Home Hydroponic Growing System
A home hydroponic growing system is an excellent method of growing plants in urban areas. As its name implies, it is a culture in water, or better known as without soil. It requires nutrients and a small space to be productive and is widely used by restaurants, shops, homes, among others.
What is home hydroponics?
Home hydroponics is an agricultural practice that allows the production of plants for consumption without using the soil. Its growth is possible because the roots develop in a substrate made of sand or rocks. In addition, a solution containing nutrients is added to this through irrigation.
It is ideal for plants that grow in aquatic environments, such as lettuce, radishes, parsley, coriander, and a variety of other vegetables. It can be carried out on a terrace, patio, balcony or other urban area. For commercial production, larger spaces such as sheds can be used.
How to Create a Homemade Hydroponic System
It is possible to create your own garden through a home hydroponic growing system and monitor the growth of the plants. It can be carried out in special containers that can contain the essential elements for the plants to grow.
The main component in these cases is a correct irrigation system. You can also guide yourself through the following steps:
1. Make a seedbed
First of all, you must make a seedbed with the plants you want to grow. To do this, use a Styrofoam base or disposable cups; put them in a bright place and watch the watering.
2. Gather everything you will need
According to the number of plants you are going to grow, organize what you are going to use. Among the main utensils are:
- A container, a tray or a fish tank that is approximately 25 cm deep.
- An air pump similar to those in fish tanks to supply oxygen to the water.
- Nutrients : you can go to a specialized house and obtain the special nutrient solution for this type of crop.
- Substrate: serves as a base for the plant and retains the nutrients that the crop requires. It can be sand, rocks, agrolite and vermiculite, among others.
- A wooden board, rubber stoppers, among other things.
Ideally, the container should be dark in color — or you can paint it black — to protect the roots from sunlight. Otherwise, you will also need dark bags to cover them.
3. Prepare your home system
Once the seedlings are about 12 cm tall, you can prepare your home hydroponic growing system. To do this, you must open a hole in the base of the chosen container and place a cap. The idea is that it serves as an outlet to the water at the time of change.
On the other hand, you should open holes along the wooden board with equal spaces between each hole. The number of holes will depend on the length of the board and the number of plants you want.
4. Let’s get to work!
By having everything ready, you can put your home hydroponic growing system into action. To achieve this, remove the plants from the seedbed and remove the substrate; keep in mind to carefully take care of the root.
Then, insert them into the holes in the wood, taking care that the plant is not injured and the stem is above the water area. Make sure that it is secured with the substrate so that it can be nourished with the food solution present in the water.
As a last step, run the pump daily for a certain period of time to provide oxygen. If you do this, you just have to wait for their growth.
Recommendations for a successful home hydroponic growing
Hydroponic growing systems are excellent agricultural alternatives that become more important day after day. However, for this to be successful, you must take into account the following recommendations :
- Avoid direct sunlight. Lighting is necessary, but in small quantities.
- Change the water at least every 10 or 15 days and add the specialized nutrient solution for this purpose.
- Monitor the growth of the plant to detect anomalies in time.
In conclusion, the home hydroponic growing system is believed to be the agriculture of the future. Learn how to grow your plants and avoid commercial ones with high fertilizer content. Best of all, it is a project to do as a family, especially with children.
