How To Grow Hydroponic Plants
JAKARTA - For those of you who want to try a new hobby such as farming but are worried that it will fail, maybe you can try a simple hydroponic technique. This technique is able to grow plants without having to use soil or water. You can use a nutrient solution such as sand or perlite, rocks that have a high volcanic content. Check out how to grow hydroponic plants below.
Determine the preferred hydroponic system
Customize the right hydroponic plant system to your needs. Do you want to grow indoors or outdoors? What kind of plants do you want to grow? What you need to know, no matter what system you use as a plant base (water based or sand / rock), you still have to provide three important elements for plants to grow, namely moisture, nutrients, and oxygen. Also make sure you provide a plant container that supports the hydroponic system of your choice.
Prepare the right nutrition and planting media
You do not need to use fertilizer to fertilize plants. You can simply use nutrients specifically designed for hydroponic plants such as AB Mix or The Farmer which can be found in supermarkets or online. In addition to water, you can also use rockwool, small claystone, or coconut fiber. To be sure, keep the planting media made from coconut so that it is not too wet.
Provide sufficient lighting
If you have trouble finding sunlight in a hydroponic planting area, artificial lights can also be an alternative. One of my favorites is the grow light which is shaped like an LED lamp. Make sure you use a blue spectrum for plants in the vegetative growth phase of leaves and stems, and a red or orange spectrum to help flower and seed growth. Especially for larger plants, use CFLs or incandescent bulbs.
Choose the right type of plant
All types of plants (both vegetables, flowers, fruit) can be grown through a hydroponic system. Even so, liquid-based hydroponics will be more appropriate if used on shallow roots such as lettuce, spinach, or radishes and herbs. Meanwhile, deep root crops such as beets, squash and cucumbers would be more suitable if using an aggregate-based system (sand/rocks).