Hydroponic Gardening & Pests for Vegetables

Hydroponic systems replace the natural environment of plants with a carefully balanced artificial environment. Temperature, humidity and light are all controlled, and soil is replaced by a nutrient solution. This change of environment affects the interaction between vegetables and their natural pests.

Soil Pests

In some ways, hydroponic gardening proves beneficial to plants. When plants are removed from the soil, they are also removed from pests like nematodes that live in the soil. This can improve the long-term health of the plants, as the parasitic nematodes are no longer leeching nutrients away.

Non-Soil Pests

This change of environment is not so beneficial in other ways. Many hydroponic systems are set inside greenhouses to keep careful control of the environment. This means that if any pests find their way inside, their populations can rapidly increase, because they have no predators there.

Examples

Some pest species that are commonly associated with hydroponic systems include whiteflies, cabbage loopers, leaf miners, tomato pinworms and tomato fruit worms.

References

• University of Florida: Nematode Management in Tomatoes, Peppers and Eggplant
• University of Alabama: Growing Tomatoes Hydroponically

Resources

• Weekend Gardener: Growing Tomatoes