Hydroponic gardening

Making Some Hydroponic Noise about the Static Solution Culture

Hydroponics, which is a Latin term meaning working water, refers to the growing of plants without soil. Growers supply all of the nutrients plants would normally get through soil via water instead. There are a wide variety of different methods growers can use in hydroponics. Most fall into one of two categories; solutions cultures and medium cultures. Solution cultures refer to the growing of hydroponic plants using only water and nutrient mixture, while medium cultures involve placing the plant roots into some kind of solid growing material. Some hydroponcis ''purists'' believe that solution cultures are the only way to truly grow hydroponic crops. Static solution culture is the most pure of all the hydroponic growing systems, in that it involves only water and nutrient mixtures for growing, without elaborate equipment.

Static solution cultures in very easy to work with, even for novice hydroponic gardeners; in fact, they are often used by science teachers to teach their classes about hydroponics. The name comes from the fact that the nutrient mixture is static. It is kept in a container and does not flow over the roots as some other solution cultures, like continuous flow systems, do. In static solution culture, the water remains stationary, and it bathes the roots.

To use a static solution culture, you will first need some kind of container to keep the solution in. It can be as small and simple as a glass jam jar or plastic bucket, or it can be a tub or plastic tub, which holds several gallons of water. The ideal container is dark, food grade plastic. The darkness prevents algae from breeding, and food grade plastic will not bleed any harmful chemical into your plant. If you don`t have a dark container, you can wrap your container in a dark plastic film or aluminum foil. If you are not using food grade plastic, it is best to grow non-food items like flowers. Your container will also need a lid. If it doesn`t come with one, you can make one out of cardboard. It will need to sit securely and flush on the container; it will need to be secured with duct tape.

In the lid of your container, you will have to cut out holes to place your plants through. Plastic planting cones can help you with this -simply trace the cones onto the lid, and cut out the circles. Several plants should easily fit on one lid, though exactly how many depends of course on the size of your container. Make sure you don`t place your plants too close to the edge of the lid.

Into the container, you will need to add water and a nutrient mixture. You can buy pre-made hydroponic nutrient mixture specific for the plants you are growing, and usually, you should add some combination of magnesium sulfate and calcium nitrate. A little bit of research will help you discover the perfect nutrient mixture for your plants. You will need to check the nutrient levels and pH level in your water periodically, and make changes as necessary. As your plants grow, you might find it necessary to top up the nutrients, or add more water to neutralize them.

Dissolve the nutrients in water, and then add additional water to top up the container. If your container is aerated, you can fill the water right up to the top to cover the roots, and if it is not aerated, you will need to leave a little gap between the water and the roots, so they can get oxygen.

That`s all there is to it! Static solution is so simple and so effective; it is ideal for novice and professional growers alike.