Known as soilless gardening, hydroponics has a long history in human civilization. We may have gotten down its science as late as the 1890s, but the method has actually been put to practice way back during the time of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Today, there are several different kinds of hydroponic growing systems, most of them mere variations of the more basic types. Below are four hydroponic growing systems commonly used today.
Water Culture or Aqua Culture
The word hydroponics comes from the Greek word hydros meaning “water” and ponics meaning “method.” But research soon dispelled the belief that plants can only grow in either water or soil for scientists discovered that there are other growing media available.
Still, when people hear about hydroponics, most of them would probably think of water culture as the hydroponic growing system used.
On a small scale, water culture method of hydroponic growing system is the simplest form to set up. This system allows plant roots to be totally immersed in nutrient solution. The only trouble with this hydroponic growing system is that you need a large amount of water for supply to each plant, not to mention the need to aerate the solution continuously.
The actual design of this hydroponic growing system is limited only by the imagination of the builder. Just remember the following factors as you build your own water culture system:
* Support the plant above the solution
* Aerate the solution
* Prevent light from reaching the solution (to prevent growth of algae)
The tray or tank to be used as reservoir for the nutrient solution may be made of anything, from concrete or plastic-lined, to asphalt-sealed wood. If you use asphalt to seal the tank, be sure it does not contain creosote or tars. In addition, don’t use asphalt that leaves an oil film on the surface of the water.
The tank should be around 6 to 12 inches deep, 2 to 3 feet wide, and as long as in convenient. For plant holders, you can use a plywood top or a piece of 1-inch thick Styrofoam. To place plants, just insert them through holes drilled through the plywood or through the Styrofoam.
Aerate the solution continuously by pumping through a perforated hose or pipe immersed in the solution. For small hydroponic growing systems, an aquarium pump and porous stone will work. Do not bubble the solution too vigorously because excessive movement may damage the tender roots and impair the plant growth.
Aggregate Culture
Another type of hydroponic growing systems is aggregate culture. Aggregate may be made of sand or gravel. This method is often preferred to the water culture method since the aggregate helps to support the roots.
You can use the same type of tank in a water culture system to hold the aggregate in place. The nutrient solution is held in a separate tank and pumped into the aggregate tank to moisten the roots as needed. After the aggregate has been flooded, it is drained to provide aeration. Enough water and nutrients cling to the aggregate and roots to supply the plant until the next flooding.
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Indoor Hydroponic Systems
... may be cultivated in a medium other than soil. To apply this principle of soilless gardening, they came up with agricultural systems like indoor hydroponic systems that do not require soil for plant cultivation. There are several different methods used to apply indoor hydroponic systems. Typically, instead of soil, an inert growing material or plain water is used to grow plants. The growing material may consist of vermiculite, gravel, or one of Hydroponic Growing Systems many other types of inert substances that permit water to flow through with the rule that the more porous the material is, the better for growing. Thus, coconut fiber, bran, moss, and something similar may be perfectly suited for indoor hydroponic systems. For the plants' nutrient source, indoor hydroponic systems use nutrient solution. It was in the 1890s when Russian researchers first developed the right formula conducive for plant growth. The nutrients of...
Hydroponic Grow Systems
... the nutrient solution. The biggest drawback of this hydroponic grow system, however, is that large plants or those that use large amounts of water may use up the nutrient solution faster than the wick can supply it. Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponic Grow System Often abbreviated to N.F.T., this hydroponic grow system is the kind of system most people think of when they think about hydroponics. N.F.T. systems are typically composed of the following: * Grow tray (tube) * Nutrient pump * Reservoir * Air stone * Air pump This hydroponic grow system has a constant flow of nutrient solution so no timer for the submersible pump is required. The growing tray, usually a tube, is pumped full of nutrient solution, which flows over the roots of the plants, and then drains back into the reservoir. Usually, this hydroponic grow system does not use growing medium other than air. This thus saves you the...
Hydroponic Systems
... system. This is because it has no moving parts. All that you have to do is place a wick unto the nutrient solution contained in the reservoir. The wick draws the solution into the growing medium, without need of any other extraneous movements. Besides the wick and the reservoir, the wick hydroponic system may include the following basic components: * Grow tray * Growing medium * Air pump * Airstone This hydroponic system may use a variety of growing medium, such as Perlite, Vermiculite, Pro-Mix, and Coconut Fiber, among other things. The biggest drawback of this system is that plants that are large or use large amounts of water may use up the nutrient solution faster than the wick can supply it. Water Culture Out of all active hydroponic systems, the water culture system is the simplest. The components include the floating platform, the air line, the airstone, and the air pump. The platform serves as the plant holders,...
Hydroponic Equipment
Their current product Hydroponic Growing Systems listing includes SaferGro Phosgard Pint and Botanicare Power Flower 2.5 Gallon, both nutrient solutions for use in your hydroponics system, and iGSL iLS120-ON 120V On Switcher, a hydroponic equipment used to turn on other equipment and power circuit. Hydroponics.net Greentrees Hydroponics at Hydroponics.net is a specialist when it comes to plant grow lights and reflectors designed for compatibility with any hydroponics system. In addition, Greentrees Hydroponics also offer the following hydroponic equipment: * Ballasts, reflectors, and bulbs * Hydroponic systems * Nutrient * Nutrient enhancers * Propagation and cloning * Growing media * pH and TDS * Pumps * Pots * Tubing and fittings * Insect Control * Fungicide AtlantisHydroponics.com Atlantis Hydroponics offers hundreds of products for the hydroponic and soil grower alike. With headquarters in Georgia, Atlantis Hydroponics opened its first store in Athens in 1998. Today, they have offices in Atlanta, Athens, and College Park. ...
