Defining the Differences between Hydroponic and Regular
Gardening
When growing hydroponics, there are a vast variety of
growing mediums that may be used. The
mediums include materials, including perlite, vermiculite, coconut fiber,
gravel, sand, or any number of other materials.
Even air may be used as a hydroponic growing medium. The hydroponic growing medium is an inert
substance that does not supply any nutrition to the plants. All of the nutrition comes from the nutrient
solution, typically combining water and fertilizer. Hydroponic fertilizer and fertilizer intended
for use in soil ("regular" fertilizer) contain the three main nutrients. These nutrients are nitrogen, Phosphorus, and
potassium. The main difference between
hydroponic fertilizer and "dirt" fertilizer is that hydroponic gardening
fertilizers contain the proper amounts of all of the essential micro-nutrients
that regular fertilizers do not include.
The plants are expected to find these elements in the soil.
Problems may arise for the plants if any or all of the
micro-nutrients are not present in the soil or have been depleted by successive
or excessive plantings. Hydroponic
gardening fertilizers are usually in a more pure form than are regular
fertilizers so they are more stable and water-soluble. Organic fertilizers are typically very
different than either the hydroponic fertilizers or the "dirt" fertilizers in
how the deliver nutrients to the plants.
The organic fertilizers rely on the action of bacteria and microbes to
help break down the material into its basic elements so the plant can easily
use it. Hydroponic and regular
fertilizers then supply the plants with these elements.
Another difference between hydroponic and regular gardening
is that growing hydroponics can be extremely complicated. Hydroponics are controlled with computers and
sensors which help control everything from watering cycles to nutrient
strength, and the amount of light the plants receive. However, hydroponics can also be very
simple. The average home hydroponic
system usually consists of a few basic parts, including a growing tray, a
reservoir, a timer controlled submersible pump to water the plants, and an air
pump to oxygenate the nutrient solution.
Light is, of course, also required to help the hydroponic garden to
grow.
There are also micro-nutrients that are required for healthy
plant growth. These micro-nutrients
include calcium, sulfur, magnesium, boron, cobalt, iron, copper, manganese,
zinc, and molybdenum. These nutrients
are the essential elements that plants need in very small amounts. Plants are likely to become sick without
these trace elements and will develop all sorts of problems depending on which
nutrient is missing. The lack of
micro-nutrients in food crops can mean a lack of nutrients in the food. This will result in the food not being as
healthy as it could be and potentially lead people to develop health problems
due to the lack of these essential elements.
Any hydroponic gardener needs to use a good quality hydroponic fertilizer
when they are growing plants using hydroponics.
It is also vital that the pH is controlled in both growing
hydroponics and in the soil as well.
Plants lose the ability to absorb different nutrients when the pH
varies. The pH must be monitored during
the entire growth cycle of the plants to maintain the maximum healthy uptake of
nutrients. The pH of the nutrient
solution will affect how well each element can pass through the root cell wall
to nourish the plant. Once the gardener
has properly calibrated the fertilizer concentrations and the pH of that
solution, they can generally assume it will stay steady barring any unforeseen
root disease. Gardeners should always
monitor their system too much rather than too little to avoid any
problems. The ability to quickly and
easily test and control pH in hydroponics is a major advantage over regular
gardening, where testing and adjusting the pH is much more complicated and time
consuming.
