No matter what type of garden that is grown plants need the samenutrients. The way these nutrients are supplied is the difference.For example, hydroponic planting requires a different method ofsupplying nutrients to plants than does the traditional soilplanting method.
In hydroponic gardening, the fertilizer that is given to plants hasall the nutrients that plants need. In soil gardening, thefertilizer used for plants does not contain all the nutrientsneeded, because some of them are in the soil. This is the biggestdifference, but nevertheless both methods of planting do not changethe type of nutrients that plants need, which are 16 major ones inall.
Some of the major nutrients that plants need are listed as follows:
- Nitrogen: This nutrient helps promote the growth of new leaves onplants.
- Phosphorous: Roots of plants mostly need this material to helpsupport the plant. In addition, this material helps aid the plantblooming process.
- Potassium: This mineral helps build a plants immune system. Inaddition, Potassium also helps a plant to grow in extreme cold andheat.
- Sulfur: This substance aids in giving leaves a rich dark greencolor.
- Calcium: This nutrient along with phosphorous helps the roots ofplants to grow. It also aids in helping new shoots of plants togrow as well.
- Magnesium: This is what helps produce the chlorophyll, thesubstance that gives plants its green color and helps the plant toabsorb sunlight in order to make food.
The above list of plant nutrients needed is commonly known asmacronutrients. The three most important of these is usuallythought of to be the Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium. However,all of these help aid in successful plant growth.
Other plant nutrients needed are commonly known as micronutrients,which are usually needed in smaller numbers than themacronutrients. These include Boron (B), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co),iron (Fe) manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn).
When plants receive the right nutrients they are able to producetheir own food. This is done by way of a process of photosynthesis,which happens with the use of elements such as carbon dioxide,hydrogen, and light. This produces carbohydrates, which suppliesenergy for plants, and oxygen is a by-product which is necessaryfor all living creatures.
One thing you want to keep in mind when attempting to construct andmaintain a hydroponic garden is that these types of gardens requiremore of a continuous nutrient supply. However, one mistake thatgardeners make is to over-do the amount of nutrients that theysupply to their plants.
Ordinarily roots will absorb water that a plant needs in order forthat plant to live and grow. This process is called osmosis.However, if too many nutrients are added to the growing medium(i.e. peat moss, gravel) or too many nutrients are added to theplant's water supply, it could burn the roots of plants up and/ordry them out (reverse osmosis instead of osmosis).
Much more is involved in the process of growing plants thehydroponics way than what is mentioned in this article. You canread other articles like this one to help educate your self morethoroughly about this process. In addition, you can read otheronline or print material that is dedicated to the study ofhydroponics.
This type of gardening has become more and more widely accepted. Infact, even commercial crop producers are using the hydroponicmethod. It may cost more initially. However, the production rate ofthis type of gardening is thought of to be well worth for manyfarmers. In addition, many hobby gardeners can enjoy the fact thatthey can make this garden indoors in a small space.
This type of gardening benefits all those who try it. It also canbe helpful for preserving the environment as well, especially ifyou use the water culture method, which produces very little waste.
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