Hydroponic culture has been around for centuries. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Floating Gardens of China are two of the earliest hydroponics systems. Another example is the floating gardens of the Aztecs. When the Europeans came to the Americas, they were shocked to see trees floating in the middle of a lake. The Aztecs had found a way to create floating beds that could support the trees and suspend the roots in the water. The famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon are thought to have used no soil, only channels of water to support the plants. The Floating Gardens of China were similar to the Floating Gardens of the Aztecs. Civilizations through time have contributed to our modern understanding of Hydroponics. In World War II, the United
…show more content…
The process of growing plants hydroponically has far less maintenance required of the gardener, for many reasons. The first reason is that it reuses the water several times before replacing the reservoir. Once the system is operating with the nutrient solution mixed with the water, it only needs to be checked every 1-2 weeks. The water continuously cycles through the system, using far less water than watering soil frequently. Also, less evaporation occurs in the tube system, so that leaves even more water than can be reused. Another reason that it is more efficient is that it takes up less space. Many hydroponic systems are grown vertically, taking up significantly less land space than a horizontal garden, with exponentially higher yield. Hydroponics systems are especially useful in areas that have a high population density with not much room to grow crops for this reason. This also makes hydroponics a more environmentally friendly solution for feeding the growing population. Another reason that hydroponics is more efficient is because it requires much less day-to-day maintenance to run effectively. Since there is no soil, no digging or weeding is necessary, saving a lot of time and energy for the gardener and the plants themselves. Fertilizer and pesticides are not necessary, due to the stable environment and conditions of the system. This makes the plants more healthy and chemical-free, so it makes them safer to eat as
The process of growing plants hydroponically has far less maintenance required of the gardener, for many reasons. The first reason is that it reuses the water several times before replacing the reservoir. Once the system is operating with the nutrient solution mixed with the water, it only needs to be checked every 1-2 weeks. The water continuously cycles through the system, using far less water than watering soil frequently. Also, less evaporation occurs in the tube system, so that leaves even more water than can be reused. Another reason that it is more efficient is that it takes up less space. Many hydroponic systems are grown vertically, taking up significantly less land space than a horizontal garden, with exponentially higher yield. Hydroponics systems are especially useful in areas that have a high population density with not much room to grow crops for this reason. This also makes hydroponics a more environmentally friendly solution for feeding the growing population. Another reason that hydroponics is more efficient is because it requires much less day-to-day maintenance to run effectively. Since there is no soil, no digging or weeding is necessary, saving a lot of time and energy for the gardener and the plants themselves. Fertilizer and pesticides are not necessary, due to the stable environment and conditions of the system. This makes the plants more healthy and chemical-free, so it makes them safer to eat as