Hydroponics comes from the Greek meaning of “hydro” which means water and “ponos” which means labor, thus “working water” is the meaning behind hydroponics. Also defined as a type of horticulture, hydro culture refers to growing plants without soil, in other mediums and with a water based nutrient solution.
Hydroponics Through the Centuries
Hydroponic growing is becoming increasingly popular especially with the many states that are now legalizing marijuana, allowing more people to enjoy growing quality cannabis indoors. Many plants and vegetables thrive with a hydroponic growing system and you can also enjoy growing beautiful plants, flowers, and vegetables. Hydroponic growing is nothing new, however, and has been practiced since early civilizations. There are ancient Egyptian records of growing plants in water, mentions of the Aztec’s floating gardens and the hanging gardens of Babylon which all describe hydroponic growing.
Although the concept has been around for centuries, horticulturists and scientists have made giant strides in this method of growing plants. One of the most rewarding applications of hydroponics is providing fresh produce to areas in the world without viable soil to grow fresh food. Hydroponics offers a means to get fresh produce to non-arable islands and locations.
In addition to providing socio-economic solutions to large populations, hydroponics offers a great way for anyone to enjoy fresh produce or grow your own garden indoors even if you have no space outside and no soil. With hydroponic growing, you do not need to have land, sunshine, or soil, just some space indoors where you can pitch your grow tent and get started.
Benefits of Hydroponic Growing
There are many benefits of growing with hydroponics, the ability to grow plants without soil is just the beginning. Hydroponic gardens tend to produce higher yields than traditional, soil-based gardens. While hydroponic gardens do require nutrients and pest control, they require much less use of pesticides. This allows for plants, veggies or cannabis to be grown using cleaner methods resulting in a cleaner product. Growing with hydroponics also conserves water as common methods such as the Deep Water Culture recirculates and reuses water as opposed to continually watering soil gardens where most of the water is wasted in the soil instead of consumed by the plants.
Hydroponic growers of cannabis often attest to bigger yields and more potent buds, with the ability to control all aspects of your garden from water, oxygen and lighting to healthy nutrients and pest control. Hydroponic growing also tends to produce quicker growth cycles, allowing for more harvests. If you’re ready to get started with hydroponic growing, talk to the horticulture and hydro culture experts at Simple Soil Hydroponics.
What Do I Need For Hydroponic Gardening?
Simple Soil Hydroponics is a hydroponic grow store serving the Chicagoland area with high-quality hydroponic equipment, supplies, and decades of expertise. We can explain the different types of hydroponic growing systems and help you to choose the right system and equipment for your grow space. The basic things you need to get started growing with hydroponics include:
Grow tent – you will need a space to provide the right environment for your indoor plants. A grow tent provides the perfect environment and takes all the guesswork out of setting up your grow space.
Water reservoir – a water tank is needed with tubing and pumps. An air stone in your water provides oxygen bubbles to keep your plants oxygenated and prevents roots from drowning.
Grow lights – there is a wide selection of grow lights available. You’ll want to choose the right lighting for your environment that provides the proper intensity, power and light spectrum to meet the needs of your type of plants.
Nutrients – providing the right nutrients is important to achieve healthy plants with bountiful buds and luscious blooms. Simple Soil offers high-quality and organic nutrients to help your plants thrive.
Containers with a grow medium – you still need a container with something to hold your plants securely in place. Hydroponic growing systems use various mediums such as clay pebbles or coco coir.
These are the basic hydroponic supplies you need to get started. Don’t forget your seeds! Simple Soil Hydroponics partners with the best names in the seed industry to ensure you get a high quality end product.
Simple Soil Hydroponics is a leading hydroponic grow store serving the Chicagoland area. We offer high-quality equipment, supplies, seeds, and support to ensure your total success and enjoyment with hydroponic growing. Contact us with any questions and to learn more about getting started with hydroponics.