Most people get scared away from hydroponics by all of the high-priced, complicated equipment. The good news, is that hydro is easy! Anyone can build their own hydroponic garden with ease on a meager budget if they just know how. I am going to post a series of articles describing basic hydroponic concepts as well as descriptive overviews of various systems along with DIY plans for each. Personally I have tried just about every approach to hydroponics out there… NFT, Ebb and Flow, Drip, Deep Water Culture…you name it, I have tried it…and believe me, there is nothing hard or expensive about hydroponics if you learn the basic concepts!!! Care to jump ahead? Instructions for the construction of your own hydroponic garden can be found here.
Basic Hydroponic Concepts
- ‘Hydro’ means ‘water’
- Plants need to eat and breathe
- PH impacts nutrient availability
- Electrical Conductivity impacts nutrient availability
- Hydroponics does not mean ‘inorganic’
‘Hydro’ means ‘water’
Yes, hydroponics is the art of growing plants without the use of soil. Most of the systems employ some sort of substrate the roots can entwine into and hold up the plant, but this material is not of any food value to the plant. Nutrients are delivered to the root system in the form of a water-based solution via drip line, timed flood, persistent feed, or complete immersion. PH and EC (Electrical Conductivity) of the nutrient solution are monitored and adjusted as needed.
Plants need to eat and breathe….coming in part 2…
