Hydroponic Systems
Hydroponic systems are gardening mechanisms designed to bring a regular or continuous flow of water and nutrients to the roots of a plant without the use of soil. Normally, soil is the source for both water and nutrients, but the soil itself is not required by any plant. Hydroponic systems basically work without use of the ‘middleman’.
The term ‘hydroponics’ was coined by the UC Davis professor, Gericke, in 1929. Though hydroponic systems had been experimented with for many years prior, Professor Gericke was the first to demonstrate that plants could be grown to full size without using any soil. He came up with the word hydroponics as a variation of the ancient Greek word for agriculture, ‘geoponics’.
Although there are hundreds of different hydroponic systems used today, they all fall under seven basic categories; passive, water culture, flood and drain, drip, wick, nutrient film technique, and aeroponic.
The ‘passive’ hydoponic system is by far the simplest. The plant is put in a growing medium of some kind, usually perlite, rockwool, gravel or any other substance that has a multitude of air pockets. The medium then sits in a tray of nutrient solution, which is absorbed by the medium by the same simple capillary actions that allow nutrients to flow through soil.
In ‘water culture’ hydroponic systems the plants are suspended above the nutrient medium, and their roots dangle down into it. So long as the nutrient solution is aerated, the roots of any plant will absorb the need nutrients directly without difficulty. Usually there is an air pump and air stone involved to provide the nutrient solution with the needed oxygen.
The ‘flood and drain’ system has growth medium bound plants siting directly in a tray, as in the passive system, which is then flooded at regular intervals with a nutrient solution. There is usually a overflow tube which drains excess solution back into a lower chamber, where the nutrient solution is stored. This hydroponic system is also referred to as the ‘ebb and flow’ system.
Drip and wick hydroponic systems are both similar. In these systems a continuous stream of nutrient solution is delivered to the growth medium in which the plants are in. In the drip system, the solution is dripped over the medium via a pump, and the wick system relies on the capillary draw of a wick to bring in nutrients from a lower reservoir.
The two most advanced hydroponic systems are the ‘nutrient film technique’ (NFT) and ‘aeroponic’ systems. In NFT, the plants roots are suspended into a tray in which a constant stream of nutrient solution is pumped through. The tray is tilted, and the solution runs off back into the reservoir from which it was pumped, never forming more than a thing film along the bottom of the tray. Aeroponics uses a pump that turns the nutrient solution into a fine mist or spray that keeps the roots fed. In both NFT and Aeroponic systems, air is usually the only growth medium.
Hydroponic Systems related articles:
I Make Money
One of the great mysteries of life concerns making money. How can you produce that sufficient capital in order to live well, pay all the bills, and have funds left over for retirement? Well, there is no simple answer to this question. The fact is, there a... Improve Your Vocabulary
There's more than one way to improve your vocabulary. You don't have to spend hours pouring over a dictionary. You don't have to learn all sorts of fancy or unusual words like oneiromancy (divination by means of dreams), dollybird (a pretty young woman) a... Infant Acne
When we think of babies we usually picture a pink, glowing little face that radiates general cuteness. We rarely associate pimples to a baby’s countenance. However, many babies have infant acne that usually appears when the little one is between three and... Infant Crying
Infants communicate by crying. They are new to the world, and every sensation, every feeling is something new. New parents often have a hard time determining what an infant needs when he cries. There are some basic needs that the new parent can check ... Information About People
One thing that's for certain is our unlimited access to information. The deluge of data that flows through cyberspace is impossible to acquire in a full lifetime. Ever since the World-Wide-Web made its mark in history, people have had access to things tha...
more Pocket Links articles:
Artistic Greetings
Everyone feels the need to send greetings to loved ones and friends throughout the year, as it is a nice and easy way to let someone know you care. Artistic greetings have been popular for many years, and they come in many different forms as well.
Medicine Ball
Athletes including body builders, golfers, pro baseball, basketball, football, soccer and hockey players, as well as Olympic swimmers and those that play tennis, use a medicine ball in the training room to improve strength and agility.
One of the... Respirator Safety
Approximately 5 million people wear respirators in the workplace throughout the United States. The respirators protect those wearing them from not enough good oxygen and can filter out harmful things such as dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, gases, vapors, and ... Astrological Chart
There’s often a lot of hoo-hah about the veracity of astrological charts in particular and the “science” of astrology in general. But my contention is that 1) people who impugn the field of astrology have not studied enough to make a comparison between s... Latest Pc Games
Trying to find some good info on the latest PC games can be tricky. Whenever I put in phrases like ‘recent PC games’ or ‘current PC games’ under Google and hit search I get a billion replies, and many them aren’t really helpful. As a long time player of... |