Getting Started - Hydroponics

463 Pages·2004·5.63 MB·English

Getting Started - Hydroponics
Getting Started Everything You Need to Know - Hydroponics.
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Home.
History of Hydroponics.
General Hydroponics.
Benefits Hydroponic
Food Production.
Build Your Own Hydro
Systems.
Hydro Media &
Supplies.
Mineral Elements /
Nutrient Mixing
Directions. Hydroponic gardening can be VERY complicated, with computers and
sensors controlling everything from watering cycles to nutrient strength and
the amount of light that the plants receive.
Advanced Nutrient
Management.
On the other hand, hydroponics can also be incredibly simple, a hand
watered bucket of sand with a single plant is also a method of hydroponic
Super Nutrients.
gardening. Most hobby oriented hydroponics systems are somewhere
between the two extremes mentioned above.
Mixing Hydroponic
Juices.
The "average" home hydroponic system usually consists of a few basic
parts: a growing tray, a reservoir, a simple timer controlled submersible
Mineral Deficiencies in pump to water the plants and an air pump and air stone to oxygenate the
Plants nutrient solution. Of course, light (either natural or artificial) is also
required.
pH Acidbase.
Foods Grown in
Hydroponics.
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Getting Started - Hydroponics
Using CO2 Successfully.
Most Common
Problems.
Postharvest Handling
Systems.
Debate "Organics" or
"Hydroponics"
Hydroponic
Terminology
Beginner's Growing
Tips.
Periodic Table of
Elements.
Conversion Calculation
Tables.
Science projects.
References.
Visit Our Wholesale
Website.
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Hydroponic gardening can be VERY complicated, with computers and sensors controlling everything
from watering cycles to nutrient strength and the amount of light that the plants receive.
On the other hand, hydroponics can also be incredibly simple, a hand watered bucket of sand with a
single plant is also a method of hydroponic gardening. Most hobby oriented hydroponics systems are
somewhere between the two extremes mentioned above.
The "average" home hydroponic system usually consists of a few basic parts: a growing tray, a reservoir,
a simple timer controlled submersible pump to water the plants and an air pump and air stone to
oxygenate the nutrient solution. Of course, light (either natural or artificial) is also required.
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History of Hydroponics
History of Hydroponics.
Hydroponics basically means working water ("hydro" means "water" and "ponos" means "labor"). Many
different civilizations have utilized hydroponic growing techniques throughout history. As noted in
Hydroponic Food Production (Fifth Edition, Woodbridge Press, 1997, page 23) by Howard M. Resh:
"The hanging gardens of Babylon, the floating gardens of the Aztecs of Mexico and those of the Chinese
are examples of 'Hydroponic' culture. Egyptian hieroglyphic records dating back several hundred years
B.C. describe the growing of plants in water." Hydroponics is hardly a new method of growing plants.
However, giant strides have been made over the years in this innovative area of agriculture.
Throughout the last century, scientists and horticulturists experimented with different methods of
hydroponics. One of the potential applications of hydroponics that drove research was for growing fresh
produce in nonarable areas of the world. It is a simple fact that some people cannot grow in the soil in
their area (if there is even any soil at all). This application of hydroponics was tested during World War
II. Troops stationed on nonarable islands in the Pacific were supplied with fresh produce grown in locally
established hydroponic systems. Later in the century, hydroponics was integrated into the space program.
As NASA considered the practicalities of locating a society on another plant or the Earth's moon,
hydroponics easily fit into their sustainability plans. This research is ongoing.
But by the 1970s, it wasn't just scientists and analysts who were involved in hydroponics. Traditional
farmers and eager hobbyists began to be attracted to the virtues of hydroponic growing. A few of the
positive aspects of hydroponics include:
The ability to produce higher yields than traditional, soil-based agriculture
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Allowing food to be grown and consumed in areas of the world that cannot support crops in the
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soil
Eliminating the need for massive pesticide use (considering most pests live in the soil), effectively
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making our air, water, soil, and food cleaner
Commercial growers are flocking to hydroponics like never before. The ideals surrounding these
growing techniques touch on subjects that most people care about, such as helping end world hunger and
making the world cleaner. In addition to the extensive research that is going on, everyday people from all
over the world have been building (or purchasing) their own systems to grow great-tasting, fresh food for
their family and friends. Educators are realizing the amazing applications that hydroponics can have in
the classroom. And ambitious individuals are striving to make their dreams come true by making their
living in their backyard greenhouse, selling their produce to local markets and restaurants.

