Hydroponic Farming

A farmer’s guide booklet

Introduction

Hydroponic, also known as aquaculture is a method of cultivating and growing plants without soil. It is a subset of hydro-culture, in which plants are grown using mineral nutrient solutions, in water in total absence of soil. It is one of the most rapidly growing sectors of agriculture that has the capability of dominating food production in the nearby future. In natural conditions, it has been observed that soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir, but the soil itself is not essential for any plant’s growth. Thus, when the same mineral nutrients were dissolved in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. So the technique of aquaculture has been introduced for artificial supply of minerals and necessary nutrients to the plants in which soil is no longer required for plants to thrive.

Hydroponic Farming Fact

If you are new to this modern gardening technique, you will definitely find the following hydroponic farming facts useful. Hydroponics is a novel method used to cultivate plants and herbs. It has helped budget conscious gardeners reap stunning yields without any soil or fertilizers!

Hydroponic farming doesn’t follow traditional gardening strategies. For instance, you don’t need to water the plants frequently or douse your pricey crops with expensive pesticides. These are prominent benefits of hydroponic farming methods.

Conversely, you can grow different kinds of plants using this method! From ornamental flowers, to vegetables, to bloomers, to fruits you can use hydroponic systems to add more color and tang to your homes!

Revealing Top 5 Interesting Facts about Hydroponic Systems

There are number of advantages that one can get from aquaculture systems. Thus, here revealing top 5 advantages that really prove to be as an interesting fact related to this technology: 1. Farmers claim that some of the aquaculture crops use 90% less water as compared to the same crops in traditional soil farming. As a result huge amount of water could be saved.

2. One can plant 4 times the amount of crops in the same space as that of traditional soil farming. So one can get more amounts of crops in limited space itself.

3. As these plants are grown in an inert medium without soil, they require perfectly balanced pH, nutrients solutions as well as highly oxygenated water that is being delivered directly into the roots.

4. Some of the crops can grow twice as fast in aquaculture due to getting exactly the appropriate amount of nutrients, oxygen as well as water.

5. Crops that are grown using aquaculture technique do not use a single trace of neither herbicide nor pesticide chemicals and so it significantly creates impact on environment as well as on our bodies

The right environmental condition

Hydroponic systems are maintained carefully between 50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit! For some plants, the temperature should be maintained at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, the plants are provided with 8 to 12 hours of direct sunlight every day.

Some Benefits of Growing Hydroponically

 Controlled System for Optimal Growing Conditions

Hydroponics utilize closed-circuit controlled systems which enable gardeners to maintain optimal growing conditions. In an indoor system, artificial electric lights replicate the sun’s natural light to enable photosynthesis. As plants require adequate air circulation to receive the carbon dioxide needed for photosynthesis, indoor hydroponic systems usually include fans or some sort of venting system.

How it Works

Plants grown hydroponically do not depend on soil to obtain nutrients. Instead, a pH- controlled nutrient-rich water provides what the plant needs to thrive by transporting the nutrition directly to the plant roots, where it’s rapidly absorbed.

 Herbicide-Free Crops No soil means no weeds, so plants grown hydroponically do not require any harmful herbicides. As soil often contains diseases which can be transmitted to plants, hydroponic plants tend to be more disease- and pest-resistant, although not completely. As in soil-based growing, hydroponic plants can attract pests. But pests tend to be minimal due to the controlled growing environment. Hydroponic plants are not necessarily organic, but growers can control pests using biological methods in lieu of harmful pesticides.

 ‘Drought-Friendly’ and Water-Conserving

Since water is supplied through a recirculating system, hydroponics uses about 90% less water than traditional soil-based growing methods, thereby conserving water – a welcome concept during periods of drought.

 Great For Small-Space Living and Indoor Gardening

Hydroponic systems are perfect for gardeners living in small spaces, as they require very little square footage. In the same amount of space, growing hydroponically produces four times the amount of crops of traditional soil-based techniques. Most home systems are easy to set up, and relocating the garden is no arduous task, as the systems are generally simple to move.

