All About Hydroponic Organic Gardening

Hydroponics gardening is a technique in which plants are grown in a soilless medium with the help of water and nutrients. This indicates that plants can be grown indoors inexpensively, regardless of season or climate and you can have more growing cycles per year due to a faster growth rate. This prolific technique of gardening has emerged as one of the best alternatives to land farming. Hydroponics has become a favorite technique of cultivation for its simple usability. In this process of growing, plants are placed in growing medium such as rockwool, clay pellets, foam, gravel, peat, coconut fibers and then fed with a nutrient solution to make them grow. Vegetables grown hydroponically are fed with all nutrients required for growth without exposing them to harmful toxins, pesticides and pathogens that are present in the soil. This method of gardening without soil offers significant reduction of soil pests and diseases.

A hydroponic grower can grow plants by simulating an ideal growing environment and monitoring certain important growing parameters like temperature, nutrients, pH level, and humidity for his system of growing plants. As long as you maintain proper light, temperature, nutrients and humidity levels in your hydroponic garden you can grow your plants regardless of the season.

On the other hand, in organic gardening, the gardeners use animal or vegetable waste rather than any synthetic compost. To grow plants organically you need to understand the importance of organic matter. Organic matter is a term that includes a wide variety of living or dead plant and animal material, ranging from kitchen wastes and shredded leaves to well-rotted manure and fertilizer. Natural fertilizers help plants to grow healthy and strong by providing benefit to the environment as well. The soil for organic gardening needs plenty of well-rotted organic matter and proper drainage facility with excellent water-holding capacity. To avoid problems caused due to insect infestation, you need to monitor the plants on a regular basis. The pests that can attack your garden are aphids, cabbage maggots, cutworms, mites and so on. To prevent from their invasion knock them off the plants with plain water or soap spray.

There are different types of organic nutrients that provide necessary supplement to your organic plants, and help them to produce healthier fruits and vegetables. The primary plant nutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen is usually the first ingredient listed on an organic fertilizer label. For hydroponic growing, you can get organic nitrogen from fertilizers. Organic fertilizers usually contain natural materials from rock minerals, seaweed and fish bones and composted chicken manure. Available sources of nitrogen include leaf mold and grass clippings to develop healthier roots, plants need phosphorous. Potassium is available in seaweed meal, ash and comfrey leaves. Potassium ensures good plant size, color and quality.

Research shows that hydroponic organic food has significant health benefits because it has negligible chemical remains and pathogens and has higher nutritional values when compared to conventionally produced food.