Monday, November 26, 2012

Important Facts About Green Hydroponics

By Lance Buschman


The newly established method of growing leafy vegetables called green hydroponics has started a revolutionized way of farming. Since the start of research for this process in the 18th century, it has been continually formulated by agriculturists. Instead of soil as medium, it uses water and inert materials like expanded clay, gravel, mineral wool, perlite, and coconut husk to introduce the needed minerals and nutrients into the plant roots.

The researches that the agriculturists made revealed that soil has no direct effect to the growth of plants except for acting as a reservoir where the nutrients and minerals from water and fertilizer are stored. The results of experiments made to eliminate soil in the equation of plant growth has also revealed there is great possibility of plant survival. Actual experiments also supports the findings.

Without soil as medium, it was found in the studies that there is an increase in crop yield using the same area. In the hydroponics method, aeration, fertilization, and a physical plant provides the essentials needed for plants to grow. The growth of the root can also be monitored in a controlled environment.

To enable continuous life cycle for the crops, it needs sunlight to make chlorophyll. It also needs essential nutrients and minerals to produce sugar as glucose. This is used as fuel for the plant cells to grow and produce oxygen as a by product. Without light in nighttime, a reversal of this process occurs.

The controlled environment provided by the hydroponics way allows the crop to continue with the life cycle. Artificial lighting is used to provide illumination. This still allows the plants to produce energy. Water full of minerals are also provided through the roots to make the plant system function normally.

One benefit in using hydroponics is the control that the farmer has in supplying the exact nutrients that the plant requires. There is also zero or slim threat of pest infestation that usually comes from the soil. Further, there are no weeds that can pose as threat to the plants.

The direct injection of the fertilizers to the roots of the crops also saves cost. There is a considerable difference for yield compared to crops grown in the soil. Despite the advantages, there are also certain disadvantages that merit the attention of farmers and agriculturists.

One is the need for a large initial funding to be utilized to build the specialized greenhouses, the equipment for aeration, and the illumination used as artificial sunlight. There is also the need for constant monitoring of the crops which require more people to work on the farm. There is also the need to protect the crops from outside pests since what is considered as small infestation from the outside could mean a large problem for the green hydroponics grown in the gardens.




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