 Can Be Almost Maintenance-Free

Some hydroponic systems are nearly plug-and-play, as they feature automatic controls which monitor water and nutrient levels, and a timer to manage irrigation and add

Six Basic Hydroponic Systems

There are four basic methods of hydroponic or soilless gardening – active, passive, recovery, and non-recovery – and six basic hydroponic systems which each function differently, but in all cases the plants receive their nutrients via some form of water (hydro) delivery system: drip (recovery or non-recovery), wick, water culture, ebb and flow or flood and drain, nutrient film technique (NFT), or aeroponic.

1. Drip Growing Systems

One of the most common forms of hydroponics, recirculating or “recovery” drip growing systems recycle the excess nutrient solution from a reservoir. A timer controls a submersed pump which drips nutrient solution onto the base of each plant via a small drip line.

2. Wick System

Maybe the simplest hydroponic system, the wick system involves no moving parts and can use a variety of growing media. In all cases the nutrient solution gets released onto the growing tray and delivered to the roots through a wick.

3. Water Culture and Aquaponic Systems

In this system, the containers holding the plants sit inside a floating Styrofoam platform, through which the roots are suspended directly into the nutrient water.

Aquaponic systems are a form of water culture that uses fish. The fish produce waste, which becomes nutrients to fertilize the plants. The plants then filter and purify the water, which gets recycled back to the fish in a continuous cycle. Fish can survive for weeks without feeding, and they only need what they can eat in about 5 minutes – a very small amount of fish food. The fish, often tilapia, can also end up on your dinner table.

4. Ebb and Flow or Flood and Drain

An ebb and flow or flood and drain system utilizes a submerged pump connected to a timer to control the temporary flooding of the root zone’s grow tray with a nutrient solution which drains back into the reservoir. This system’s grow tray can use a variety of growing media, such as rocks, gravel, or granular rockwool.

5. Nutrient Film System

The nutrient film system, aka NFT, involves a continuous flow of nutrients, eliminating the need for a timer. A pump forces the nutrient solution over the plant roots onto a grow tray, then the overflow drains into a reservoir. Typically grown in small pots, the plant’s roots are suspended in the nutrient solution without any additional growing medium other than air.

6. Aeroponics

In an aeroponic system, sometimes referred to as fogponics, the roots are not suspended in water but hang in the air, where they receive a nutrient-rich growing medium via misting with a nutrient-rich solution

Simple guide to prepare the garden

Step 1: Assemble the Hydroponic System Step 2: Mix the Nutrients and Water in the Tank

Step 3: Add Plants to the Growing Tubes

Step 4: Tie the Plants to the Trellis

Step 5: Turn on the Pump and Monitor the System Daily

Step 6: Monitor Plant Growth

Step 7: Inspect for Pests and Diseases

Hydroponic systems only need a few basic parts to build

Growing Chamber (or tray), The growing chamber is the part of the hydroponic system where the plants roots will be growing. Simply put, the growing chamber is the container for the root zone. This area provides plant support, as well as is where the roots access the nutrient solution. It also protects the roots from light, heat, and pests. It's important to keep the root zone cool and light proof. Prolonged light will damage the roots, and high temps in the root zone will cause heat stress for your plants, as well as cause fruit and flower drop as a result of heat stress. The temperature itself is very important part of keeping the roots and entire root zone comfortable for the plants.

The size and shape of the growing chamber really just depends on the type of hydroponic system your building, as well as the type of plants you'll be growing in it. Bigger plants have bigger root systems, and need more space to hold them in. The designs here are endless. Almost anything can be used as the growing chamber, you just don't want to use anything made of metal or it could corrode or react with the nutrients. If you look around you'll get lots of ideas of what and how you can easily use many different things for building the growing chamber of your hydroponic system.

Reservoir, The reservoir is the part of the hydroponic system that holds the nutrient solution. The nutrient solution consists of plant nutrients that are mixed in water. Depending on the type of hydroponic system, the nutrient solution can be pumped from the reservoir up to the growing chamber (root zone) in cycles using a timer, as well as continually without a timer, or the roots can even hang down into the reservoir 24/7, making the reservoir the growing chamber also.

You can make a reservoir out of just about anything plastic that holds water. As long as it doesn't leak, holds enough water, and is cleaned out well first it can be used as reservoir. Read this article for more about how big your nutrient reservoir should be. A reservoir also needs to be light proof. If you can hold it over your head and see light coming through it, it's not light proof. But it's easy to make any container light proof by painting it, covering it, or wrapping something like bubble wrap insulation around it. Algae and microorganisms can begin growing with even low light levels.

