Lifelong gardener and hydroponic guru Pam Johnson sums up hydroponic gardening this way: "You have to play God."
Thanks to the hydroponic approach — a method of gardening that accelerates propagation and maintains plants with substrates other than soil — the success of a crop is solely in the hands of the gardener all year round.
Over the past few years, hydroponic gardening has made the leap from college horticulture greenhouses to the average Joe's living room as a sustainable alternative to traditional outdoor gardening. Hydroponic seed starters and specialty hydroponic nutrients have crept onto mainstream store shelves.
Abel Nuñez — who, with his wife Jude, owns Taos Hydroponic and Organic Garden Supply — began dabbling in hydroponics in the 1970s. The practice caught on with Nuñez' son, who owns a hydro shop in Albuquerque. Nuñez opened Taos Hydroponic nearly two years ago on a savvy gamble that the Taos demographic could support such a shop.
He was right. What most people don't know, Nuñez said, is that hydroponics is a philosophy as old as the pyramids — seriously.
"Maybe you've heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Those were hydroponic," Nuñez said. "The Egyptians and Aztecs also grew that way."
For people like Johnson and the Nuñezes, hydroponic gardening isn't just a hobby, it's a way of life that begins with knowing what's in your food down to the pH level of the local water.
"I think it wasn't just us being interested in gardening this way, but eating this way," Jude Nuñez said. "It's about eating food that's alive, not food that's been on a truck for 18 hours."
But a long historic lineage is not to say hydroponics is difficult. Like any garden, it has specific needs.
Let's clear up a few misconceptions:
1. Hydroponics is expensive.
It doesn't have to be. One of the hallmarks of hydroponic gardening is that systems can be tailored to space needs based on how many plants the gardener wants to maintain. And over time, a hydroponic garden can pay for itself several times over — on both the grocery and the energy bills, Nuñez says.
2. Hydroponics is too complicated.
Not necessarily. Depending on your style, hydroponic systems can come in three major orientations: deep-water cultures, drip systems and ebb and flow systems. All of the systems involve inundating the plants with nutrient-treated water for a certain period of time a few times a day — something that can be managed with a timer while you're sleeping, on vacation or at work.
The systems can easily be added to if your garden grows and can range in cost from $50 to hundreds according to the gardener's whim. Some hydroponic components — like nutrient-rich rockwool grow cubes — can easily be used by casual gardeners bored with potting soil.
3. Hydroponics isn't natural or "green."
Baloney. Many of the specialty lights and pumps used in a hydroponic system are designed to be energy-efficient, Nuñez says. And in the long run, growing your own food hydroponically will save money and the energy it takes to take a gas-guzzler to the grocery store to buy your produce. And you're promoting a natural plant ecosystem when you're not forcing the soil to produce something it ordinarily wouldn't on its own.
4. Hydroponics require the greenest thumb there is.
While a green thumb can't hurt, for some people hydroponics can be easier than a traditional garden — if you're willing to put in the initial effort. That might mean trying a few times to nail ideal water pH levels — or, for less patient gardeners, learning how to clone plant cuttings rather than start from seed.
"I love cloning," Johnson said. "The great thing about it is, you can take a cutting from a tomato plant and have a tomato from the exact same plant in two weeks. You don't have to wait for the seeds."
Taos Hydro also carries a variety of kits and tools for beginners — along with expert, on-site advice. "I have some people come in with questions or a leaf that looks sick or a bug they can't identify," Johnson said. "We're always here to help."
source
Thanks to the hydroponic approach — a method of gardening that accelerates propagation and maintains plants with substrates other than soil — the success of a crop is solely in the hands of the gardener all year round.
Over the past few years, hydroponic gardening has made the leap from college horticulture greenhouses to the average Joe's living room as a sustainable alternative to traditional outdoor gardening. Hydroponic seed starters and specialty hydroponic nutrients have crept onto mainstream store shelves.
Abel Nuñez — who, with his wife Jude, owns Taos Hydroponic and Organic Garden Supply — began dabbling in hydroponics in the 1970s. The practice caught on with Nuñez' son, who owns a hydro shop in Albuquerque. Nuñez opened Taos Hydroponic nearly two years ago on a savvy gamble that the Taos demographic could support such a shop.
He was right. What most people don't know, Nuñez said, is that hydroponics is a philosophy as old as the pyramids — seriously.
"Maybe you've heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Those were hydroponic," Nuñez said. "The Egyptians and Aztecs also grew that way."
For people like Johnson and the Nuñezes, hydroponic gardening isn't just a hobby, it's a way of life that begins with knowing what's in your food down to the pH level of the local water.
"I think it wasn't just us being interested in gardening this way, but eating this way," Jude Nuñez said. "It's about eating food that's alive, not food that's been on a truck for 18 hours."
But a long historic lineage is not to say hydroponics is difficult. Like any garden, it has specific needs.
Let's clear up a few misconceptions:
1. Hydroponics is expensive.
It doesn't have to be. One of the hallmarks of hydroponic gardening is that systems can be tailored to space needs based on how many plants the gardener wants to maintain. And over time, a hydroponic garden can pay for itself several times over — on both the grocery and the energy bills, Nuñez says.
2. Hydroponics is too complicated.
Not necessarily. Depending on your style, hydroponic systems can come in three major orientations: deep-water cultures, drip systems and ebb and flow systems. All of the systems involve inundating the plants with nutrient-treated water for a certain period of time a few times a day — something that can be managed with a timer while you're sleeping, on vacation or at work.
The systems can easily be added to if your garden grows and can range in cost from $50 to hundreds according to the gardener's whim. Some hydroponic components — like nutrient-rich rockwool grow cubes — can easily be used by casual gardeners bored with potting soil.
3. Hydroponics isn't natural or "green."
Baloney. Many of the specialty lights and pumps used in a hydroponic system are designed to be energy-efficient, Nuñez says. And in the long run, growing your own food hydroponically will save money and the energy it takes to take a gas-guzzler to the grocery store to buy your produce. And you're promoting a natural plant ecosystem when you're not forcing the soil to produce something it ordinarily wouldn't on its own.
4. Hydroponics require the greenest thumb there is.
While a green thumb can't hurt, for some people hydroponics can be easier than a traditional garden — if you're willing to put in the initial effort. That might mean trying a few times to nail ideal water pH levels — or, for less patient gardeners, learning how to clone plant cuttings rather than start from seed.
"I love cloning," Johnson said. "The great thing about it is, you can take a cutting from a tomato plant and have a tomato from the exact same plant in two weeks. You don't have to wait for the seeds."
Taos Hydro also carries a variety of kits and tools for beginners — along with expert, on-site advice. "I have some people come in with questions or a leaf that looks sick or a bug they can't identify," Johnson said. "We're always here to help."
source
Hydroponics
ReplyDeleteG8 post.........really interested....I lov gardening......but I don't hv time to spend on my garden......cn u suggest me some easy way to grow plants without spending more time on it!!!!!!!!!!!!