The Ideal Hydroponics System
Using a hydroponics system to grow plants can be fun and exciting but knowing if any one system is best for you depends upon a number of factors and making the right decision requires a little understanding about the methods used and the likely results to be gained. This article examines this incredible technique,where it's roots lie and what is available for use in your home and garden.
The Origins Of Hydroponics
The word itself accurately describes the process hydro-ponic = water-labor, that is, growing plants using water rather than compost or soil as the growing medium. It is believed that the Babylonians were the very first (that we know of) to use a hydroponics system in the hanging gardens of Babylon but it was not really until the nineteenth century that it was developed in the west to something more recognizable to today's systems.
The main impetus for horticulturists developing it was the need to increase crop production in areas where the soil was extremely poor. During the 1970's NASA was very interested in the method as a means of growing fresh food but also to aid the process of removing carbon dioxide in space and science fiction writers and artists produced numerous images of huge "pods" for growing vegetables, fruit and other plants for space stations.
For many years various types of hydroponics were tested by scientists and horticulturists and it remained very much in the laboratory. However more and more folk grew interested in developing their own system and many people took it up as a hobby. It was not too long before the method could be utilized in agriculture where is it still growing in popularity due to a number of factors, such as the plants growing more vigorously and much stronger than those grown in soil.
Today virtually everyone has heard of the system and hydroponics is now taught in a great many schools across the globe. It is also used, in education, as a teaching aid as it is easy to show students the various elements of a plant without the need to dig it up.
In more recent years there has been a growth in the demand for equipment by people wishing to build their own hydroponics system at home. Some of the equipment and parts are readily available from a hardware store but for many items, such as the all important grow lights, a specialist supplier is, nearly always, the only stockist.
Build Your Own
If you are looking to create the ideal hydroponics system then you will find a great deal of information available online. I must warn you that, often, the most useful information is from "grow your own drugs" type of web site. You will notice that they often have plans and lists of local suppliers for systems of various sizes from the small one or two plant sized right up to commercial proportions. The systems shown are exactly the same as those used for growing other crops. Some sites even have forums where you will find the most useful information from people who have tried and tested different systems and logged the results.
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