There are many different growing and propagating mediums used in hydroponic culture, and everyone has their personal favorites for a myriad of reasons. Rockwood traditionally has been a popular choice for a growing medium, but recently, perlite has been receiving more and more attention. Perlite is very versatile and has been used successfully in nearly every horticultural application imaginable, from landscaping and stadium turf to greenhouses. In hydroponic gardening, perlite has shown great promise. It has produced crops that are 7% healthier and more abundant than hydroponic goods grown in other mediums.

One reason perlite works so well in hydroponics is because it is ideal of retaining moisture. Because hydroponic growers must supply their plants will all of the nutrients soil would normally provide via their water supply, maintaining the proper levels of moisture is the absolute key factor in the success of hydroponic plants. Perlite has a strong system of capillaries that attract water at the same rate that water is removed by plants. Because the water attraction and removal rate is the same, the guesswork is taken out of maintaining the correct moisture level in plants. Under watering and over watering are both consistent problems that face hydroponic growers, and perlite effectively solves this problem. Any excess water added by the grower simply stays in the reservoir, and the grower can easily determine if they have under watered their plants if the reservoir begins to run dry. In this way, perlite helps cut down on wasted crops, as it minimizes the chance of growing sickly plants.

Another attraction of perlite to the hydropponic culture is that is extremely physically stable. While experimenting with growing hydroponic tomatoes, gardeners discovered that perlite growth mediums can be reused year after year. Because effective hydroponic growth medium can be expensive, and in some cases, even cost prohibitive, the ability to use perlite for more than once growth cycle is extremely significant. It can make hydroponic growing an option for people whom previously could not afford it.

Perlite growth medium is an extremely forgiving substance with which to work and very easy to manage. One complication that often faces hydroponic growers working in greenhouse environments is correctly grading the floor for optimum plant growth. With perlite, this floor grading becomes unnecessary. Perlite will take root and grow with any floor grading.

These benefits of perlite mean it is fast replacing rockwood as the growth medium of choice for hydroponic growers. One common criticism of hydroponic gardening is that the nutrient solutions and growth mediums are very expensive; making hydroponics an impossible solution for many of the people it is touted to help – people who live in impoverished areas without viable soil in which to grow food. The ability to use perlite for more than one growth seasons, coupled with perlite’s efficient delivery of water to plants goes a long way to solving this problem. Perlite’s effective use of water also helps end the waste associated with damaged crops and unused water. In this way, perlite makes the already environmentally friendly growth technique of hydroponic growing even more environmentally sound.

Perlite is easy to use for small scale or hobbyist hydroponic gardeners, and because it is so forgiving and easy to handle, it is a great growth medium for beginning hydroponic growers. It is also just as effective and useful growth medium for hydroponic growers who are producing plants for commercial sale. With its ease of use and wide array of applications, experts expect perlite to become the hydroponic medium of choice in the near future.
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Paul Lavakis has been an avid gardener and since discovering Hydroponics has been a experimenting and evaluating the best ways to grow almost any fruit or vegetable without soil
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Hydroponics simply means growing plants without soil. Food for the plants, which are called hydroponic nutrients, are dissolved in water and fed directly to the roots. The plants form smaller roots and grow in inert grow media. Hydroponic vegetables are healthy, vigorous, and consistently reliable. Hydroponic gardening is clean and extremely easy and requires very little effort.

The word hydroponics comes from two Greek words, “hydro” meaning water and “ponics” meaning labor. The concept of gardening without soil, or hydroponics, has been around for thousands of years. Hydroponics is proven to have several advantages over soil gardening. The growth rate on a hydroponic plant is 30 to 50% faster than a soil plant grown under the same conditions. The yield of the plant is also greater. The extra oxygen in the hydroponic growing mediums helps to stimulate root growth. Plants with ample oxygen in the root system absorb nutrients faster. The hydroponic plant also requires very little energy to find and break down food. The plant then uses this saved energy to grow faster and to produce more fruit. Hydroponic plants also have fewer problems with bug infestations, disease, and funguses.

Hydroponic gardening offers several benefits to the environment. Because of the constant reuse of the nutrient solutions, hydroponic gardening uses considerably less water than soil gardening. Fewer pesticides are used on hydroponic crops as well as they are not necessary. Since hydroponic gardening systems use no topsoil, topsoil erosion is not even an issue. Most of the principles that apply to soil fertilizers also apply to hydroponic fertilizers, or nutrient solutions. A hydroponic nutrient solution contains all of the elements that the plant would normally get from the soil. These nutrients can be purchased at a hydroponic supply store and come in liquid or powdered mixes. Like soil, hydroponic systems can be fertilized with organic or chemical nutrients. An organic hydroponic system is considerably more work to maintain. The organic compounds have a tendency to lock together and cause pumps blockage.

Hydroponic systems are characterized as passive or active. An active hydroponic system actively moves the nutrient solution with a pump. Passive hydroponic systems rely on the capillary action of the growing medium or a wick. The nutrient solution is absorbed by the medium or the wick and passed along to the roots. Passive systems are usually too wet and do not supply enough oxygen to the root system to maximize growth rates. Hydroponic systems are also characterized as recovery or non-recovery. Recovery systems, or re-circulating systems, reuse the nutrient solution. Non-recovery systems apply the nutrient solution to the growing medium, but are not recovered.

Most consumers question whether they should buy or build a hydroponic system. If the consumer has the mind of an engineer and dreams of building their own hydroponic system, they should consider buying one first. Buying a system, which does not cost a lot of money, will allow them to have a better understanding of how hydroponics works. The hands- on experience is worth the cost of the system and they will likely be able to reuse the parts in the system when they decide to build their own. Consumers should do their research and get all of the information they can. Hydroponics is a constantly changing industry and the consumer should be prepared to be patient. Building ones own system can be very rewarding or very frustrating. Hydroponic gardening is the wave of the future and is currently being studied in classrooms around the country, horticultural societies, and in government funded research at major universities. It is also fast becoming a popular hobby, as it is fun, exciting, and easy to get involved in.

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