By: Charlene Rennick
Now that you have seedlings or clones with two sets of leaves and good strong roots, where do you go from here?
First, you should decide what kind of gardener you want to be and to what quantity you want to produce hydroponically grown plants. Are you a domestic hydroponic hobbyist or do you entertain ideas of making an honest profit from your efforts?
Second, taking a close look at the root system of your seedling or clone will tell you if transplanting into a more permanent location is appropriate. A healthy root system has many fine fibres developing laterally, horizontally or just plain off the main root tendril. The hairier your new roots look, the better! Each tiny fibre is responsible for assisting nutrients from the growing medium to the plant, so if your seedling has a large network of these off-shoots, it will be better prepared to survive as a strong, healthy plant. On the other hand, if your new plant sports only a few straight roots, it may serve nature better as a compost participant.
Third, consider the profit available to you if you have successfully managed to clone your favourite plants. Cloning reproduces many seedlings from the parent plant without the extra cost of purchasing seeds and starter mediums. Rooting compounds have evolved from the older type of powders to an improved gel formula that seals in the nutrients and clings to the cutting.
Because all the shoots are dipped in a rooting hormone, the plant that results from this procedure usually survives; whereas, germinating seeds sometimes goes hand-in-hand with composting duds, misfits and those with a stunted growth. Using a good crop of annuals as a prototype for the cloned generations can result in a bountiful, inexpensive plethora of new plants that can generate a worthy profit even for a hydroponic hobbyist.
There is some middle ground here, as well. You can start small with a system you can add on to if you want to leave your options open for larger projects after you have a better feel for the hydroponic gardener in you!