Benefits & Advantages of Organic Hydroponic Gardening

Last week we talked a bit about what hydroponic gardening is. Nowadays, hydroponic gardening is widely accepted by many farmers and gardeners. The mere presence of so many organic hydroponic greenhouses today is proof of its popularity and accessibility to accommodate more plant and crop production.

Here are some benefits and advantages of using organic hydroponic gardening.

1.  The hydroponic gardener doesn't need to worry about watering.

2.  As long as the organic fertilizers are added to the water in the right amounts, the concentration should not hurt the roots, so you also don't need to worry about over-feeding, as long as you follow the proper schedule.

The hydroponic garden of Howard M. Resh. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3.  Many organic hydroponics greenhouses are used for research and studies for plant and seed propagation using the science of hydroponics. Scientists use them to perform helpful experiments about technological advancements on how to improve organic and other fertilizers for use in crop production.

4.  Less space is needed to accommodate and attend to more plants than could be sustained on a similar patch of soil.

5.  Hydroponics gardening helps gardeners conserve time and effort. It relieves many forms of labor needed for traditional soil-based gardening, such as keeping the soil wet, sowing, weeding the soil, and nurturing the soil.

6.  Unlike in traditional agriculture, plants can be grown closer together because the roots of the plants are smaller in contrast to a larger plant or crop than they would be if grown in soil.

7.  A farmer or gardener can practice multiple cropping for he can harvest and plant the crops at the same time, thus increasing harvest over traditional gardening methods.

8.  He may also be able to grow larger and healthier plants because the organic fertilizer is supplied directly to the roots of the plants.

For more on organic gardening with hydroponics, check out How to Grow Fruits, Vegetables & Houseplants Without Soil: The Secrets of Hydroponic Gardening Revealed.

Video: Choosing Organic Fertilizers for Your Hydroponic Garden

This short video shows some different organic fertilizers you can use in your hydroponic garden. Choosing quality ingredients helps to ensure a successful organic hydroponic garden, without having to resort to chemical fertilizers.

How to Create & Manage an Organic Garden : Using Organic Hydroponic Nutrients
Learn how to use organic hydroponic nutrients for your garden's benefit in this free educational video series. Expert: Steve Contact: www.myspace.com/solorga...


Organic Hydroponic Fertilizers Shown In Video:
    

Gardening with Organic Hydroponics

Seeing that soil seems essential for a plant's life, some people may wonder how a plant could grow without the use of soil. However, due to advances in modern technology, as well as discoveries in agriculture, it is now possible to grow plants very quickly, without even using soil at all. The use of the traditional method of agriculture, which consists of the slow process of cultivating, watering, sowing, and attending to the plants every day, has become less popular among those gardeners who have learned the methods of organic hydroponics. Organic hydroponics lessens a gardener’s efforts greatly.

NASA researcher checking hydroponic onions with Bibb lettuce to his left and radishes to the right (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gardeners now can grow plants fast and can create more production by applying the methods of organic hydroponics. Some people also know this process as soil-less culture, water gardening, or soil-less gardening. But for most farmers and gardeners it is commonly known as hydroponics gardening. This methodical way of gardening offers a way of cultivating plants without the presence of soil.

With this method of gardening, the needed nutrients are dissolved in water, and directly supplied to the plants' roots. The organic nutrients must be soluble enough so that the roots can easily drink up the solution.

Most hydroponic gardens are contained in some sort of greenhouse. Some greenhouse gardeners worry that the hydroponic method could be ecologically harmful and bad for the environment, but according to many experts who study the science of hydroponics, this is not the case, and indeed, it can be a great way to produce more food in countries where the food supply is limited.

This is especially helpful because organic hydroponics allows the plant to maintain health and grow more quickly. It may also increase crop production in some cases.

Be sure to check back Thursday for a helpful video with more info on the advantages of organic hydroponic gardening.

Video: Fruiting Cactus Plants

You might think of cactus as just a spiny and interesting looking houseplant, but cactus can also grow edible fruits! Some of them can taste quite delicious, although harvesting may be hazardous to your fingers, so be careful!

In this short video, he shows you a fruiting cactus, and how to take cuttings to propagate your cacti and grow your cactus garden.

Fruiting Cacti Plants - Tasting & Growing!
This video looks at three types of Cactus Fruit. Mammillaria prolifera (Texas nipple cactus), Dragon fruit & Prickly Pear. Watch to find out what they taste ...

Growing Cacti In An Indoor Garden

The homeowner who wants to start a home garden that is light on the maintenance needed may decide to buy cacti.  This can be a good plan because while they provide a lot of visual interest to your indoor areas, they need less water than most plants and are quite hardy - although there are still care instructions that need to be followed to increase the life and longevity of a cactus.

A few types of potted cactus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cactus plants are used to hot and dry conditions; for this reason putting them in a windowsill with full sunlight is optimal.  Depending on the cactus and the amount of heat it is getting you may not have to water it for weeks at a time (once a month is the generally recommended watering schedule).  Cacti like coarse soil; it is recommended to use a soil that is meant specifically for a cactus instead of a generic mix.  When a fertilizer is needed you should also purchase a fertilizer that is just for cacti.

