Whether you are an experienced gardener or looking to start your green-fingered journey, there are so many different growing methods to choose. While you may want to opt for a combination of several different growing methods, there is one method that anyone can benefit from, and that is hydroponics. There are so many plus points to hydroponic gardening. Hydroponics has a long and exciting history, with research being conducted from as early as the 1600s. While hydroponics has been popular for hundreds of years with scientists and larger food production companies, many people are starting to realise the benefits of setting up systems within their own homes. There are several reasons for this, from the simplicity of wanting to grow your food as a hobby to supply chain issues in certain parts of the world. So what are the benefits of a hydroponic system:
Grow all kinds of varieties
You can grow anything you choose due to having complete control over your growing conditions. You can look to produce all different types of varieties of fruits, vegetables, and flowers that you may not have available to you at your local supermarket or even garden centre. If you haven’t looked into growing food before, you may be surprised at the array of different colours, shapes, and taste intensities to anything from radishes to carrots.
Less water use
You might think that a water-based system uses more water than more traditional growing methods; however, this isn’t the case with hydroponics. Less water is used because this is being collected and reused by circulation. Using less water is a great plus point to this growing method as we are all trying to reduce our water usage and the environmental impacts of larger-scale growing.
Grow all year round
The joy of hydroponics means you can recreate the perfect growing conditions for any type of plant at any point in the year, meaning you can grow anything you want at any time. Utilising lighting such as a
CFL grow light or an LED option, you can make sure your plants get the perfect amount of light at all times. You can also utilise timers to make your setup easy to manage without manual intervention.
Ease of experimentation
Unlike traditional growing methods, you have the ability to easily change the way you are attempting to grow with hydroponics. You can easily change the fertiliser and growing conditions, unlike planting outdoors. There are at least six different hydroponics methods: ebb and flow, deep water culture, wick system, drip system, aeroponics system, and nutrient film technique. Each of these methods has various pros and cons, and you may want to try each of them out to see what works best for you. It may be the case that different plants grow best with other methods so you may opt for multiple techniques.
Utilise any space
Anyone can use hydroponics systems in an indoor area, whether big or small. With all equipment coming in a range of sizes and plenty of vertical options, the smallest apartment can still be part of the hydroponic movement and yield some excellent results. While not everyone has the joy of a beautiful outdoor space, hydroponics is an inclusive method that can be great for people with limited mobility as it is less labour intensive than other gardening methods. While many people encourage gardening and a connection with nature to help balance our mental health, this is not always possible for several reasons. Still, hydroponics means you can have even a tiny tabletop garden to enjoy and care for.
Crops grow quicker
Due to you having complete control over the conditions and nutrition of your plants you will be able to bring your crops to fruition at a much quicker pace. You will find that they grow an estimated thirty to fifty times faster than with traditional growing methods. The quicker growth means that you can plan your growing schedule to utilise your crops as best as possible. Homegrown produce makes excellent gifts for friends, family, and neighbours and can be a great way to look into new recipes. You may find your new favourite food through this growing method.
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