Hydroponic systems have a number of significant advantages over growing cannabis plants in soil. They are less messy, less prone to pests and diseases, and allow plants to develop much faster. However, they are not all the same. Instead of constantly or intermittently submerging plants in water, they supply a constant stream of water or mist to keep the roots nourished and hydrated.
Also, their main difference lies in their unique approach, which only periodically bathes the roots of plants with this nutrient mixture or keeps them completely submerged. By keeping the roots constantly saturated with moisture and nutrients, plants have unlimited access to all the ingredients they need to keep them healthy, as well as sufficient oxygen, resulting in rapid growth and high yields.
Indoor hydroponic cultivation
Marijuana seeds for hydroponics can be found in the smartshop-smartshop online store. Hydroponic systems are pumped into growing channels from a holding tank filled with synthetic nutrients. While others use an external tank filled with fish (to produce the nitrogen the plants need to grow). Other forms of hydroponic systems do away with water currents entirely and use fogging systems that fill the air with moisture.
Despite their distinct differences, all of these systems benefit from the sustainable use of nutrients and water that nourish the roots of plants. It may come as a surprise, but this approach uses about 10 times less water than growing in soil. Most of these systems use similar hardware. These parts of the kit include:
- A reservoir of nutrients. In this external block cannabis fertilizers, which are necessary for prosperity at different stages of cultivation;
- Plant Trays/Channels: This structure holds the cannabis plants and provides a passage through which the nutrient solution circulates. They vary in shape and size, from narrow and long channels to wide flumes with a much larger surface area;
- An air stone is a device that sits in a nutrient reservoir and pumps oxygen into a mixture that the roots need to breathe;
- The pump is a kit that circulates the nutrient solution from a reservoir into a channel or tray;
- Mesh Pots: These components hold cannabis plants in place, allowing their roots to grow down.
The Benefits of Hydroponics
Every experienced grower knows how to care for hemp. Marijuana hydroponics has several advantages that make it more suitable than growing in soil.
Main benefits:
- Higher yields.
Easy access to nutrients, reduced pest pressure and absence of soil pathogens make the growing process fast and linear;
- Harvest faster
Instead of sending roots into the soil in search of nutrients and establishing relationships with microbes to access certain minerals, cannabis plants in systems get everything they need, constantly delivered to their roots, resulting in faster growth. However, when it comes to photoperiod strains. The light cycle also has a strong influence on plant maturation time;
- Increased oxygenation
Cannabis roots require oxygen to breathe and facilitate physiological processes. When reserves are depleted, the roots become predisposed to pathogens. Hydroponics hydrates the roots with a high dissolved oxygen nutrient solution, helping them stay healthy;
- Reduced water consumption
Contrary to what you might think, hydroponics uses much less water than soil systems.
Disadvantages of hydroponics
- Energy Intensity
Despite using less water, hydroponic systems require electricity to operate pumps and air stones. Internal systems also need powerful lighting;
- Prone to failure
It's possible to automate hydroponic systems to run on their own, but things can go wrong. Power outages, faulty pumps, and faulty airstones will leave your system in urgent need of human intervention;
- Noise
Who doesn't love the sound of running water? This is more of a minus for some, and a plus for others.
*We remind you that the germination of marijuana seeds is prohibited on the territory of Ukraine and is punishable by law, we recommend that you comply with the legislation of that the country where you are. The material is provided for scientific information purposes.
