Hydroponics, A New Kind of Indoor Gardening

Author: Iris Caesar

Author: Iris Caesar

Indoor gardens have become prevalent for several years, ranging from large greenhouses to small herb gardens set within flower pots. Fascinatingly, many people are resorting to hydroponics as a fun yet creative alternative to the traditional indoor gardens. Hydroponics is defined as the method of growing plants without soil - where nutrients are directly provided to the roots in water-based formulas and lighting is controlled. This might seem at first like a complicated way to grow things, but the concepts are actually quite simple. And since this method of growing plants in gaining more and more in popularity, it turns out that the number of products out there is increasing as well - thereby making the process a whole lot easier. In actuality, the only role of soil in growing plants is to provide an anchor for the roots - it is only a medium through which water and nutrients are fed to the plant roots. The nutrients really are transmitted to the roots in a water solution, which seeps through the soil, but is not provided by the soil. Indeed, soil can be easily taken out of the equation so long as you can provide another way of anchoring the roots. What's more, you get more control over the plant's health if you provide the water-nutrient solution yourself. Below, you'll find a couple of benefits of hydroponics: 1. Hydroponics actually uses 70-90 percent less water than using soil. In soil growing, only a tiny percentage of water actually feeds the plant roots; the rest seeps through the soil and evaporates. In virtually all hydroponic systems, the water is recycled through the system and can be fed to the plant again and again so it takes far less water to grow more foliage and food. 2. Hydroponics gives you better control over the plant's overall health and yield. You can control the elements of the environment at which the plant grows - lighting, nutrient content, among others. Thus, when you have the ability to directly control the growing elements, it's way easier to make adjustments to the environment. With a little knowledge, you can provide optimum conditions for your plants to thrive, flower, and (if you're growing food) yield a good harvest. So when considering having an indoor garden, consider hydroponics as one of your alternatives. You can definitely utilize conventional methods, but hydroponics can be a fun, educational, and productive option to growing in soil alone.About the Author:

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