Benefits of Hydroponic Gardening

Many people are talking about the benefits of hydroponic gardening systems. However, as of yet, these powerful alternatives to more traditional gardening have not fully caught on, but it’s definitely gaining ground. As more and more people are seeking ways to grow their own fruits and vegetables, this method is capturing quite a bit of attention. This environmentally friendly, space saving method of gardening is definitely something to be looked into if you’re considering growing your own foods.

The benefits of whole food are well known. For many, gardening is a way of getting past rising food costs, and being better able to enjoy healthier foods- right from their gardens. Utilizing hydroponic supplies enables them to have a garden in virtually any space available without worry about season, temperature or weather conditions. This method has actually been around for quite some time, but with a recent push towards urban gardening, has been gaining steady popularity amongst both hobby and production based gardeners.

Hydroponic gardening is basically, being able to have a garden without using soil. Utilizing a hydroponic gardening system, the plants that you intend to grow are put in a growth medium that allows for nutrients to be delivered directly to the roots. As plants do not actually require soil to thrive, many people find that soil is inefficient. The energy that is used in growing out healthy root systems in soil to find the water and nutrients could be better used in other ways. If readily available nutrition is there for those plants, they often grow up to 50% faster and more healthy.

In utilizing hydroponic supplies, gardeners can gain better control over the nutrient balance in their plants. They can also have better spacing efficiency, utilizing a smaller root system, and reduce water waste with concentrated feeding. The pH of plants, as well as the nutrient levels are easier to maintain and measure. Having greater control over the gardening conditions can help gardeners not only increase the yield of produce, but also, ensure that crops are at their nutritional peak.

Hydroponic gardening systems are also growing in popularity due to the potential benefits, both societal and environmental. Many have suggested that in using hydroponic supplies, a gardener can create more readily available food to those who may suffer impoverished conditions. Hydroponic gardening systems also ease strains on the environment- with hydroponic supplies that can be set up as recycling both nutrients and water, this reduces needed resources in food production. In these systems, they use as little as 10% of the water that soil-based agriculture needs. It also eliminates the need for pesticide and herbacide use, and fertilizer use is reduced to about 25% of what soil based gardens need.

Hydroponic gardening systems can produce roughly the same amount of food as soil gardens, using 1/5 the space, and are not dependent on growing seasons in many cases. Artificially lit hydroponic gardens can yield year round production, an advantage over traditional gardening methods. Many urban areas already utilize hydroponic gardening systems, as seen in rooftop and basement gardens.