Is it true that you only need pots, soil, and a watering can to create a patio garden? Actually, no. If you only use containers, you’ll be missing out on many other gardening methods. Besides pots, you can also use a hydroponic patio garden.
Hydroponics: What Does It Mean?
Have you ever heard of hydroponics?
Hydroponics is a way of growing plants without soil. Instead, the plants grow in a water solution that contains all the necessary nutrients they need to thrive.
This type of gardening is also known as “soil-less culture”.
You can use hydroponic systems to grow many types of crops such as cucumbers, strawberries, bell peppers, chili peppers, tomatoes and salad greens – all without using soil.
Not only does this help us be more self-sufficient but it helps conserve resources like water too since less moisture evaporates from the system compared to traditional gardens with soil.
And did you know there are seven lesser-known facts about hydroponics that might surprise you?
Fact #1: Hydroponic Systems Conserve Water Usage
Did you know that hydroponic plants use less water than plants grown in soil?
It might seem strange, but it’s true!
Hydroponics is a great way to grow your own food while using much less water.
FACT: if you grow 2.2 pounds of tomatoes on a patio with hydroponics, then you only need 5.81 gallons of water – compared to 15.85 gallons for the same amount grown in soil!
So how does this work?
Well, when plants are growing in soil, some of the moisture drains away from their roots and evaporates into the air before they can get any benefit from it.
But with hydroponics there is much less surface area around each plant so far more moisture gets absorbed by its roots instead of evaporating away or draining off somewhere else where it won’t do any good for your veggies or flowers.
Also, since all that extra moisture isn’t hanging around outside the plant anymore there’s no chance for mold or mildew growth either which could be harmful to both people and pets nearby too.
Fact #2: Hydroponics Require Very Little Space
With hydroponics, you can use towers or hanging planters on your wall or under the ceiling of your patio. This way, you can make full use of all patio spaces and have plenty of room for crops. Plus, it’s super easy to set up and maintain – no soil required!
Hydroponic gardening also has some great benefits over traditional soil-based gardening: You don’t need as much water since it’s recycled; there are fewer weeds; and most importantly – no dirt means less mess around your home.
Fact #3: Hydroponic Plants at Risk of Drowning
There is one important thing to remember when it comes to hydroponic plants – they can drown if they get too much water!
Just like we need oxygen in order for us humans to breathe properly, your hydroponic plants need oxygen for their roots so that they stay healthy and strong.
So how do we make sure our little friends don’t drown?
By adding air stones or air pumps into the containers where the hydroponics are growing.
This helps ensure that all those tiny roots have enough oxygen while still getting the right amount of nutrition from the water.
It’s easy enough but really important – just like remembering not to hold your breath underwater too long (even though it might be tempting!).
So next time you’re experimenting with some cool new hydro-plants, remember this tip: add an air stone or pump so your plant gets plenty of fresh O2!
Fact #4: Essential Items for Setting Up Your Hydroponic Patio Garden
To grow plants in a hydroponic patio garden, you need more than just the plants.
Here are the 6 things that will help your hydroponic patio garden thrive:
1. A place to grow your plants, like a tower or container hanging on the wall or ceiling of your balcony.
2. Fresh water without chlorine or salts, which can be removed with a filter.
3. Oxygen for the plants, which can be supplied with an air pump or air stones.
4. Nutrients in the water since there is no soil to get them from.
5. Something to support the plant roots like peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, or coconut fiber.
6. Enough light, which can be natural sunlight or artificial light like LED or fluorescents, depending on the plant and your patios lighting conditions.
Fact #5: Hydroponic Patio Gardening Grow Plants Year-Round
With hydroponics, you can have fresh and healthy produce all year long.
Even when it’s cold outside and gardens are dormant in the wintertime – with a little bit of warmth and light – your hydroponic tower will keep on growing delicious fruits or vegetables for you.
Fact #6: May Require Replacing the Water
Another thing that you should know about hydroponic patio gardening: while it does use very little water overall, you will still need to add more from time-to-time or even completely replace the existing water every so often.
This is because certain plants may not be able to survive in the same body of water for an extended period of time – so make sure that you do some research on which types are best suited for your setup before getting started.
Fact #7: Hydroponic Plants Can Grow Twice as Fast
Hydroponics can help plants grow faster and bigger as compared to traditional gardening.
For example: If you plant tomatoes in a field traditionally it will take up 100 days for them to be ready for harvest but if grown with hydroponic methods then they can be harvested after just 30 days if planted as seedlings and around 60 days when planted as seeds.
And not only that but these tomatoes also tend to taste better due their increased absorption rate of minerals through direct contact with nutrient-rich water solution rather than relying on slow release from soil particles like traditional farming does.
So, Should You Consider Hydroponic Gardening on Your Patio?
Hydroponics is an amazing way to grow plants without soil, using only water, nutrients, and light.
It might be a bit more difficult to start with than using soil but it has many advantages.
For example, hydroponic systems use less water than traditional methods of growing plants in the ground; they can be used all year round; they take up much less space on balconies or patios – perfect if you don’t have much room!
Plus, once your system is set up it requires very little care from day-to-day – just add fresh water every now again when needed as well as adding some nutrients into the mix too.
And best of all – because there’s no need for soil in this method of gardening – your plants will actually end up growing faster compared to those grown traditionally in dirt!
So why not give hydroponic patio garden a try today?!
