In the last ten years, particularly in urban cities across India, there has been a steady growth of hydroponics, a farming technique where instead of soil, plants are grown in mineral nutrient water. This also helps them to grow faster and offers better yield – a match made in heaven for compact urban spaces
Why Hydroponics
In today’s fast paced world this is the smartest way to guarantee that your supply of food is clean, fresh and pesticide free. In addition to the satisfaction of growing your own food; the farm-to-your-plate experience. It’s ideal for the environment as well.
Benefits of using hydroponics
Grow without soil: This can be a beneficial if you live in an urban compact home and the balcony is your only space. With a hydro system you can still grow plants without soil or having to worry about the mess.
Space Saving: Because your plants don’t need to spread their roots as they get the nutrients they need (being surrounded by oxygenated nutrient-rich water solution); you can pack more plants closer together. This saves lot of space. Again, this is perfect for apartment urban dwellers who want to grow a lot of vegetables with little space.
Water Saving: One can observe the difference in the same amount of water used to water a plant in soil for a day versus watering a plant in a simple hydroponic system for multiple days or even a week at a stretch! In short, you can save about 50% of your water by switching to hydro growing.
No Weeds: One of the most tedious and frustrating activities for many gardeners is pulling out weeds or pruning the garden. With hydroponics growing this step is eliminated.
No Pests: Because you’re not using soil, you also get rid of a lot of soil-borne bugs and pests that can normally wreak havoc on your plants.,
What type of plants can you grow?
You can grow almost any type of plant! A wide variety of flowers, vegetables, and herbs can be grown hydroponically.
Flowers
Peace lilies, flowering jasmine vines and any flower popular within the florist trade are a great starting point.
Vegetables
There are several vegetables that do extremely well in hydroponic gardens. Beans, lettuce, beets, broccoli, spinach, and cabbage are among them. Vegetables that grow beneath the soil can also be grown hydroponically but might need more upkeep.
Herbs
Almost every type of herb can be grown. Common choices include basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, and thyme.
Gardening in your apartment
So, how do you get started? These are some essentials that you need to start gardening –
1. Grow lights
Grow lights stimulate photosynthesis so that your plants can grow indoors.
2. Nutrient Solution
Nutrient solution mimics elements that the plant would normally get from the soil. They usually come in a liquid or powder form.
3. Growing medium
Common mediums include Hydrocorn, Rockwool, perlite, vermiculite, and sand. An expert on hydroponics or the seller can help you with this suiting the needs of your apartment.
Wait no more, with this start enjoying fresh vegetables, flowers and herbs all through the year in the luxury of your homes.