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Frequently Asked Questions on Hydroponics By the urban gardener We welcome everyone, who is willing to grow herbs, plants and flowers inside the house. It is so easy to get lost among the large number of sources about the indoor gardening; that is why, we will do our best to give you the most important and easy to understand information before you start. HOW TO CHOOSE WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT LAMPS? As soon as the growing place is ready, it is time to think about the grow light for its illumination, because any plant or herb will succeed only with the proper light provided. You should keep in mind that not only the number of lumens of the chosen lamp should be taken into consideration, but the ability of the growing area to reflect and retain the available light matters much as well. If you use specially designed grow tents, there will be no problem, as they are made of highly reflective plastic. However, using just any free space in your apartment, you should think about increasing of the light efficacy. It is easy to do simply by painting your growing area white with emulsion or whitewash. WHAT DO I NEED TO START INDOOR GARDENING? Hydroponics belongs to those avocations, which, along with requiring much time, knowledge, and skills, will need good equipment to be successful and satisfying. Here belong inert hydroponic media, hydroponic system, either natural or artificial source of light, hydroponic nutrients and, actually, plants. COULD YOU, PLEASE, EXPLAIN WHAT HYDROPONICS MEAN? Hydroponics is an art of growing plants using a nutrient rich solution instead of soil.
The trickiest and the best thing about hydroponics is the possibility to grow plants everywhere: inside or outside the house, as well as in a greenhouse. To tell the truth, any plant can be grown with the help of hydroponic method, though some herbs may require more skills from the gardener to grow well.
Aeroponics is another way for the gardeners to get rich crops. In this case the infusions of oxygen into the nutrient solution are used to hasten plants growth. ARE HYDROPONIC PLANTS ORGANIC OR NOT? For the time being, the question whether hydroponics is organic remains debatable for many people. However, a large number of gardeners are definitely the advocates of this statement. Hydroponics uses the methods of direct supplying all the necessary minerals to the plants without growing them in the soil. It is a proven fact that the yields obtained in this case are much richer and of better quality than those received from any other organic method of plants growing. WHAT IS THE KEY BENEFIT OF HYDROPONICS OVER SOIL CULTIVATION? Having the possibility to adjust the rate of nutrients required for plants optimal growing, hydroponic gardeners manage to achieve the best growth rates and increased crops volume for the shortest period of time. IS IT TRUE THAT HYDRPONIC PRODUCTS HAVE DIFFERENT TASTE THAN THE SAME PRODUCTS, GROWN ON SOIL? Taste, flavor, and nutrition rate of hydroponic produce often surpass those of the soil grown produce, due to the fact that nutrients, necessary for the plants, are easily accessible for them at the time when plants need them the most. WHAT MINERAL ELEMENETS IN PARTICLUAR ARE NEEDED FOR PLANT GROWTH? To succeed in the plants growing a gardener should know what elements are essential for the plants. Here belong those provided by water and air: oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and carbon (C); several others are available for the plants from soil or growing medium: calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and potassium (K); as well as some others, determined as essential not so long time ago: zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mb), copper (Cu), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn) and boron (B). |
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