Which common plants are suitable for soilless cultivation?

Soilless cultivation is a modern seedling-raising technique that allows plant roots to come into direct contact with a nutrient solution. Its scope is currently very wide, and it can be used to grow both vegetables and flowers, but soilless cultivation technology has not yet been comprehensively promoted. Which plants are commonly grown by soilless cultivation?

I. Common plants grown by soilless cultivation

1. Common vegetables grown by soilless cultivation include: lettuce, chicory, Chinese kale, choy sum, rapeseed, pak choi, bolting Chinese cabbage, large-leaf mustard, kale, Gynura bicolor, watercress, water dropwort, celery, mitsuba, amaranth, chives, potato, and so on.

2. Common flowers grown by soilless cultivation include: lily, Monstera deliciosa, Aglaia odorata, Clivia miniata, camellia, Chinese rose, jasmine, azalea, kumquat, Rohdea japonica, stock, Phalaenopsis, fuchsia, five-needle pine, banana, rubber fig, Dracaena fragrans, begonias, ferns, palms, and so on.

II. What are the classifications of soilless cultivation?

Soilless cultivation has many advantages over soil cultivation. At present, the area under soilless cultivation is rising in a straight line, and soilless cultivation is becoming more and more widespread. Currently, soilless cultivation mainly has three major types: hydroponics, rock wool culture, and substrate culture.

1. Hydroponics: Hydroponics is a cultivation method in which plant roots come into direct contact with the nutrient solution without using a substrate. Current hydroponics uses a very thin nutrient solution that continuously circulates through the plant roots. This ensures a constant supply of water and nutrients to the crop while also providing the roots with sufficient oxygen. Because the roots are isolated from the soil, soil-borne diseases can be effectively avoided, and soil disinfection is not needed.

2. Aeroponics: Aeroponics is the process of compressing the nutrient solution into an aerosol and spraying it directly onto the crop roots. The roots are suspended in the inner space of a container, generally using polypropylene foam plastic boards with holes drilled at certain distances, and crops are grown in the holes. Two foam boards are slanted into a triangular shape to form a space, and the nutrient supply pipes pass through the triangular space. Spraying is done once every 2 to 3 minutes, and the nutrient solution is recycled. However, the equipment requirements are very high, and it also consumes a large amount of electrical energy, so it cannot be produced on a large scale.

3. Substrate culture: Substrate culture is the most widely promoted method of soilless cultivation. It fixes crop roots in an organic or inorganic substrate and supplies the nutrient solution through drip irrigation or trickle irrigation. The substrate can be put into plastic bags or spread in troughs; the nutrient solution is not recycled, and this is called an open system.

III. What advantages do soilless-cultivated plants have?

1. Because water can evaporate freely, in the same environment it plays a more obvious role in regulating air humidity than plants grown in potting soil.

2. Water-grown plants can omit some of the management work of potting soil, and they are clean and hygienic and simple to care for.

3. If plants whose roots can be exposed to light are chosen, and matched with a suitable container, the whole plant can be viewed, giving it higher ornamental value.

Soilless cultivation is currently being applied more and more widely, and vegetables and flowers grown by soilless cultivation fetch a higher price on the market than ordinary ones. If conditions permit, you can try soilless cultivation.