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Growing Hydroponic Basil

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Hydroponics are a way of growing plants without using any soil. The plants are grown using a solution of nutrients that is in contact with the roots, but the roots are suspended in the air. This allows for the maximum amount of oxygen to reach the roots which can increase the yield of the plant. Another advantage to growing plants hydroponically is that overwatering is no longer a problem. Farmers in the past had to know a lot about the soil their plants were growing in and then water and fertilize accordingly. It is a complex process that is always changing and overwatering a plant will drown it. As long as the roots are not completely underwater a hydro grown plant will decide how much water it needs to take from the solution. Hydroponic systems can be made in large and small scales, for farmers to individuals growing hydroponic basil or other herbs for their own personal use.

Growing plants in water and nutrient solutions can seem daunting at first, it’s not as easy as just planting a seed into soil and watering it regularly, but if done right it is easy and will yield more plants. Before getting started growing hydroponic basil a few things must be decided, most important is the type of hydroponic system used. There are three basic types, but each can be modified to meet your needs, they are a static solution culture, a continuous flow solution, and aeroponics.

A static solution culture is the simplest, it involves containers such as a Mason jar or bucket that are filled with the nutrient solution. The plants are suspended so the roots are touching the solution, but still have adequate root exposure to the air. The solution has to be changed regularly to maintain growth, but this is the easiest method. A variation of this type has the plants on a floating raft, the roots are always exposed to the solution as the water level drops, but it can be difficult to keep enough space for the roots to be in air as well.

In a continuous flow solution the nutrient solution is allowed to constantly flow from plant to plant along channels. This allows for automation and consistently replenished nutrients, so less time has to be spent maintaining the plants once the system is in place. Special channels with enough slope to allow the solution to flow and not pool up have to be purchased or built, and a pump has to be maintained to keep the solution flowing. These types of systems are generally used on larger scales, but there are models that use this method that are small enough to sit on a kitchen counter, making it a great way of growing hydroponic basil.

Aeroponics is similar to continuous flow solutions, but instead of channels that allow the solution to flow around the roots, the plants are suspended in air and the roots are misted with the solution either continuously or periodically. This allows for maximum aeration, but has not been widely used on a commercial scale. It has proven to be the preferred method for growing plants in space, as a mist is much easier to manage than water in zero gravity.

No matter what method is chosen, growing hydroponic basil and other plants can be fun and productive, and yield healthy and delicious food faster than any other method of growing. Because no soil is needed it can be done anywhere, which is the biggest advantage to hydroponic growing. It has been proven that hydroponically grown plants have the same, if not more nutritional value than the same plants grown in soil, making hydroponics the growing method for the future.

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