Organic Hydroponics tips

The method of organic hydroponics uses home-brewed nutrient teas made from compost to supply necessary minerals to your hydroponic growing plants.

Organic hydroponics much like organic gardening requires a delicate balance relying on the gardener’s eye much more than the chemical scale

Since ancient times man has cultivated successfully with hydroponics. Using soil less techniques, the legendary Babylon Hanging Gardens is a prime example of successful hydroponics gardening.

Home -Brew

Organic nutrients can be added to hydroponics that you brew yourself from compost tea. Compost heated up to 135 degrees for several days ensures the teas are free of disease-causing bacteria.

To make a batch of home-brew, take a 5-gallon bucket and add about a gallon of compost to 4 gallons of water. Stir well and let the bucket sit in the sun for three days.

Stir the mixture a few times a day, to remove the microbes from the mix. If the substance does not smell like a bed of roses, add fresh water and stir more frequent. The bacteria will regroup supplied with adequate oxygen. As you apply the tea to your garden, add additional water to the bucket.

Commercial products available include blends of bat guano, seaweed concentrate, and worm castings.

In the 17th century, chemist, Van Helmont’s experiments proved that plants obtain nutrients from water. Horticulturalists since then have uncovered new ways to provide nutrients to plants using organic hydroponics.

During the 19th century, German scientists, Sachs and Knop considered the founding fathers of modern hydroponics, developed a nutrient formula based on their discovery that nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are necessary ingredients to promote plant growth.

In the 1920s, botanist Dennis Hoagland invented the hydroponic nutrient solution named for him of which the basis is still used today. Hoagland’s Solution was the first to use magnesium, sulfur, and iron in small amounts for growing healthy plants.

A modern day formula mixture using natural occurring elements is.

Trace element formulas:

Salt Nutrients Mix with 25 gal.

Hoagland solution

Boric acid boron ½ pint

Manganese chloride manganese,chlorine ½ pint

Zinc sulfate zinc, sulfur ½ tsp

Copper sulfate copper, sulfur 1/5 tsp.

Iron tartrate iron ½ cup

Molybdenum trioxide molybdenum One ounce

Hydroponics organic garden pushes the boundaries of growing plants beyond traditional soil methods. During WWII and the Korean War, American troops grew hydroponics on Japanese islands and the deserts in the Middle East. Barren and rocky landscapes transformed in to nourishment from floating gardens. The fresh produce was shipped from hydroponics farms in Japan to the military fighting on foreign land.

To provide your growing plants with an adequate supply of oxygen, install an aerator such as the air pumps used in fish aquariums. This step is essential to root growth.

organic hydroponic gardening combines water with the environmental advantages of traditional farming. The practice of soil-less cultivation in the future strives for simpler growing methods. Making great strides,hydroponics gardens experience less garden pests, vigorous plant growth, and lower manual labor requirements.

As the cost for the systems is lowered, gardeners by the groves are turning to hydroponics for their basic garden needs. The sky is no longer the limit, with NASA growing hydroponics on board the space shuttle. There seem no outer limits; hydro is the only way to grow.

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