Looking to have a home garden of your own, but don’t want to go the traditional way?Here’s how you can grow vegetables without soil using these six techniques.
Aeroponic farming
In this technique, nutrients are provided to the plant through hanging roots and the crops utilise less amount of water and nutrients.
Aeroponic farming
Seeds are placed in pieces of foam and stuffed into tiny pots. The pots are then exposed to light on one end and nutrient mist on the other.
Hydroponics
In this method, plants are grown in an inert medium wherein the temperature and pH levels can be highly controlled.
Hydroponics
A container, water and nutrients are all you need. The plant grows faster without soil resistance and in a highly controlled environment.
Kratky Method
In this method, plants are suspended at a level above the nutrient solution.
Picture credits: Twitter: @hartleyfarm_51
Kratky Method
As the plant accesses the solution, the level dips and the roots of the plant grow downward.
This process continues, encouraging the roots to mature.
Aquaponics
This technique is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. Fish waste serves as the nutrient medium for plants. Here’s how it works.
Aquaponics
Water from the fish tank flows into the plant bed. Bacteria in the plant bed break down the fish waste into nitrates, which then help plants to grow.
Drip hydroponics
In this technique, a water pump sends nutrient solution to the base of the plants. The drip emitters control the rate at which the solution drips.
Drip Hydroponics
Some systems are circulating, wherein the excess solution flows back into the system.
Deep Water Culture
In this method, plants are kept in a nutrient solution where the air is provided to them by way of an air stone.
Deep Water Culture
Due to oxygen being supplied in an unlimited amount, the plants grow quickly.