Green thumb glory: Mastering hydroponic farming at home
Aren’t you tired of buying pest-contained food materials from the market? Or do you want to start something homemade to get fresh foodstuffs? Don’t worry; a hydroponic farming system is all that you want.
Hydroponic farming at home can be the best alternative for removing pesticide-containing fruits and vegetables.
The hydroponic technique offers numerous advantages as this doesn’t include any use of soil, so the risk of pests and diseases gets lessened similarly.
So, if you’re ready to start growing home-grown plants and learn about the hydroponic setup and overall guidelines, get into this article to learn more about hydroponic farming at home.
What is hydroponic farming?
Hydroponic farming can be the best option for cultivating various food plants with nutrients in this world, full of pesticide-containing veggies and fruits.
Because in this method, you can grow plants without soil, which offers nutrient-rich food materials.
In this method, plant roots get nutrients and Essential food materials from the water-based hydroponics system.
The hydroponic benefits you not only with faster growth of crop yields but also reserves water and optimized space.
Furthermore, hydroponic farming is believed to be more valuable than traditional farming.
How to do hydroponic farming at home?
If you want to start hydroponic farming at home, you must first know its setup and procedure to develop this farming.
So, the following are the few steps that you should know for hydroponic farming setup at home:
Hydroponic system
Several hydroponic systems are available in the market, so you can get one that fits your budget.
Nutrient film technique, deep water culture, etc., are a few systems mostly used here.
Culture medium
Culture medium or growth medium helps in rooting the growing plants.
Perlite, vermiculite, and coco coir are some of the growth mediums.
Fertilizer solution
A fertilizer solution is nothing but a mixture of water and nutrients for the growth of plants.
You can either buy a pre-made fertilizer solution or prepare it alone.
Usage of PH and EC meter
Generally, the PH meter is used to measure the level of acidity of nutrient solution. In contrast, the EC meter measures the electricity conductivity of nutrient or fertilizer solution.
Both the tools are equally important as they ensure the proper balance of nutrition solutions.
Usage of lightning
If you plan to grow indoors, you need to provide secondary light to your plants. Make sure that you choose plants mainly that grow in an indoor environment.
Once you’re done with this Hydroponic farming setup, you can quickly go for growing plants at home.
How do you grow hydroponic plants at home?
You can grow hydroponic plants at home effortlessly once you have set up the hydroponic farming system.
Here are a few easy steps that you need to know, including:
- First, grow some plants that are usually easy to grow, such as spinach, lettuce, or basil.
- Observe the PH and EC meter of nutrient solution level to adjust it accordingly.
- Daily fertilize your plants based on nutrient solution instructions.
- Do provide essential sunlight to your plants for growth.
- Lastly, when the plants get mature, harvest them.
To grow Hydroponic plants, you just need to give a little attention and care to receive fresh food all year round.
Which plants cannot be grown in Hydroponic farming?
Hydroponic farming has gained much popularity due to its powerful use and efficient use of resources to develop plants without soil.
But do you know that hydroponic farming can be challenging for some species that only grow with the help of soil?
Yes, such plants require only soil and don’t grow with a hydroponic system.
So let’s have a glance at a few plants that don’t grow in the hydroponic farming system, including:
- Deeply rooted shrubs and trees.
- Rooted vegetables.
- Big-sized trees.
- Few medicinal and aromatic herbs.
- Epiphytic plants.
- Plants having symbiotic relationships.
The above-listed plants are unsuitable for hydroponic farming as these plants require traditional farming with soil usage.
Therefore, deeply rooted or rooted plants are unique plants that can be grown only with the help of soil.
How hydroponic farming at home can benefit you?
So, in recent years, hydroponic farming has become the most innovative and popular way of growing plants without soil usage. The hydroponic farming benefits you with numerous things that will make your home farming more efficient.
So let’s check out some benefits of hydroponic farming, and they are:
Space optimisation (efficiency)
The hydroponic technique requires less area compared to traditional soil farming.
You can easily set up a hydroponic system and grow various crop plants, whether you have a room, a small terrace, or a small yard.
It’s especially beneficial for urban dwellers with less outdoor space.
Educational opportunities
This type of farming will be fun and pleasurable for both children and adults.
Hydroponic farming offers an understanding of biology, chemistry, and the importance of agriculture.
Water preservation
Generally, less water is required in the hydroponic technique than in traditional gardening.
In this closed-loop method, water recirculation lessens the water wastage rate by nearly 80-90%.
Therefore, hydroponic is not only environment-friendly but also cost-friendly.
Reduce the risk of pests and diseases
As we know, there is no soil usage in hydroponics farming, so the risk of soil pest and other diseases are also reduced.
Nutrient control
Hydroponics farming at home will precisely control nutrient levels, PH, and several environmental factors.
Fresh food production
You can harvest various crops and grow vegetables, fruits, and other veggies as well that are fresh and healthy for your family.
Moreover, hydroponic farming at home helps you achieve the best things and inspires you to go for innovations for better agricultural farming.
Conclusion
The reason behind the popularity of hydroponic farming is its advantageous method that requires less maintenance and is an efficient way to grow plants at home.
So what are you waiting for? Start your hydroponic farming at home today and enjoy the fresh food materials to achieve a healthy life.