5 Whys Hydroponics Is The New Black

You may wonder: after all, why do we bother spending money on hydroponic systems when we can put a plant in a pot with soil and grow it without having to make a significant investment? Well, I think this reasoning is wrong, and there are lots of reasons to use hydroponic technologies. Let's review what hydroponics can do, first in the world, and then in your own cultivation space!

1. Nutrition control

The first advantage, and it is of the utmost importance, is that you can completely control the nutrition of the plant. Only the elements that you put in the water will be present in the root zone, in the proportions you choose. You can control the quality, as well as the number of nutrients dissolved in the water at all times. Remember that it is thanks to hydroponic technologies that crop science has advanced in the last 200 years, particularly in the field of plant nutrition. Today, most of the research on plants involves hydroponics. On the negative side, it is also used for genetics research and gene transfer.

2. Saving water

Do not misunderstand. To the extent that every plant needs to exude a certain amount of water to maintain healthy growth, the rapid and exuberant growth that occurs in hydroponics will mean significant water consumption. However, all the water used will be transpired by the plant. Nothing is wasted on the ground or by evaporation. The water-saving, compared between similar plants grown on land and those grown in hydroponics, is quite spectacular. Recent improvements in irrigation practices, from spraying an entire field to pouring water at the base of plants, have significantly improved water consumption in horticulture. However, hydroponics is still many times more efficient in that regard.

3. Nutrient savings

Similarly, all the nutrients used are absorbed by the plant. Nothing is lost in the soil, so there is no danger of contaminating its waters and reducing the microbial life of the earth. Better health and faster growth reduce the need for pesticide use: The term pesticide itself is inappropriate. It should be called a biocide since it kills everything that lives (but who is going to buy a biocide?). Many people think that pesticides kill only pests. In reality, they are not selective and also kill a large number of beneficial organisms. Its use should be limited to rare exceptions. The fact that a hydroponic plant, if well maintained, grows healthy and fast, allows plant growth to prevail over that of the pest or at least resist it. This does not mean that you will never need pest control, but that the need will be reduced and you will be able to cure problems with milder solutions than killing everything alive that moves in the perimeters of your plants. Of course, this is true, especially for annual fast-growing plants. It is more debatable for perennials, although the strong vigor exhibited by a hydroponics cultivated plant also helps in this case.

4. No need for herbicide

This is almost obvious. In trays or plastic channels, there is no room for weeds to grow. Both the lack of need for herbicides, and the fact that pests can be killed with care, make hydroponics a fairly clean technology.

5. A plant started in hydroponics is vigorous

If you keep a mother plant in hydroponics and then clone it and transplant the babies to the ground, they will grow more vigorously than if they had arrived from a mother on land. I have done this experiment many times, and the difference is always stunningly noticeable.