If you have limited
space for gardening or want to be less dirty with gardening then
hydroponics might be right for you. Hydroponics is basically a way of
raising plants by using water instead of soil. In short, the water
provides for the plant's nutrient requirements. Some prefer this over
the traditional soil-based method since this is more efficient (plant
grows faster) than the latter and that this prevents any soil-borne
disease.
In terms of plant
size, however, soil gardening can outdo hydroponics. In most cases,
though, preparing and conditioning the soil to outdo hydroponics is
more meticulous and time-consuming. Not everyone has the luxury of
time to do so. With hydroponics, one does not need to go through such
tedious process. Most nutrient solutions are as good as “ready for
use” when prepared.
Do take note that
not all plants can be grown hydroponically. For example, I tried to
grow a dwarf variety of sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
using hydroponics, since I was unsuccessful in growing it using soil.
While it yielded a larger plant, it proved to be an unsustainable
practice since the nutrients had to be replenished more often, and
that not being able to will immediately lead to nutrient deficiency.
It was also able
to grow a flower, but its head was much
smaller than what is sold by
garden shops, grown in soil. As a general rule, hydroponics
works best with vegetables, not ornamentals.
Moreover,
this is NOT organic gardening (although
some organic gardening
methods can still be employed
in the process). I've read
gardening forums wherein attempts were made at making hydroponics
organic (by using extracts
from organic sources to
replace chemical solutions)
and it proved to be disadvantageous. Lastly,
there is a difference between
hydroponics and aquaponics.
Aquaponics is the combination
of hydroponics and aquaculture (raising of aquatic animals).
Nutrients are obtained from animal
excrement (in short, poop).
DISCLAIMER: I am
not paid by anyone to endorse or promote the products I will mention
below.
In
the Philippines, hydroponic resources are not so accessible to the
public. But
some locally-established physical and online shops do offer products
for hydroponics.
Lazada
offers the Miracle-Gro
Aerogarden
for P20,200
(http://www.lazada.com.ph/miracle-gro-aerogarden-extra-led-indoor-garden-with-gourmet-herb-seed-kit-1737450.html)
while Craftmill
(through their store Grassroots)
offers the Urban
Farmer
indoor
hydroponic
cabinets for P38000-P90000 (http://www.theurbanfarmer.com.ph/).
If
you're the no-frills type like me, you can still do hydroponics. A
low-cost option locally available is SNAP
Hydroponics,
a nutrient
solution developed by researchers at the Institute
of Plant Breeding, UP Los BaƱos.
It
is an alternative hydroponic method that requires
no electricity and makes
use of recyclables.
I am selling the solution for only P350. Send me a message at jdiegoroxas@gmail.com or at my Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/jigsthegardener if interested. Payment methods could be through Palawan Express Pera Padala. If you wish to use other modes of payment, you can always ask :) For now, this service is available within Metro Manila only. I am yet to familiarize myself with delivering the solutions outside MM.
I am selling the solution for only P350. Send me a message at jdiegoroxas@gmail.com or at my Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/jigsthegardener if interested. Payment methods could be through Palawan Express Pera Padala. If you wish to use other modes of payment, you can always ask :) For now, this service is available within Metro Manila only. I am yet to familiarize myself with delivering the solutions outside MM.
That's
all! Thanks
for reading :) Part
2 will feature how to setup a home-based hydroponics system that
makes use of SNAP.
EDIT: As of February 20, 2017, the links to the products mentioned here no longer leads to the product itself, probably because they are no longer available.
EDIT: As of February 20, 2017, the links to the products mentioned here no longer leads to the product itself, probably because they are no longer available.