Submersible Pump Most hydroponic systems use a submersible pump to pump the water (nutrient solution) from the reservoir up to the growing chamber/root zone for the plants. Submersible pumps can easily be found at hydroponic supply shop, or most home improvement stores with garden supplies as fountain and/or pond pumps. They will also come in a wide variety of sizes

The submersible pumps are basically nothing more than an impeller that uses a electromagnet to spin it. They can also easily be taken all apart to be cleaned thoroughly. If it doesn't come with a filter, you can easily make one by cutting a piece of furnace filter screen or similar material to fit. You should clean both the pump and filter regularly to keep them clean.

Delivery system, A hydroponic systems water/nutrient solution delivery system is really quite simple, as well as extremely customizable when building your own hydro systems. Besides the pump, it's really nothing more than just the pluming the water/nutrient solution goes through to get to the plants roots in the growing chamber, and back to the reservoir again. Typically the simplest and best materials to use for the nutrient delivery system are a combination of standard PVC tubing and connectors, standard garden irrigation tubing and connectors, as well as blue or black vinyl tubing.

Depending on the type of hydroponic system you build, you may want to use drip emitters or sprayers as part of your nutrient solution delivery system. While they can be useful, they also can clog. So if you do, make sure you have extras you can quickly swap out while you clean the clogged ones. We try to avoid using emitters because they do clog, as well as cost extra money.

Simple Timer, Depending on the type of hydroponic system you build, and where you place the system to grow your plants. You may need one or two simple timers. If you use artificial lighting to grow the plants instead of natural sunlight, you'll want a timer to control the on/off times for the lighting system. For flood and drain, drip, and aeroponic systems you'll need a timer to control the on/off times for the submersible water pump. Some types of aeroponic systems may need a special timer.

Standard everyday light timers work fine for both the lights as well as the submersible pumps. However we do recommend making sure the timer is rated for 15 amps rather than 10 amps. Fifteen amp timers are often called heavy duty, if not just check the back of the package or timer for the 15 amp rating. Also try and get one for outdoor use, they usually have a cover and are usually water resistant.

We don't recommend the more expensive digital timers over the analogue dial type. Simply because digital timers will loose all memory, as well as your settings if they loose power or get unplugged, even for one second for any reason (unless you find one with a battery backup). They often don't have any more actual on/off settings than the analogue type as well. Just make sure the timer you get has pins all the way around the dial. Air Pump, Other than in water culture systems, air pumps are optional in hydroponic systems. But using them has benefits, and air pumps are relatively inexpensive. Air pumps can be found anywhere they sell aquarium supplies. Air pumps simply just supply air and oxygen to the water and roots. Air is pumped through an air line to air stones that create a bunch of small bubbles that rise up through the nutrient solution.

In water culture systems the air pump helps keep the plants roots from suffocating while their submerged in the nutrient solution 24/7. For any other type of hydroponic system, the air pump is typically used in the reservoir. It helps to increase dissolved oxygen levels in the water up and keep the water oxygenated.

Other advantage's of using air pumps are that as the air bubbles rise, they keep the water and nutrients moving and circulating, this keeps the nutrients evenly mixed all the time. The circulating oxygenated water also helps reduce pathogens from gaining a foothold in the reservoir.

Grow Lights, Grow lights are an optional part of hydroponic systems. Depending on where you plan to put your hydroponic system, and grow your plants. You could choose to either use natural sunlight, or artificial light to grow your plants with. If you can make use of it we prefer natural sunlight, it's is free and doesn't require any extra equipment. However if there just isn't enough natural sunlight where you put your hydroponic system, or at that time of year, you'll need to use at least some artificial light to grow your plants.

Grow lights are different than most standard household lights. Grow lights are designed to emit certain color spectrums that mimic natural sunlight. The plants use these color spectrums (wavelengths) of light to conduct photosynthesis. The plants need to conduct photosynthesis in order to grow and produce fruit and flowers. So the type, as well as the amount of light a plant gets will greatly affect the plants ability to photosynthesize, and thus grow.