Growing plants in a soil-less environment offers several benefits. The media for growth can vary greatly. Gardeners can use water, air, rockwool, vermiculite, or something else. Known as hydroponics, this method of cultivation has garnered significant attention from commercial growers and continues to grow in popularity. This popularity has also pushed more research into the field and development of more tools for this form of cultivation. Here are the best cultivation products for hydroponic systems.

Plastic Gutter for Drainage Collection

Gutters are a big part of any well-functioning hydroponic system. These cultivation products help in collecting the drainage water from the drainage collection pots. They are an essential part of a greenhouse environment because they keep the drain water from leaking out. The small size of the plastic gutter for drainage collection pot makes it easier to clear out leaves and other things that can clog the pot. They are also more convenient to drain out and manage, in general. They help in re-circulating the water, thus making the entire garden water-efficient as well as fertiliser-efficient.

Cooling Skirt

Growers who have to grow crops in regions that receive a lot of sunlight use specialised cultivation products like this cooling skirt. This product works in a variety of ways to maintain the substrate and the roots of the plant at optimum temperature. The opaque nature of the skirt blocks the light entirely from the plant, keeping the temperature of the roots well below the outside temperature. This product does not hinder the natural flow of the air from under the pot. It also has holes on top, which help in moving the hot air out.

Many growers also use a white pot instead of a cooling skirt, but the white pot does not work as efficiently. Firstly, an air pocket forms between the cooling skirt and the surface of the container. This air pocket keeps the substrate and the roots cool. This phenomenon is not observed with a white pot. Secondly, cooling skirt product provides an extra layer of protection from the top too. The top edges keep the substrate in the shade and prevent it from drying out, adding to its cooling effect.

Clips

In hydroponic systems, everything that the plant requires is delivered through different tubes, pipes and hoses. Such systems require cultivation products like clips that can hold these components in place to create a compact unit. Clips can come in many forms. There are specialised hose clips, and there are multi-function clips that can be used to hold cooling skirts and irrigation hoses. These clips keep the various components of a hydroponic system secure and prevent them from being damaged, leading to tremendous cost savings.

Lysimeter Kit

In hydroponics, the gardeners are in control of the irrigation, nutrition, and the immediate environment that the plant grows in. Therefore, they need to have the necessary tools to measure all the factors affecting them. The Lysimeter Kit is one such tool. It can be placed below a drainage collection pot and made to collect all the drainage water coming out of the pot. A well-fitted Lysimeter Kit can collect samples that can be used to accurately measure the pH, irrigation volume, and other factors. Lysimeter Kits help growers take accountability of the situation and to identify problems in a particular pot or in the conditions of the greenhouse. It can mean the difference between a great crop or a mediocre one.

Stakes

Stakes are primarily used to support the plants in a hydroponic system. Different types of stake fulfil various functions. For instance, the metal stakes for gutter are made out of galvanised metal and keep the sides of the gutter vertical. This also ensures maximum height for the gutter and prevents them from collapsing. Stakes can also be like the 18 cm stake for microtube, which helps support the microtubes. The barbs in this stake help keep it in place in the ground. The C-type stakes support the microtubes with the dipper, while the O-type can be used for microtubes without the dipper.

cultivation products metal stakes

Conclusion

Many cultivation products are available in the market today. These products have been designed to serve specialised functions, which makes them highly efficient. It is tools like these that make modern cultivation a lot more efficient than traditional growing methods.

Find these and more cultivation products from Plantlogic on Amazon.