How to Grow Grain Crops Hydroponically
Hydroponic gardening is the practice of growing plants and vegetables in water as opposed to soil. This allows green thumbs to garden indoors and to have more control of the growing environment, which can be especially important if you live in an area where frost can kill outdoor plants. You can grow grain crops, such as corn, wheat and barley, hydroponically using basic hydroponic supplies found at your nearest hydroponic gardening supply store. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Choose large containers in which to grow the grain. You will need one large container per each grain sapling. Choose containers that are at least three times as large as the root ball of the sapling.
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Purchase a hydroponic grain-specific fertilizer from a local hydroponics store.
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Mix the hydroponic fertilizer and water together according to the hydroponic fertilizer package directions.
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Line the large growing containers with rock wool lining. The rock wool lining should also be available at your local hydroponics store. You can also use fine gravel, crushed stone or granite chips in the bottom of the growing containers.
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Pour the fertilizer and water mixture into the large containers.
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Cover the top of the growing containers with plastic wrap and secure it with rubber bands.
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Poke the end of the saplings into the plastic wrap. Push the sapling down all the way to the rock wool lining. The plastic wrap will serve as support for the growing sapling.
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Place the growing containers into brightly lit areas such as outdoors in sunlight or indoors under fluorescent lights. The saplings need a minimum of seven hours of light each day.
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Monitor the pH balance of the plants. A pH above 8 is considered too high and will need to be lowered.
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Watch over the grain saplings and water them when the water level falls below the tops of the roots.
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Remove the plastic once the grain is growing strong and no longer needs to be supported.
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Continue to monitor the growing grain saplings and harvest them when they are ripe.
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Tips & Warnings
Roots turning brown mean that the plant needs more oxygen. Remove the plastic temporarily to allow more oxygen.
Crops grown hydroponically tend to grow 30 to 50 percent faster than crops grown in soil.
References
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