Grow yellow pea shoots

Use yellow pea shoots as an addition to salad. They are milder than the raw peas. They also don't have the lectins which is a natural toxin which is contained in the peas. You can eat the pea shoots for added protein and crunch to your food.

Growing mediums

There are various preferred growing mediums for the hydroponics gardener. Hydroponics in latin itself means water work. That means we remove the use of soil as a growing medium. The nutrients are applied directly to the roots through application in water.

Various growing mediums have their advantages and disadvantages.

Clay balls: They have good retention of water and due to the porosity they also retain good aeration. They have to disinfected the first time and between subsequent uses.

Perlite: Their operation is same as the clay balls, but due to their small size they tend to clog the automated systems.

Coco Peat: Cocopeat are the cheapest option of all. They are acid neutral. They have to be processed before using as they tend to contain high amount of salts.

Rock wool: They are the costliest growing medium. They were used as insulating in refrigerators previously. They tend to be alkaline, processing in acidic water is required before application.

Sand: Sand is the easiest available and the cheapest growing medium. They need continuous supply of water as they have low water retention capability. Aeration is never a problem with sand.

Common features of growing mediums.

• They are not needed to throw away the old medium (as is sometimes needed with soil), so the long-term expense is reduced.
• It is lightweight, so no hassle in removing large pots.
• Its numerous tiny air pockets provide a good source of oxygen and help hold moisture.