Growing hydroponic beans may enthusiast gardeners and make them want to try it. The growing process is not as complicated as you thought. There are various types of green beans, and several of them are easy to grow in a hydroponic system.
The hydroponic system requires water for the growing process. Compared to the conventional method that relies on soil for plant growth, the hydroponic system has limited space for the plant to grow.
The following are tips for growing beans with hydroponic systems.
Seeding Process
Before you start, you should learn about the seeding. Although beans have many varieties, there are a few seeds easy to grow in a hydroponic system.
Those varieties are lima beans, bush beans, runner beans, pole beans, and string beans. They are not only low maintenance but also have high productivity. Among them may require a bit more effort for the growing process.
The seeds germinate very quickly. You will need less than 2 weeks, even shorter, that is around 5 to 7 days. The germination process for hydroponic beans is varies depending on their variety, quality, and environmental circumstances.
You should wait for the seed to germinate and form a minimum of two leaves. You have to be sure that they are stable before you move them to your hydroponic set. Otherwise, your sprout will wilt and fade.
You should sow the seed with the deep approximately 1 inch or 2.5 cm. You will get high-quality beans that can be stored for a longer time.
There are some conditions that you should think about in the germination process. Although, you can germinate the seed indoor or outdoor.
If you germinate them outdoors, you can only do it during spring. You can avoid harming your sprout from frost. As beans are a warm-season plant, you should grow them at a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, the indoor germination process will require a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. Then, you can move the sprout carefully to the hydroponic set. This precaution is taken to avoid any injury that may occur to your new seedling.
Nutrient Solution for Hydroponic Beans
All plants require a blend of macronutrients to support their growth. Some may need large quantities while some others are not.
If you compare to other plants, beans are easy to maintain in a hydroponic system. One of the causes is their need for nutrients. The plant generally needs little nutrients.
Beans require nitrogen as well as other minerals for their growth. They can take the nitrogen from the air aside from the growing nutrients. Besides, you need other essential macronutrients required for plant growth, such as hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, carbon, and sulfur.
Apart from that, there are also necessary micronutrients for beans growing. They need chlorine, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum, manganese, iron, boron, and copper as the growing supplement. You should supply those nutrients to the water because there is no soil reserve for the plant.
If you are a beginner gardener, it is advisable to get the pre-mix blended nutrient in the local shop. Through this, you can avoid the failure of the wrong nutrient mixture that may endanger your plants. You will get high-quality beans production by taking these blended nutrients.
Be sure that the right composition can support plant growth, and the wrong mixture can threaten your crops. Thus, you should learn the nutrients composition on the label and follow the instruction to give it to your plan.
You can assume that those pre-mix blended nutrients are safe for your plant. So, it will help you a lot for better growth. You should change the nutrient solution regularly to prevent plant damage.
Temperature and Air Flow for the Bean plants
As mentioned earlier, beans are a warm-season plant. Thus, you have to consider the environmental temperature before you grow them.
The maximum temperature for beans is from 21 to 27 degrees Celcius during the day time. Meanwhile, during the nighttime, it is around 18 to 21 degrees Celcius. This recommended temperature is merely for outdoor hydroponic gardening.
If you grow it indoors, it will be a little bit less than the above amount. Indoor gardening is recommended for you who plant the beans during the cold-season. So, you can keep your crops survive in the cold temperature.
Temperatures below 16 to 32 degrees Celcius may give a negative effect on the seeding and plant development. The temperature discussed here is about air temperature and not about the nutrient solution temperature.
For nutrients solution temperature, the ideal pH for your plants is from 6.0 to 6.5 pH. By keeping the ideal pH level, you can maintain the nutrient absorption of your hydroponic beans. It will make the plant happy and stimulate their growth better.
A happy crop can be productive. The crops will provide gardeners with high-quality beans.
You should consider the plants’ space too. Make sure you give enough space to your beans. So, they can get better air circulation and boost their growth.
Although beans are easy to grow, you should take care of their growing process. So, the plants will be happy and grow better.
