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| Hydroponics- how it works, nutrients solution for beginners |
Hydroponics - how it works
Hydroponics- how it works is understood
simply by placing a branch of a plant in a glass or a bottle filled with water,
then after a few days, roots come out of it, and gradually the plant starts
growing. Whereas we have seen that, trees and plants are usually grown in soil.
It seems that manure, soil, water, and sunlight are necessary for growing and
growing trees. But the truth is that only three things - water, nutrients, and
sunlight are required for growing plants. In this way, if we provide nutrients
in any other way to the plants, then we can grow trees in the presence of water
and sunlight without soil.
In
fact, due to increasing urbanization and population, there is a scarcity of
land for growing crops and plants. To feed the World population this technique
of growing plants without soil will be very useful. With this, you can grow
plants and vegetables, etc. in your flat or even at home. This technique of
growing plants without soil is called hydroponics.
Let
us know Hydroponics- how it works, how it can be useful for us, and where it is being
used in our country.
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Why Hydroponics is better than soil?
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What is hydroponics?
The technique
of growing plants not in soil but in water or in a controlled climate between
sand or pebbles is called hydroponics. If you want to make a real farming
revolution, to get farmers out of their daily life, this is the best way. The
word hydroponic originated from the two Greek words Hydro and Ponos. Hydro
means water, while ponos means work.
In
hydroponics, plants, and forage crops are grown under controlled conditions at
about 80 to 85 percent humidity at 15 to 30 ° C temperature.
Generally,
plants take their essential nutrients from the ground, but in the hydroponics
technique, a special type of solution is added to the plants to provide the
necessary nutrients to them. Necessary minerals and nutrients are added to this
solution for plant growth. Only a few drops of this solution are added to the plants
grown in water, pebbles or sand, etc., once a month. In this solution,
nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, zinc, and iron, etc.
are added in a special proportion so that the plants get the necessary
nutrients.
Why Hydroponics is better than soil?
Hydroponics
technology is being used for crop production in many western countries. In our
country also, hydroponics technology is used for growing crops without soil in
many areas of the country. In arid regions like Rajasthan where there are
adverse climatic conditions for fodder production, this technique can prove to
be a boon in those areas. This technique is being used to grow maize, barley,
oats, and high-quality green fodder crops at the Veterinary University, Bikaner.
Scientists here have achieved success in growing sapling grasses and plants
using this technique in a controlled environment without soil. This will help
to overcome the difficulties faced by farmers of growing green grass in open
fields and the sowing of light-seeded seeds, thus enabling the rapid development of
green grass pastures.
Hydroponics in India
It would be pertinent to mention here that in the states of adverse climatic conditions like Rajasthan, the condition of good mulch breeds is becoming worrisome due to the continuous depletion of pastures and lack of balanced nutritious food. In such a situation, an attempt is being made to produce green fodder by hydroponics technology. This will provide nutritious green fodder for the animals for twelve months. Similarly, potato is being grown in Punjab by hydroponics technique. |
| hydroponic fodder trays |
There is a
shortage of land for pasture in Goa, so there is a big problem of fodder for
the animals there. In view of this problem of farmers, a unit of green fodder
production using hydroponics technology has been set up in Goa campus of Indian
Council for Agricultural Research on behalf of Goa Dairy under National
Agriculture Development Scheme of Government of India. Ten more such units have
been set up in various dairy cooperative societies in Goa. Each unit has a
capacity to produce 600 kg of green fodder per day.
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| hydroponic fodder |
What are the benefits of hydroponics?
Hydroponics
techniques have many advantages over traditional plants than growing plants and
crops. With this technique, plants can be grown even in areas where there is a
shortage of land or the soil is not fertile under adverse climatic conditions.
The major benefits of hydroponics are:
1. With this technique plants, and crops can be grown at a very low cost. According to an
estimate, it costs less than one rupee per year for a plant with a height of 5 to
8 inches.
2. To supply essential nutrients to the plants, only a few drops of
essential mineral solutions are required to be added only once or twice a month.
Therefore with its help, you can grow plants anywhere.
3. Only 20
percent of the water is sufficient for gardening using hydroponics techniques as
compared to traditional gardening.
4. If
hydroponics technology is used on a large scale, a variety of vegetables and
vegetables can be grown on a large scale in their homes, and large buildings.
This will not only reduce the cost of food and drink but will also reduce the
cost of transportation.
5. Since the
plants and crops produced by this method have no relation with soil and soil,
they reduce diseases and hence do not have to use pesticides in their
production.
6. Since
hydroponics techniques put a special solution of nutrients in plants,
fertilizers, and other chemical substances that are not required. This will not only
benefit our environment, but it will also be good for our health.
7. Vegetables
and plants grown with hydroponics techniques are more nutritious.
8. Hydroponics the method can not only grow plants in homes and flats but can also be grown in
fields outside. Crops and plants grown by this method are ready in half the
time.
9. This technique requires much less space than ground grown plants. In this way, it
helps to relieve the excess pressure of the ground and the irrigation system.
10.
Experiments related to maize-prepared hydroponics fodder have found that
conventional green fodder contains 10.70 percent crude protein, while
hydroponics green fodder contains 13.6 percent crude protein. But hydroponics
green fodder has less crude fiber than conventional green fodder. Hydroponics green
fodder produces more energy, vitamins, and more milk and also improves their
fertility.
With the help of hydroponic technique the seedlings of
grains such as wheat can be ready in 7 to 8 days, whereas in general, it takes
28 to 30 days to get their plants ready.
Challenges of hydroponics technology
The question
arises that when hydroponics can have so many benefits, why is its use not
spreading? Actually, there are many difficulties and challenges in the way of
this technique becoming prevalent; Such as:
1. The biggest challenge is the initial cost required to construct the system. It costs more than the traditional method. It needs to be clarified here that
later it becomes much cheaper.
