Home Removal Services Blog

There is no doubt that the average horticulturalist and gardening is used to getting dirty. After all, they are constantly rooting around in soil, applying pesticides and fertilizers. They often plant, divide, and plant again. They do this so they can see and eat the nutritious and lovely plants they’ve grown. What if these values could be gained without ever having to come into contact with soil of any kind?

Hydroponics is the practice and science of growing healthy plants without the use of soil. Instead, water is the medium that used most often. Certainly there are definitions that are more accurate, technically speaking, but for the teacher, hobbyist and home gardener, this is what hydroponic gardening is about.

But how is such a thing even possible? Don’t plants need soil for nutrition, heat, support, water and all the other things they need to grow and reproduce? Not necessarily.

Plants definitely do need water. But they needn’t get it from the soil, even though that’s one of the most common methods. Even in nature, some plants grow in sand, gravel or even on the surface or underneath a body of water.

The majority of plants that interest the hobbyist or home gardener will require some physical support. One of the most common ways to achieve this support is planting them in soil. When this is done the stems become wind resistant and the roots will spread. These plants wouldn’t be in existence is they hadn’t evolved in this manner.

However, there artificial ways to support these plants that work very well. Some of these methods include using string or ice cream sticks that have been glued to the top of the container.

One of the most important elements for a plant is without question proper nutrients. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and a host of trace elements (zinc, copper, iron and others) are essential to plant growth. Absorbing those elements from the surrounding soil is, of course, one usual way of obtaining them. But, here again, nutrients can be fed to plants in a number of ways.

One very effective method would be to immerse the plants roots in water that contains liquid nutrients. There are other methods as well. People that are involved in hydroponic gardening house their plants in an enclosure that will retain moisture. The roots are sprayed frequently with a mister that contains a nutrients solution. This method does cross into an area that is known as aeroponics.

Hydroponic gardening methods can be used to grow a number of plants like lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, and other plants that are not fruits or vegetables, like orchids. Hydroponics can be used to grow a long list of plants. There are thousands of plant species that thrive without the use of soil as long as they are properly cared for. The effort can be fun as well as instructive. Hydroponics can be use to grow nutritious and beautiful plants, without the drawbacks of using soil.

David is an expert in the field of tropical flowers. For more information see Hibiscus Tropical

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