Hydroponic Greenhouses
June 29th, 2011
Hydroponic gardening is a way of growing plants without soil and has been around for centuries. It’s possible to build hydroponic greenhouses or grow rooms very cheaply, as they can be as simple or as complex as you wish. They are also available in a wide variety of sizes which are suitable for the home hobbyist right up to commercial growers. An important part of hydroponic gardening is to ensure that the humidity is at the right level, especially in the early stage of plant growth. A young plant has a lower demand for water to be undertaken by its root system as it is expending most of its energy in the root growth. It’s good to encourage a young plant to grow a healthy root system as this means that it will become hardier and will have a higher yield potential.
A great way to ensure high humidity while a plant is becoming established is to use a propagation dome which is a bit like a miniature greenhouse, as it fits securely over the pot so that any moisture cannot escape, elevating the humidity levels within the dome. These propagation domes generally have vents on the top which can be gradually adjusted to give greater control of the humidity levels which allows the plant to gradually get used to the hydroponic greenhouse. Introducing the plant to the humidity levels of its surrounding area in this way lessens the amount of stress and ensures that it will be able to withstand the humidity once the dome is removed.
A wide variety of crops can be grown in hydroponic greenhouses and include peppers, cucumber, lettuce, herbs, tomatoes and strawberries. It’s an especially good way of ensuring that fresh fruit and vegetables can be grown in colder climates and is a very profitable way for commercial growers to use greenhouses. However it still remains an interesting way for the keen home gardener to experiment with growing new crops.
Entry Filed under: Recreation