History of Hydroponics

Hydroponics is literally defined as "the water method". With the passing of time, it has come to mean "the cultivation of plants without soil".

The technique is actually many centuries old. Its use can be traced as far back as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, known as one of the seven wonders of the world. But it was only in the late nineteenth century, when a group of German scientists were developing nutrient formulas, that the technique gained its popular appeal.

Functions and Features of Hydroponics

Hydroponics, in the modern form and context, is soil-less gardening. For many years now, researchers have known that plants may be cultivated in a medium other than soil. Instead of soil, an inert growing material or just plain water is used.

The growing material consists of inert substances that allow water to flow through. The principle is that the more porous the material is, the more suitable for growing. Some of materials used are gravel, vermiculite, coconut fiber, bran, moss, and the like.

One advantage of indoor hydroponic systems is that there is no need to use standard fertilizers. Instead, a nutrient solution is used. These are essentially a specially designed fertilizer in themselves. Because of the concentration of nutrients in these solutions, the essential growth elements needed by the plants are readily available to them.

Key Advantages

Aside from not having to use standard fertilizer, other advantages of hydroponics are:

not susceptible to diseases brought about by soil micro-organisms;
no need to use insecticides;
water economy--the water may be re-circulated;
does not require a very large tract of land to grow your plants, your kitchen countertop is more than enough!