Hydroponics chambers are a fairly new method for growing plants, there usually
used for growing vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, lettuces, and somehow
even potatoes and carrots. Hydroponics has been around for over 300 years, but hasn’t
become widely used until recently because there were still a lot of problems. However
hydroponics has come a long way in the last few decades, and have been available to the
public more recently, hundreds of people start hydroponics gardens each week.
The first Hydroponics’ nutrients were made over 300 years ago by a man named John Woodward. He conducted these tests in order to find out whether plants
received their nutrients from, soil, or water. He came to the conclusion that neither were sufficient to grow plants on there own, but was ridiculed by farmers who
thought water was the only means for plants to obtain nutrients, and that the soil was simply used for stability and to dig down to tap into sources of moisture or
water. Woodward being a scientist couldn’t just leave it at that, and began studying plants and how they grew more closely, thus giving birth to modern-day
hydroponics. Hydroponics were used in ancient times, but because this is a brief paper 300 years ago will be the beginning of hydroponics. Modern hydroponics were
not based upon ancient hydroponics, we knew little about ancient hydroponics until more recently. With hydroponics water is the only thing that is used to give
plants nutrients, they are soilless setups. Hydroponics nutrients need to be added to the water. The reason these nutrients need to be added is because water has
little, if any minerals and nutrients that a plant needs to survive. There are hundreds of different brands of nutrients but they all have the same basic components
which are Nitrogen or N, phosphate or P2O5, and potash or K20, each company uses different amount of each chemical, than they add there own extra chemicals in
minute amounts.
Hydroponics nutrients come in either two or three parts. One is the nutrients that plants need during their vegetative growth period, plants that are “veging” like a
nutrient mix of about 1:3:6, that means 1 part Nitrogen 4 parts Phosphates and 7 part potash, this is the order nutrients are labeled on packages N:P:K. The
vegetative stage of a plant is when the plant is focusing all its energy on growing new leaves and flower sights, as well as growing both up and out. During this
vegetative growth some people put their plants under 24 hours of light or 16/8 14/10 or 18/4 (light On/Off), the reason for this is that most plants don’t require time
to rest or “sleep” until they begin to flower.
During the flowering stage of a plants life they like a mixture of about 1:4:7. This might not seem like a big difference from the 1:3:6 plants like during vegetative
growth. But apparently it is.
The third part of the nutrient solution is a growth booster that is a ratio of about 3:0:2 this isn’t necessary but useful.
The plants also need to stand upright, which is not possible in water, so to keep the plants upright a grow medium is needed, there are many different grow mediums
a few are Hydroton also called expanded clay pellets, lava rocks, and rock-wool, each one is very porous and also allows a sufficient amount of air to reach the
roots. A new medium that is rapidly becoming very popular is called coco-fiber, it’s the hairs from the outside of a coconut, its bin said that they have natural oils
that help roots grow more rapidly.
There are dozens of different types of Hydroponics systems these are a few that are popular because they can be used in small scale grows and large scale grows,
and also because they’re relatively easy to use.
Deep Water Culture or DWC- with a DWC system the roots of the plant are completely submerged in nutrient rich water. Because plants roots need lots of air as well
as water in the bottom of one of these chambers are air stones that are hooked up to air pumps (the same ones used for fish tanks). This gives the plant the air
and water that it needs to live a happy life.
Aeroponic chamber- they are becoming incredibly popular because they are said to be a low maintenance hydroponics systems.
Aeroponic setups have a water pump inside of them (same ones used for fish tanks) that pumps water through misters. Most people have these misters spray the
roots 24 hours a day. Since the roots are just being sprayed they receive much more air than other kinds of hydroponic systems, while still getting as much nutrient
rich water, and this makes the plants grow at a much faster rate.
Ebb and Flow- These systems are pretty different from the other two, in that the other systems can house their own reservoirs, Ebb and Flow system must have an
external reservoir, a table with deep sides, is filled with Hydroton and in this lose hydroton plants can be placed pretty much anywhere on the table.
The table need to sit above its reservoir, because the reservoir hold all the water for the table, and 3 times a day a pump, pumps water into the table for a short
period of time, watering the roots and than all the water empties out into the reservoir, acting kind of like the Ebb and Flow of the ocean, and allowing plants to
receive the amount of air and water they need.
A few other hydroponics systems that I wont get into because I don’t know much about them are drip irrigation, Nutrient film transfer NFT, and others I cant thing
of.
I know its not great... but me no care