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General Hydroponics
General Hydroponics.
Crops
Crops produced in today's modern greenhouse ranges are many and varied. They can be loosely
categorized as follows:
vegetables including tomatoes, cucumbers, fancy lettuces, bell peppers, cherry
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tomatoes and a host of minor ones such as radish, melon and strawberry
cut flowers e.g. roses, mums, carnations
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potted flowers e.g. geraniums, azalea, poinsettia, tulip
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numerous bedding plants
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Growing Media
Porous, well aerated substrate are used as anchorage for the plants root system and feeding area.
Rockwool and Heydite are the most popular as they are most readily available, and easiest to use and
transport. There are various other mediums which are not as widely used. Click for more info
Growing Techniques
There are different ways to bring water to the plants. Learn more about growing techniques.
Nutrient Film Technique,
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Drip-Irrigation or Micro-Irrigation,
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Aeroponics / Deep Water Culture,
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Flood & Drain,
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Home Hobbyist Systems,
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Passive Planters / Hydroculture.
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Carbon Dioxide Enrichment
In an outdoor garden the CO level in the air is about 300 parts per million (ppm). Plants thrive when
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they are able to take in a higher level of CO . Growers today monitor their greenhouse CO levels with
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special purpose control monitors which in turn operate CO burners or generators to replenish CO2
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consumed by the plants.
HAF (Horizontal Air Flow)
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Working with CO2 enrichment and indeed an important part of the greenhouse environment is horizontal
air flow. Conceived in the late seventies following research involving finer aspects of greenhouse air
circulation, horizontal air flow, or HAF as it is now referred to, is widely used.
Security
Commercial growers end up with very sizeable portions of their yearly turnover as work-in-process. The
closer the crop gets to harvest, the higher the risk of catastrophic loss, should a key part of the
greenhouse's climate control system fail. Accordingly, growers go to great lengths to protect themselves.
Early warning is a vital part of their security. Most now employ automatic phone dialers with electronic
voice simulation to alert them of impending problems long before serious crop damage can occur.
Biologicals
Environmental concerns are uppermost in the minds of today's consuming public. The horticultural
industry has been working for many years to reduce its dependence on chemical pesticides, many of
which have been linked to cancers. Numbers of key pesticides have been deregistered for particular
crops, others have been removed from the market altogether. Promising advances have been made in the
use of predator insects in greenhouse ranges as natural biological control against pest insects. While
much work remains to be done to educate the grower in their use, progressive members of the industry
are now well on their way to 100% biological insect control.
Bumble Bees
Until recently, pollination of greenhouse tomato crops was accomplished with a labourious method of
fruit truss vibration utilizing battery operated hand-held vibrators ("electric bees") manually touched
against mature flower sets. It was a strictly artificial way of simulating natural pollination in the absence
of a natural outdoor environment where wind and insects are the vectors. In today's modern tomato
ranges, hives of bumble bees are placed strategically amongst the crop and left to accomplish naturally
what has been, until now a monotonous and tedious task for greenhouse staff.
Lighting
In order to get the best possible results from a Controlled Environment Agriculture System, we will need
to bring the spectrum and intensity of sunlight indoors. This is accomplished using High Intensity
Discharge lamps. These lamps, in conjunction with specially designed luminaries, will reflect light
downwards to plants, where it may be utilized to the maximum. Click for more info.
Climate Controls
Modern greenhouses employ advanced environment control aids such as relays, humidistats, thermostats,
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CO2 injection systems and fans which are often controlled by a central computer. Smaller systems
employ various individual control units.
Bioponics
The organic hydroponic display or Bioponics, we believe, is of significant interest to both commercial
and hobby growers. This method employs an organic tea based nutrient solution with added microbial
agents to facilitate their breakdown into mineral elements which plants are able to take in.
Controlled Environment
Agriculture Systems
Commercial Structures
Today's commercial greenhouses are constructed of galvanized steel, extruded aluminum, fibreglass,
polycarbonate, acrylic, polyethylene and glass. The percentage of each, comprising a typical structure,
varies by type of design.
Loosely categorized, the following basic shapes and styles are prevalent:
freestanding grade to grade hoop houses (quonset) clad in
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polyethylene, double polyethylene, corrugated fibreglass sheet, or
plastic composite structured panels
linked or gutter-connected straight-wall hoop houses clad in
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polyethylene, double polyethylene and so on as above
linked or gutter-connected straight-wall hoop houses clad in
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curved automotive glass
linked or gutter-connected straight-wall peaked houses clad in flat
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tempered glass. This style of range breaks down into three further sub-
categories:
- single peak gutter-to-gutter
- double peak with floating gutter
- triple peak with two floating gutters
All of the above styles or designs of greenhouses are popular, the grower selecting which he will build
based on crop to be grown, usage pattern, seasonal pattern, as well as economic considerations.
Nutrient control insures that the plants get the minerals they need at the right pH and temperature.
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Faster growth then soil grown plants.
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No weeds. The medium is mostly inert and unless it is out doors, there is no way for weed seeds
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to get into the growing medium.
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General Hydroponics
No guess work about what nutrients are going to the plant.
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Easy to correct for plant deficiencies.
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No backbreaking soil conditioning.
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The water has all the nutrients that is required by the plants. The roots don't have to grow bigger
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looking for food. The growth of the plant goes mostly to the upper plant.
Plants can be spaced closer together then in soil. Spacing is dependent only on the space needed
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to supply adequate light to the plant.
Garden can be at a good working height.
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Up to twenty times the amount of plants can be grown in the same space in hydroponics then in
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soil.
No soil to harbor bugs.
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Healthy plants have better taste.
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Healthy plants resist insect infestations. Less insecticide is needed.
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Educational for children of all ages learning about plant growth.
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Faster growth so that more then one crop can be raised in a season.
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Can be made portable so that you can move it from classroom to classroom or take it with you
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when you move.
Ground is left undisturbed on rented property.
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Condensed growing methods make better use of greenhouse space.
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Consumes 1/10 the water that field crops do.
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Conversation piece.
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Good past time for those that likes to tinker.
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It's something the Jones' don't have. :-)
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Some disadvantages to growing plants in hydroponics are;
Higher cost to get started then soil culture.
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System failure could result in a lost crop if not caught right away. Some systems can go days
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before damage occurs.

