Introduction:

There is no doubt that plants add greenery and natural beauty to indoor environments. Whether in homes, offices or commercial settings, plants help to make them look livelier and more inviting. Especially in Kuwait, where greenery is scarce and the environment is harsh. Due to the fact that the maintenance cost for indoor plants has increased drastically over the years, this has pushed experts to look for more efficient methods that require less care and less cost. They have found the ideal solution by developing the specialized Hydroculture system. Ever since 1992 Hydro Center for Agricultural Contracting is the leading specialist in Hydroculture indoor plants in Kuwait. For more than 25 years our professional expertise is well recognized in many prominent government and private establishments. The scope of our business includes the consultation & design, the execution of projects, as well as the service & maintenance.

What Is Hydro Culture?

Indoor plants are known to grow in soil, but for many years scientists have been working on growing plants in mediums other than soil. As a result, they have successfully developed a revolutionary system of growing plants in water with the correct nutrient dosage, which is the Hydroculture system. To give the plants necessary support, substrates known as hydro corns are added in the pots, so that the plants can stand firmly. The hydro corns are made from thermally treated clay, which are resistant to rotting, contamination and other root diseases. They are inert so that they don’t react chemically to other substances. Hydro corns also have the great ability to hold water and allows the passage of air to reach the roots.

A Hydro plant is very different from a soil grown plant especially as far as the root growth is concerned. A soil-root growth is darker in colour, finer, more branched in appearance, and is very active in growth. In contrast, the water grown root is lighter in colour, much thicker in appearance, not so branched and lazy in growth. Therefore, hydro plants have very few roots in comparison to soil plants, and that is due to the unique Hydroculture system which allows the plant roots to be very close to the water. This, in turn, helps the plants to concentrate more on their foliage growth rather than root growth, resulting in a fuller and nicer looking plant.

Hydro Granules:

The reddish-brown granule is a familiar association with hydroculture.
The granules are made of purified or homogenised clay. The clay is heated in large rotary kilns at 1100 °C, and that’s how expanded clay granules are made.
The granules can absorb water and gradually relinquish it to the roots of the plant. Thanks to the capillary capacity of the granules, the water does not stay at the bottom of the pot out of reach of the roots.
There are many types of hydro granules on the market. Nieuwkoop Europe works only with the highest quality granules. The granules are RHP certified and guarantee an optimum start of the cultivation. The RHP label provides assurance that the substrate meets the proper quality requirements with a pH and EC neutral value.

The Advantages of Hydroculture:

Convenience of Watering Only Once or Twice a Month:

Normal soil has a limited ability to hold water; Therefore, with use of the Hydroculture system the frequency of watering plants is minimized to once or twice a month. This not only reduces effort and cost, it also prevents neglect due to forgetting to water the plants more often. This added convenience makes it the ideal plant system for offices or homes during long holidays.

Efficiency & Accuracy in Maintaining Specific Water Level

The Hydro system doesn’t rely on personal estimation in the watering requirements. It is done efficiently and scientifically by the water level indicator, which gives an accurate reading of the water level in the plant container. Therefore, the problems of over watering or under watering are eliminated. The temperature of the water must be over 15 degrees Celsius at all times. Otherwise, the roots will get damaged and the plant might not survive.

Control of Insects & Diseases

By using the Hydro corns, common soil problems such as fungus, insects infestation, rotting and soil compactness can be eliminated. This is achieved due to the fact that the corns are made from thermally heated clay which are clean, porous and acid balanced. Another advantage of Hydro corns is that they don’t need to be replaced. They can be easily cleaned and used again by rinsing them in water and then exposing them to sunlight.

Easy Fertilizing

The application of fertilizing requires good knowledge, otherwise excessive or insufficient application can be detrimental to plants. In the Hydoculture system, this problem is solved, as a unique fertilizer formula is applied every six months and taken as required by the plant on anionic exchange basis.

Short and Long-Term Benefits

  • The care of plants in the Hydroculture system is very easy and time-saving, due to it being a self-maintained system.
  • The replacement of Hydro plants is minimal, being at around 10% the total number of plants per year in comparison to over 30% replacement of soil plants.
  • The need for organic material (artificial soil) is eliminated. Therefore, in terms of cost not only money is saved but also time and effort. This is one of the major reasons why people prefer Hydro plants over soil plants.
  • Cost saving of up to 50% on maintenance contracts in comparison to soil system maintenance contracts, due to a longer lifespan and a better quality of Hydro plants.

Of course, there are certain objections to Hydroculture plants and it would be unfair not to mention them.

Low temperatures are not suitable for Hydroculture plants, but the water temperature has to fall very low for the plant to have problems. This condition can only occur in countries that have cold climates, where offices and homes lower the heat drastically to save on heating bills. However, keeping the water level at the minimum can lead to a reasonably successful overcome.

A wide variety of Hydro plants are presently available in the market, from which a large selection can be easily made. However, the amount of soil grown plants in pots, particularly the flowering varieties are more available.

One argument that was put forward by those who oppose Hydroculture plants is that they are unnatural. This is not a valid argument because in nature, even soi lplants do not grow in pots and certainly not indoors. But surprisingly, it has become very common to decorate soil plants inside pots with hydro corns!

The Hydroculture system is the ideal method to use for natural indoor plants. It is clean, tidy, time and cost efficient. Everyone has witnessed the disappointing results attained from soil plants, and the unnatural, unappealing look and feel of artificial plants.

Caring of Hydroculture Plants

Watering

The method of watering hydroculture plants is virtually the same for all plants.Water the plant up to the optimum (OPT) mark on the water level indicator. Note: the water level indicator always has a slight delayed reaction. Gravel could be blocking the water level indicator; tap against the water level indicator if it is not responding as it should.
On average, it takes approximately 4 weeks until the water level indicator drops to the minimum (MIN) mark. When the minimum has been reached, it is wise to wait 4-5 more days before rewatering. This prevents the roots of the plant from standing in the water continuously and rotting. Afterward, give the plant water in exactly the same way as described until the water level indicator has reached the (OPT) mark.

Nutrition

During the assembly of hydroculture,place solid hydroculture feed (HD5) on the bottom of the planter. This provides a nutritious basis for the first six months. Use 4 tablespoons for large plants (>1.50m). For smaller plants (<1.50m), 2 tablespoons is sufficient. After a period of six months, the plant requires liquid feed with each watering.

Plant location

As most people are aware, the cold can cause a lot of damage to plants. Therefore you should never place plants in draughty areas. Turning the planters around from time to time will revent the plants from growing in one direction towards the light.