Hydroponics is a process whereby plants are grown in a mineral nutrient solution rather than soil. We all know that soil plays a main role in the growth of plants because it contains all of the vital nutrients that enable the growing process.
Hydroponics allows the natural process of growing plants in soil to be forgotten by providing plants with the vital nutrients they require straight to their roots by various methods.
This form of growing has developed and become increasingly popular over recent years. The growing of plants in this way dates back several hundred years however the technologies have developed considerably – making it a very different growing method than it once was. It is also becoming a more accepted form of growing by farmers because of the great advantages compared to traditional methods.
The process of hydroponics allows a large crop to be grown in far smaller space than if it were to be grown in soil. Hydroponics enables the growth of food in countries with a hot climate where the soil is inhospitable for plant growth.
Many people don’t understand what hydroponics is for and how to do it. As with gardening – it needs to be learnt to be done properly. The term hydroponics comes from ‘working water.’ With ‘hydro’ meaning water and ‘ponics’ meaning labour.
Growing the hydroponic way produces far higher yields than soil growing because it delivers constant nutrients to the root base, whereas the nutrients in soil are far weaker. The hydroponic environment is fully controlled by you and not the weather. You deliver the optimum levels of nutrients, oxygen and water directly to the root which enables the plant to grow much faster than it would in a soil environment.
A great benefit of hydroponics is also the ability of growing plants in an environment that you wouldn’t normally consider. The use of a pesticide is also avoided because most pests live in soil.
The process of hydroponics may seem a little daunting at first however with research and the right equipment you’ll soon be growing the hydroponic way.
That article was written by Jade Coleman, Online Marketing Consultant and published by Eman Nabih.