Think Outside the Pot with Hydroponics
Traditionally, farms bring to mind large fields with rows on rows of crops growing in tilled soil. But we can look as far back as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon for examples of plants grown without soil. In this article we explore hydroponics and how you can grow without a garden.
Photo by Emile-Victor Portenart on Unsplash
Hydroponics is the technique of growing a plant without using soil. Instead, the roots are immersed in nutrient-rich water, providing the building blocks for plant growth. As a plant still needs something to root into, it is grown in an inert medium: a material that does not provide nor require nutrients and simply acts as a foundation for the plant, such as clay pellets or peat moss.
There are a variety of techniques used in hydroponics to continuously replenish a plants nutrients, air and water. One such strategy has the plants grown with their roots in a reservoir of water known as a Deepwater Culture. The water is topped up regularly and nutrients are added back to it to feed the plants. The water is also aerated so the plants can absorb enough oxygen without becoming waterlogged. However, due to the nature of this technique, only a few plants, such as cucumbers, blueberries and tomatoes can grow with such wet roots.
“Hydroponic and aeroponic farming strategies can utilize their space far more effectively as they do not require soil in which to grow their plants.”
A close cousin of hydroponics, aeroponics, serves to solve that problem by surrounding the roots of the plants in a nutrient rich mist or fog. This technique allows substantially more oxygen to reach the plants’ roots, and has even been used by NASA to grow plants in space! But all this sounds quite complicated and begs the question, why even bother?
Space. Although not the sole defining reason, hydroponic and aeroponic farming strategies can utilize their space far more effectively as they do not require soil in which to grow their plants. This has the additional benefit of the plant being able to reach its source of nutrients quicker and easier, requiring it to grow shorter roots. And since the plant spends less of its resources growing roots, it can instead grow the tastier parts faster and more efficiently.
Research shows that hydroponic farming has a variety of benefits outside of just the plants. Water consumption is cut by up to 90% as most traditional farming’s water losses are from evaporation and runoff. In these closed environments, many crops grow nearly twice as fast as with traditional farming, with no weed or pest control products required as they use a controlled environment.
Photo by Nicole Geri on Unsplash
But hydroponics isn’t just for farms. There are a variety of techniques you can use from home. One of the simplest strategies is the Kratky method, pioneered by Bernard Kratky at the University of Hawaii. This technique is very similar to a Deepwater culture, but instead of continually topping up the water, the water level is allowed to descend below the roots. This allows the water to not need aeration, as the exposed roots can get all the oxygen they need.
With all the great resources on hydroponics from home (like this infographic from Max at Green and Vibrant) it’s time to ditch the soil and think outside the pot!
