The question which is best, soil or hydroponics, begins with an explanation of what each method entails. Many growers who believe they grow in the soil actually grow in a mixture of landless cultivation.
Technically, the soil is composed of three particles; sand, silt, clay, as well as a sufficient amount of organic matter (see the soil texture for details). Potting soil, which contains very small amounts of actual (if any) soil particles, is more likely to consist of old and green organic matter, varying amounts of perlite or vermiculite, and some nutrients added to the plants.
Many gardeners growing in pots or raised beds do so in a growing medium and would likely characterize it as growing in the soil, not hydroponically, but this could technically be seen as a gray zone between the two. culture techniques.
Hydroponics VS Soil, What Method Grow The Best Plants?
Before starting to compare soil with hydroponics, it is important to clarify what is hydroponic and what is not. The decision depends on whether the plants are grown indoors or outdoors. However, this classification lacks many important points. Based on the original idea of the absence of true soil particles, many techniques would be poorly grouped together.
An aspect of hydroponic growth that is commonly noted is the increased control of various aspects such as temperature, nutrient concentration and even oxygen from the root zone. This can be accomplished inside a growing tent or many types of greenhouses, but not necessarily outdoors.
Variation in nutrient concentration can be rapidly achieved in deep-water culture (DWC) compared to other culture media. This is due to the level of residual nutrients in media other than water, and any change in this level is stabilized. In DWC, the entire tank can be quickly replaced and the resulting nutrient formula can be completely different.
Let's compare DWC to outdoor farming at the time, which are probably the two extremes of hydroponics / soil cultivation techniques. We can assume that this dirt includes a good supply of organic matter in addition to the traditional soil particles.
Living Grow Media
With one of these two techniques, there are several very important parameters that will determine the taste of plants and the quality of human nutrition, in addition to the strength and health of plants. "Living Soil" is very important to get the best results from our land gardens.
Microbes, fungi, and beneficial bacteria that breed and work in our garden are very important for the absorption of plant nutrients, and hence taste, and nutritional output. The same applies to DWC - we need liquid nutrients that continue to flow through the root system to live with microbial life which is useful to assist in the development and absorption of vital plant nutrients.
Mycorrhizal fungi are an important part of the root system's ability to extract more nutrients from any growing media that live in it. Bacteria are required to convert many nutrients into available forms.
With water culture, these fungi can be introduced but until they are attached to the actual roots, they do not increase in biomass. These microbes also need a supply of oxygen that is available consistently and sufficiently to survive. It does not take long for the life of vital microbes to die without oxygen.
Although feeling, at a large level, cannot be avoided subjective, there is a science behind what influences it. Taking tissue samples can verify the nutritional content of vegetables, eliminating the subjectivity aspect for health aspects. The nutritional content of the plant's root system will be directly related to the nutritional content of plant tissues.
Soil vs hydroponics: the taste
If we look at the "taste" aspect of the soil issue in relation to the hydroponic issue, we will have to look at what gives a good taste to the fruit or leaf of a garden crop. Which nutrients in a leaf, fruit or root create the desired aroma that most people want? We must consider that the senses of taste and smell are subjective.
The main categories of flavors are: astringent, bitter, pungent, salty, sour and sweet. The sweetness is easily measured in the roots or leaves of a plant. The level of these sugars, called brix, can be measured by a refractometer.
The other aspects of the flavor are spicy, or "spicy". With peppers, this is an essential point. To measure it, we examine the capsaicin content. For this factor, a high performance liquid chromatography measurement is performed and evaluated in Scoville heat units (SHU).
Acidic foods are usually acidic. This quality can be measured, but it's tricky. Sour has other chemical properties and some foods can be acidic because they are pungent.
Many people do not like to eat their vegetables - their phytonutrient content can make them bitter. These seem to have been produced by the plant during its evolution to protect itself. These phytonutrients are things like phenols, flavonoids, isoflavones, terpenes, glucosinolates and other compounds that can help fight cancer and produce positive health effects, without calling on our senses taste. Healthy plants produce more; that's what gives them the ability to protect themselves from pests.
Because of this bitterness, many large food suppliers or producers have sought to incorporate a lower level of these nutrients into their crops in order to improve their attractiveness and, hence, their sales. Although calcium is vital for the health of plants and humans, its content in vegetables has also been thought to increase bitterness. A reduction in calcium intake in a plant will reduce its calcium content and reduce its bitterness, but is it appropriate to reduce calcium?
Whether you know it or not, the bitter aspect of a vegetable adds to the richness and friendliness of food and can balance a dish that would otherwise be too sweet or salty.
What Types of Things Improve Plant Flavor?
The healthier a plant is, the more chemicals and taste it exhibits. To say one technique grows (soil or hydro) produces a less bitter taste than the other takes the problem in the wrong direction. The bottom line: to get the maximum taste and the healthiest results, it's important to get optimal plant strength by providing all the necessary nutrients.
Using the same soil to grow the same crops year after year reduces plant productivity and taste. The main cause of this is the depletion of important micronutrients in the soil, as well as the possibility that variations and the number of microbes may have been reduced. Remember that life in growing media (the presence of beneficial microbes) is key to absorption of plant nutrients. Various bacteria and fungi need to work symbiotically with plant roots to produce products that are strong, healthy and delicious.
Soil vs. Hydroponics: System Comparisons
Microbiology within the growing medium is equally important, regardless of the system (soil or water) chosen. Although the DWC offers the ability to quickly measure and adjust the nutrient mix and microbial life forms, it also requires an ongoing awareness of what is happening in the media. A healthy soil substrate is much slower to react to any changes you make; As a result, maintaining stability may be easier.
Controlling nutrient levels and the microbiology of the media is the essential essence for producing optimal taste and health benefits. Ambient air and fluid temperatures also contribute to these factors, and these aspects can be better controlled in hydroponics. At the right time (provided the local climate permits), soil growth will generally offset this advantage to a large extent.
Anecdotal reports on the benefits to the flavor or health of each of these growing techniques will continue to be debated. (See the resources in this article for more details on the debate). As time passes and controlled studies continue, there will be exciting new things to learn. Current scientific knowledge suggests that either method can be used to optimize taste and nutrition if used properly.
