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Gardening without soil? With general hydroponics, it's definitely possible. Often defined as "the cultivation of plants in water," general hydroponics has since come to mean "the cultivation of plants without soil" after researchers determined that many aggregates or media other than soil can support plant growth.
To compensate for the lack of a large water supply or fertile farmland, growers all over the world are using the technique of general hydroponics. Home gardeners have also applied the same method on a smaller scale. Because hydroponics does not require soil, fresh vegetables and plants may now be grown year round even in smaller spaces, such as an apartment or balcony.
In addition, greenhouses and nurseries grow their plants applying the principles of general hydroponics, with the use of soilless, peat - or bark-based growing mix. The nutrients are then applied to the growing mix through the water supply.
There are several advantages to soilless gardening. One of them is that it allows less opportunity for weed to grow. Since the medium used is sterile, you don't even have to worry about weeds growing and hogging all the space and nutrients. Moreover, soil-borne pests and diseases are minimized, if not eliminated completely.
Plants properly grown using general hydroponics are also healthier and more vigorous. That's because of the lack of soil, which may hinder the roots from seeking out the available nutrients. With general hydroponics, all the necessary growth elements are readily available to the plant. Thus, plants can mature faster, yielding an earlier harvest of vegetable and flower crops.
Hydroponic gardens use less space since the roots do not have to spread out in search of food and water. Because of this, many home gardeners have found general hydroponics an ideal method for growing plants right indoors. Greenhouse space is also better used.
But more than its space-saving benefits, the biggest advantage to general hydroponics is the ability to automate the entire system with a timer. Automation reduces the actual time it takes to maintain plant growth requirements. Automation also provides flexibility to the gardener as one can be gone for long periods of time without having to worry about watering the plants.
For commercial farmers, general hydroponics also offers many advantages. When you cultivate plants without the need for soil, you also eliminate the need for vast farmland. Now, you can grow crops right in greenhouses or even in the desert sands. For as long as you use general hydroponics properly, then there is no reason why plants can't grow as healthy and as strong in deserts as plants growing in fertile lands.
The secret to general hydroponics lie in its precise water and nutrient application. Both these elements are applied directly to the roots of each plant, so there's no need for it to actively seek out food and spread their roots all over the place.
Also, water is reused in these systems and less is through evaporation and run-off. Therefore, arid lands, such as deserts, can be transformed into productive lands using limited amounts of water. Growing plants hydroponically is not difficult if one understands the basic principles. As long as plant growth requirements are met, there are numerous hydroponic systems that can be used.
Written by:
Gail Metcalf
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