Introduction to Hydroponics
Story: Introduction to Hydroponics
Episode: 6
Presenter: Neville Passmore
Air Date: 19th September 2020
Hydroponics are a great way to grow vegetables and other food crops at home.
- A nutrient solution is fed into a system where plants grow in a medium that has no soil. The plants absorb the nutrients, and this helps them to grow.
- This solution, which consists of refined soluble minerals, gets topped up regularly.
- Plants are grown from seed or cuttings in sterile rockwool called Cultilene then transferred into a pot or grow bed in into the growing medium.
- Alternatively, you can wash soil off seedling’s roots or sow seeds directly onto this expanded clay medium.
- There are many different systems you can use to home grow food. You can see these in action at the Demonstration Farm in Canning Vale.
- Tomatoes grow magnificently in a shallow aquaflute tray in expanded clay.
- Capsicums have their own Dutch Bato pots. This system is called Deep Flow.
- Strawberries and lettuce can be grown in an NFT system, where a film of nutrient solution just touches the bottom of the root system.
- Basil thrives in a shallow tray with nutrients fed in from a small reservoir by a pond pump.
- Ready to grow kits using all of these different systems are available from the shop in Canning Vale or online, together with a wealth of advice.
For more information, head to
Hydroponicexpress.com.au
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