Hydroponics is a technology of growing plants in a mineral solution outside the soil. Industrial plants with a high degree of automation and control are available.

They are expensive and not everyone can afford one. But hydroponics at home is also possible.

What a hydroponic system consists of

The installation includes the following components:

Hydroponic installation with their own hands

A reservoir with a supply of nutrient solution;

Tanks with porous filler (substrate), where the roots of the plants are placed;

The system of delivery of the nutrient solution to the roots. There are several types, they are discussed below. The task of the system is to deliver the solution so that the roots have the opportunity to breathe at the same time;

pump. Provides circulation of the nutrient solution;

compressor. Saturates the nutrient solution with air or feeds it directly to the roots;

broad-spectrum lamps. Plants need light for photosynthesis;

heater. Maintains optimum temperature if the room where the plant is located is cold;

thermometer and hygrometer.

The solution contains all the microelements the plant needs, so it can easily do without soil.

Hydroponic installation with their own hands 

The advantages of hydroponics:

crops grow faster (micronutrients are supplied in a digestible form plus optimal temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration are provided);

Water and nutrient consumption is reduced;

labor costs are reduced.

Disadvantages:

In terms of taste and composition of vitamins, the plants are inferior to those grown in a dacha or vegetable garden: this is confirmed by feedback from users of such installations;

the system is energy-dependent: without electricity the crops will survive only a few hours;

the constant control of the solution composition is required.

The main reason for the intensive development of hydroponics in some regions is the lack of water. Other possible reasons, which have not yet fully manifested themselves, are soil depletion and contamination, due to which fruits accumulate harmful substances for health.

Types of equipment for growing vegetables and flowers

There are many different projects of installations for hydroponics, but, in general, they are all divided into groups:

Hydroponic installation with their own hands

wicking. The substrate is made of a finely porous material and the solution rises into it due to the capillary effect. The roots have the ability to breathe and at the same time have access to nutrition. The advantage is that no pump is needed (this is why this system is called passive). The disadvantage - there is no possibility to supply a significant amount of nutrients to the roots, so vegetables and fruits cannot be grown this way. On a wick installation you can create an indoor garden or grow ornamental plants;

a system of periodic flooding. The solution is pumped on a timer between two containers with plants, as a result, the roots have a breathing mode alternating with nutrition;

floating platform. The unit is designed for breeding flowers - these plants need a lot of water. The solution is in the lower part of the device all the time, and it is sprayed by a best pump connected to the nozzle. The drops settle on the roots, nourishing them;

drip. The roots are moistened with the solution by means of a dropper - a device from which the liquid flows by gravity in doses. The same are used for drip irrigation. The solution not absorbed by the roots flows and returns to the tank through the drainage holes. Because of their simplicity, these systems are quite popular.

There is another system - aeroponics. The roots of the plant are not immersed in the substrate - it just hangs on the garters. Periodically a suspension from the nutrient solution is sprayed. Such equipment is distinguished by the high cost.

Scheme of installation

Hydroponics with their own hands is possible in the simplest version, one of the suitable options, understandable without a drawing:

Hydroponic installation with their own hands

install the pipe horizontally with some slope. The ends of the pipe are plugged;

Inside the tube through the holes in the wall pots with a filler are placed where the plants are planted;

a vertical or horizontal tank with a solution is placed under the pipe. Two tubes are connected to the tank;

One tube is cut into the plug at the end of the pipe from the bottom side - the solution flows from the pipe into the tank by gravity through it;

a pump is connected to the second tube and its outlet pipe is inserted into the pipe end above. Here the solution is pumped by the pump.

The working fluid is constantly circulating: the pump pumps it into the pipe, moves along it by gravity and flows back into the tank. Along the way, the solution soaks up the filler with the plant roots in it.

Step by step instructions on how to make your own hands

Before you make a hydroponic installation at home, it is necessary to find a place for its location. Outdoors it is impossible to maintain the optimal temperature-humidity regime, so the system is placed in the house.

a large plastic bottle is placed on the floor. The volume is 1 to 3 liters per plant, depending on the size. Usually a bottle of 50 liters is used. A standard package of concentrate is designed just for it. The walls of the container should not let the light pass through. Otherwise, microalgae will develop in the nutrient solution - it will bloom. If a bottle of transparent plastic is used, it is glued with foil. In the lid and the side wall at the bottom cut into one socket;

Purchase pots for the number of plants. The best option - with a mesh bottom. In the absence of such suit flower pots with holes in the bottom. In deaf pots holes bore their own.

