Hydroponics

Plants need soil to live, we all know that. But in a world that gets more crowded by the minute, finding nice clean soil to plant something becomes even harder to do. Hydroponics is here to save the day!

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. And how on earth do you do that? Basically plants need nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, Sulfur, calcium, iron manganese, boron, zinc, copper plus hydrogen, carbon, and oxyggen. The hydrogen, carbon, oxygen are taken from the air, and the rest of the minerals are taken from the soil. The amount of minerals needed varies for each plant. In hydroponics the plants get these minerals from the solutions which constantly bathe their roots. Hydroponics plants grow on a combination of clean sand, wool, cinder, and gravel. Hydroponics enable the roots to absorb needed minerlas more easily. Because the nutritions are always balanced and monitored, the plant will grow faster.

Why hydroponics?

Hydroponics increases plant growth and yield per area, reduces pets and diseases, and decreases the need to water plants. It allows plants to grow in harsh climate and rough conditions like the deserts. It’s perfect alternative for growing food in underdeveloped countries with limited space. Hydroponics foods are more hyglenic and sterile since the fertilizer and medium when the plants grow are sterile too. NASA has even used hydroponics on experiments to grow food in space. The largest hydroponics food producing country is Holland with Canada coming a close second. Unfortunately, hydroponics takes meticulous preparation and a lot of time and effort. But since the result is much more satisfying, hydroponics is still a popular alternative for growing plants in limited space. (C’nS Volume 4 No.26)