Hydroponics - Dirt-Free Gardening

Gardening without the use of soil is called hydroponics. Most often water is used in hydroponic gardening, hence the name. Certainly, there are more technically precise explanations. However, the average gardener doesn't actually require more knowledge than that.

Many people might wonder how hydroponic gardening is possible. It's generally believed that plants need soil. It provides nutrition, physical support, energy and water. For a plant to thrive, you need all of these components. However, it can obtain these elements from other sources as well.

Plants certainly need water. But they don't have to get it from soil. You'll find that a lot of plants grow naturally in inhospitable environments such as sand and gravel, or even floating atop the water.

The energy provided by the sun's rays and its heat are also essential to a plant. But sun warmed earth isn't the only source of energy. The sun's rays have the same effect on a plant's leaves regardless of whether it's in the ground or not. Photosynthesis, essential to a plant's wellbeing, will take place just as long as the top part of the plant gets sufficient light. Some plants flourish even with no light at all. But they still require energy to fuel their natural growth cycles.

Most commonly grown plants require some sort of support to hold them up. Most often, this is achieved by planting them in the ground. This is why a plant's roots spread out and its stems are resistant to the wind's force. But other supporting mechanisms can achieve the same result. Try weaving string through a fence-like structure, or fasten some craft sticks to the top of a container. There are other ideas that will also do the trick.

Nutrients are another of the important elements for a healthy plant. These include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and various trace elements. Normally, a plant will absorb these nutrients from the earth that surrounds it. But there are other ways to provide these important nutrients to your plants.

A common way of doing this is to keep the plant's roots covered in a water-based liquid nutrient solution. Some hydroponic systems feature a grow tent that is able to hold in moisture. A nutrient solution is misted onto the roots regularly in order to keep them saturated. This practice has similarities to aeroponics, another method of soil-less gardening.

Hydroponic gardening can produce beautiful, healthy plants. There are many varieties of plants that are able to flourish without soil, as long as they're cared for properly.