Chapter Three: How to grow hydroponically

Having discussed the essential elements of plant growth through to some of the more advanced developments we will now return to the basics with a step by step description of how to set up your own hydroponic garden.

Simple Hydroponic Systems

Most children at some stage have probably already experimented with a simple hydroponic system, raising seedlings on some water soaked blotting paper in a saucer. If fast germinating seeds from plants such as beans, radishes or cress for example are used, the seeds soon produce a basic root and leaf system using the food supply contained within the seed. The seedlings will continue to grow on any nutrients present in the water or dissolved out of the blotting paper. They will keep growing until a deficiency in one or more of the required nutrients ends the plant’s life.

The Essential Nutrients

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is one of the main elements contributing to the growth of a plant. Plants convert nitrogen to produce amino acids and proteins which are used to produce new cell growth. Nitrogen moves easily throughout the plant servicing new growth at the expense of the older foliage. Any deficiency will cause the new growth to become weak and spindly resulting in a stunted plant. The shortage is usually first visible in a plant’s older leaves which lose their green colour and gradually become yellow. This is because nitrogen is important for the green oxygen producing chlorophyll pigment in the leaves.

As the shortage continues the younger leaves will also become yellow and the veins on the underside of the leaves turn a red or purple colour. Vegetable plants are liable to run to seed. An excess of nitrogen will also affect the fruiting or seed development of most plants

 

A small microtube feeds nutrients onto the gravel surface layer of a hydroponic growing container. These microtubes are easily hidden just below the surface of the gravel if your plants are to be arranged decoratively indoors.