Required Light
In the conventional method, beans prefer direct full sunlight. As they are a warm-weather plant, they require sunlight for the growing process. This also happens in the hydroponic process.
The plants will also search for natural light, although you place your plant in the hydroponic set. Of course, natural light is much better than artificial light. Moreover, it can save your cost because you don’t need any electricity installment in your garden.
By getting enough light supply, the plants can produce better energy to increase plant growth. The natural light can also be a crucial element for the plants.
More sunlight received means more massive harvesting of the beans. For better results, you should allow the beans to get sunlight from 12 to 13 hours daily.
You should maintain the light supply. Too little or much light may cause additional problems for the plants’ works in producing energy. So, it is not a good idea to give too much light to your plant for a long time.
By controlling natural light, you will allow your plant to absorb carbon dioxide or also called carbon fixation and oxygen. Both carbon dioxide and oxygen are necessary for the photosynthesis process. It is better to keep the balance between them.
Thus, plants require their night circle as well apart from their daytime. During the night, your plant will absorb the carbon dioxide while the sunlight helps the process of oxygen production in the daytime. Hence, try not to over light your bean plants more than 12 to 13 hours of light requirement.
Hydroponic Beans Preferred System
Before discussing further the recommended hydroponic system, you have to know about its preferred medium solutions. You should choose the right medium for your plants.
There are two options of good medium solution for your beans, and they are the expanded clay pebbles and Perlite-vermiculite blend. Both have shown their proof for better growth.
Perlite provides the plants with a neutral pH, and it will not affect the acidity of nutrients. Moreover, it has a reasonable price and can be reused as well.
The texture is very porous and provides you with perfect wicking action. So, it will absorb the liquid easily and help to transfer it to your plan.
The experienced growers suggest a worthed system to try. You can apply an NFT or ebb-and-flow method for your hydroponic beans.
Those systems allow you to have a loose growing medium. It is better for you who want to grow beans for commercial use. So, you can have a bigger hydroponic garden.
Some beginners also use another system, that is a deep-water culture. This system consists of a platform directly or above the pool nutrient solutions. Thus, the roots of your plant will be on the liquid all the time.
However, the larger hydroponic garden had better used the NFT or ebb-and-flow system. The use of mediums can support their growth as well. This method can maintain the stability of your bean garden.
Can beans be grown hydroponically?
The above brief explanation shows that it is possible to grow your plant in a hydroponic system. Having excellent bean plants is not necessarily done on the soil reservoir. You can also do it to the water reservoir.
By knowing how to take good care of them, you will get better crops. The plants will produce high quality beans. Of course, this is good for your business.
Aside from giving you a good production, the harvesting time is fast too. The conventional method will harvest after 60 days, and it is quicker for your hydroponic plants.
Of course, the harvesting time can be varied depending on the beans’ variety and environmental conditions as well. If you can maintain your hydroponic garden well, you will get rapid production.
Other things you should consider is about the pests and disease of the plant. Both problems can occur in indoor or outdoor hydroponic gardens.
The indoors hydroponic setup should not face problems with pests. However, some fungus, mites, gnats, whiteflies may present on your plants.
The outdoor hydroponic growing can attract some nuisance insects to attack them. Those insects are aphids, beetles, mites, or some other pets that would threaten your plants.
Through the hydroponic garden, you can harvest your beans more often too. The beans will produce more if you pick them more. For storing, you can keep it in a dry place as well as in the refrigerator.
So, don’t be doubtful to start your hydroponic garden. You can grow your hydroponic beans and be ready by its top quality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The following are the different methods for growing hydroponic beans plants. Each method has its own pros and cons. The hydroponics system is highly efficient because it takes less space than the traditional system, which means more room for planting.
It also reduces water usage and allows the plants to grow in low light conditions, making it easier to harvest in the evenings and mornings. So, if you are looking to grow beans for your own consumption, this is a good choice. But if you are looking to sell your beans at a farmer’s market, this might not be the best method.
In either case, a growing guide like the one you are reading will help you to choose the right system and method for your needs.