Aquaponics: Is It More Efficient or Faster Than a Regular Soil Garden?

Aquaponics: Is It More Efficient or Faster Than a Regular Soil Garden?

Over the years, population growth and increased urbanization worldwide have caused high-quality pieces of farming land to shrink. With space continuing to come down, more agriculturalists have looked for ways of boosting harvesting speed to keep up with the increasing international demand for food. Several farms do not have enough average crop yield per unit thanks to the seasonality and conventional growth rate of plants. To tackle this issue, several commercial farmers are exploring the scope of aquaponics in the form of a quicker, more efficient method of growing crops. Now, do crops grow so quickly through an aquaponics system in UAE that it allows farmers to give up soil gardening?

As per several pieces of research, plants grow more quickly with the system as compared to other methods of cultivation. Agriculturalists who use it have witnessed considerably higher crop yields, and they harvest more often in a year because of controlled environment aquaponics. Nevertheless, no aquaponics system in UAE or elsewhere is perfect, meaning it has its possible limitations.

Here, we will compare aquaponic plants and soil-grown plants based on growth as well as the factors with a direct impact on growth in an aquaponics system. For the uninitiated, this is a method of growing crops in the water utilized for the cultivation of aquatic organisms, such as fish. Many a hydroponic system supplier in UAE offers it and act as silent proponents of aquaponic gardening.

Soil Versus Aquaponics Growth Rate

As per past research data and anecdotes, aquaponic crops grow more quickly as compared to soil-based crops as these can use a constant flow of water. The continuously circulating water in an aquaponics grow bed has nutrients from the aquatic animal waste needed for crop growth. Conversely, crops planted in soil require growers to use a chemical fertilizer generously and as per a schedule, meaning these plants cannot use nutrients round the clock.

Factors Impacts Plant Growth Through An Aquaponics System

Understanding why crops grow more quickly in the system, necessitates examining the factors impacting the rate of growth related to it. Here are a few of those factors.

Nutrients

In this agricultural setup, fish waste is the source of the nutrients that are essential for crops to grow quickly. Fish waste acts as a quality source of phosphorous, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, sulphur, and potassium. The system always makes the waste available to aquatic plants, so these often grow in a healthier and faster way.

Water

Despite using a fraction of the quantity of water that soil-based plants need, an aquaponics system supplies an abundance of nutrients to crops. It is important to consider temperature, pH level, light and some other factors for maintaining water quality while ensuring a quick growth rate.

Planting Design

It is an important factor to ensure that each plant gets nutrients in quantities that are enough for it to grow. Besides this, planting design can help make garden space as big as possible and boost production. In the planning stage, growers may draw a farm layout while considering the amount of space each crop would use according to its size. They may also seek the valuable inputs of a farm construction company in UAE to make this process easier and streamlined.

Final Words

There are many possible benefits to growing crops with an aquaponics system in UAE, including the better growth rate and the higher yield than its soil-based counterpart. Nevertheless, any reliable provider of agricultural construction service in UAE should not understate the potential pros of soil gardening while promoting their aquaponics system.