Hydroponics: what it is and how it works, pros and cons

Hanging gardens of ancient Babylon, floating plantations in Peru and Myanmar - what do they have in common? The technology of growing plants - hydroponics. This is how tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, herbs are cultivated. What is this method? Let's consider what its pros and cons are.

How hydroponics works

In this method of cultivation, the roots of plants are placed in a nutrient medium. No soil is needed. Instead, perlite, mineral wool, peat moss, etc. are used. Water and nutrients, micronutrients are fed to the base.

Plants can be placed in pavilions and rooms. Water is fed under pressure using a pump, so it can go to the upper tiers of the racks. In order to have enough light, special lamps are installed.

Pros and cons of hydroponics

Pros:

• Fertilizers do not settle in the soil, but are assimilated by the plants. They don't get into the environment in excess as they do when growing plants in the ground.
• No weeds appear with the hydroponic method. You don't have to use poisonous herbicides to get rid of them.
• It is an opportunity to grow plants where there are no suitable conditions - soil, natural irrigation, warm weather and plenty of sunlight.
• Plants are fully supplied with nutrition and light, the ideal temperature. They do not accumulate heavy metals, radionuclides and other harmful elements from the open ground. Thanks to this, the seedlings grow to their full potential and give a rich harvest. Hydroponics makes it easy to achieve dense greenery, abundant flowering and fruiting plants.
• You can grow a lot of plants in a small area.
• The soil in greenhouses needs to be renewed. With the hydroponic method it is not necessary to replace the basis for growing plants.

Cons:

• You can not go wrong with the composition of the nutrient medium. You need to carefully choose the ratio of nutrients. If overdosed, plants can suffer very quickly, since there is no soil with buffer properties.
• A constant water supply to the hydroponic system will be required.
• Electricity must be supplied continuously. It is needed for lighting, plant heating, and pump operation. This involves considerable financial costs.
• If the pump breaks down, the water supply will not be possible. If it is not repaired quickly, the plants may die.
• If one plant gets sick, the infection quickly spreads to other plants through the nutrient substrate.
• It is difficult to grow root crops using the hydroponics method. However, it is possible.

Growing vegetables and flowers hydroponic method is more expensive than classic planting in soil. Requires a suitable place and special equipment. However, when there is no plot of land or necessary conditions, the hydroponic method may be the only way to grow plants. In addition, they are protected from frosts, strong winds and downpours, garden pests. The development of plants and fruits is under complete control. It does not happen that the crops are damaged by acid rains, scorched by the sun or eaten by insects.