| Issue #33, November 10, 2006 |
Health, Hydroponic Style
The word “hydroponic” is derived from the Greek words hydros and ponos, meaning literally “water working.” Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in either a bath or a flow of highly oxygenated, nutrient-enriched water. To support plants in a hydroponic system, an inert, soil-free medium like fiber, sand, or stone, may be used to anchor the roots. These hydroponic mediums are designed to be very porous for excellent retention of air and water, a necessity for healthy plant growth. The end result of hydroponics is the ability to grow plants in a more efficient and productive manner entailing less labor and time.
Hydroponics has been around for over 70 years. One of the first scientists to experiment with hydroponic culture was Jean Boussingault, who grew plants in containers filled with sand and coal and fed them chemical solutions of unknown makeup. In the early 1930s, Professor W. F. Gericke saw commercial potential in Boussingault’s techniques and began using them to grow vegetables, flowers, and other types of plants. Since then, hydroponically grown vegetables have been very important to America’s history. For example, in 1939, the American army and British Air Force installed hydroponic units in their military bases, and during World War II, Allied troops ate hydroponically grown vegetables.
The science of hydroponics proves that soil is not required for plant growth. What are required are the minerals and other nutrients that are normally found within soil. Soil is simply the holder of the nutrients, a place where the plant roots traditionally live, and the base of support for a plant’s structure.
In soil, biological decomposition breaks down organic matter into the basic nutrient salts that plants feed on. Water dissolves these salts and allows uptake by the roots. For a plant to receive a well-balanced diet, every nutrient in the soil must be in the perfect amount. Rarely, if ever, can you find such ideal conditions in soil, due to the lack of organic matter left behind on the surface, and contamination and biological imbalances.
With hydroponics, water is enriched with ideal amounts of these very same nutrient salts, creating a hydroponic nutrient solution that is perfectly balanced. These nutrients are fed directly at the root base, preventing stress to the plant due to lack of nutrition. And, since the solution is contained, it does not harm the environment, as does the runoff from fertilized soil in outdoor gardens. Additionally, very little water is lost to evaporation in a hydroponic system, which explains its application in drought-stricken areas.
Because hydroponic plants have their food and water delivered directly to their roots, energy normally used to develop long roots can be redirected towards growing taller shoots, a great benefit indeed. With the proper exposure to natural sunlight or supplemental grow lights, hydroponic plants will thrive.
Virtually any plant will grow hydroponically, but some do better than others. Hydroponic growing is ideal for fruit-bearing crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, leafy crops like lettuce, herbs, and flowering plants. Most hydroponic hobbyists plant crops similar to what they would grow in a soil garden.
Commercial hydroponic farmers combine hydroponic technology with a controlled environment to achieve the highest quality produce. Within a greenhouse structure, they can control the ambient temperature, humidity, and light levels, allowing them to grow plants year round.
There are many advantages to hydroponic growing. By eliminating the soil in a garden, you eliminate all soil-borne disease, and hydroponic gardens use a fraction of the water that soil gardens do, because no water is wasted or consumed by weeds. In hydroponics, plant spacing can be minimal, allowing you to grow more plants in a given space than you could in soil. Also, most hobby hydroponic gardens are less work than soil gardens because you do not have soil to till or weeds to pull.
A small hydroponic garden can be set up almost anywhere - in a den, garage, or basement. By providing the exact nutrients your plants need, they will grow more rapidly and produce bigger yields than plants grown in soil. And scientific studies have proven that hydroponic produce is higher in nutritional value and generally tastes better than field-grown produce.
For more information, contact the Hydroponic Society of America, P.O. Box 6067, Concord, CA 94524; Tel: (415) 682-4193 or visit www.hydroponicsociety.org.
– Frank McChristian
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