Hydroponics

Throughout the last century, scientists and horticulturists experimented with different methods of hydroponics.
One of the potential applications of hydroponics that drove research was for growing fresh produce in nonarable
areas of the world. It is a simple fact that some people cannot grow in the soil in their area (if there is even any
soil at all). This application of hydroponics was tested during World War II. Troops stationed on nonarable
islands in the Pacific were supplied with fresh produce grown in locally established hydroponic systems. Later
in the century, hydroponics was integrated into the space program. As NASA considered the practicalities of
locating a society on another plant or the Earth's moon, hydroponics easily fit into their sustainability plans.
This research is ongoing. Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture, the method of growing plants without soil,
using mineral nutrient solutions in a water solvent. The earliest published work on growing terrestrial plants
without soil was the 1627 book Sylva Sylvarum by Francis Bacon, printed a year after his death. Water culture
became a popular research technique after that. In 1699, John Woodward published his water culture
experiments with spearmint. He found that plants in less-pure water sources grew better than plants in distilled
water. In 1929, William Frederick Gericke of the University of California at Berkeley began publicly promoting
that solution culture be used for agricultural crop production. He first termed it aquaculture but later found that
aquaculture was already applied to culture of aquatic organisms. Gericke created a sensation by growing tomato
vines twenty-five feet (7.5 metres) high in his back yard in mineral nutrient solutions rather than soil.

Hydroponics is a technology for growing plants in nutrient solutions (water and fertilizers) with or without the
use of artificial medium (e.g., sand, gravel, vermiculite, rock wool, peat, coir, sawdust, perlite) to provide
mechanical support. The nutrients in hydroponics can be from fish waste, duck manure, or normal nutrients.
Liquid hydroponic systems have no other supporting medium for the plant roots aggregate systems have a solid
medium of support. The inert growing medium does not contain any nutrients. Hydroponic systems are further
categorized as open, where, after the nutrient solution has been delivered to the plant roots, it is not reused or
closed where surplus solution is recovered, replenished, and recycled. In hydroponics, plants roots will only
take up as much nutrition as they require. However, mixing a solution too high in nutrient levels will result in
root dehydration. All plants require a balance of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (N-P-K) and trace
elements to grow properly. The growth influencing factors determine a plant’s ability of utilizing these nutrients
adequately. Small amounts of these nutrients can be assimilated through healthy soil; however, they are quickly
depleted rendering the soil void of all life sustaining properties. Hydroponic formulations are structured for the
different stages of growth. In hydroponic cultivation, essential nutrients are provided in ideal proportions. A
plant’s nutritional requirements shift from their vegetative stage to their flowering stage. Natural enzymes,
vitamins and some rare trace elements will stimulate normal biological functions in plants. There are other
nutrients designed to help facilitate faster nutrient uptake and accelerate stem and leaf growth.
Plants most generally have to be stared in a small amount of medium before they can be placed in the growing
area. Seeds are started with no nutrients in the water. Seeds have their own food and don't require any additional
nutrients until the first set of leaves appear. Nutrient is added at half strength to encourage root development
until it's transplanted. Then full strength nutrients are used for the rest of the plants growth. There are two kinds
of formulas for plants. One promotes the vegetative growth and the other promotes Fruiting. A system that has
both types of plants will have to have one or the other formulas depending on which crop is more important.
The apparatuses used in hydroponic growing are many and varied. There are two basic divisions between
Systems, media-based and water culture. Also, systems can be either active or passive. Active systems use
pumps and usually timers and other electronic gadgets to run and monitor the operation. Passive systems may
also incorporate any number of gadgets. However, they do not use pumps and may rely on the use of a wicking
agent to draw nutrient to the roots. Media-based systems as their name implies use some form of growing
medium. Some popular media based systems include ebb and flow (also called flood-and-drain), run to waste,
drip feed (or top feed), and bottom feed. Water culture systems do not use media. Some popular water culture
systems are raft (also called floating and raceway), nutrient film technique (NFT), and aeroponics.

