Hydroponic carrots
A hydroponic system can adapt to all your desires and needs. You just simply have to select the proper design and start growing your crops. Usually, in a hydroponic system are grown different varieties of salads or other vegetables that love water.
You need to know that there are several different species of carrots world wide, but only four can be grown in a hydroponic system. Those are called Imperator, Nantes, Danvers and Chantenay. As usual, you will have to make some research on the type chosen in order to be able to properly grow it.
Carrots are relatively easy to grow and have only a couple of requirements. One of them is the fact that it needs proper aeration in order to stay healthy. Furthermore, it needs a tremendous amount of light on daily basis and it is recommended to provide around 16 hours of direct light. Also, if you want to grow like a pro, you should know that it enjoys a pH level that goes between 6.0 to 6.5.
So, how to plant the carrot? Use a growing container filled with a mixture of perlite and vermiculture. This will help your crop in growing in a sustainable environment and at the same time will offer it the proper amount of nutrients needed. This is due to the fact that vermiculture is responsible for absorbing and releasing nutrients, while perlite is the one that keeps everything in place.
Keep in mind that the container should have a certain depth for the roots to develop properly. If this does not happen, you will see the fact that the roots will start growing sideways. Locate the seeds all around the growing media and make sure you cover around 50% of the surface. In the case of carrots, there is an increased chance for the seeds to stop the germinating process. It is better to have an abundant outburst than nothing at all.
It is recommended that you control the amounts of water. Carrots do not enjoy intensive watering and can kill the plant. It is prone to rooting, which is another reason why vermiculite is perfect for growing crops. It is the material that releases moisture after the flooding and draining process. This will keep the carrot happy and well fed with nutrients.
As you have probably noticed, you will have to use grow lights. This intense period of lighting it does not usually happen in nature. This is why some carrots end up poor in nutrients and bad looking. In the case of hydroponics, providing the proper amount of light is crucial.
Bottom line, carrots are among those vegetables that enjoy the hydroponic system at its maximum. They tend to grow much better in a soil-less environment, which makes them healthier. The exposure to disease and pests is limited. This represents the major advantage in growing hydroponic carrots. In soil, they tend to contact several parasites and bacterias.
hydroponic carrots, hydroponics |