Gardening can be rather dirty if you use soil. But did you know that you can grow a wide range of plants without soil?
Let’s figure out why plants require soil before we answer that question. or what do plants get from the soil? Soil, in general, offers support for plants, as well as water, oxygen, and nutrients. So, soil only serves as a substrate for plants to get support, water, and nutrients. Soil can be replaced as long as you are providing them with sufficient nutrients and water requirements. You are also safeguarding your plants from frequent illnesses and pests by not using soil.
Grow Plants without Soil
There are only a few options to grow plants without using soil. The single most important point is that the roots of the plants need to somehow be able to get the necessary nutrients and water. The most obvious option is therefore to just use water altogether. Such systems are called hydroponic.
What Does Hydroponic Means?
A hydroponic garden may be excellent for you if you live in an apartment and do not have access to a garden. ‘Hydro’ means water in Greek, and ‘ponos’ means labor; therefore, in a hydroponic garden, water does all the work of giving nutrients to the plants’ roots. Plant roots must acquire nutrients from the earth in soil gardening; however, with hydroponic gardening, all nutrients are dissolved in water, making it easier for plant roots to get all of their food.
A range of mineral nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, are essential for plant development. If you can incorporate these essential mineral elements into a plant’s water supply, the plant will no longer require soil to develop. Hydroponics may be used to grow almost any plant.
Hydroponically growing plants is also feasible by immersing their roots in a mineral fertilizer solution contained in a non-soil substance such as gravel, coconut husks, or shredded paper. These non-soil items can help to strengthen the root systems of plants.
What Do You Need to Start a Hydroponic System?
Hydroponics operates on the basic premise of giving plants precisely what they want when they require it. The following items are necessary to set up a hydroponic garden.
- A home DIY hydroponics kit, which is widely accessible on online platforms and even nurseries.
- Grow lights that can boost the photosynthesis process.
- A pH test kit to determine the pH of the nutrition solution.
- Growing media or soil substitutes such as peat moss, coir (coconut fiber), old bark, clay pebbles, or perlite are required for the plants.
Methods for Growing Plants Without Soil
We will summarize here the most popular alternatives to growing plants in soil. There are different systems available and as you will notice the most important ingredient is the constant source of water. Learn more about these systems so you can grow your next plant without soil.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is one of the most environmentally friendly methods of food production. It combines aquaculture and hydroponics in a single integrated system. There is virtually little upkeep or work necessary once you’ve put everything up. Aquaponics combines the greatest aspects of all growth methods, repurposing one element’s waste to benefit another, much like a natural ecosystem. It’s completely different. Both hydroponics and aquaponics have distinct advantages over soil-based farming, including less negative environmental effects, lower resource use, quicker plant development, and larger yields.
Aquascaping
Aquascaping is a way of growing aquatic plants with the goal of beautifying the aquarium and arranging them in an aesthetically attractive manner using pebbles, stones, or driftwood. You may only use this procedure with aquatic plants that are completely submerged in water. Normally, aquariums with various fish are aquascaped with plants, but you may also build an aquascape with plants. Aquascaping also includes a water garden.
Aeroponics
While the aeroponic system has a basic premise, it is the most complex of the six types of hydroponic systems. However, building your own basic aeroponic system is still pretty simple, and many home growers like growing in them and even obtain excellent results with this form of hydroponic system. Aeroponic systems are the most advanced and frequently the most expensive, but they are also the most effective.
Plants and roots are suspended in the air in an aeroponic system. Misters spray a thin spray over the plant roots from the reservoir (with oxygenating air pump).
Ebb and Flow
Ebb and flow systems are popular in both business and residential settings. This mechanism is also known as flood and drain. This method is popular among home gardeners since it is simple to maintain and construct. It’s also simple to make.
The plants in this arrangement are placed in a large grow bed filled with a growing media such as rock wool or perlite. Following the careful planting of the plants, the grow bed will be flooded with a nutrient-rich solution until the water reaches a couple of inches below the top layer of the growing media, ensuring that the solution does not overflow.
Wick System
Wick systems, another type of hydroponics, are one of the most basic types of hydroponics available. It’s classified as a non-recovery, passive hydroponic system. This approach should be considered by a newbie seeking answers to what are the six types of hydroponics since it teaches you the foundations.
The plants are often inserted directly within an absorbent medium such as perlite or vermiculite in the majority of wick systems. Nylon wicks are wrapped around the plants before being lowered into the fertilizer solution.
If you’re considering employing a wick hydroponic system to produce plants, keep in mind that the plants will be unable to acquire a considerable amount of nutrients due to the system’s simplicity. As a result, the technique is best suited for tiny garden plants and herbs.
Nutrient Film Technique Hydroponic System
The technique of nutrient film Hydroponic systems is among the most productive systems on the market. They are frequently used in commercial farming. Plant roots are grown in a shallow, light-tight tube. The nutrient solution is cycled constantly, running over the roots for up to 24 hours a day. This growth method’s name was chosen to emphasize the shallow depth of the liquid flowing through the roots. This is necessary to guarantee that the plants receive enough oxygen. In an NFT system, a wide variety of vegetables and decorative crops may be cultivated.
Deep Water Culture Systems
Because it is so basic, deep-water culture is one of the easiest forms of hydroponics to describe. Your plant’s roots will be completely buried in a nutrient-rich fluid using this system, helping them to absorb nutrients.
Deepwater culture, as opposed to other technologies such as wick systems, allows you to adequately oxygenate and feed your plants. This approach is used in many countries throughout the world, including Japan. The majority of businesses will use it to hydroponically produce lettuce and other plants that can be placed on free floats.
Drip System
Drip is a hydroponics system that is simple to maintain and adjust to your own needs. You’ll be using a drip system with full control over how much solution each plant receives with this method. The flow of the solution may then be readily adjusted based on the plants you have and how often they should be fed. Drip systems also provide a lot of scale versatility because they may be huge or tiny.
An active hydroponic system is a drip system. This means it employs a pump to provide nutrients and water to your plants on a regular basis. It’s also known as a trickling irrigation system or a micro irrigation system. The method employs small emitters to drip the fertilizer solution directly onto your plants, as the name implies.
Advantages of Hydroponic Systems
- Hydroponic plants develop quickly and generate a high yield.
- As long as you have some space, you may grow plants in a tiny apartment, bedroom, or kitchen using this approach.
- This technology conserves water by allowing plants to absorb only the quantity of water necessary. As a result, water loss is reduced in hydroponics.
- In today’s society, hydroponics provides several advantages. Hydroponics allows inhabitants to grow fresh food in regions where decent soil is limited. Fresh food can be cultivated all year since hydroponic farms may be put up indoors.
- Farmers may regulate temperatures and lighting schedules to boost plant productivity by growing inside.
- They can control pH and nutrients to ensure that plants get the nutrition they require.
- Vertical space can be utilized in systems to improve planting density.
What is the Drawback of Growing Plants Hydroponically?
Plants grown in the ground may be left alone for days or weeks, while hydroponic plants require regular attention. – To put up a full-fledged hydroponic garden at home, you’ll need a lot of equipment, knowledge, and experience. – It is reliant on water and energy; therefore, if the power goes out for an extended length of time, the plants may perish.
Plants that Grow Well in a Hydroponic System
Herbs such as basil, chives, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, thyme, and others can thrive really well in hydroponic systems. To mention a few, common vegetables grown in a hydroponic system include tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage.
Are you ready to experiment with gardening without soil on your own? You may try to make a little garden at home with just a few simple steps! Simply follow the instructions and watch what grows.