| Tuesday Products: Hydroponic Gardening at Home |
|
|
| Written by Heleigh Bostwick Tuesday, 12 June 2012 | |||
 Perhaps you want to get a jump on the vegetable garden this spring or maybe you just enjoy fresh flowers or vegetables all year long, whatever the reason, hydroponic gardening may be of interest to you. Hydroponic gardening refers to plants that are grown in water instead of soil. Plants that do well growing hydroponically are those that contain a lot of water and that require a lot of water to thrive such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs. Houseplants and flowering plants will also thrive under hydroponic conditions. A lot of people think hydroponic gardening requires a greenhouse, but that is not the case; hydroponic units are sold for home use as well. While there’s a bit more to it than meets the eye, a simple hydroponic unit such as the one pictured above or this General Hydroponics Waterfarm Hydroponic Unit 
makes hydroponic gardening a breeze for the average person even if you have no experience in hydroponic or soilless gardening as it’s sometimes called. The components of an active recovery type hydroponic garden system include a "tank" container similar to a tub or a flowerpot, water, a pump for re-circulating water, a growing medium such as rockwool, vermiculite, or perlite to support the roots, nutrient solution, a pH kit to test the pH of the water, and an activated carbon filter that filters out and destroys pathogens that accumulate on the roots and dislodged when water is circulated through the tank.
Many hydroponic growing units are modular, some are specifically designed for vertical gardening to save space. Because there are several different types of hydroponic systems, it’s best to read up on them or consult and expert. Of course, you can always build your own hydroponic units if you’re so inclined. Recommended Reading: How-To Hydroponics
Hydroponics: Soilless Gardening Explained
Photo source: www.midwesthydroponics.com |
|||
