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What is hydroponics?
Hydroponics, simply stated, is the cultivation of plants without soil. The word hydroponics comes from two Greek words, “hydro” meaning water and “ponos”, which means labor. The concept of hydroponics has been around for thousands of years. The hanging gardens of Babylon and the floating gardens of China are two of the earliest examples of hydroponics. Scientists did not begin to make huge advancements in hydroponics technologies until the 1950’s.
Hydroponics has proven to have several advantages over soil gardening. The growth rate of hydroponically grown plants is 30%-50% faster than soil grown, under the same conditions.
The yield of the plant is also greater. These benefits are due to the fact that in these systems, plants receive extra oxygen, which stimulates root growth. Hydroponics systems also deliver a water/nutrient solution on a consistent basis, eliminating the need for the plant to expand energy to search through the soil to absorb nutrients. Hydroponics plants also have fewer problems with bug infestations, fungi, and disease. In general hydroponically grown plants are happier and healthier.
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