Hydroponic plants: types, list of examples and how to grow them

In this article called hydroponic plants: types, list of examples and how to grow them , you can learn everything about this topic. To begin with, we clarify that when we talk about hydroponic plants, we are actually referring not to a type of plants, but to a way of growing plants that can thrive very well with this technique. The hydroponics is to grow plants without using soil, so that the plant develops only in water, to which all the nutrients needed for cultivation apply.

Hydroponic cultivation is applicable to almost any species of plant and it is very common to use it for ornamental species, since thanks to it the flowers are preserved for a longer time. However, although this type of cultivation is practiced more and more every day, it is not a recently invented technique: the Aztecs used it in the past in their floating gardens.

List of examples of hydroponic plants

As we’ve mentioned, virtually any plant can be grown hydroponically. This type of technique is used more and more in an idle way by some lovers of gardening and horticulture, since it is a different and striking way of having a crop.

However, in some territories where the land is not fertile or there is no abundance of land but there is water, hydroponic cultivation can become established as part of the industry, since in addition to producing foods that are richer in nutrients and healthier, it is they get in less time.

Despite this, there are some species of plants for hydroponic cultivation that are very popular for their individual characteristics:

• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Pepper
• Spinach
• Mint
• Celery
• Handle
• Mint
• Purslane
• Sage
• Basil
• Alien
• Oregano
• Valerian
• Ginger
• Lavender
• Parsley
• Garlic

How to grow hydroponic plants

Hydroponics is called the agriculture of the future because it produces healthier and more nutritious crops, optimizing better the resources that are contributed to the plant, in addition to requiring less fertilizers and pesticides. 

Every day more people are encouraged to practice home hydroponics. If you want to practice vertical or horizontal hydroponics to have your own garden in water, you will need a domestic hydroponic kit , which you can buy in specialized stores or assemble yourself.

Later, we show you how to make the most basic home hydroponic you can do. One that you have probably seen in photos or videos is the NFT hydroponic system , which is very striking because it works through a series of pipes and channels that are placed in several rows as a vertical garden. In them, the nutrient solution is in constant circulation, so that the water never stagnates and the plant takes what it needs at all times.

In these cases, it is much more advisable to buy some of the systems and kits that are sold, since they are more complex to assemble and require a higher technical level.

Regarding the care for growing hydroponic plants at home , it must be borne in mind that, apart from the water technique, each species or type of hydroponic plant may have different needs, so we recommend that when purchasing seeds or the plants ask the store specialist about the specific needs of said plant (light, temperature, nutrients, etc.).

How to make a home hydroponic grow

To finish talking about growing hydroponic plants, we explain how to make a home hydroponic culture in an easy way. To do this, you will need the following:

Materials for home hydroponics

• An air pump. You will not be able to make this easily, as it must be a pump that oxygenates the water, like those used in aquariums. Without this oxygenation of the water, the roots will not develop properly and contamination could occur in the water. Thus, it is best to acquire one.
• An opaque container. A box, bowl, large tube, or other container of sufficient depth. It must be opaque because the roots require darkness.
• Sprouted seeds. You can germinate them yourself or buy them prepared.

Step by step to make a hydroponic culture

1. Punch a hole in the bottom of your chosen container. It is important that you have a plastic cap or some waterproof material with which you can cover it.
2. Fill the container with water, without reaching the rim. In parallel, prepare the lid of the container by preparing a few holes the size of which can be made with a drill, all of the same size.
3. Place the germinated shoots evenly in the holes, so that the roots are well covered by the water, and then secure them with the substrate you have chosen. Some popular hydroponic substrates are pumice and gravel.
4. Place your hydroponics in an illuminated area but where it does not receive the most intense hours of natural light. Do not forget to add the oxygenating pump to the water and program it to activate at least a few minutes every 3 hours. In addition, you will need to apply a nutrient solution for hydroponic crops to the water and the substrate. Here, each species has its own needs and frequencies.