Natural zeolite is mineral contain hydrated aluminosilicate with alkali and alkaline-earth. Benefit of zeolite found in many sectors in the world, include agriculture. Studies found natural zeolite have so many benefits in soil, animal feed, and water for sustainable agriculture. In this article, we will discuss about natural zeolite as growing media in agriculture.
We already discussed about benefit of zeolite in agriculture. If you want to know relation
between zeolite and soil, you should check our article at The Benefit of Zeolite in Soil. There are also another article about zeolite in generalpurpose of agriculture. Please check our Blog Post too.
In agriculture, growing media known as media like soil to help the grow of plant, especially for containing water and for holding plants. Grow medium can be soil or non-soil. If the media is non-soil, that supposed to be hydroponic, while soil media found in every agriculture field. There are lot of non-soil medium: bark, perlite, black peat, white peat, wood fiber, rice hull, etc. How about zeolite? If you have read the benefit of zeolite in Agriculture, you should know that zeolite is good in adsorbing water, ion, and nutrients. This will increase efficiency in soil.
Hydroponic with zeolite as growing medium have several benefits. This mineral can absorb higher volume water, plants almost don’t need watered every day. This mineral also contains plants needed component. The color of zeolite can indicate the water content inside it. Beside that, pH in medium can be controlled. Zeolite used in hydroponic usually came in strong granular form. This form helps the growth of plants, especially for the root. Esthetically, zeolite always look clean and nice.
Hydroponic systems in plants can be divided into 3 groups. First is water culture, where plants are cultivated through the water. The second is called sand culture which is a combination of sand and water culture. Furthermore, the third is a porous culture whose system is similar to sand culture, but the sand is replaced by the porous material.
There are several kinds of sand substitutes and one of them is zeolite rock. The most suitable types of plants to be cultivated hydroponically with zeolites are ornamental plants. Ornamental plants developed through this hydroponic method can be placed indoors or indoors and outdoors or outdoors. Hydroponics with zeolite rocks
To get perfect results and quality, zeolite rocks must be chemically processed. However, if only processed up to the physical stage, this rock can still be used for hydroponic cultivation media.
If you want to process it physically, zeolite stone must be soaked first in water so that there is no residual soil and dirt attached. After that, it is broken down and dried in the sun to reduce the water content.
After drying, the zeolite stones are crushed and sieved or filtered through several stages, starting from the size of the large sieve hole to the small one. If used as a hydroponic growing media, the required size is around 1 to 5 mm.
Before using zeolite stones must be washed once again and dried and sterilized by heating at a temperature of 250 to 350 degrees Celsius for 1 to 2 hours. Finally, zeolite stones are cooled and refined.
Furthermore, hydroponics with zeolites are mixed with nutrient solutions according to the type of plant that is cultivated in pots or other containers.
To get perfect results and quality, zeolite rocks must be chemically processed. However, if only processed up to the physical stage, this rock can still be used for hydroponic cultivation media.
If you want to process it physically, zeolite must be soaked in water first so that there is no residual soil and dirt attached. After that, it is broken down and dried in the sun to reduce the water content.
After drying, the zeolite stones are crushed and sieved or filtered through several stages, starting from the size of the large sieve hole to the small one. If used as a hydroponic growing media, the required size is around 1 to 5 mm.
Before using zeolite stones must be washed once again and dried and sterilized by heating at a temperature of 250 to 350 degrees Celsius for 1 to 2 hours. Finally, zeolite stones are cooled and refined.
Furthermore, hydroponics with zeolites are mixed with nutrient solutions according to the type of plant that is cultivated in pots or other containers.
