Hydroponics - A Novel Blessing of Science
The term hydroponics stands for the technique of cultivating
plants in a nutrient solution rather than in soil. It's a novel
technique of growing plants in water which contains dissolved
nutrients. This technique is also known as indoor gardening,
aquiculture and tank farming.
Studies have proved the fact that plant roots are able to absorb
the nutrients from the water even without soil. The new
technique hydroponics is based on the concept that plants can be
grown without any soil at all.
Professor Gericke of the University of California, Davis, is
considered the father of hydroponics. Professor Gericke, in
1929, proved his invention by growing tomato plants in water to
a quite remarkable size. The Professor coined the name
hydroponics for the culture of plants in water.
Almost any plant can be made to grow through hydroponics. Today,
the new techniques of hydroponics gardening and hydroponics
farming are becoming popular.
Benefits of Hydroponics:
Hydroponics is a very useful technique when there is scarcity of
land, and it is growing extremely beneficial and profitable to
farmers. The positive aspects of hydroponics are listed below.
Hydroponics --
* Gets rid of soil-borne diseases and weeds.
* Requires no soil tilling or ploughing.
* Helpful in land scarcity; plants can be placed very close to
one another.
* Can be done in small spaces.
* Highly productive; high yield, large amount of food can be
produced from small spaces.
* Requires only a small amount of water compared to traditional
farming.
* Allows the production of quality plants under controlled
environmental conditions.
* Makes it possible to grow plants all year round.
Future of Hydroponics:
The future of hydroponics seems to be quite bright. As plants
are grown indoors, they can be made to grow almost anywhere, in
any condition and any weather.
It'll make it possible to grow plants in Antarctica. The
techniques such as hydroponics or aeroponics may make it
possible to grow vegetables and fruits in space in some near
future.