When watering a cactus, you want to be careful not to over-water it.  A good tip to prevent this from happening is to place the cactus pot in a shallow dish full of water.  The plant will soak up all of the water it needs through the drainage hole in a period of 1-2 hours.  Then pour the remaining water out of the dish, and don’t worry about it again for another month unless the plant is starting to get a shriveled look.

When handling your cactus, be careful!  If the pot is not large enough to hold onto without your hands getting to close to the prickly part of the plant use a folded newspaper and place it around the plant.  This will protect both your hands and the plant when moving it.  If you do get a cactus thorn in your finger, remove gently with a pair of tweezers or a piece of strong tape.

Resources for Growing Cacti:
   

Video: Organic Houseplant Care

You may not think of organic gardening when you think of houseplants, but if anything, growing indoor plants organically is even more important than outside, as you certainly don't want to be bringing harmful chemicals into your living area! Growing organically indoors can help keep your family and pets safe.

This short video gives some helpful tips for growing houseplants organically, from fertilizing to dealing with pests and other problems.

House Plant Care
Organic gardening isn't just for edibles! Grow your house plants organically too. Learn how to keep them healthy and to deal organically with pests and disea...


   

House Plant Care Basics

As houseplants are living in an unnatural environment (indoors), instead of in their natural habitat, we need to give them extra care to get the best results.

They will require all the elements outdoor plants do - such as their need for good nutrients, water, ventilation, light and a suitable climate. Without this balance they will soon wither and die.

It is vitally important that potted plants have top quality soil that drains well - as well as drainage holes in the bottom of each pot.

(Photo credit: SheepGuardingLlama)

As with outdoor plants they will need soil that is light enough for their roots and to hold water and air but not so light as to allow the nutrients to wash through and not be made available for their roots. One thing that will not be as much of a concern as outdoor plants is their need for support against winds. This can allow you to use lighter soil; however you will still need to ensure the plant is getting the nutrients it needs. This might sometimes require additional feeding that is over and above what you would give an outdoor plant.

Getting good potting mix for your indoor plants can make a noticeable difference to their condition as the soil that we get from outside can sometimes have diseases or insects in it. Organic indoor potting mix is readily available in different varieties to suit the requirements of various indoor plants.

The environment can also affect plants, and air pollutants such as smoking in the house will affect the plant growth and result in poor health just as it does to the person smoking.

Plants will also benefit from having their leaves cleaned, as there can be a buildup of dust when growing indoors and not having the rainfall to wash them clean, and this can prevent light from getting to the leaves.

You can buy inexpensive moisture monitoring kits and also small units designed to release water into the soil when dry soil is detected. For a more sustainable indoor gardening practice, catch rainwater in containers to use for watering your indoor plants.

If there is an opportunity to do so, it is a good policy to put your indoor plants outside in the sun for a few hours every so often to get some extra light and fresh air - or put them out in the rain for a good washing and soaking.

Houseplant Care Resources: 
   

Video: Tips for Moving Small Shrubs

This quick video provides some simple tips for moving small shrubs, such as rose bushes, to minimize damage to the plant, and make it easier on you as well. Ideally, plants should be moved in the fall or winter to allow the root system to reestablish in the new location before summer comes along and the plant needs deeper roots to pull up the water during hot weather.

Check out this demonstration to see how to do it:

Moving Shrubs.mp4
Tips for successfully moving a shrub or small tree from one place in your landscape to another.

Moving Plants of All Sizes: A Winter Garden Task

Winter, when plants are dormant, is the ideal time to move plants, although they can be successfully moved at any time throughout the year provided care is taken. Smaller plants, under three feet high, are the easiest to move. Here are some tips to moving a small plant or shrub to a new location in your garden:

1. The first step is to trim the plant or shrub back by about one third.
2. The next step is to dig the plant out ensuring that the root ball is approximately the same diameter as the plant.
3. The plant can then be transplanted to the new position in the garden. (See below for details on the final steps for placing the transplant.)

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The procedure with bigger plants in the 3-foot to 5-foot range is much the same but will take a little more time.

For Step 2, once you have dug around the plant to a depth of approximately 1 to 1 1/2 feet, you should leave it for a week before finishing the removal. After a week ease the plant out by digging under the roots and trim off long or damaged roots before transplanting.

For bigger plants and trees the procedure gets a little more involved.

1. The first step is to dig down deeply on two sides of the plant, through the roots at the drip line.
2. The plant should then be left for a week or two before the same procedure is repeated on the other two sides of the plant.
3. As with the smaller plants you will need to trim the plant back by about one third before starting.
4. After having dug around all sides of the plant you should wait another couple of weeks before digging under the roots.
5. Again, you will need to trim off long or damaged roots in preparation for the transplant.
6. Let another week or two pass before removing the plant and wrapping the root ball with Hessian cloth to protect the roots.

Placing & setting the transplant:
1. You should have already prepared a new hole that will be slightly bigger than the root ball of the plant you are replacing.
2. Add compost, mix and slow release fertilizer before transplanting the plant.
3. Top up the soil and water it well.

Provided you have taken good care along the way your plant should settle in to its new location without any problems.