Watering Methods
All the plants needs are supplied by water. The roots are placed in an inert growing medium. Water,
enriched with all the nutrients the plants need, is supplied to the roots by several different methods.
1. Aeroponics; the roots are sprayed with the nutrient solution. This method ensures that the roots
get plenty of oxygen to the root system. It has not been proven that this method helps to make
plants grow any faster then in other methods. It has some inherent problems such as nozzles
getting plugged up. One of the more expensive methods of hydroponics.
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General Hydroponics
2. Ebb and flow; also called flood and drain. Periodically floods the medium. As the water drains out
new air comes in. Not as hard to maintain as an aeroponics system. Roots can plug up waterways
however.
3. NFT; the Nutrient Film Technique is one of the methods most often used by commercial growers.
Plant roots are contained in a channel through which a thin "film" of nutrient solution passes. The
nutrient solution is aerated and recycled with the addition of makeup water.
4. Run to waste; in this method the nutrient is fed to the plants at near the same rate as the plants use
the water. In all the other methods, the nutrient solution returns to a tank to be recycled. This
system is the cheapest to get started, however, it requires a lot of monitoring to insure the plants
are getting enough nutrient but at the same time not getting too much nutrient. Plants will only
take up the nutrients it needs. On sunny days they take up mostly water and leave the nutrients
behind to build up. The built up salts must be purged from the system one or two times a week.
This system wastes the most nutrients.

Systems
Plants most generally have to be stared in a small amount of medium before they can be placed in the
growing area. Seeds are started with no nutrients in the water. Seeds have their own food and don't
require any additional nutrients until the first set of leaves appear. Nutrient is added at half strength to
encourage root development until it's transplanted. Then full strength nutrients are used for the rest of the
plants growth. There are two kinds of formulas for plants. One promotes the vegetative growth and the
other promotes Fruiting. A system that has both types of plants will have to have one or the other
formulas depending on which crop is more important. There are two methods of growing systems,
horizontal and vertical. The following are systems:
Bag culture; used commercially in run to waste systems. The hobbyiest can also use this
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inexpensive method in a recirculating system. Bags are filled with a lightweight medium and
nutrient is fed to each bag by inexpensive spaghetti tubes. Has the advantage of being able to
space the plants as they mature.
Tomatoes in bag culture.
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Gutter/NFT; A lot of hobbyiests have tried just about everything with this type system.
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1. Manufactured channels; Square corners help to prevent damming.
2. Rain gutter; Metal gutter can oxidize and add undesirable materials to the nutrient
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solution. Line with plastic sheet. Plastic gutters require total support to keep it
strait.
3. PVC pipe; most hobbyiests use PVC pipes with holes drilled for plants. This system
is usually more expensive then bag culture. Too often the roots clog up the
waterways and dam the water causing root rot. Aeration in the root zone may
become a problem.
Beds; are extra wide channels. Beds can be filled with a growing medium or pots can be placed in
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the bed so that they will pick up the water from the bed through a wicking action. Pots are the
most versatile. Plants can be spaced to meet the plants needs. I use this method for houseplants
and for starting seeds. A 1/4 inch of water can be maintained in beds with pots. Water must be
drained well in filled beds. Beds can be made from any material that will hold the weight of the
plants and the medium. A plastic film can be used to line construction. Nutrient solution is usually
aerated and returned to the bed.

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