plants fed with enriched mixtures do not spend energy on the development of a branched root and powerful stem system.
In domestic conditions, hydroponics, equipment for growing vegetables allow to plant almost all cultivated plants. In domestic realities, it is most rational to resort to such a method to obtain a crop of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, radishes.
The solution for hydroponics is an ideal alternative to the soil when growing indoor flowers. The only exceptions to the rule are plants whose root system is susceptible to decay when there is an abundance of moisture.
Technology features
As you know, when growing cultivated plants on the ground in the open air, their root system feeds on moisture and the substances necessary for growth directly from the ground. However, such an soil contains an unbalanced amount of useful elements. That is why plants have to spend energy on the development of a massive root, large stem and leaves.
The material for hydroponics has a balanced composition. Thus, plants receive nutrients in the right amount. Accordingly, the need for the development of a powerful root system disappears, and all the energy is redirected to flowering, fruit mass gain and the formation of a plentiful harvest. When cultivating crops by hydroponics, plants have weak roots, but a powerful aerial part.
Pros and cons of growing plants based on hydroponic technology
Do-it-yourself hydroponics for cucumbers and tomatoes provides the following benefits:
- Cultures are formed healthy, have a strong stalk. They grow several times faster than on ordinary ground in the open air, give more fruit.
- The crop does not contain nitrates, heavy metals, nuclides, other toxic substances that are concentrated in ordinary garden soil and water.
- There is no need for regular watering of cultivated crops manually.
- There is no need to use pesticides to kill fungi and pests.
- No need to remove weeds. Also, it is not necessary to feed and loosen the soil, since the solutions used in hydroponics themselves are fertilizer.
- Plants do not suffer from oxygen deficiency in the soil, do not get wet and do not dry out.
- Do-it-yourself hydroponics for cucumbers and tomatoes does not make you go to the country and delve into the ground. To receive a plentiful harvest, a small enough free space is enough to place equipment in a room or on a balcony.
However, the technology has some disadvantages. However, they cannot be called critical. First of all, to grow crops using hydroponics, you will have to invest in the purchase of equipment and supplies. You will also need to study technology information in theory and spend more time planting plants.
System elements
How to make hydroponics? Standard equipment usually includes several components:
- The upper part - pumps, tubular bends for irrigation of plants, oxygen supply.
- The lower part is a capacity for planting crops, as well as a pump that delivers fluid to the upper part of the system. The pump should contain a timer that will periodically activate the mechanism for irrigation of the root system of plants.
Substrate system
It is the simplest plant for growing crops using hydroponics. Plants are placed in a container with a substrate. It contains a series of holes through which the nutrient solution is supplied. The immersion depth of the rhizomes of crops in a liquid in this case is about 1-2 cm.
The equipment is supplemented by a pump with a timer, which is located in the lower section of the container. There are also inlet and outlet pipes for supplying and draining the liquid.
The root system of plants is in limbo. A small amount of water is located at the bottom of the tank and maintains the relative humidity of the substrate. A pump timer is activated several times a day, which starts the mechanism for several minutes. Nutrient fluid floods the container to the edge of the tube. Excess substances naturally merge into the lower section. With a lack of natural light, special hydroponic lamps can be used.
Drip system
Such hydroponics do-it-yourself for cucumbers and tomatoes involves planting plants in a deep container filled with a substrate. The supply of nutrients dissolved in the liquid is carried out through a tube that contains holes along the entire length. Water with the content of useful elements comes in a drip method and is fed to the substrate directly at the rhizomes of plants. Excess liquid flows into the lower container, is filtered, saturated with oxygen and fed back to the crops.
Water system
In a deep container filled with water, there is a pallet made of non-sinking material, such as polystyrene. Holes are made in its surface through which the stems of the plants are passed, after which they are fixed with clamps. Thus, the root system is immersed in a liquid with nutrients dissolved in it. As the cultures grow, the solution is changed and periodically saturated with oxygen. The last task can be easily dealt with by placing an aquarium compressor in the water tank.
The hydroponic water system is ideal for cultivated plants that love high levels of humidity. In particular, the technology looks like an ideal solution for growing lettuce leaves, but is ineffective for tomatoes and cucumbers.
Air technology
Rhizomes of plants are suspended in space and are regularly sprayed with fluids with nutrients in the composition. When growing crops using this technology, the main thing is to prevent them from drying out.
Spray the nutritional formulations as an aerosol. You can perform the operation manually. However, for these purposes, it is better to prepare a special device that can be made on the basis of a household air humidifier.
Nutrient Layer Technology
To equip the system, you need a wide container of small height. Here the plants are suspended in baskets so that their roots touch the bottom of the tank, through which, thanks to a slight slope, streams of nutrients circulate without stopping. The liquid composition is supplied to the rhizomes of plants through tubes from another, lower reservoir using an aquarium pump. After passing through the streams, the water flows back, is saturated with oxygen through the pump and again enters the upper container to the rhizomes of crops.
How to transfer seedlings to hydroponics from the soil?
It is recommended to perform the procedure in summer or spring. The roots of seedlings of young crops are carefully removed from the soil and kept in warm water for several hours. Then the plants are cleaned of rotten particles, disinfected and washed thoroughly from soil residues.
Each plant is placed in a separate plastic pot with mesh walls, which is filled with a substrate. Such a container is located in an external container filled with water. After about a week, ordinary water is replaced with a hydroponic nutrient solution of half the concentration of trace elements. For the second month, you can use a standard liquid with a high content of phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and other substances.
Finally
Do-it-yourself hydroponics for cucumbers and tomatoes, other cultivated plants can be organized not only at home, but also in the greenhouse, as well as outdoors. In this case, the yield will depend on the quality of lighting, maintaining the temperature and humidity conditions necessary for a particular type of plant.