Hydroponics & Beans
Hydroponics is a type of gardening that is gaining in popularity. Growing hydroponic fruits and vegetables can be accomplished in almost any location, and beans are an easy crop to grow under hydroponic conditions. As gardeners continue to seek ways to grow plants with fewer pesticides and greater yields, hydroponics is becoming the method of choice. Does this Spark an idea?
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Hydroponics Defined
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Hydroponics comes from two Greek words: "hydro," which means "water," and "ponics," which means "labor." So the literal meaning of hydroponics is "water labor," which is very accurate since the water does all of the work of providing nutrients and oxygen to the plants. Hydroponics is not a new concept, however, as hanging gardens are documented to have existed in ancient Babylon and China was known for floating gardens. Modern hydroponics started developing around 1950 and has been growing in popularity since.
Growing Hydroponic Beans
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Beans are a natural choice for a hydroponic garden as they are a simple crop to grow and require little care. However, it is better to use a bush-type bean that doesn't require a pole to climb as it can be difficult to arrange a pole securely in a hydroponic garden. Bush beans can be trained to lie in a certain direction and will produce just as well as traditional pole beans.
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Bean Spacing
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Although plants are not in soil, it is still important to provide each bean plant with the space necessary to grow. Therefore, bean plants should be placed at least 18 inches apart. This distance will give the roots room to grow and the leaves of the bean plant adequate room to bush out without becoming tangled in the neighboring plant.
Nutrient Requirements
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The water of a hydroponic garden must be prepared similar to the way soil is fertilized. Water-soluble fertilizer is added to the water to provide the bean roots with the nutrients necessary to carry out the plant functions. Mixes can be purchased that have all of the needed nutrients blended together in a concentrated form, or the mix can be made from traditional water-soluble fertilizers. The decision as to which option is best depends on the comfort level of the gardener.
Benefits
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One of the most noticeable benefits of hydroponic gardening is the faster growth rate of the plants. When grown in a hydroponic setting, beans will grow 30 to 50 percent faster than beans grown in a traditional soil medium. Hydroponic beans will also yield more than traditionally planted beans. This is due to plants being able to absorb nutrients faster. Hydroponic beans don't need to search the soil for nutrients and as a result save energy that is put into pod development instead.
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References
- Photo Credit beans image by Erika from Fotolia.com
