|
|
|||||||
| Home Page |
|||||||
Organic Hydroponics for BeginnersHydroponics is the practice of growing vegetables and plants using mineral nutrient solutions rather than soil. The only difference between regular hydroponics and organic hydroponics is what you decide to feed your plants. Much of the work involved in this type of gardening is learning about it, getting it set up and learning how to make adjustments when they are needed. The food is in the water, which is the key element in hydroponics. The three main things you have to focus on are:
- how you can get the food and water to the plants
- how to know how much water to give the plants so that they won't drown
- how to avoid any serious problems
There are many ways of making sure your plants get the food that they need to survive and grow.
1. Watering by Hand. This is an easy method of feeding the plants. You mix vermiculite, perlite and coconut coir together in water. Since none of these contain any nutrients, you will have to add a plant food supplement to the mixture. Coconut coir and vermiculite do retain a lot of the water, so these minerals will help the containers stay moist for a few days. You can also use sphagnum peat, which is the basis for potting soil, in the containers as well and this retains water.
2. Reservoir. The reservoir feeding method is perhaps the easiest way of feeding the plants. Place a layer of about two inches of nutrient solution in a large container and place the containers with the plants in them down into this. You can have small holes in the bottoms of the containers to make sure that the roots grow out into the nutrient solution. Use an aquarium pump to provide constant bubbles in the solution. This will keep the plants from drowning. It is important that you do not allow any light to reach this solution because if it does, algae will develop and this will kill the plants.
3. Flood and Drain. This method has also been called the Ebb and Flow Method in which the plants sit in their own container away from the nutrient solution. From time to time, a pump will kick in and will flood the containers with the nutrient solution and then drain it back out again.
4. Drip System. In the drip system, the plants are separate from the nutrient solution as well. A pump pushes the solution through several tubes, which drips onto the plants from the top. This is the hardest method to use because it is difficult to control the drip rate.
Any of these methods will work with organic gardening. The best feeding solution to use is a teaspoon of Maxsea 3-20-20 dissolved in a gallon of water for the first ten days that the plants have roots. After that, you don't have to worry about a high nitrogen content damaging the plants so you can increase it to a solution of 600 ppm of Maxsea16-16-16. You can finish off with two teaspoons of 800 ppm of Maxsea 3-20-20. Flush the crop with plain water before you harvest to improve the taste.
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Tags: Gardening, Organic, Hydropoincs Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/organic-hydroponics-for-beginners-486837.html About the Author:
For more information on organic gardening,organic hydropoincs and how to have your own organic garden visit http://www.Organic-Garden.net
Related ArticlesAn Overview of Organic Gardening How to Have Your Own Organic Garden The Victory Garden Guide For Herb Garden Beginners Composting - is it Just a Load of Rubbish? The Basic Guide To Organic Composting The Principles of Organic Vegetable Gardening Organic Gardening: Going Back To The Basics. Got a Question? Ask.Ask the community a question about this article:Frequently Asked Questions Why is organic best Winter protection for newly planted blueberry bushes My Butternut Squash plants are huge with plenty of ... When transplanting a ponytail palm(this tree is ... My tomato plant is very tall, has no blossoms and ... Will cantaloupe ripen after picking??? Latest Gardening ArticlesPush Reel Mowers, Real Benefits Installing Lawn Sprinkler the Easy Way Twelve Top Tips to Fruit Tree Planting Success Fun and Safe Pool Floatation Devices for Children The Best Season for Garden Design 10 Weed Prevention Tips Composting - is it Just a Load of Rubbish? What is a Weed? Know Your Enemy More from Ling TongThe Top 5 Wedding Spots in Jamaica Many Wedding Shower Themes to Choose From Know the Order of the Mass Atholic Wedding Basics Thinking of Visiting the Outer Banks This Year For Outer Banks Rentals, Prudential Resort Realty Has it All Discover the Joy of Vacationing in One of the Obx Rentals Information About Addison Disease in Dogs Dog Advice for Dog Owners |
|||||||
|
Article Categories
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||