Why Growing in a Sterile Environment is Great Hydroponic Growing

Beginners often hear a lot from experienced growers about the need for sterile planet media.The phrase tends to confuse people. Why does the plant setting need to be sterile? We tend to associate the word sterile with negativity. However, in hydroponics there is a very basic idea behind this idea which you could also call hydroponics and sanitation.

Sanitation is another word that we don’t use a whole lot. The idea in hydroponics is that growers need to prevent harmful debris and bacteria from affecting their plants. We tend to use the word ‘clean’ instead of the word sterile or sanitized. It’s more straightforward and makes more sense. Plant environments need to be clean in order to have healthy plants.

Making Plant Media Sterile

Hydroponic retailers and equipment manufacturers package plant media in order to prevent harmful bacteria from entering the plant’s surroundings. Growers keep the environments sterile by making sure that dead leaves, stems and other debris don’t get sifted into the mix.

That’s not to say that there is no organic matter introduced into the hydroponics environment. That’s what nutrients are for. Nutrients are carefully controlled and measured organic matter that reach plants the same way that soil nutrients do in traditional agriculture. The major difference, the fundamental principle of hydroponics, is that all of this organic matter is extremely and precisely engineered to reach plants in very particular ways that will support the best growth and best crop yield outcomes.

For more on sterile plant media and all other issues related to hydroponics growing, check out our retail catalog and other resources on the Dealzer website.