More Hydroponics Desert Challenges

More Hydroponics Desert Challenges

In our last blog post, we talked about some of the basic environmental challenges for those trying to grow hydroponics plants in desert environments – a lot of these have to do with basic atmospheric factors that are always high on the list for most growers doing periodic maintenance for a plant cycle. Here are some of the additional types of problems that some growers are reporting with growing hydroponics plants in climates that are innately difficult.

Keeping Desert Plants Comfy

We recently talked to a fellow in Phoenix, Arizona who was pursuing a Deepwater hydroponic system there. This grower used artificial shading to make sure plants were shaded from the desert sun and cooled water to an appropriate temperature using elaborate HVAC equipment. Nevertheless, he reported some problems with temperature that required additional air handling equipment – dedicated cooling pipes can help plants to thrive when the outside temperature gets a little too warm for comfort, but without these kind of extras, desert growers are likely to see their plants suffer.

Other Desert and Water Issues

Another big issue that we didn’t cover last time is evaporation. A lot of the water painstakingly trucked into a desert hydroponics environment seems to simply vanish into thin air. Evaporation can really do a number on a reservoir when it’s critical to have a certain volume of water in the system any given time – some recommend closed loop systems to help deal with this issue, but it’s often going to be necessary to factor in evaporation in the amount of water that you bring to a site to nourish hydroponics plants in a desert environment.

Talk to your hydroponic retailer about how to get the best equipment for adapting hydroponics systems to radical desert climates.