If you are a gardening geek, chances are you will have already tinkered with hydroponics. But hydroponics only became a household name when an Ikea video went viral sometime ago. So here are a few things it helps to know before diving deep.
Hydroponics mimics nature
A hydroponic system grows plants without soil, typically in nutrient-fortified water. In essence, it mimics nature, where soil provides plants nutrients and structural stability. In hydroponics, nutrient-rich water is fed directly to plants, while contraptions like net-cups, along with soilless media like clay pellets, provide plants structural stability. Many hydroponic systems have air pumps to mimic root aeration in soil. Sunlight is mimicked by artificial grow-lights, though a sun-rich country like India can avoid it.
Why hydroponics?
Plants expend a significant part of their energy to develop extensive roots that can go far and wide in search of water and nutrients. Since plants are fed directly in hydroponics, they save all that energy and use it instead to develop their leaves, fruits etc. Consequently, hydroponics can grow plants up to 25 per cent faster, with up to 30 per cent higher yields than conventional farming. Hydroponic systems typically recirculate water and can save up to 90 per cent of it.
How ‘unnatural’ is it?
But due to their Sci-Fi optics, hydroponic systems may feel ‘un-natural’ and evoke all kinds of dystopian associations. Strictly speaking, even the innocuous-looking balcony gardens are not 100 per cent ‘natural’ but man-made imitations of ground ecosystem, and, arguably, inefficient in resource-utilisation. Hydroponics is much safer than chemical farming as it eliminates soil-borne diseases and the use of pesticides. If you live in space-constraints and still want a pesticide-free vegetable garden enough to feed your family, resource-efficient hydroponics makes much sense.
How to choose?
A web search will show you all kinds of hydroponic systems. Find what your purpose is. If it is for your home, start with simple, DIY ‘Reservoir Systems’ where plants housed in net-cups are suspended in a bucket of water with air pumps. If you want more plant-diversity, opt for systems that allow better control of nutrients. If you are a business, you might want to grow crops faster. For the precision-loving, hydroponics can feel like a symphony, but as with all things gardening, it too takes some trial and error to get there.
(The author is co-founder of greenopia.co)