For several years, people have been turning to indoor gardening as their favorite pastime. There are many reasons why people maintain gardens indoors: business, pleasure, food and therapy. In recent years, however, hydroponic gardens have become a prevalent alternative to traditional soil gardens a new type of indoor gardening.
In essence, hydroponic gardening (growing plants without soil) isn't so new. History is rich with hydroponic gardening instances, with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon as one of the finest examples. Today, hydroponics has become more accessible and commonplace due to the recent technological advances. Governments now sponsor hydroponic growing on a large scale, and hobbyists now keep hydroponic gardens in their homes.
In hydroponic gardening, plants are grown without soil. The word "hydroponics" is derived from the Greek language and simply means "working water". The nutrients are supplied to the plants in a water solution provided to the plant roots; the soil that normally anchors the roots is replaced by one of several available substances. Hydroponic indoor gardening can use natural light, certain forms of artificial lighting, or a combination of the two. The nutrient solution is manipulated and monitored along with the lighting to optimize the growth and yield of the plants.
There is an endless list of benefits of hydroponics. By erasing soil in the equation, plants can be grown in almost any controlled environment - in the dead of winter, in seasons of extended twilight and in places where soil is contaminated. Secondly, hydroponics recycles the water solution over and over as it washes the roots, so it actually reduces water usage by 70-90% as compared to conventional gardening. Third, hydroponics allows for more direct control of the yield of a plant; by changing the amount the nutrients and lighting, one can promote greater foliage, flowering, and fruit. This is, in essence, also educational because all walks of people get a firsthand look at how water, nutrients and light affect plant growth.
The wonderful news is, hydroponics isn't as expensive and as complicated as originally thought of. There are several different ways to set up a hydroponic system, and some are rather inexpensive and user-friendly. There are also many products available to help make the process simpler. If you're willing to face a reasonable learning curve, with hydroponics you can learn a whole new method of indoor gardening, one that is both fun and satisfying.
This article was added on Wednesday 06 January, 2010.
