hydroponic gardening,indoor gardening,hydroponics

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.

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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.

Source: ArticlesBase.com

Benefits of Garden Makeovers

Late summer is the perfect time for garden makeovers. Most gardeners know that summer is the time when weeds can really get out of hand. In addition, many of the spring and summer flowering bushes and annuals have gone past their best and seed pods are forming. Some areas have heavy summer rain that plays havoc with the soil, while other areas do not get enough and the garden and lawns seems to dry out and go brown.

Added to that, the hot weather means you just cannot spend so much time out in the garden; the result is a garden that does not look anywhere near its best. But if you hire the guys that do , you will see an immediate improvement in your garden. Not only will they clear away all the rubbish such as weeds and overgrown bushes, they will make suggestions as to the best way to have a garden that always looks nice. The benefits of garden maintenance are many.

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You will not have to do the heavy work yourself.

Your garden will look much better for many months, as work done now will improve perennials well into the winter and next spring.

have the equipment to fix a garden up in half the time it takes you. They can mulch all those prunings and mix it up with grass clippings to form the most nutritious, water saving mulch for your garden.

They can advise on how best to get your garden into shape – and then do it for you.

go a step further than just maintenance. With a garden makeover your backyard can be transformed from a sea of weeds or a brown desert to a thing of beauty that will give you pleasure to spend time in and add value to your home.

Let Turramurra’s Ripe Landscape transform your outdoor space into a sustainable outdoor living sanctuary. From simple garden makeovers and maintenance services to design and construction we can provide the complete landscape solution. With an emphasis on architectural planting and the use of contrasting shapes and textures, we aim to create innovative gardens unique to the character of the site. From traditional and formal to contemporary waterwise gardens, we aim to work with our clients to bring their vision to reality.

Source: ArticlesBase.com