Soil Vs. Hydroponics
Growing in soil is the medium of choice for outdoor gardens and plants. Growing indoors is another matter. Both soil and hydroponics have their supporters and detractors. There are issues and questions for both hobbyists growing plants at home and commercial growers raising plants in greenhouses. Does this Spark an idea?
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The Basics
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Growing in soil means that earth is the growing medium. All the nutrients needed to sustain plaints are in the soil, activated by water. In hydroponics, all the nutrients the plants need are added to the water in the form of soluble fertilizers. Hydroponics refers to any one of several methods of growing, some with no substrates to anchor the roots. After the first crop, the running costs are about the same.
Advantages of Soil
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Fertilizers are easy to find and are cheap. If excessive nutrients are added to plants grown in soil, the soil can more readily absorb them and carry them away. There are usually no rapid changes in soil nutrients. Growing in soil carries with it the traditional, aesthetic pleasure of getting one's hands dirty and dealing with bugs, molds, bacteria and other impediments of nature as gardeners have for millennia.
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Disavantages of Soil
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Working with soil is messy and the grower is more likely to have to deal with weeds, insects and other pests. Competing weeds can steal nutrients and light. In order to increase their surface area to absorb minerals and water, root systems spread throughout the soil. This means the plant devotes more energy to growing these roots and less to growing the fruits or flowers. Plants grown in soil must be spaced farther apart so their roots do not compete for water and nutrients. It is more difficult to irrigate soil with automated systems. Larger pots are needed for the soil, which ordinarily needs to be replaced after each crop. Soil should be corrected for the right acidity. Imbalances can take time to correct. Plants grow slower in soil than in hydroponics.
Advantages of Hydroponics
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The grower ordinarily doesn't have to deal with weeds, insects and other pests or buy herbicides and pesticides. Plants grown hydroponically don't waste energy growing extensive root systems, so the plants generally mature faster. The use of automatic irrigation systems means the grower can leave her plants unattended for longer periods of time. Hydroponic plants can be grown without a medium to anchor the roots, but when one is used, it's generally easy to use it again. The growing medium rarely runs low on essential nutrients. When there is a chemical imbalance, all that is needed is to replace the nutrient solution.
Disadvantages of Hydroponics
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Hydroponic systems are more expensive to set up. A hydroponic grower usually has to go to a specialty shop to buy fertilizers. There can be swift changes in the chemistry of the hydroponic growing medium. Hydroponics requires more research, attention and care than do plants grown in soil.
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