Hydroponics do-it-yourself for cucumbers and tomatoes. Equipment for growing vegetables

Наверное, каждый человек, который любит работать on my own country site, I heard about such a concept as hydroponics at home, carried out with my own hands. What is the technology, what advantages does growing of cultivated plants in such a way give? We will try to answer these and other questions in the presented material.

What is hydroponics?

In fact, this method involves the cultivation of vegetables without soil. Nutrients necessary for the growth and formation of fruits, cultures are obtained from special solutions.

Hydroponics, equipment for growing vegetablesin particular, it makes it possible to fairly regularly receive a rich harvest in an insignificant area. At the same time, the fruits are distinguished by ecological purity, abundance of vitamins and microelements. Plants fed by enriched mixtures do not waste energy on the development of a branched root and powerful stem system.

In living conditions hydroponics, equipment forgrowing vegetables allow planting almost all cultivated plants. In domestic realities, this method is most efficiently resorted to for the harvest of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, radishes.

Hydroponic solution is idealalternative to the soil when growing pot plants. The only exception to this rule is plants whose root system is quickly rotting when the abundance of moisture enters.

Technology features

Как известно, при выращивании культурных растений on the ground in the open, their root system feeds on moisture and substances necessary for growth directly from the ground. However, this soil contains an unbalanced amount of useful elements. That is why plants have to spend energy on the development of a massive root, large stem and leaves.

Material for hydroponics is differentbalanced composition. Thus, plants receive useful substances in the necessary volume. Accordingly, the need for the development of a powerful root system disappears, and all the energy is redirected to flowering, the gain of fruits and the formation of a bountiful harvest. When growing crops using the hydroponic method, the plants have weak roots, but a powerful above-ground part.

Pros and cons of growing plants based on hydroponic technology

Do-it-yourself hydroponics for cucumbers and tomatoes provides the following benefits:

1. Cultures are formed healthy, have a strong stalk. They grow several times faster than on ordinary ground in the open, produce more fruit.
2. The crop does not contain nitrates, heavy metals, nuclides, other toxic substances that are concentrated in ordinary garden soil and water.
3. There is no need for regular watering of cultivated crops manually.
4. There is no need to use pesticides for the destruction of fungi and insect pests.
5. No need to remove weeds. There is also no need to feed and loosen the soil, since the solutions used in hydroponics are fertilizer themselves.
6. Plants do not suffer from oxygen deficiency in the soil, do not over-wet and do not dry out.
7. DIY hydroponics for cucumbers and tomatoesdoes not force to go to the country and dig in the ground. To get a bountiful harvest, a small enough free area is enough to place equipment in a room or on a balcony.

However, the technology has some drawbacks.However, they cannot be called critical. First of all, for the cultivation of crops by the method of hydroponics will have to invest in the purchase of equipment and consumables. You will also need to study information about the technology in theory and spend more time on planting.

Elements of the system

How to make hydroponics? Standard equipment usually includes several components:

1. The upper part - pumps, tubular branches for irrigation of plants, oxygen supply.
2. Bottom part - capacity for planting crops,and a pump that delivers fluid to the top of the system. The pump should contain a timer, which will periodically activate the mechanism for irrigation of the root system of plants.

Substrate System

It is the simplest setup forcultivating crops by hydroponics. Plants are placed in a container with a substrate. It contains a series of holes through which the nutrient solution is supplied. The immersion depth of the rhizomes of cultures in the liquid in this case is about 1-2 cm.

The equipment is complemented by a pump with a timer, which is located in the lower section of the container. There are also inlet and outlet tubes for supplying and discharging liquid.

The root system of plants is suspendedcondition. A small amount of water is at the bottom of the tank and maintains the relative humidity of the substrate. Several times a day, the pump timer is activated, which starts the mechanism for a few minutes. The nutrient fluid floods the container to the edge of the tube. Excess substances naturally merge into the lower section. With a lack of natural lighting, special hydroponic lamps can be used.

Drip system

Such a hydroponics do-it-yourself for cucumbers andtomato involves planting plants in a deep container filled with the substrate. The supply of nutrients dissolved in a liquid is performed through a tube that contains openings along the entire length. Water containing useful elements comes in a drip method and is fed to the substrate directly at the rhizomes of plants. The excess liquid flows into the lower container, is filtered, saturated with oxygen and fed back to the cultures.

Water system

In a deep tank filled with water,there is a pallet made of a non-sinking material, such as foam plastic. Holes are made in its surface, through which the plant stems are passed, and then fixed with clamps. Thus, the root system is immersed in a liquid with nutrients dissolved in it. As the cultures grow, the solution is changed and periodically saturated with oxygen. You can easily cope with the latter task by placing an aquarium compressor in the water tank.

Водная гидропонная система идеально подходит для cultivated plants that love elevated levels of moisture. In particular, the technology looks like an ideal solution for growing lettuce leaves, but is ineffective for tomatoes and cucumbers.

Air technology

Plant rhizomes are suspended in space andregularly sprayed with nutrient liquids in the composition. When growing crops using this technology, the main thing is to prevent them from drying out.

Распылять питательные составы следует в виде aerosol. You can perform the operation manually. However, for these purposes it is better to prepare a special device that can be made on the basis of a domestic air humidifier.

Nutrient Technology

To equip the system, you need a widecontainer of low height. Here the plants are suspended in baskets so that their roots touch the bottom of the tank, through which, thanks to a small slope, streams with nutrients circulate without stopping. The liquid composition is supplied to the rhizomes of plants through tubes from another, lower tank using an aquarium pump. After passing through the streamlets, the water flows back, is saturated with oxygen through the pump and re-enters the top container to the rhizomes of the crops.

How to transfer seedlings to hydroponics from the ground?

Выполнять процедуру рекомендуется летом либо in the spring. The roots of seedlings of young crops are carefully removed from the soil and are kept in warm water for several hours. Then the plants are cleaned from rotted particles, disinfected and thoroughly washed from the remnants of the soil.

Каждое растение помещается в отдельный plastic pot with mesh walls, which is filled with a substrate. Such a container is located in an outer tank filled with water. After about a week, ordinary water is replaced with a nutrient solution for hydroponics of half the concentration of microelements. On the second month, you can apply a standard liquid with a high content of phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and other substances.

Finally

Do-it-yourself hydroponics for cucumbers and tomatoes,other cultivated plants can be organized not only at home, but also in the greenhouse, as well as outdoors. At the same time, the yield will depend on the quality of lighting, maintaining the temperature and humidity conditions necessary for a particular type of plant.