Hydroponics can be used by gardeners to produce vegetables and herbs in small spaces such as balconies and apartments as well as in greenhouses for out-of-season production of certain crops.
Instead of soil, plants are grown in a sterile medium, such as rockwool, perlite or sand. The medium provides a means of support only and does not add to the plants’ nutrient requirements. All the nutrients taken up by the plants in this system are added artificially through a nutrient solution. Solutions vary according to the type of crop grown.
Hydroponic systems are readily available through specialist retailers and vary in their complexity and size.
Lesson Structure
There are 12 lessons in this course:
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Basic Chemistry and Plant Nutrition - atoms, elements, nutrient deficiency symptoms
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Nutrient Solutions - calculating formulae, hydroponic nutrition, preparing nutrient solutions
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Types of Systems A - classification of hydroponic systems, ingredients of hydroponic systems, rockwool.
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Types of Systems B - what makes up a system, 16 hydroponic ideas, NFT, solution dispensation.
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Plant Problems in Hydroponics - pests and diseases, nutritional and environmental problems, water and plant relationships, pH.
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How a Plant Grows - growth, nutrient solutions, preparing a solution, mechanisms of nutrient uptake, photosynthesis.
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Plant Culture - controlling environmental features, post harvest storage.
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Hydroponic Vegetable Production - how to grow vegetables hydroponically.
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Hydroponic Cut Flower Production - growing flowers in hydroponics, carnations.
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Soil Media vs Nutrient Film - berries, indoor plants, types of media, NFT.
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Greenhouse Operation & Management - solar energy applications in horticulture, greenhouse management.
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Special Assignment - a report on how to improve your present hydroponic venture, or a report on planning a new hydroponic venture
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Hydroponics is the process used to grow plants without soil and literally means ‘working water’. The grower is taking ‘control’ of the plant's root environment, and losing the benefit of ‘mother nature's’ finely-tuned mechanisms which normally control that part of the plant's environment. So therefore when you remove the soil from a plant and take control of its roots, it is essential that you have a good understanding of how it grows.
Hydroponics is not an easier way to grow plants! It is a more controlled way of growing plants! However it is not a magical way to grow plants either. Anybody can grow plants in soil with reasonable success, but to grow plants in hydroponics, you must understand how the plant grows, so that you can control the light and the temperature, water, oxygen and nutrients in the root zone. These elements are all vital elements in the health and growth of the plants growing in the system.
This course aims to develop a solid grounding in the principles of soilless cultivation of plants in a HOME hydroponics situation.
