Hydroponic Gardening

Hydroponic gardening, (from the Greek words hydro, water and ponos, labor) is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, or coconut husk.

In the 19th century, researchers discovered that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth. When the mineral nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant's water supply artificially, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. Almost any terrestrial plant will grow with hydroponics. Hydroponic gardening is also a standard technique in biology research and teaching.

Hydroponic gardening is often defined as "the cultivation of plants in water." Research has since determined that many different aggregates or media will support plant growth; therefore, the definition of hydroponic gardening has been broadened to read "the cultivation of plants without soil." Growers all over the world are using hydroponic gardening techniques due to the lack of a large water supply or fertile farmland. Home gardeners have used hydroponic gardening on a smaller scale to grow fresh vegetables year round and to grow plants in smaller spaces, such as an apartment or balcony.

Greenhouses and nurseries grow their plants in a soilless, peat or bark-based growing mix. The nutrients are then applied to the growing mix through the water supply. Therefore, this is also a type of hydroponic gardening. Soilless gardening offers many advantages to the home gardener. Since a sterile medium is used for hydroponic gardening, there are no weeds to remove, and soil-borne pests and diseases are minimized, if not eliminated completely.

Properly grown hydroponic plants also are healthier and more vigorous because all of the necessary growth elements are readily available. The plants can mature faster, yielding an earlier harvest of vegetable and flower crops. Hydroponic gardening uses less space since the roots do not have to spread out in search of food and water. This small space requirement makes hydroponic gardening ideal for home gardeners, and it makes better use of greenhouse space.

The big advantage to hydroponic gardening is the ability to automate the entire system with a timer. Automation reduces the actual time it takes to maintain plant growth requirements. Automation also provides flexibility to the gardener as one can be gone for long periods of time without having to worry about watering the plants.

Hydroponic gardening offers many advantages for commercial agriculture. Cultivating plants without soil eliminates the need for vast farmland and allows crops to be produced in greenhouses or even in the desert sands. Hydroponic gardening techniques also allow for precise water and nutrient application directly to the roots of each plant. Water is reused in these systems and less is lost through evaporation and run-off. Therefore, arid lands, such as deserts, can be transformed into productive lands using limited amounts of water.

Growing plants with hydroponic gardening is not difficult if one understands the basic principles. As long as plant growth requirements are met, there are numerous hydroponic systems that can be used.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/hydroponic-gardeningindoor-gardeninghydroponics-3187715.html#ixzz1GCx84AyG
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5 Spring Time Propagation Essentials

At the start of the season, which can be as early as January and February, keen gardeners are already looking to start sowing seeds indoors or in their greenhouses ready for them to be moved outdoors for hardening off later on in the year.

To start this process there are a number of essential tools that will be required such as:

1. Heated Propagator – This is an ideal piece of gardening equipment in which to start your newly planted seeds. The heated propagator consists of a tray and cover with vents; the tray heats the soil from below, and the cover helps to retain the warmth. This provides the perfect growing environment for your seeds before you look to move them outdoors. The small heated propagator is 8w and the large heated propagator is 18w; they are cheap to run at approximately 1/3 of the cost of a 60w light bulb. This should give you a head start to the growing season and also give you peace of mind that your seeds will not be damaged by frost or pests.
2. Planting Pots – This type of pot is ideal when your seedlings have begun to grow; they are 9cm and have their own watering trays and capillary matting. Planting pots are perfect for growing on seedlings prior to outdoor planting, and although your seedlings should still be kept in the greenhouse or indoors during the night, they may be moved outside during the day. This is to ensure that they harden off ready for planting, which would usually be between April and June depending upon the plants you are growing.
3. Potting Bench – This is a priceless piece of equipment if you have a number of seedlings to pot as it can take the strain off your back and make potting a much more enjoyable experience. Made from treated timber to reduce decomposition, it is easy to move and can be brought inside in the winter months. The top shelf is used for potting and the bottom shelf is used for storage, a must for any keen gardener.
4. Collapsible Water Butt – Ideal during hose pipe bans, these butts collect rain water which can then be used for garden watering. With a 100ltr capacity and a standard hozelock connection, you can attach your hosepipe or simply fill a watering can. No tools are required to assemble the water butt, and it is comes in an attractive green which will compliment your garden.
5. Adapta Tunnels – These growing tunnels provide protection to your young plants when they are first moved and planted out in the garden; the first Adapta Tunnel that you purchase comes with separate hoops and polythene tunnel which will protect your young plants from any morning frosts and cold weather spells. As the year moves on you could choose to purchase different covers such as the fleece cover which is perfect for spring time and helps to keep the heat in the tunnel, or the shading net cover which will protect your plants from the harsh summer sun. The shading net is also ideal for protection from insects and greenfly, ensuring the production healthy, protected plants.

This is just a small selection of useful gardening equipment which aims to help you to easily grow the plants that you want for your garden. There is bound to be something in this list that catches your attention and inspires you to get started with this year’s planting, and hopefully makes your growing season much more successful than in previous years.

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Border Patrol

Not my garden, but it felt just about this daunting last year!

Last year I began to de-jungle the garden at my new house. I'm afraid that vanity dictated that the front - publicly visible - garden should be the one favoured with the most time and effort, and that the back would have to get by with a good tidy up. What with a new baby, and a certain feeling of being overwhelmed by the mammoth task at hand, I managed only one long straight, dull border, a giant landscaping/rock clearing job to level out an area for a shed and vegetable patch, and some serious lawn renovation.



Too formal for me these days....

 This year I will be buckling down, probably, and completing the border war. Straight lines and regimented planting is out, wavy lines and cottage garden planting will be in, although the willpower required in the planning stage may exhaust me all by itself. The problem I have is whether to plan and mark out the borders prior to digging - the obvious choice - or to whether to go with the flow and allow each area to evolve.

Convention suggests that the former course of action should be taken, but I have in the past used the latter to great effect. That is, I have allowed certain zones within a garden to grow and take on their own shape over a period of time, altering things on impulse and changing my mind often. In this fashion I have avoided regimentation and tradition, and finished up with something that tends to suit it's position and area.



... but this is just the kind of thing I'm looking for.

 For example, some years ago I ended up laying and re-laying a brick path through a pebbled area; I started off with a very unnatural straight line, and after much effort obtained a wavy, organic path which followed a natural route from a to b. This process was accidental, resulting from a dissatisfaction with the first attempt. If anybody has an opinion on this style of 'design' please leave your comments below.

Anyway, I will make a tentative start this weekend, I think, and perhaps add a post when I've made a bit of a dent in the job! Don't forget, suggestions on design, planting and gardening in general are most welcome.

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