by: Paul MacIver
The term hydroponics stands for the technique of cultivating plants in a nutrient solution rather than in soil. It's a novel technique of growing plants in water which contains dissolved nutrients. This technique is also known as indoor gardening, aquiculture and tank farming.
Studies have proved the fact that plant roots are able to absorb the nutrients from the water even without soil. The new technique hydroponics is based on the concept that plants can be grown without any soil at all.
Professor Gericke of the University of California, Davis, is considered the father of hydroponics. Professor Gericke, in 1929, proved his invention by growing tomato plants in water to a quite remarkable size. The Professor coined the name hydroponics for the culture of plants in water.
Almost any plant can be made to grow through hydroponics. Today, the new techniques of hydroponics gardening and hydroponics farming are becoming popular.
Benefits of Hydroponics:
Hydroponics is a very useful technique when there is scarcity of land, and it is growing extremely beneficial and profitable to farmers. The positive aspects of hydroponics are listed below.
Hydroponics --
Gets rid of soil-borne diseases and weeds.
Requires no soil tilling or ploughing.
Helpful in land scarcity; plants can be placed very close to one another.
Can be done in small spaces.
Highly productive; high yield, large amount of food can be produced from small spaces.
Requires only a small amount of water compared to traditional farming.
Allows the production of quality plants under controlled environmental conditions.
Makes it possible to grow plants all year round.
Future of Hydroponics:
The future of hydroponics seems to be quite bright. As plants are grown indoors, they can be made to grow almost anywhere, in any condition and any weather.
It'll make it possible to grow plants in Antarctica. The techniques such as hydroponics or aeroponics may make it possible to grow vegetables and fruits in space in some near future.
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