Hydroponic Growing Media

 

Improve The Health Of Your Plants With The Right Hydroponic Growing Media

Hydroponics has really taken off over the past few years with many more people keen to grow their own fresh vegetables at home. A hydroponic system is relatively easy to set up and there are many references that you can find online that show you how to do this.

The benefits of growing hydroponically are that you don’t need a large garden or outdoor growing area to grow a large volume of greens and other vegetables at home. All you need is a dedicated spot anywhere in your home or garage where you can set up your system. Some people choose to set up their growing system in large wardrobes in a spare bedroom or in a metal cabinet in the garage.

Remember that you’ll be using grow lights with your system to supply the necessary UV light and warmth.

Why you need hydroponic growing media

Growing hydroponically involves supplying your plants with a nutrient solution using water rather than soil. However, you still need a way to support the roots of the plants and that’s where it’s important to select the correct growing media.

What are the common types of hydroponic growing media?

There are a number of different media that hydroponic growers use. These include:

  • Coconut fibre or coco coir
  • Expanded clay pellets or grow rocks for use in net pots
  • Rockwool that is commonly available in grow cubes
  • Sponge blocks
  • Perlite
  • Vermiculite

Remember that these products are only required to support the roots of the plants as all the nutrients are supplied with the solution that is applied directly to the roots.

Many hydroponic growers will choose to use a combination of these materials depending on the type of hydroponic system that they have.

How do you choose the right hydroponic growing media?

This will depend entirely on the type of hydroponic system that you have. For example, if the roots of your plants are permanently suspended in the nutrient solution, then all you need is something like grow rocks, perlite or vermiculite as these products don’t retain water.

On the other hand, if your system involves the nutrient solution being washed over the roots in timed intervals, then you may need to add something like coco coir that will retain some water so that the roots don’t dry out completely.

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