Hydroponics is the process of growing plants using various mineral nutrient solutions. What makes Hydroponics unique and different from other processes is that in this method, water is used instead of soil. So basically the plant roots are submerged in the mineral nutrient solution in an inert medium like gravel or coconut husk. Other mediums like perlite and gravel are also used. What led to this idea was the fact that plants absorb the necessary nutrients from water in the form of inorganic ions. Soil, however is the natural medium and is a great provider for nutrients but it is not essential for the growth of a plant.
Hydroponics systems are used all around the world for the purpose of food production. In this process, the plants are kept in small containers filled with nutrient solutions. Some of the advantages it provides over other conventional methods are that it doesn't require soil, the water used for this process can be reused and the process produces a high yield. Now in this process as the water can be reused, the cost for maintaining such a method can be quite low. Also, pest infestation troubles and various diseases can be gotten rid off more easily due to the portability of the containers.
On the other hand, Hydroponics cannot be claimed as a perfect solution either. This method like any other system has its disadvantages. For this process to take place, it is necessary to have a substantial amount of fertilizer and high humidity. While these do wonders for the plant, it also causes Salmonella bacteria to flourish. The high moisture levels created by this process also creates pathogen attacks like damping off. Damping off is an ailment that affects plants and kills the seedlings. This mainly happens in warm and wet conditions.
The techniques of Hydroponics mainly consist of two main types which are solution culture and medium culture. Solution culture, as the name suggest uses a solution as a medium for the plant roots. There are also three different types of solution culture. They are the static solution culture, continuous flow solution culture and aeroponic. The medium culture on the other hand utilizes a solid medium for the plant roots. These cultures are named according to the medium used. For e.g. sand culture, gravel culture etc.
Throughout the years more and more research have went into the process of making Hydroponic systems more efficient and less vulnerable to attacks. Hydroponics greenhouses are excellent controlled environments to provide better efficiency and results in high productivity. Such a controlled environment lets people grow their vegetables regardless of outside temperature or seasons. Some greenhouses even inject more carbon dioxide to increase the yield. Some also put up more lights to control the environment better by lengthening the day. This process can also produce more nutritional vegetables. As each day passes by, more and more innovations are taking place in the
hydroponics industry to grow food at the highest quality with increased efficiency.
