Growth Through Water: Hydroponics Plant

Often when one thinks about planting, the necessary elements to accomplish this process includes the use of a plant seed, soil, water and light. Once these items have been gathered the seed is generally planted into the ground and grows through the nutrients found in the soil. This coupled with water allows the process to continue which results in the seed becoming the fully grown plant as reflected in what type of seed was planted.

However, there is one additional way in which seeds can be grown which does not involve the use of these three elements. This particular way is known as hydroponics.

Therefore, in order to grow a hydroponics plant, it is important to know what hydroponics is, techniques of growing hydroponics plants and medium that can be used other than soil.

What Is Hydroponics?

When it comes to discussing hydroponics it is important to know what the definition of this word is. First of all hydroponics is a combination of two Greek words. The first Greek word is hydro which in Greek terminology means water. The second word that composes hydroponics is ponics. This Greek word literally means labor. Therefore, the combination of the two Greek words gives significant insight into the process of growing a hydroponics plant.

Specifically, rather than the nutrients being obtained through the soil by the fertilized seed the plant in process absorbs the needed nutritional elements through the inorganic ions found in the water. The advantage of this process is that soil is not necessarily needed and because the nutrients are obtained through the water supply, the process of the plant growth and its ability to absorb the water is facilitated. This is because is it is easier to absorb the water through the root system of the plant rather than absorbing the nutrients from the soil.

Solution Techniques

There are a variety of techniques associated with hydroponics planting. Specifically, the two types of hydroponics planting are through the cultures known as either a solution culture or a medium culture.

When discussing solution cultures there are basically three types. Those three types of solution cultures include the use of the continuous flow process, static or non continuous flow process and aeroponics.

Aeroponics is a system in which the roots of the hydroponics plant are constantly being immersed with the solution that is replete with the nutrients. In essence this aeroponics process is a mist type saturation of the roots.

Other Mediums

In addition to the solution medium utilized for the hydroponics plant is the medium culture. This is a culture made up of a specific substance. When it comes to hydroponics planting some of those medium cultures can include the use of rock wool, sand, gravel, etc. Generally, with this type of medium culture the hydroponics plant food is obtained from the ionized water. These nutrients include calcium, magnesium, potassium, nitrate, etc.