In-Focus Hydroponics – the long and short of it all
Hydroponics is the science of growing plants without soil. If you haven’t heard of hydroponics, you may have heard of “soil-less culture”, which is another name often used to describe the same thing. The same natural elements necessary for plant growth in soils are used, with the advantage that your plants are not restricted by weed or soilborne pests and diseases.
The history of hydroponics
Hydroponic techniques, though they may seem to be a new technology, have been in use for centuries. The earliest known use of hydroponics are the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Floating Gardens of Kashmir and the Aztec people of of Mexico, who used rafts on shallow lakes to grow plants.
Also, hieroglyphic records in Egypt, dating back to several hundred years B.C., describe the growing of plants in water. More recently, mobile hydroponic farms have been used to feed soldiers during the Second World War in the South Pacific.
Today, hydroponics is beginning to play a more important role in the world’s agricultural production. Increasing populations, climatic changes, lack of water in some areas or poor quality water are all factors influencing the trend towards alternative methods of horticulture. Of more benefit is the use of hydroponics in developing countries, where it provides intensive food production in limited areas. The only restraints to a viable hydroponic system is the availability of water and nutrients. In areas where fresh water is not available, desalinated seawater can be used.
How does hydroponics work?
Hydroponics is a highly efficient method of growing plants. In soils, nutrients and water are randomly placed – and often, plants need to expend a lot of energy to find the water and nutrients by growing roots to find them.
By expending this energy, the plants’ growth is not as fast as it could be. In a hydroponic garden, the nutrients and water are delivered straight to the plants’ roots, allowing the plants to grow faster, and harvesting to be done sooner, simply because the plants are putting more of their energy into growing above the ground instead of under it. Once a plant is established, it gives higher than average yields – whether being grown in a greenhouse, a backyard or a balcony. Also, hydroponics allows you to grow more plants per square metre. This is because the plants do not need to compete with weeds and each other for he food and water that is in the soil; this food and water is delivered straight to them. It is also very important to note that despite many myths, plants grown in hydroponics are no different to plants grow in soil; they will have the same physiology. Plants grown in a hydroponic system take the same nutrients as those grown in soil – though the content can be more accurately controlled. The basic difference between the two methods is the way in which nutrients and water are delivered to the plants. In hydroponics, the nutrient salts are already refined and the plants do not need to wait for the nutrients to break down to their basic form. However, with soil-based agriculture, plants are fed nutrients via manures and composts, which must break down into their basic form (nutrient salts) before the plants can use them.
Advantages of hydroponics
A hydroponic system has the following advantages: it allows you to grow plants more efficiently, using in some cases up to 95% less water than soilbased horticulture. With many plants, hydroponics will give you a higher quality plant at a higher yield.