How a plant works - hydroponics gardening informationWelcome… A small bit of plant biology and other assorted pieces of hydroponics gardening information is needed to help you design and maintain a successful hydroponics system.
A plant is actually a small miracle of nature. It may not seem so when looking at a plant, but they are self-contained, complex little power plants with one single purpose: to survive long enough to reproduce. Fortunately for us the end result of this ‘drive to propagate’ or ‘the seed’ is encased in a nutritious and delicious fruit or vegetable.By day, plants absorb sunlight and produce chlorophyll. They also take in water containing dissolved mineral salts and carbon dioxide. These three elements work together to produce glucose which is stored to be used as fuel. Oxygen is expelled as a by-product of glucose production. By night, the opposite happens. Plants now take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. The intake of oxygen triggers the release of the stored glucose giving the plant the needed energy to grow new leaves and roots. The mineral salts taken in by day are used to regulate various plant functions and to help with new growth. In the hydroponics garden, mineral salts are supplied through the hydroponic nutrient added to the water. The last item to mention is ‘PH’ which is a measure of the acidity/alkalinity of the water. PH is measured in a range of 0 to 14 with 7 as neutral. Any PH measure under 7 approaches the acidic end of the spectrum and any measure over 7 becomes more alkaline. The normal vegetable plant grows well in a range of 5 to 7 with 6 to 6.5 as ideal. If PH moves out of that range it means problems. So be aware of PH. There will be more on this later… Also be aware that a PH of 8 means a tenfold increase in alkalinity from a PH of 7. A PH of 6 is a tenfold acidic increase from a PH of 7. In other words, each number increment is a tenfold increment from the previous whole number. Good luck and, hopefully this little segment on simple plant biology and other hydroponics gardening information has helped ...
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