Hydroponic
... even dramatically lessened further if the water is re-circulated. One key advantage of hydroponic gardening is that the produce is less affected by insects thriving in soil or diseases caused by soil microorganisms. This, of course, means that farmers are less inclined to use insecticide to keep these pests away. The overall result therefore is that you have yourself crops that do not carry traces of insecticide, and can be picked ripe just before eating so preservatives are not required. Produce such as broccoli, cabbage, celery, chard, cucumbers, eggplant, flowers, grapes, lettuce, melons, onions, peppers, pole beans, radishes, strawberries, and tomatoes have been grown hydroponically. Another attractive feature of hydroponic gardening is water economy. In arid areas, where precious water must be re-circulated, hydroponic systems may help improve harvest yields. A large volume of hydroponic food can be grown rapidly in a small area. In fact, it has been reported that four heads of lettuce can be raised...
Hydroponic Gardening
... or fertile farmland. Actually, the method is not new. The famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Ancient Wonders of the World, used a form of hydroponics to cultivate the plants. Today, research has since determined that many different aggregates or media will support plant growth, not just soil, and hydroponic gardening is just one of them. One of the most blatant advantages of hydroponics is that it saves space. For this reason, home gardeners have adopted the technique, growing fresh vegetables and plants even in apartment balconies. What's more, hydroponic gardening has become a widely preferred method for greenhouse gardening because of its Hydroponic Growing Systems space-saving benefits. Hydroponic gardening uses a sterile medium. For the home gardener, this means that there are no weeds to remove and no soil-borne pests to worry about. In...
Hydroponic Supplies
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General Hydroponics
... the lack of soil, which may hinder the roots from seeking out the available nutrients. With general hydroponics, all the necessary growth elements are readily available to the plant. Thus, plants can mature faster, yielding an earlier harvest of vegetable and flower crops. Hydroponic gardens use less space since the roots do not have to spread out in search of food and water. Because of this, many home gardeners have found general hydroponics an ideal method for growing plants right indoors. Greenhouse space is also better used. But more than its space-saving benefits, the biggest advantage to general hydroponics is the ability to automate the entire system Hydroponic Growing Systems with a timer. Automation reduces the actual time it takes to maintain plant growth requirements. Automation also provides flexibility to the gardener as one can be gone for long periods of time without having to worry about watering the plants. For commercial farmers, general hydroponics also offers many advantages. When you cultivate plants without the need for soil, you also eliminate...
Growing Mushrooms
I have been fascinated by fungi of all kinds since I was a little kid. I would go into a forest and watch the lichens on the logs and the mushrooms growing on the underbrush. Sometimes, if I was lucky, I would even see them all shoot out spores, in a sudden explosion of mist. My parents did not want me to grow mushrooms. In our neighborhood, you see, there was a big drug abuse problems. I was a teenager, and they were afraid that I would grow magic mushrooms instead of the edible kind. No matter how much I convinced them that I was only interested in growing shiitake mushrooms, they would not believe me. As soon as I went to college, however, I Hydroponic Growing Systems invested in a growing mushroom kit.
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Navigation Systems For Low Money
. These wonderful little innovations are making life a great deal easier for many of us. Don’t get lost…get GPS! Enjoy Great Deals on Garmin, Tom Tom, and Magellan GPS Systems! Does your vehicle, van or SUV have one of those car navigation systems? Now, it’s not like the car has to come with one. Although this option is rather choice on some of the newer cars, it can be a Hydroponic Growing Systems tad pricey. The good news is you can buy a GPS system separate and use it whenever, or where ever you like.... Check Full Article On : Navigation Systems For Low Money
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... much time and hassle. If the GPS tracking systems work with pets, the same is true with kids. As you may know, some GPS trackers are so handy and fit easily in backpacks and are even built into some cell phones. This then means that you can be aware of exactly where your teen is at all times. The GPS tracking systems can also be used for a number of recreational purposes. Geo-caching, for example, has become a popular pastime among people. With that, the GPS trackers can assist the enthusiasts to plot the course and the position of the next treasure and then leave something of their own. In relation to this, a number of high end golf courses these days equip their...
Go For It and Start Growing Your Own Vegetables
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Sports Betting Systems
System is one of the most well-known sports betting systems that are commonly used in horse racing. Experts have said that unlike the other sports betting systems, the Parlay System has the effect of pyramiding your profit. Pyramiding is actually Hydroponic Growing Systems a parlay wager whereby the original wager plus its winnings are played on successive wagers. Following the principles of pyramiding, what is basically involved in the Parlay System of sports betting is that you make a bet and if you win you re-invest the winnings on the next bet. So in horse racing, for example, you simply let it ride. Also, unlike the other sports betting systems, the Parlay System offers the least amount of risk of all wagers for the reason that the bettors are only concerned with either a win, place or show selection or a combination of the three. Paroli System Of all...
GPS Tracking System
... the device while it is still on the animal. There are also some GPS tracking systems that feature a drop-off function, which is operated either remotely or a pre-programmed time delay. Some even have mortality sensors and temperature. Also, it is worth noting that the communication between the animal's device and the user can be either via satellite or GSM cellular network which allows real time tracking. There are also some systems that work by the animal's unit storing position data in its memory and then is retrieved for data downloading. VHF or UHF radio telemetry beacon, as an alternative method, is also often included on the Hydroponic Growing Systems device. Law Enforcement In the past, the law enforcement personnel used the traditional tailing of a suspect's vehicle, which has a disadvantage of the suspect becoming aware that he or she is being followed. Thanks to GPS tracking systems that the officers can now position themselves...