This year after a fairly good start, I suffered a bereavement due to a death from cancer after what seemed too short a time of nursing. For some time I could find no creative inspiration at all. Then, after three long months in limbo, I began to believe again that life, does indeed go on.
Strangely enough, even in hydroponics.
After all when we think about it, doesn't life so often rise from the remains of the old into vigorous reproductions of what went before, sometimes through only the re-use of water and nutrients?
Unfortunately my early very amateur attempts in this area did not survive the hasty transplant into outside soil and less than perfect weather. This time I determined to succeed no matter what and so bought my first hydroponic unit. Just a small, basic water culture kit, containing five units, which came complete with water tray, lid with pots, root baskets, growing medium, (small clay balls) air pump with attachments and a small bottle of nutrients. My next step from there was of course planting my seeds into rockwool cubes. I planted broad beans, runner beans, Brussel Sprouts, carrots and peas, then nestled the cubes into the lid of a plastic takeaway container and used the base of the container lined with folded kitchen paper towel as a cover, to hopefully encourage roots to form quickly.
It will be interesting to see what, if any, difference there is in the timing of growth at this time, due to the change of season since my last attempt.
In that attempt I had to abandon, it took only 3 days for beans and peas, which was all I planted at that time, for a small curly pigtail to reach out of the seed and 5 days to see root hairs also sprouting.
Of course I am still growing indoors so will this make a difference? or not?
While further researching the fascinating subject of hydroponics, I came across a comment about the benefits of hydroponics in the 1977 book by Richard E Nicholls which said, among other things that, - 'hydroponics has the potential to give gardening back to the gardeners, to make everyone a pioneer in the field'.
That said to me that I don't have to be a scientist, or a specialist living in the rarefied atmosphere of an ivory tower to succeed in my endeavours. All I need is to be me, with my own goals and determination.
Well, so far (4 days), there are no signs of activity, so I have moved the container into a slightly warmer area.
And now as before - Watch this space!!!
When not writing, Hilary Green spends a lot of her time in the garden and enjoys not only growing the flowers she picks, but as much as possible of the food she cooks for her family. She is deeply interested in growing hydroponically and is turning her tunnel house into an area where she can grow plants using only water and waterborne nutrients.
Website http://www.hydrogreengardens.com
Website http://www.hydrogreengardens.com
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