What Advantages and Disavantages of Hydroponics System

The word, Hydroponic, comes from Latin and means working water. Simply put, it is the art of growing plants without soil.

When most people think of hydroponics, they think of plants grown with their roots suspended directly into water with no growing medium. This is just one type of hydroponic gardening known as N.F.T. (nutrient film technique). There are several variations of N.F.T. used around the world and it is a very popular method of growing hydroponically. What most people don't realize is that there are countless methods and variations of hydroponic gardening. In this section, we explain the most common, including the pros and cons of each along with an abundance of great, general information about hydroponics.

Despite the fact that a hydroponics system has so many advantages, there are actually a few disadvantages as well.

Advantages

Growing with hydroponics comes with many advantages, the biggest of which is a greatly increased rate of growth in your plants. With the proper setup, your plants will mature up to 25% faster and produce up to 30% more than the same plants grown in soil.

Your plants will grow bigger and faster because they will not have to work as hard to obtain nutrients. Even a small root system will provide the plant exactly what it needs, so the plant will focus more on growing upstairs instead of expanding the root system downstairs.

All of this is possible through careful control of your nutrient solution and pH levels. A hydroponic system will also use less water than soil based plants because the system is enclosed, which results in less evaporation. Believe it or not, hydroponics is better for the environment because it reduces waste and pollution from soil runoff.

Disadvantages

•     Initial set up cost of hydroponic system is high. It requires constant supervision.

•     These gardens can also become susceptible to power outage; in this case plants will dry out. If this ever happens, you have to manually water your garden.

•     Water-based microorganism can be easily introduced.

•     Technical knowledge is required for growing plants through hydroponics.

There are numerous benefits of hydroponic gardening. Its practice can yield excellent results in short span of time with proper knowledge and techniques. Various environmental concerns, reduction in arable land, and scarcity of water can be easily conquered with the use of hydroponics. It is extremely beneficial for commercial farmers and home gardeners alike.

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