Tip of the Day: Root Restriction and Hydroponics With hydroponics, we tend to largely forget what is happening down in the root zone and often assume that since a well-balanced nutrient solution is being applied regularly, even if the roots have a very restricted volume for growth, they will be fine. In a perfectly designed hydroponic system, this may be the case; however, many systems, unbeknownst to the grower, can suffer from problems directly related to root zone restriction. The most common of these is the availability of oxygen used by plant roots in the process of respiration. Plants under certain conditions have a very high requirement for oxygen within the root zone, particularly under the protected and warm conditions provided year-round with indoor gardens. A restricted root zone has a limited potential to hold oxygen and thus relies heavily on oxygen replenishment, be that via dissolved oxygen in the nutrient or oxygen percolation down into the root zone during irrigation. If root requirement for oxygen is greater than the replenishment rate in a restricted volume, than root function begins to slow, as does the uptake of water and nutrients. Eventually a lack of oxygen can cause root cell death increasing the risk of root diseases such as pythium. The more restricted the root zone volume, the greater the replenishment rate of oxygen must be. In hydroponics this can be achieved in a number of ways. First, some growing mediums contain larger pores than others and allow oxygen to disuse faster down into the root zone. Second, nutrient solutions carry dissolved oxygen so both increasing the dissolved oxygen content of the solution via aeration and making sure the root zone is not over saturated with water ensures more oxygen is available for root uptake. Root Competition In many hydroponic systems, individual plants may be grown in their own separate container or slab of substrate and some plants are often grown side by side allowing roots from separate plants to intermingle. Some studies have found that plants produce more root mass when sharing rooting space with a neighbor, as compared to plants growing alone. It is thought that this allows plants to enhance their competitive ability for nutrients, but that root overgrowth may occur in this situation at the expense of reproductive growth. These findings may be species specific; it appears that the roots of some plant species can sense the roots of neighboring plants and respond to them accordingly. Further studies in this area may eventually help us determine how plants grown side by side may be influencing the growth of each other in hydroponic systems. #Cambridge #CherryHinton #Histon #Hardwick #Cambourne #Haverhill #Ely #Greenfingers #Luton #Bedford #Hitchin #London #GrowYourOwn #Newmarket #Horticulture #Hydroponic #GrowShop indoor-botanics.co.uk/grow-systems/643-Wilma-8-Pot-BIG-18L.html
Posted on: Thu, 29 Aug 2013 10:30:41 +0000
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