13 Nov Soilless Growing: Top 6 Plants for Hydroponic Farming
In a world where climate change is ushering in increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, gardeners worldwide are exploring innovative ways to ensure a year-round harvest. Hydroponic farming emerges as a promising solution, providing a proven method for cultivating fruits, vegetables, and herbs throughout all seasons.
When starting with hydroponic agriculture, setting up a hydroponic system in Singapore is often the first thing most people concern themselves with. However, it may be better to consider what kind of plants you want to grow before gathering the essentials to determine if hydroponics is the way to go for your needs. To help you decide, we cover the most popular plants that thrive in hydroponic gardens.
1. Lettuce
It is highly recommended to choose lettuce as your first plant to grow in a hydroponic system because it grows quickly (around 30 days on average) and is incredibly easy to care for.
Lettuce and most other leafy green plants have shallow roots that match their short above-ground height, which means they do not need stakes or set guides to grow. All you need to do is change their nutrient solution when necessary and simply wait until they are ready for harvesting.
2. Spinach
Like lettuce, spinach grows quickly in hydroponic gardens, especially when using methods that provide highly-oxygenated nutrient solutions like the nutrient film technique.
Moreover, growing spinach using hydroponics saves you a ton of water compared to planting it in an in-the-ground garden. The best way to start these plants is to plant them on the ground as a seed and move them into your hydroponic system once they sprout a week later.
3. Bell peppers
Since bell peppers are considered more advanced hydroponic plants, it is best to get experience before attempting to grow them. Those with experience growing bell peppers in hydroponics generally recommend not letting them grow to their full height. Instead, pinch and prune the plants at around 8 inches to prompt pepper growth. Ebb and flow and deep water culture systems work best for growing bell peppers.
4. Strawberries
Strawberries are notorious for being seasonal fruits. But with the help of hydroponics, you can now enjoy fresh and ready-to-eat strawberries all year long. Strawberries seem to grow best in ebb and flow systems, but using nutrient film technique or deep water culture will also suffice, but only for a small crop.
5. Tomatoes
Hydroponic hobbyists and commercial growers have successfully grown many types of tomatoes, primarily their regular and cherry variants. The most important thing to note about growing tomatoes via hydroponics is that they require ample light and hot temperatures. As such, purchase plenty of lights in advance if you wish to grow them indoors.
6. Kale
Kale is among the best options for any hydroponic garden as it has been grown via hydroponics for years. This means you can be assured that they will thrive and produce satisfactory yields of the most nutritious vegetables to improve one’s health. Fortunately, kale is easy to maintain and grows well in moderate temperatures, so caring for it will not take a lot of effort.
Conclusion
Although hydroponic farming is an effective way of growing crops no matter the season, not every plant will take to it. As such, knowing which ones are proven to thrive in a hydroponic system is vital to avoid wasting precious time and resources.
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