Growing media is the key to any hydroponic growing system. Hydroponics being the art and science of growing plants without soil; the growing medium is what you substitute for soil. There are many types of growing media you can use when you grow plants hydroponically. Each has its own advantages and quite possibly disadvantages. Growing media are inert, sterile substrates that are chosen or designed for their outstanding aeration properties.
Rockwool, for example, is a popular substrate. Small cubes of Rockwool are ideal for starting seedlings or cuttings. Once they take root they can be transferred to larger cubes, and later to slabs of Rockwool. There are other substrates available commercially, such as GreenMix, which is a mixture of water retentive and water repellent Rockwool, and allows for better drainage than typical Rockwool.
Clay pebbles are the most popular potting for hydroponic gardening, and are used in flood and drain, drip irrigation, passive systems and others. They provide excellent aeration and pH stability. They can be re-used also, and even mixed with soil to improve aeration and drainage.
Coconut fiber, known as couir, has become one of the most popular growing media. It is totally organic biodegradable. Other growing media, like Rockwool, for example, are not organic or biodegradable and may create waste problems.
Coconut fiber is made from the powdered husks of the coconut and basically nothing else. Therefore, it is completely biodegradable when you are done with it, and thus ultimately, as environmentally friendly as a growing medium can be.
LECA, or Light Expanded Clay Aggregate, is clay made into round pellets and baked at 1200 degrees Celsius for 3 hours. LECA, also called “grow rock” is ideal for indoors as it is very pH neutral—neither acidic nor basic. This is a great boon for gardeners, given the difficulty in maintaining perfect pH. LECA also offers the perfect balance of moisture, oxygen and nutrients to the plants you are growing at all times.
Oasis cubes are small cubes that come in long sheets. Like Rockwool, these cubes are referred to as starter cubes. This implies that they don’t offer up any nutrition on their own, but merely serve as the medium in which the plants can take root. They are similar to the floral foam used by flower arrangers; both retain water quite well. It’s up to you to add nutrients to the water and thereby ensure your plants will thrive. Oasis cubes need to be pre-soaked with nutrients. On the upside, they can be incorporated into just about any gardening system.
Perlite, a form of mined volcanic glass, can be formed into a grow medium when heated quickly at 871 Celsius. It then pops like popcorn, forming bubbles. It has been used in gardening as a soil additive for a long time, as it allows excellent aeration. It is often used as a soil additive in addition to being used for hydroponic growing.
Now that you know the basic types of growing media, you can make an informed choice when setting up your hydroponic garden.
Comments
No comments.