Hydroponic Gardening/Bird Photos

Welcome back.

In this post I will take a look at hydroponic gardening.

For those of you who may not know, hydroponic gardening involves growing plants without soil, by just using water and nutrients.  This technique has been around for thousands of years, a few examples being the hanging gardens of Babylon and floating gardens of China.

In the United States, research involving hydroponic gardening started around 1950.  Today, hydroponically grown vegetables are available in most supermarkets.  Although they are considered healthy, most hydroponic vegetables re not considered organic since the nutrients uses are chemically refined.

So what are the advantages of this technique?  The main advantage is that the growth rate is 30% to 50% higher than plants grown in soil under the same conditions.  Also, yields are higher.   Why? Simpy put, the nutrients are easier for the plant to absorb.  Also, much less water is used compared to soil gardening, and usually fewer pesticides are needed if any.

Even though no soil is used, this techniques involves using a growing medium to aerate and support the roots.  Various types of mediums are used including hydrocorn and rockwool,  Others include perlite, vermiculite, and sand.

Recently, a small hydroponic system from Miracle-Gro caught my attention, so I decided to give it a try.

Miracle-Gro 3 Cell AeroGarden - Seed Pod Shown

Miracle Gro 3 Cell Aerogarden

This system uses pre-seeded pods that absorb water and nutrients from the reservoir.  It uses a CFL gro light and the height of the light is adjustable up to 10 inches  The growing medium used in the pods is called a "grow sponge".

The model I am using has built in light timer that keeps the light on for 16 hours.  It also has an indicator light to remind you when to add nutrients (every two weeks).  The kit includes a bottle of liquid nutrients.

A selection of pre-seeded pods are available from Miracle-Gro, along with seed pods that allow you to plant your favorite seeds.  The pre-seeded pods include herbs, salad greens, tomatoes, peppers, herbal teas, and even flowers.
  
This is an interesting idea, and will keep you up date on the progress of the Aerogarden.  Below are some photos thus far.  I planted Genovese basil, curley parsley, and a Mighty Mini cherry tomato.  I started the garden on January 30, 2016.

From Left to Right, Basil, Parsley, Cherry Tomato, 2/20/16

Progress a of 3/5/16

As you can see, the growth rate of the plants is impressive.  Not only are they growing fast, they appear very healthy.  The tomato is starting to get buds already.

Stay tuned for further updates.

Finally, a recent bird photo for your enjoyment.

House Finch (Male)

In my next post, I talk about starting onions and leeks indoors.