There are many different ways in which to grow plants and achieve decent yields. This is particularly true when cultivation is carried out indoors, where size is important, a number of different growing mediums, techniques and systems have been developed. But what makes a good plant system? Ultimately any system must artificially replicate the plant’s normal outdoors environment ensuring suitable levels of light, heat, food and water are maintained so that the plant can grow and flourish. There are however a number of different methods and systems out there, but which plant system is the best for you and what factors should be included in your decision making process?
Naturally when growing plants indoors size is going to be a factor. Most systems can be either small or large ensuring that they are suitable for a range of different environments. Understandably, measuring the area you have to grow the plants is a necessary step. Water is also an important consideration; some more modern plant systems actually have automated watering processes that make watering your plants easy. The types of watering system can vary; drip and wick irrigation systems are frequently used domestically. Light is another important factor within the growing of plants, any system should incorporated lamps as indoor plants rely heavily on artificial light to grow. Types of lighting include fluorescent, LED and pressure sodium lamps.
Once the previous considerations have been made it is time to consider the type of plant system you would like to use. In the modern world of indoor gardening there are three distinct varieties of system, largely based in the way in which plants are given nutrients.
The first is the traditional soil variety. Potting soil, often used in combination with a growing medium such as sand, perlite or peat is frequently used. It is important however to consider the use of specialised soil rather than dirt from outside, as exterior soils can contain diseases or pests. Another option is hydroponics. Now one of the most popular growing systems hydroponic gardening does away with the requirement for soil. Plants are grown using a growing medium such as Rockwool or perlite which keeps the plant from drowning in the liquid nutrient solution. This solution is created to feed the roots of the plant so that it receives all it needs to grow rapidly. Finally, one of the more rarely used systems is aeroponics. Aeroponics suspends the plants roots in a sealed container. Within this container 100 percent humidity is maintained so that the roots do not dry out and frequently, nutrient mist is added to the container to feed the plant.