Then select a porous filler for the pots, options:

coconut fiber;

expanded clay;

mineral wool;

vermiculite;

perlite;

fine crushed stone or gravel;

polymeric materials: foam rubber, capron, nylon or polypropylene thread.

Hydroponic plant with their own hands

Coconut fiber

Coconut fiber is called coconut bast and its ground shell. Before use, magnesium and iron salts are washed out of the material.

Coconut fiber has a number of advantages:

it is lighter than water, so it floats in solution and swells up, filling with air;

The structure of the fiber has pores and tubules, which are filled with the solution due to the capillary effect;

the smooth surface of the fiber allows the germinating root to move freely along it.

Coconut fiber is an ideal filler for hydroponics, created by nature itself. After all, it initially acts as a substitute soil for the sprouting palm.

over the bottle fix horizontally with a slight slope PVC sewage pipe with plugged ends. In the upper part of the plugs pre-cut spigots;

The top of the pipe is cut holes of such a diameter that the pots placed in them were in the pipe, but did not fall through. The distance between the holes depends on the type of culture grown. For lettuce, dill, parsley and other greens - 10 cm. For cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, strawberries and other crops - 15 cm;

Connect to the socket at the bottom of the container pump for filling the aquarium or for a tabletop fountain;

Connect the tube nozzles in the ends of the pipe with nozzles in the bottle lid and pump.

Make a nutrient solution, one component is taken in a ready-made form:

for flowering plants and fruit crops: Uniflor Bouton;

other species: "Uniflor Growth" (emphasis is placed on the development of the green part).

Hydroponic unit with your own hands

Uniflor Bouton solution

The dose of the drug is measured with a large medical syringe at the rate of 1.67 ml per 1 liter of water. The second component is a 25% solution of 4-water calcium nitrate, administered at the rate of 2 ml per 1 liter of water.

For fast-growing crops, the solution is made 1.5 times more concentrated. For annual vegetable plants, the above concentration is increased by 25% (2.5 ml/L). In winter, the solution concentration is reduced by 2-3 times.

Water needs to be soft and clean, most properly used bottled or filtered.

Tips for use

The installation is used as follows:

Hydroponic installation with their own hands

The seeds are previously germinated in the soil. Then the young shoot together with the soil is removed from the pot and dropped for some time in a bucket of water at room temperature. The soaked soil is carefully removed from the roots and washed under a weak stream of water;

For planting in an installation, select seedlings with strong, thick roots. Specimens with thin roots may not be viable;

The roots of the plant are lowered into the pot, fill in the same filler and place the container in the hole made in the pipe. If the arrangement is correct, the pot is submerged in the nutrient solution by 1-2 cm during the operation of the plant. In this case, the roots do not reach the solution - it rises to them through the capillaries of the filler;

Water the plants with clean water for a week, giving them the opportunity to adapt. Only after that you can feed the solution to the roots;

The pump is turned on for at least 4 hours daily, and better for the whole daylight hours;

the volume of solution in the bottle is maintained at a constant level by adding water daily;

change the solution every three months;

control the acidity of the solution, keeping it at the optimum level for the plant. For most, pH = 5.6 is appropriate. Most accurately determine the acidity of the device pH-meter, but because of the high cost instead of him usually use tests to control water in the aquarium;

Tie up the grown plants with twine, because the filler does not allow the roots to be held as firmly as in the soil.

Growing herbs in hydroponics

In order to automate the process, it is recommended to connect the pump to an electronic timer, a relatively inexpensive device that feeds on time.

How to grow hydroponic green food?

To provide animals with sufficient feed, only a multi-tiered industrial installation of high capacity is able to do so. The yield from the homemade analog is enough only for the role of vitamin supplement.

Another problem is the lack of a homemade system of disinfection, due to which there is a great risk of developing colonies of mold and other fungi on the crops. If such food gets into the body of the animal, it can get sick and even die.

Therefore, follow the rules:

place the installation in a closed room;

provide in it a high level of cleanliness: do not go in outdoor shoes, wear a coat, etc.;

select the seeds by the number of non-germinated seeds: if there are a lot of them in the batch, the risk of infection is extremely high;

apply methods of cultivation that exclude the spread of fungus from infected plants to healthy ones (watering under the root, etc.);

wash the plant components with antiseptics;

if mold is detected, immediately destroy the infected plant and thoroughly disinfect the container where it was kept.

Even these measures do not give a 100% guarantee of safety, so for a large farm it is recommended to buy a factory-made installation.