Health, Wealth, Wisdom & Fun

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/hydroponic-gardening-misconceptions-p-470.html

Hydroponic gardening (growing plants without soil) is a growing but largely misunderstood practice. Some view it with suspicion since they associate it with growing illegal plants; some see it as an overreaching of science; some see it merely as a novel-but-expensive hobby. In reality, however, hydroponics is a system that several hobbyists, gardeners, farmers and even nations utilize to grow strong and healthy plants. To clear things up, let us discuss the common fallacies.

The first misconception is that hydroponics is used to grow controlled substances in secret rooms. Internet sources don't seem to help since they associate the concepts of hydroponics and illegal activity. But that's precisely because those spreading that information know how to use the Internet-not because every hydroponic garden is an illegal one. Statistics suggest that only a tiny percentage of hydroponic gardens grow these controlled substances. A large number of plants and vegetables do very well in hydroponic environments, and there are many good, honest gardeners using hydroponics to do just that. For instance, in Canada and Holland, farmers are making use of hydroponics to grow food on a larger scale. Thus, saying that hydroponics is bad because of its connection to illegal substances is the same as saying that soil is bad. In other words, farming, whatever the method, is still farming - and hydroponics is just one of the alternatives.

Second, many people believe that hydroponic gardening is unnatural or artificial because it foregoes the use of soil. The truth is, there are no genetic or chemical alterations in hydroponics, and no natural processes are disrupted. All the normal ingredients for growing things in nature are supplied to the plants just the same as if they were planted in soil: light, water, nutrients, and an anchor for the roots. It is just that soil, which acts as a medium for all of these ingredients except light, is replaced by other root-anchoring methods; and nutrients, water and light are supplied in ways that optimize health and growth. Hydroponic plants, in fact, can be healthier and stronger than those grown conventionally-and without the use of additives. The process is more complex, but the result is still the natural production of plants and food.

Others erroneously believe that hydroponic gardening is merely an expensive hobby-a fad of sorts that has no real point. While hydroponics is indeed a fun pastime (and a growing business) for hobbyists, it can also be very useful. With hydroponics, growing plants and food in almost any setting becomes a possibility - regardless if it is winter, in the polar regions, in contaminated soils and even in space. More significantly, this alternative method in farming makes the yield and quality of food-bearing plants better - as a result, food is made readily available to third-world nations and in places where famine is rampant.

So maybe, there's more to hydroponic gardening than meets the eye; there is absolutely more to it than these common misconceptions might lead us to believe.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/understanding-what-general-hydroponics-is-p-469.html

The concept of general hydroponics is a puzzling one for many. By default, a number of people associate it with something highly technical - what with having laboratories, the alteration of a natural process thereby turning it into something unnatural. To understand this concept better, let us break this down into its basic components.

The word "hydroponics" comes from two Greek words that mean "working water." In this sense, the significance of water in plant health is highlighted, because in reality, it is through water, and not soil, that nutrients are fed to the plants. At its simplest, hydroponics is the growing of plants without the use of soil - instead, a water-based solution is utilized.

Let it be known that there's barely anything artificial about this process. There are no genetic manipulations and no chemical enhancements in hydroponics. Instead, the concept deals with breaking down the process into the basic building blocks. There are four elements that plants need for growth, these are: water, light, nutrients and anchor for roots. With the exclusion of light, the other three elements usually occur through the soil - but then again, soil isn't the one responsible for feeding the plant roots, but water. Soil, however, is essential because it provides an anchor for the roots and it's an effective medium where water feeds the plants.

In general hydroponics, all these elements are still present, but these are taken care of by the grower. Indeed, one can say that the natural process is not disturbed, it is just broken down into parts. A different medium is utilized to anchor the roots (like vermiculite or coconut) and water-nutrient solutions are sprayed or washed to the roots. Lighting can either be natural or artificial - grow lights as they are referred to, designed to maximize the parts of the light spectrum.

With hydroponic growing, the grower is given more "influence" over plant growth because he can manipulate the natural elements in order to maximize growth rate. Yes, it is more complex a process than just putting seeds in soil and watering them; but hydroponic growing can generate some very healthy plants and flowers and food when it is done well. General hydroponics is not about growing plants in an artificial manner; rather, it is about having more control of the natural processes of plant growth. But everything grown by a basic hydroponic process will be natural.

Link: http://www.billboardmama.com/hydroponics-what-its-all-about-p-468.html

Simply put, hydroponics is the growing of plants without the use of soil. There are 4 basic things a plant requires in order to grow: water, nutrients, an anchor for the roots (that is, "medium"), and light. While three of these elements come from the soil, please not that the soil isn't where the nutrients come from, instead, from the water in the soil. So, if you provide a water-nutrient solution for the plant, and the right amount of light, all you really need is to find another medium to anchor the roots, and voila! Plants grow without soil.

While hydroponics is developed as a new science, it is actually not a new idea. Historic examples of growing plants with hydroponics can be traced back to the hanging gardens of Babylon, and there is evidence of hydroponics in the histories of Egypt, China, and the Aztecs as well.

It might seem a bit absurd at first that people would want to grow food without soil, especially when there is so much soil around! Certain situations, on the other hand, would make growing food hydroponically the better option. For one thing, this process can be used to grow food outside the time frame the normal growing season, because it isn't dependent on the weather. Secondly, the process is not reliant on sunlight; natural lighting works fine, but artificial lighting can be utilized too. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, hydroponics provides hope for growing food in parts of the world where soil is contaminated.

In essence, hydroponics enables us to grow food in situations where it is potentially impossible to do so: in the dead of winter, in Arctic regions and even in space! So long as you maintain to provide the four ingredients - even without soil - then you are good to go!

These days, it is not only the scientists that are examining the use of hydroponics. Countries such as Canada and Holland are now utilizing this method extensively to grow food. A few individuals are also keeping hydroponic gardens at home. As a result, there's an increased demand in hydroponic products - due in part to the increase in awareness of this practice. While this won't completely replace the old-fashion ways of the soil, hydroponics will definitely provide us with a fascinating alternatives to agriculture.