Best way to Grow Hydroponic Tomatoes

Will you be happy to relish bites of sweet, fresh and juicy tomatoes all year round? If yes then how does the idea of growing hydroponic tomatoes at home sound? Hydroponics tomatoes are preferred by a large number of people all around the world. Ever imagined why? Well, hydroponics is an advanced, leading-edge technique that ensures high quality produce.

Not only are the tomatoes appealing to look at but these veggies are matchless in terms of aroma and flavor. Nevertheless, these tomatoes come with a brilliantly supple skin and firm flesh. What’s not to love about hydroponic tomatoes?

Limelight on the Concept of ‘Hydroponics’

 
In order to grow hydroponic tomatoes, you need to be aware of the concept first. What is hydroponics and how is it different from the run-of-the-mill soil borne terrestrial plant? To start with, unlike usual plants, hydroponic tomatoes are grown solely on water and not on soil. Mineral nutrient solutions are used to grow hydroponic tomatoes.

It is basically a part of the hydroculture, which is commonly referred as soilless culture too.

Hydroponics tomatoes are widely in demand. Why? Since these red true fruits are cultivated in a perfectly controlled environment without any use of pesticides, chemicals and fertilizers, they are always a better organic option.

If you ever drop-in at a local market to shop regularly grown tomatoes, you need to pick the best ones out of the lot, right? This is because most of these fruits have wilting skin or wobbly pulps. On the other hand, hydroponics tomatoes rarely need to be picked. They are gorgeous as a fruit, bound to satisfy your taste-buds and the best part, available all throughout the year.

Growing hydroponic tomatoes for commercial reasons could be a lucrative venture too. Don’t you think almost every delicious recipe on earth needs a tomato? Well, why settle for the less nutritious and less beautiful option when you can easily get hands on vibrant and fresh hydroponics tomatoes anytime?

Speaking of business, you will be happy to know that growing hydroponic tomatoes is not a labor-intensive job. In fact, these tomatoes have a pretty high yield and grow much faster than any usual soil-borne fruit.

Best Ways to Grow Hydroponic Tomatoes With Ease

 
Hydroponics refers to a simple and hygienic method of cultivation. Though tomatoes have been cultivated hydroponically for decades now, there has always been an up-gradation and modification in the techniques.

The Ebb-And-Flow Method – Also known as the flood-and-drain technique, this was the very first hydroponic growing system put to use. In such a system, a water-tight growing bed was arranged beneath which, a nutrition solution supply tank was placed. The bed was usually chock-full of gravel and coarse sand, serving as a perfect rooting medium for the growing plant.

This bed was periodically flooded with a nutrient solution, pumped right from the tank for a very short span of time (preferably for 5 to 10 minutes). However, the ebb-and-flow method soon found a replacement since the technique was quite flawed in a number of ways.

Drip Irrigation – Growing hydroponic tomatoes are comparatively a much hassle-free task today. Thanks to the innovation of Drip-Irrigation technique. In this process, a rockwool block is set as a rooting medium with little seedlings placed on top of it. The base of it is covered with nutrient solution in pretty large volumes. Don’t worry! This is not a closed system where the solution drains back and is re-used.

Instead, it is an open system wherein the solution is allowed to flow out and is never recovered for future use. That was the set-up but the job in a drip irrigation system is fairly different.

In order to cultivate best quality breeds, you need to analyze the fruiting stage of the tomato, the environmental factors affecting it – is the air pressure ideal, are the lighting conditions normal and so on.

You also need to keep tabs about the elemental composition of the nutrient solution and ensure that an appropriate quantity is delivered to the growing plant at the right frequency. Once everything is under control, expecting fresh red delicious fruits is just a matter of a couple of days.