Choosing the best hydroponics system requires careful consideration of several factors. 

• First, consider the types of plants you want to grow and their specific requirements. DWC and NFT systems are best for growing leafy greens, herbs or plants with small heights, while Dutch buckets are best for growing vining crops. 
• Consider your budget for setting up and maintaining a hydroponics system. 
• Assess your skill level and available time for system management, opting for a system that matches your experience and commitment. 
• Finally, think about your long-term goals and select a system that allows scalability and flexibility.

A-frames are best suitable for growing small-height plants like baby spinach, lettuces, parsley, rocket, celery, coriander, tot soi etc.

Try CityGreens DWC Starter Kit

• DWC pipes
• Hydroponics nutrients
• Air pump
• Net pots
• Fly Ash Hydrotons
• Coir Coins
• Variety of seeds

• City Greens DWC kit is the only one that allows you to open the lid and access the root zone, anytime during the plant lifecycle. It also comes with a dual opening mechanism and lift-open mechanism, with this mechanism you can simply lift up the lid and access the root zone even when the plants are still growing. 
• Allows you to open the NFT channel or pipes, check the water level and clean the system from time to time.
• All the required apparatus is available in one box and at a very affordable cost.
• Perfect for small-scale production or an experiment.

To buy your DWC starter kit visit www.CityGreens.shop

When it comes to evaluating the nutritional profile of Hydroponic produce, we should consider three critical factors, viz

• The nutrient-mix provided to the plant (nutrient given to the plant itself)
• The availability of various nutrients in the crop at the time of consumption (time from farm to table)
• Additional substances present in the food (other inputs like chemicals and pesticides used during the production phase)

Let us explore each one of these in order.

Of the two factors mentioned above, one promotes better nutritional profile in hydroponic vegetables while the other promotes better nutrition profile in the soil-grown plants. In the real world scenario, it will be challenging to ascertain which factor will play out how and to what extent and hence we should look at the average case scenario for our understanding. In an average case scenario, the hydroponically grown produce will have a slightly better nutrition profile overall as compared to the soil-grown produce. The same has been verified time and again by different farmers and experts from agri-industries who grow medicinal and aromatic plants. When they grow these plants using Hydroponics, the concentration of active ingredient/oil content is much higher as compared to soil-grown plants. The same should hold for nutrients. 

You may be surprised to know that both of the above headlines may use the same laboratory test report as their base. Depending upon the objective and motive of the author, she may choose to publish limited facts or data to influence a specific view-point. (Well, that's true for almost all the stats you read anywhere.) 

In an ideal world, Hydroponic produce will be slightly better than the soil-grown produce in terms of nutritional value and quality. But we do not live in a perfect world, and that makes Hydroponic produce far better than the soil-grown produce that we get in our neighborhood stores, especially in the big cities in India. Let me explain why.

While nutrition is a tough call, the benefit of Hydroponics is clear in terms of reducing the toxic stuff we put into our bodies. Studies indicate, that especially in the cities, the soil growing conditions of crops like Spinach is deplorable and many times the water sources used are dirty and unhygienic. For example, this news report by BBC explains how Spinach is cultivated in Bangalore using polluted water from lakes. Mumbai is not far behind. The greens you consume are often grown by the side of railway tracks and are highly toxic as per this ToI news report. If you think you are safe in Delhi, or Pune, or any other cities, think again. Twenty minutes of targeted search on internet will open your eyes and make you appreciate why we switched over to Hydroponics. 

This is not all. Even if the farmers are using borewell water to irrigate their fields, it may still not be safe. In many parts of India, the water table is contaminated. So, along with the nutrients, there are also traces of unwanted elements that may enter the system, causing disease and damage. 

Now let us consider the case of pesticides. Pesticides, as such, may not be harmful if used in the right quantities and at the correct times, so that the amount of residue left at the time of harvest is negligible. But does that happen in the real world? 

 Your guess is as good as mine. 

Unfortunately, this affects the human system as we consume all these unwanted pesticides causing long term health disasters. Further, incessant use of these pesticides also impacts the water tables and creates more resistant strains of pests. More often than not, society focuses on curative and is more comfortable spending on medicines and doctors rather than on preventive measures such as choosing to eat healthy and safe food even if it comes at a little premium. 

Just to put things in perspective, below listed are certain findings from this report available in the public domain:

• Brinjal: Chemical found is Heptachlor, 860% above the legal limit
• Cabbage: Chemical found is Cypermethrin, 95.5% above the legal limit
• Okra: Chemical found is Heptachlor, 55% above the legal limit
• Rice: Chemical found is Chlorfenvinfos, 1324% above the legal limit
• Banana: Chemical found is Chlorodane, 54% above the legal limit
• Cauliflower: Chemical found is Aldrin, 320% above the legal limit
• Apple: Chemical found is Dichlorvas, 140% above the legal limit

Thus, it is only in the larger benefit of our health that it is advisable to grow in a medium that helps to eliminate or at least minimize the use of harmful elements that cause long term damage. India faces a daunting task of purifying and making soil worthy of growing produce as it has been infested with heavy dosages of pesticides and fungicides. As such given a choice between soil-grown and Hydroponically grown vegetables, I will always choose the ones grown hydroponically. What about you?

Happy Growing!

Plants have their mechanism to express nutrient requirements by showing "symptoms" of deficiency or toxicity (over-feeding). In a sense, this is a plant's voice or body language that can even reveal to us which mineral is deficient. Many a times, similar symptom may occur due to deficiency of more than one essential elements. In such a case, observing, if the symptom first appeared in newer leaves and shoots or the older ones, can help in identifying the true cause of deficiency. This happens because some of the elements are mobile, meaning they can move from one part of the plant to another whilst the others are immobile.

