Want to grow the yummiest, juiciest, and biggest fruits and vegetables? Then try hydroponics as a means of growing vegetation. You can get more information about this kind of farming when you click here. Instead of the traditional soil-based way of growing, you can try another method where you can control all the available variables as well as fine-tune the system to get more yields and bigger crops.
One of the earliest examples of hydroponics is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar II built it, and it was thought to be located in present-day Iraq. The garden is tiered, and it grows lots of vines, shrubs, trees, flowers, and other plants. The overall impression is similar to that of a green mountain made of bricks and mud. If the ancient people were able to build the right system, then you also have the chance to apply it to modern farming in Canada and other countries.
The Concept Behind Hydroponics
The method grows plants without the need for soil. What it does is it supports the root system of the plants using a medium which can be made up of clay pellets or perlite. The central concept of this method is to make sure that the plant roots come directly in contact with the nutrients in the water, while at the same time, they get the oxygen that they need to grow. One of the advantages of hydroponics is that you can increase your plant growth by 25% on average. If you look into different hydroponics in Canada, the methods require right tools to make your lettuces, tomatoes, and kale mature more quickly. You can yield fruits that are 30% more than the average. You can yield fruits that are 30% more than the average.
The results are more because the plants are not working as hard to obtain the nutrients that they need. The small root system significantly helps. This is because the plants don’t have to work hard to grow the root system downwards. Instead, the focus will be growing the leaves and the fruits upwards. If you have the right set up, you can grow herbs, fruits, and vegetables in the right pH level and nutrient solution. The system uses less water; the place where you grow should be enclosed. The result is that there’s no soil to absorb water as well as there’s lesser evaporation that will happen. When you think about it, the hydroponics system is excellent for the environment in Canada since it reduces soil runoff, waste, and pollution. You can know more information about soil runoff here: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/runoff/.
Types of Systems to Know
The cool thing is that you can choose from a different type of system to grow your vegetables. Some of the best types are hybrid ones. There are lots of techniques that you can use while growing. You can purchase from online shops in Canada and get the right tools shipped to your home to get you started. Before you shop online, here are methods that you can try when growing your veggies, fruits, and herbs.
Deep Water Culture
DWC is also known as the reservoir method, and this is the easiest to set up. Three of the critical parts of this method include oxygen, water, and nutrients. Because the roots of the plants are in the water, you need to oxygenate it as much as possible. You can set this up with the help of an air stone and pump. You may think of DWC as a way of permanently watering your plants. This means that you should have access to clean water. One of the benefits of Deep Water Culture is that you will never have to “water” your plants every morning and afternoon.
You need nutrients to mix with the water. The method is named DWC because first, you need a massive reservoir that will help you hold a decent amount of water. The more reserves you have, the more stable your nutrient solution will be. This means that there’s less maintenance, monitoring, and work for you. The second reason the method was named DWC is that much of the root mass is submerged underwater. The other ways drench the roots of the plants a few times a day, such as that in the ebb and flow system. In the Deep Water Culture method, the roots are submerged 24/7; hence, why it got the name.
Nutrient Film Technique
This method involves a very shallow stream of water that contains plenty of dissolved nutrients. If you want to design your system properly, you need to know the right channel length, flow rate, and slope. NFT is an excellent method since it can meet the need for oxygen, nutrients and water. The result is that you can extend your period of cropping, which means premium produce and higher yields.
Only the tips of the plant roots are exposed to the water. As a result, the roots can breathe extra oxygen from the surrounding air, and the tips will get additional nutrients from the solution beneath it. The assembling needed is to slightly tilt the system so that the nutrients will be more free-flowing. Overall, this is a very productive technique, but you should watch out for power outages in some parts of Canada, which can disrupt the whole process. The continuous stream of nutrients and the slight tilt ensures that the flow is according to the force of gravity. You can research more on the right slope, tools, and setups that you should use to be successful in nutrient film technique.
Aeroponics
Aeroponics are other ways of nourishing plants with no more than using a mist filled with nutrients. You can read more about this technique in this link here. These concepts are common in soilless growing farms where water rich in nutrients are pumped periodically. Misting devices that are specially made for aeroponics are used to dispense a growing medium to the roots that are dangling in the air.
One might never consider it, but who knew that roots exposed in the air, naked, would survive and flourish? This method shows that eliminating mediums such as soil are very freeing for the roots. This setup results in faster growth, and the system is also very water efficient. Some install irrigations that are closed-loop so that the nutrients in the water can also get recycled. You can try to shop online and see the materials available in your locality to get you started.