There are two main variations for each medium, sub-irrigation and top irrigation. For all techniques, most
hydroponic reservoirs are now built of plastic, but other materials have been used including concrete, glass,
metal, vegetable solids, and wood. The containers should exclude light to prevent algae growth in the nutrient
solution. Theoretically any fruit and vegetable can be grown using hydroponics. But most successes in
hydroponics have been with lettuce and strawberries. There are others who disagrees and that only exotic
vegetables can be grown in hydroponics. Farmers can grow any crop from tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli, lettuce,
iceberg, cucumbers, egg plants, bell peppers, okra, flowers like gerbera, lilium, and anthurirum, to herbs. Nearly
any vegetable can be grown using hydroponics, if we choose the right technique of hydroponics. Tomatoes
come really well in hydroponic farming, whether you grow them in trough/grow bag cultivation, NFT or
aeroponics. In hydroponic cultivation, farmers are getting higher yield of tomatoes. In the controlled
environment, the plant’s exact requirements can be met with temperature and humidity control, supplemental
nutrition and safeguarding it from weather fluctuations and pest attack. This enables the farmer to harvest yield
all year long without sacrificing taste and goodness. In soil, most of the fertilizers leach deep into the soil and
therefore, plants are unable to absorb them, thereby, unable to grow up to their full genetic potential. Because
hydroponic plants get direct and complete nutrition delivered to their roots at the right phase, hydroponic
tomatoes are not only very good in quality, but also comparatively bigger, tastier and more nutritious as
compared to their soil-grown counterparts.
All the plants needs are supplied by water. There are different ways to bring water to the plants. Nutrient Film
Technique, Drip-Irrigation or Micro-Irrigation, Aeroponics / Deep Water Culture, Flood & Drain, Home
Hobbyist Systems, Passive Planters / Hydroculture. The roots are placed in an inert growing medium. Water,
enriched with all the nutrients the plants need, is supplied to the roots by several different methods. Aeroponics;
the roots are sprayed with the nutrient solution. This method ensures that the roots get plenty of oxygen to the
root system. It has not been proven that this method helps to make plants grow any faster then in other methods.
It has some inherent problems such as nozzles getting plugged up. One of the more expensive methods of
hydroponics. Ebb and flow; also called flood and drain. Periodically floods the medium. As the water drains out
new air comes in. Not as hard to maintain as an aeroponics system. Roots can plug up waterways however.
NFT; the Nutrient Film Technique is one of the methods most often used by commercial growers. Plant roots
are contained in a channel through which a thin "film" of nutrient solution passes. The nutrient solution is
aerated and recycled with the addition of makeup water. Run to waste; in this method the nutrient is fed to the
plants at near the same rate as the plants use the water. In all the other methods, the nutrient solution returns to a
tank to be recycled. This system is the cheapest to get started, however, it requires a lot of monitoring to insure
the plants are getting enough nutrient but at the same time not getting too much nutrient. Plants will only take
up the nutrients it needs. On sunny days they take up mostly water and leave the nutrients behind to build up.
The built up salts must be purged from the system one or two times a week. This system wastes the most
nutrients.
Dr. Sahgal, mentioned water and electricity are two prerequisites of using hydroponics for cultivating fresh
fruits and vegetable. On the contrary we learnt that hydroponics uses only 10% of water needed to that of used
in soil cultivation this is because sometimes because of intentional or unintentional reasons, the entire water
system gets contaminated and needs to be changed. In this regard and instance, there must be adequate back up
water supply. Round the clock electricity supply is required to keep temperature, humidity, water circulation
and lighting under control. But these systems do not use much electricity and now the water is kept circulating
in the system after due filtration and water treatment. ref further explains that hydroponics uses substantially
less water as compared to the soil farming. It is actually drastically less and is a proven fact. However, this is
also true that electricity and water are mandatory requisites for cultivating crops using hydroponics. In soil
farming, most of the water that we supply to the plants gets leached deep into the soil and is unavailable to the
plants roots, whereas in hydroponics, plant roots are either submerged in water or a film of nutrients mixed in
water is constantly encompassing the root zone, keeping it hydrated and nourished. Water is not wasted in this
process, as it gets recovered, filtered, replenished and recycled. In such processes, like ebb and flow, nutrient
film technique, uninterrupted pumping of the nutrient solution is required for which electricity is necessary.
Electricity is also required for operating other environmental controlling units like sensors, cooling systems, and
fertigation units.
Nutrient control ensures that the plants get the minerals they need at the right pH and temperature. Faster
growth then soil grown plants. No weeds. The medium is mostly inert and unless it is out doors, there is no way
for weed seeds to get into the growing medium. No guess work about what nutrients are going to the plant. Easy
to correct for plant deficiencies. No backbreaking soil conditioning. The water has all the nutrients that is
required by the plants. The roots don't have to grow bigger looking for food. The growth of the plant goes
mostly to the upper plant. Plants can be spaced closer together then in soil. Spacing is dependent only on the
space needed to supply adequate light to the plant. Garden can be at a good working height. Up to twenty times
the amount of plants can be grown in the same space in hydroponics then in soil. No soil to harbor bugs.
Healthy plants have better taste. Healthy plants resist insect infestations. Less insecticide is needed. Educational
for children of all ages learning about plant growth. Faster growth so that more then one crop can be raised in a
season. Can be made portable so that you can move it from classroom to classroom or take it with you when
you move. Ground is left undisturbed on rented property. Condensed growing methods make better use of
greenhouse space. Consumes 1/10 the water that field crops do. Conversation piece. Good past time for those
that likes to tinker.
Some disadvantages to growing plants in hydroponics are higher cost to get started then soil culture. System
failure could result in a lost crop if not caught right away. Some systems can go days before damage occurs.