Hydroponics System
The Passive Irrigation Technique Defined through Hydroponics
Passive Irrigation is one technique that is used in the hydroponic world. For those of you who are not familiar with hydroponics, it is defined as the act of gardening without the use of soil. Instead other media is used, or no media and only water is used.
One method of irrigation for hydroponic systems is passive irrigation (or subirrigation). The growing medium (gravel, vermiclulite, perlite, rockwool, or other pourous material) used for this type of irrigation generally has large air spaces. which allows sufficient amounts of Oxygen to reach the roots of the plants.
The simplest way to construct a hydroponic system with passive irrigation is to have a container continually sit in a layer of hydroponic plant nutrient treatment. This plant could sit on a capillary mat as well that is soaked with the right nutrients that your plants need. This keeps the medium that you use for growing your plants flushed regularly with nutrient solution and air.
The simple passive irrigation method described above is the simplest way for hobby gardeners to get started. It could also be a great start for commercial farmers on a large scale. You will need to know other information about this type of irrigation as well.
For instance, you need to be aware that it is necessary to wash out the passive irrigation system from time to time to remove salt accumulation. You can measure salt buildup in your system with an electrical conductivity device or a ppm meter. An average reading of 1500 ppm is acceptable, depending upon the plant you will grow. Some exceptions do apply, however. For instance, lettuce is said to grow well at about 800 ppm and tomatoes are said to grow the best at about 3000 ppm.
Another very important aspect of maintenance of your passive irrigation system is to make sure you test the pH level periodically. It is recommended that it is set at 6.3, but you can find information, which will tell you the optimal pH settings of each one of the plants you intend to grow.
On a larger scale, passive irrigation systems have become a part of landscape architecture. For example, surrounding some European public buildings is a hydroponic system that uses small clay granules for the medium, and small houseplants are grown inside.
An alternative passive irrigation method other than the ones described above includes the use of a wick. This wick runs down from the base of the pot or tray of a plant down to a bottle of nutrient solution. The solution travels up the wick in a similar way that an air freshener scent would to help scent the air. The use of the wick is how the plant nutrients are supplied, which works in a similar way to the first method described in this article.
Other very important factors of making a hydroponic system work for you include making sure you have adequate light and adequate space. The forms of light that you can use are natural sunlight and artificial light. Both types of light will produce the right amount of radiation that your plants need. Usually space is not a problem, but you will need at least the minimum amount required for your plants to grow, which is usually less than for traditional gardens.
A similar type of irrigation is called top irrigation. Using this method, a nutrient solution is applied periodically to the medium surface, rather than underneath the plant. However, this is more done automatically, as in the case of most active irrigations systems. Therefore, it is different than the passive one.
If you want to learn more about hydroponic planting and other irrigation types besides the passive irrigation you can read more articles like this one. These articles are available for you to read any time you want, free of charge.
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