HYDROPONICS: GARDENING WITHOUT SOIL

What do plants need to grow? We know that they need light, air, water,
and soil. But by using a process called hydroponics, you can grow plants
without soil!
How does it work?

Plants can survive without being planted in soil. The science of growing
plants in nutrient-rich water is hydroponics.
In hydroponics, the nutrients are available at the plant's roots. So the plant
gets its food and nutrition without any work. A plant with roots in soil has
to work hard to extract its nutrition from the soil, and it can waste a lot of
energy doing that. But a plant in nutrient-rich water can spend its energy
growing bigger leaves, fruits, and flowers in a shorter amount of time.
One benefit of growing plants hydroponically is that the nutrients in the
water can be completely controlled, and the plant can receive the right
amount of nutrients at exactly the right time.
Another benefit of hydroponics is that it works in areas where the soils are
not arable (not suitable for farming) and in areas where there is no soil.
Figure 1 shows a NASA scientist examining hydroponically-grown plants:
Figure 1