Increased Yields with Hydroponic Systems

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Hydroponics

Hydroponics is a bit of a mystery to many growers but it's simply growing without soil and it has been used for centuries to help growers achieve better results than conventional soil growing. The conditions provided by hydro systems are perfect for growing - meaning that plants grow strong and healthy very quickly and produce typically 3x greater yield than a soil-grown plant.

In hydro systems plants are grown in an inert medium such as perlite, rockwool or pebbles, and a water and nutrient solution provides the plants with all the nutrients they need . This soil-less method of growing was used by the ancient Aztecs to create their floating gardens. It is now used by commercial growers to produce 90% of the greenhouse-grown flowers sold in the U.K, by NASA to feed astronauts on long flights and by polar explorers at long-term camps.

What's the difference between passive and active hydro?

Passive hydro is simply growing without soil and using an inert media instead. This means that the grower knows how much nutrient the media has started with (none) so that they know how much more to provide to the plant. Active hydro also involves using inert media but plants are placed in an active hydro growing system that automatically pumps water and nutrient from a reservoir, around the plant roots and back into the reservoir. This means that the plant has constant access to everything it needs and water logging or nutrient build-up is prevented because whatever the plant doesn't take drains away.

Importantly this active feeding and draining away means that plants in an active hydro system never receive too much or too little water and nutrient

Why does active hydro work?

In soil growing the gardener has to guess or estimate how much water and nutrient is in the soil or pot, so there is a risk of over or under feeding which negatively affects the health and growth of the plant. This is avoided in active hydro, other benefits include:

Healthier plants - over and under feeding is avoided as the flow of water and nutrient to and from the roots is constant (re-circulating system) or timed (ebb and flood system) and the plants can take as much or as little as they need.
Quicker growth - all of the plant's energy is focussed on growing upwards. Plants in soil use 50% of their energy to develop deep root systems in order to access water and nutrient and compete with soil.
Stronger roots - roots have better access to oxygen because the inert medium lets air flow through to the roots and can't become water logged or compacted.
Reduced pest problems - no soil means much reduced chance of soil-borne pests or diseases and reduced need to use pesticides.
Easy maintenance - many hydro system tanks only need to be refilled every few days, or even weeks with the help of an Auto-Top-Up system .
Space efficient - h igh and low water loving plants can share the same pot because the roots are not sitting in a pool of water so don't become water logged. Up to five different plants can be grown in a single one metre long hydro system.
Cost effective - plants grown in active hydro systems typically produce 3x greater yield than soil-grown plants and Greenhouse Sensation hydro systems (which are all active) are built to last for years.
Odour free - so you can grow in a conservatory
Water efficient - when growing in soil, water can drain away before the plants can use it. In an active hydro system water is recirculated around the system and no water drains away.

So, put simply growing with active hydro takes the guesswork out of feeding and watering, meaning that plants get exactly what they need, when they need it, so that you get bigger and healthier plants. And maybe you can beat Greenhouse Sensation’s record breaking tomato plants - in the Guinness Book of World Records at 65 foot but it actually reached 92 foot.

This article is from Greenhouse Sensation who supply a range of products for the hydroponic enthusiast. To find out more about active hydro systems visit the Greenhouse Sensation website www.greenhousesensation.co.uk

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