• Mobile elements: N, P, K, Cl, Mg, Mo. If the mineral element is mobile, it's deficiency/toxicity appears in the older part of the plant first. This is because the nutrients travel from older leaves to the newer leaves where they are needed most.
• Immobile elements: S, B, Fe, Zn, Ca, Cu, Mn, Ni. If the mineral element is immobile, the nutrients can not move from the older to the newer leaves. Therefore, deficiency symptoms appear in the growing region of the plant first.

Leaves & stems of Phosphorus deficient plants are generally dark green. Older leaves turn yellowish with a pink/purplish margin.

Whether you realize it or not, you are already consuming a lot of fortified foods. Consider this

1. The common salt you eat is Iodized.
2. The milk you get is fortified with Vitamin D and Calcium.
3. Bread and grain products are commonly fortified with folic acid.

Stay Informed. Stay Safe!

With the day to day changing lifestyle, increasing population, increasing food demand, changing environment, etc., the need for genetically modified crops is rising. Consider this

• Farmers who grow crops on a large scale for commercial use cannot get rid of pests and insects easily, so they end up using a lot of harmful pesticides that eventually enter our food. In this case, GMO could address these problems and also significantly increase the product yield. For example, Bt cotton did solve this problem for some farmers for a while.
• In Bt cotton, Bt stands for 'Bacillus thuringiensis.' It is a species of bacteria that has been used as an organic form of pest control for many decades. This particular form of bacteria usually exists in the soil, and it makes different types of proteins that act as insecticides. It targets mosquitoes, black flies, caterpillars, moths, and beetles. Despite acting as natural pest control for all these insects, it is harmless to humans.
• However, recently, pink bollworm pests have developed resistance to Bt toxins, and thus farmers have started resorting to using pesticides again even while growing Bt Cotton.
• Plants can be modified to be resistant to bacterial, fungal, or viral infestations, for example, bananas are modified to resist (Black Sigatoka) fungus, which can reduce banana yield by up to 70%.
• By bringing in genetic modification, plants can tolerate various environmental stress like drought, heat, frost, salty soil, etc. for example, a new trait has been introduced in rice (salumpikit rice), which can survive prolonged water stress.
• The most critical part is to get improved nutritional value. Crops can be modified to contain nutrients that are lacking in the diet. Golden rice, for example, is amended to have an enhanced level of vitamin A.
• GMO crops are chemical-free and hence good for the environment. They have a longer shelf life, provide a stable and efficient way to sustain enough crops to feed the ever-growing population of people in the world. And the best part is that they are affordable. Since the yield is more, the prices can be lower.

1. Cross-contamination: Plants that have resistance to herbicides can lead to the development of "superweeds." GMO plants can cross-pollinate with grass growing around them, passing on to them the same resistance property as the crops.
2. Some GMOs are modified to contain antibiotic traits to make them immune to certain diseases. Once consumed and left in the body, they can make other antibiotics less effective.
3. Since GMOs are a relatively new concept, there has been little testing and research done on their long-term effects. This makes its use for human consumption a risky proposition.

Stay Informed. Stay Safe!

Inorganic plant nutrition is any plant nutrition additive that originates from non-living sources or does not naturally exist in the nature. Inorganic nutrients are nutrients synthesised in factories, example minerals or fertilisers.

When it comes to plants, they can absorb nutrients only in the form of ions (which are devoid of carbon and hence inorganic). So for a plant, a nutrient is a nutrient; it does not matter whether it originated from an organic source or an inorganic one. All the nutrients must first be broken down into inorganic ions before plants can absorb them. With this clarity, the question that arises is, is there then no difference between organic and inorganic nutrients. Let's try to find the answer to this query by developing an understanding of how these nutrients work.

In an Organic nutrient, the ions are bound to compounds through chemical bonds. These bonds get broken down slowly by bacteria, earthworm, and other microorganisms, ensuring a slow release of ions for the plant root to uptake. This release process happens in damp conditions and temperatures of above 50 F. Due to this mechanism, there are several distinct advantages and disadvantages of using Organic Nutrients.

• The use of Organic nutrients improves soil texture and composition due to the presence of Organic matter.
• Since nutrients get released at a slow rate, a lower amount of nutrient leeches into the ground. Overall less number of application (or lesser quantity) is required.
• The chances of burn caused by excessive nutrition are abysmally low while using Organic Nutrients.

• Since nutrients are released slowly, plants may get less amount than they need and take longer to grow.
• It is difficult to pinpoint exact nutrient composition (available for plant intake) in the organic nutrients. Thus some specific nutrient deficiencies may occur in plants fed solely on Organic Nutrients.
• Organic nutrients usually cost more than their inorganic counterparts.
• At lower temperatures, the efficacy of nutrients may decrease significantly. This phenomenon happens because the process of ion release from Organic nutrients needs higher temperatures.

In inorganic nutrients, ions are released rapidly (there are now some slow-release inorganic nutrients as well) and become available for plants to uptake irrespective of temperature and humidity levels.

• The ions are precisely measurable and available for uptake readily. Thus the results are quick and effective.
• Inorganic nutrients cost lower than their organic counterparts.

• Since the ions are released fast, many applications may be required at regular intervals.
• A lot of nutrients can get leached into the groundwater through the soil, thus having an adverse environmental impact (when used in ground-based farmland at commercial scale).
• A higher dose of inorganic nutrients may lead to an excess of nutrients, thus leading to leaf burn in plants.