Hydroponic Gardening
Hydroponic Gardening is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Plants are grown with their roots in a mineral nutrient solution only or in combination with an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, or coconut husk.
Plants absorb essential minerals and nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not important al all to plant growth and development. When the nutrients in the soil dissolve in water, plant roots are able to absorb them. When the required mineral nutrients are introduced into a plant’s water supply artificially, as in hydroponics gardening, soil is no longer needed. Since almost any plant will grow with hydroponics, hydroponics gardening is a standard technique in biology research and teaching.
Hydroponics gardening is often defined as “the cultivation of plants in water,” and is also thought of as “the cultivation of plants without soil.” Growers all over the world use hydroponics gardening techniques due to the lack of a large water supply or fertile farmland. Home gardeners have used hydroponics gardening to grow fresh vegetables, herbs, and other plants year round and to grow plants in smaller spaces, such as an apartment, basement, or patio.
In hydroponics gardening, the plants are grown with a medium like perlite, and the nutrients are then applied to the growing mix through the water supply. Since a sterile medium is used for hydroponics gardening, there are no weeds to tear out, and soil-borne pests and diseases are minimized, if not eliminated completely.