abhimanyu143
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seed germination process in water without soil ?

hello ,
I am reading about hydroponic system. I want to made automated system using Ics I don't have much knowledge. How do I start tomatoes from seed. . I did not want to germinate seed in soil and then Put into water. Is it possible ? If I put tomoto seed directly into water bottle then I add some nutrient with water. I will change water in every 3 or 4 days.

actually I did same process at home I use NPK but after 3 weeks there is no progress. why does seed is not germinate ?

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rainbowgardener
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I don't do hydroponics, but I don't think it works to start seeds directly in water, especially un-aerated water in a bottle. They will just rot. I don't know about hydro, but in potting mix, tomato seeds sprout in 3-7 days. If they haven't sprouted in a couple weeks, they never will. Hydro systems use circulation and bubblers or something to keep the water oxygenated. But they don't put the seeds in the water, they put it in some kind of (non-soil) planting medium like rock wool, or some kind of starter cubes


https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Hydroponic-Tomatoes

https://www.hydroponics-simplified.com/h ... seeds.html

imafan26
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Most hydroponic seeds are started in plugs then put into the system whether it is a raft, rail, or dutch bucket. A few things will start from seeds but if you are using a media less system you need to start with plugs. If you are using cinder or hydroton some seeds can be started in the media but germination will be spotty.

BTW not all plants are suitable for hydo. Certain varieties do better than others.

abhimanyu143
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actually I want to make automated system based on conductivity. I don't want to work manually . when the conductivity is low then system will add some nutrient. when conductivity is high system will not give nutrient to plant

main problem is seed germination ?
seed germinated in water or soil ?

my basic question
can we germinate tomatoes seed into water ( nutrient water solutations ) ?

imafan26
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No, the seeds if they are not washed away will rot.

You do need to start them in trays first. You can use oasis blocks for hydo. The blocks will not come apart with the stream of water in a rail or net basket system.

Peat lite media can be used to start plugs in a tray and transplanted to a media bed (like hydroton or cinder) or you can still use the oasis plugs. Fine particles like peat moss and dirt, you want to avoid because it will eventually plug up your filters and your system. Even media beds eventually get plugged up with accumulated roots, media and dirt and have to be flushed.

Whether you use a controller or manually test the nutrient solution daily, plants still need the same things. Seeds do not need nutrients, they have all they need to start within the seed. What seeds need are air, light, and water. If the seeds are under water too long, there is no air and they will rot. You could start the plants in media and clean off the soil and then put the plant in the system, however it will be hard to wash off every bit of soil, any particles that remain will get into the system. If enough get stuck, it will clog the system. Plants in hydro, aero, or aquaponics have two kinds of roots, water roots that are in contact with the water and air roots. Water roots cannot dry out or they die, for water roots to stay alive the water must be well aerated or streamed so that some of the roots are able to still be outside to take in oxygen, air roots don't like to be in water all of the time or they will rot and die.

Usually the plugs are planted with one seed in each plug. The plug is put inside of a tray that is bathed by the nutrient solution and the solution is not allowed to sit. It enters from one end and drains out the other. The tray is slightly tilted to encourage drainage. The plugs stay wet all of the time and keep moisture around the growing plant. The roots at the bottom of the seedling will be more accustomed to being wet so they will be the water roots. The roots at the top of the plug will be moist but not directly submerged in water all of the time so they will be the air roots.

The plugs get put into a small net basket and inserted into the system. The place I work uses rail and aeroponic towers for hydro and cinder biofilters for aquaponics. All of the systems eventually have to be cleaned. The roots from the plants get very long and the rails need to be cleaned of the accumulated roots. The nutrient system encourages algae to grow. The hydo are all in enclosed houses because some of the cultivars were developed specifically for hydro or greenhouse and do not stand up to pests well, so they need to be protected. It is very difficult to control bugs or disease in these systems. You will be limited by what you will be able to use and the close proximity of the plants will mean that problems will multiply quickly. When it gets really bad, your only recourse would be to destroy the crop and sanitize the system.

imafan26
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