When talking about growing plants, we always put a picture in our minds where there is lots of land for cultivation. In today’s world, the land area which is suitable for growing plants is shrinking rapidly and the reason is that the huge population needs a place to live. In the past few decades earth’s natural green reservoirs, forests are cleared up rapidly to fulfil the land scarcity for farming so the population can be fed.
But a long time ago, some botanists discovered that plants do not depend on soil for their growth, they just require the water and nutrients. This idea of soil-less farming emerged as a revolutionary technique for growing plants, which is known as Hydroponics. The plants which are grown with this technique do not require any soil for their growth rather they are provided all the nutrients they need very efficiently.
Hydroponics is very beneficial in the current era as it poses no harm to the environment and requires less cultivation space.
Major benefits of Hydroponics over the traditional soil-growing technique
- Water saver in the Greenhouses
Water itself is a scarce resource along with land area. Hydroponics can save a major proportion of water used in the growth of plants when compared to the traditional technique. The traditional soil-related techniques consume a lot of water as when the plants are irrigated with water some part is absorbed by the roots and the major proportion seeps down in the earth. The plants which are grown in greenhouses generally use the hydroponic technique to save water and increase production in the compact land area. According to researches, it is proved that the traditional technique of growing plants in soil use 10times more water than in hydroponics. The less consumption of water also decreases plant maintenance and harvesting expenses.
- Drop the dirt problems
When the plants are grown in soil, they require space to spread out their roots as far as possible to capture water and nutrients. The plant food is wasted in growth and spreading to roots rather than the plant mass growth. Also, soil is not capable of holding water for a long time. Hydroponics can eliminate these little but crucial problems of the gardeners. The plants grown in soil require heavy maintenance as the plants need to be looked at that they are getting the root space to absorb the nutrients.
- Boost the growth with no disease and pests
The plants infest a lot of diseases when they grow in soil, the soil contains a lot of harmful bacteria can give your plants soil-borne infections. Soil is a home to pests and these pests can affect the growth of the plants in a great deal. But when plants are grown in a hydroponic way these soil-related problems can be eliminated. When the plants do not need to fight with infections, diseases or pests it can focus on the plant mass growth and gives a high yield.
- Discard all the thoughts related to weeding
Growing plants in the traditional way involves pulling weeds to ensure that the plants get all the nutrients it needs. Weeds grow in soil and steal the nutrients that are meant for the plants which are being grown. Hydroponics eliminates the weeds because there is no soil medium present to help weeds to grow. The major time wasted in plucking weeds can be saved.
- Bigger harvest in less time
Hydroponics increases the production efficiency of the plants and also extends the growth period for cultivating the crops. The plants can be grown indoors in the greenhouse or the compact corner in homes which enables the gardeners to grown them throughout the year in any season. The plants can be grown in any area, even in the areas where the land area is not suitable for cultivation. When the production is done the hydroponic way the yield is high as the nutrients are directly supplied to the roots and the plants reach their highest efficiency level.
- Reduced use of pesticides and chemicals
The plants which are not grown in soil do not infest pests or soil-borne diseases. The hydroponic plants are grown in water in a controlled climate where the plants are given the best climate for their growth. When the plants are not present in soil and do not infest diseases, no chemicals or pesticides will be needed to repel them. The hydroponic products are also known as 100% organic and the consumers also prefer them when compared to the traditional soil-grow products.
- Environment and fuel saver
In today’s world, a lot of fuel is consumed in transportation and shipping of the food products grown in different parts of the world. The Hydroponic technique enables the gardeners to grow whatever they want and wherever they want. This means the hydroponic technique cuts down transportation costs as well as the fuel wastage. Lesser the fuel is used lesser is the pollution which ultimately saves the environment from degradation.
Conclusion
It is evident that the Hydroponic technique for growing plants is more beneficial than the traditional soil-grown technique. As the world is evolving, the agriculture techniques are also evolving, hydroponics is being adopted in the whole world by the farmers. One can rely on hydroponics for higher yield and profit with very less investment.