The concept of hydroponic gardening seems to go completely against everything we have been taught and are familiar with, in gardening. How can it be? How can it work? How can you grow plants without soil, indoors?
Hydroponic gardening in fact, has been around since the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The term hydroponic , comes from the Greek word “hydro” which means water, and “ponic” which means labor. It hasn’t been until recent years though that the popularity of hydroponics in the marketplace has increased rapidly. More and more people are trying this system and learning that hydroponics is one of the best ways to grow heartier, healthier fruits, herbs and vegetables, right in their own homes.
The concept seems difficult, but it is really rather simple. By using a controlled environment, controlling the air temperature, the water and nutrient inputs, and not having to worry about pests, you can grow bigger, healthier plants, in a shorter amount of time and increase your yield by 3 to 10% depending on your system.
Relying on Mother Nature to provide the perfect scenario to garden outdoors can be risky, as we have seen most recently with the freeze down in Florida. Commercial farmers down south are struggling to save their crops from this latest event.
Getting started with a hydroponic system is very easy, and once set up, your hydroponic system is extremely low maintenance. Believe me I was a skeptic until I tried it. Seeing is believing. A seed really can grow in a container full of pellets or wool, placed in a stream of cycling water.
About the Author
Michele Daniels of Grow Home Organics, LLC is a contributing writer for Mike the Gardener Enterprises, LLC. Grow Home Organics is the maker of Quantum Growth, a consortium of over 20 strains of beneficial bacteria that help boost major plant health functions.