2. Since water
is reused in this method with the help of pumps, it requires a constant power
supply. Therefore, the second big challenge is to maintain a power supply at all
times.
3. The third challenge is to change people's attitudes. Most people think that to use
hydroponics, there should be very good knowledge about it and it requires a
lot of research studies. But actually, it is not so.
In the end, it
cannot be denied that the minerals and nutrients required for the proper growth of
plants should be available in the right quantity at the right time. In
hydroponics technology, we supply these elements, while the plants on the
ground take them automatically.
Types of Hydroponic Systems
What are the 6 types of hydroponics?
Six basic
types of Hydroponic systems include:
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What are the 6 types of hydroponics?
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The Wick System
This is the simplest type of Hydroponic system works by pumping the nutrient solution from
the reservoir up to the plants.
Deep Water Culture
The roots are
merged in the reservoir containing the nutrient solutions.
NFT Nutrient Film Technique
In this system
the roots are merged in the reservoir containing the nutrient solutions, but
the nutrient water is not stable. The nutrient water supplied at one end and
drain through another end. The reservoir is kept tilt to flow the nutrient
water.
Ebb and Flow (Flood and Drain)
Ebb and Flow
is the same as that of NFT. The difference is only that the timer is added to it.
As the nutrient water reaches the roots, it drains back to the reservoir.
Drip system
A drip system
uses a timer to drop tiny amounts of water onto the plants.
Aeroponics
In aeroponic the system, plant roots are not merged in water. A spray of the nutrient water is a pump to roots in the quick spray cycle controlled by a timer.
hydroponics growing medium
We know
hydroponics is growing crops without soil, but to support the plant we need
growing medium such as.
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| hydroponics growing medium |
- Coconut Coir
- Perlite
- Rockwool
- Expanded Clay Pellets
- Grow stones
- Vermiculite
- Starter plugs
The banana fiber is also a very good water absorbent so it may be used as a growing medium.
Hydroponic Nutrients- how it works
There are 16
elements essential to the growth of crop plants:
Supplied by
air and water: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen.
Macronutrients:
nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium.
Secondary
Nutrients: calcium, magnesium, sulfur.
Micronutrients:
boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum
(Mo), and zinc (Zn).
This nutrient
solution for different plants is a different combination of all above with water.
Major
Elements, mg/L (ppm)
If you are interested in organic hydroponics then you may use vermiwash organic crop nutrient.
If you are interested in organic hydroponics then you may use vermiwash organic crop nutrient.
Hydroponics nutrients formula for
Sr. No
|
Crop
|
N
|
P
|
K
|
Ca
|
Mg
|
1
|
Lettuce
|
200
|
50
|
300
|
200
|
65
|
2
|
Tomato
|
200
|
50
|
360
|
185
|
45
|
3
|
Roses
|
170
|
45
|
285
|
120
|
40
|
4
|
Eggplant
|
176
|
30
|
235
|
150
|
28
|
5
|
Melon
|
186
|
39
|
235
|
180
|
25
|
6
|
Pepper
|
175
|
39
|
235
|
150
|
28
|
7
|
Herbs
|
210
|
80
|
275
|
180
|
67
|
8
|
Strawberry
|
50
|
25
|
150
|
65
|
20
|
9
|
Cucumber
|
230
|
40
|
315
|
175
|
42
|
After making
solution you must
Measure the pH
level, and adjust it to the 5.5 to 6.5 level.
Generally, the required temperature for hydroponic solutions is about 70 °F± 2°F.
Check the pH
level regularly and the ppm of the nutrients to adjust it according to
requirement.
Change the
reservoir water along with nutrient solution two, three times a month.
TDS: Totally
Dissolved Solids
EC: Electrical
Conductivity
PPM: Parts Per
Million
Dissolve 1 a milligram of salt in 1 liter of water to get a 1ppm and measure the TDS. Some
of the measures are as below.
Sr. No
|
Vegetables
|
PPM / TDS
|
1
|
Artichoke
|
860 - 1260
|
2
|
Asparagus
|
980 -1260
|
3
|
Bean (Common)
|
1400 -2800
|
4
|
Beets
|
1260 - 3500
|
5
|
Beans
|
1260 - 1540
|
6
|
Broccoli
|
1960 - 2450
|
7
|
Brussel Sprouts
|
1750 - 2100
|
8
|
Cabbage
|
1750 - 2100
|
9
|
Carrots
|
1120 - 1400
|
10
|
Cauliflower
|
1280 - 1400
|
11
|
Celery
|
1260 - 1400
|
12
|
Cucumber
|
1190 - 1760
|
13
|
Eggplant
|
1750 - 2400
|
14
|
Endive
|
1400 - 1680
|
15
|
Garlic
|
980 - 1260
|
16
|
Leek
|
980 - 1260
|
17
|
Lettuce
|
560 - 840
|
18
|
Okra
|
1400 - 1680
|
19
|
Onions
|
980 - 1260
|
20
|
Parsnip
|
980 - 1260
|
21
|
Peas
|
980 - 1260
|
22
|
Potatoes
|
1400 - 1750
|
23
|
Pumpkin
|
1260 - 1680
|
24
|
Radish
|
840 - 1540
|
25
|
Spinach
|
1260 - 1610
|
26
|
Sweet Corn
|
840 – 1680
|
27
|
Sweet Potato
|
1400 - 1750
|
28
|
Tomato
|
1400 - 3500
|
29
|
Turnip
|
1260 - 1680
|
30
|
Zucchini
|
1260 - 1680
|
This will help you to understand Hydroponics- how it works, and many more about Hydroponics.
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