Hydroponics Essay Research Paper The word hydroponics

Hydroponics Essay, Research Paper

The word .hydroponics. is thought to have been derived from the Latin

.water working.. Water is the basis for hydroponics. Stated plainly,

hydroponics is the growth of plants without soil. History Though often thought

of as modern and experimental, hydroponics is an ancient practice. Though it

wasn.t known at the time, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were hydroponic. Less

famous, the Aztecs. Raft Gardens also were hydroponic. In the year 1699,

scientist John Woodward presented a paper before the Royal Society of England.

His paper concerned an experiment that he had performed involving plants grown

in polluted river water versus plants grown in rainwater. This paper attacked

the problem of whether or not the health of plants was determined by the

dissolved solids of the water from which they were grown. In the years

1851-1855, Jean Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist, performed an experiment

of plant growth in quartz and sand cultures with no soil. He used only water and

chemical nutrients. In Germany in 1860, botanist Julius von Sachs published the

first noted nutrient solution formula. In 1865, Wilhelm Knop, a German

agricultural chemist, formed another nutrient solution. In the years 1900-1920,

scientists extended the established number of elements that made a successful

nutrient solution from six to ten. Hydroponic experiments were becoming more

successful with these new elements. In the 1920s William F. Gericke termed this

method .hydroponics.. Researchers began to realize how this method of growth

without soil could be useful. In the 1940s, mainly during World War II, the

United States armed forces executed hydroponic operations in the South Pacific

to cut down the cost of transportation of fresh fruits and vegetables to the

troops stationed on the islands. In the 1970s, Dr. Alan Cooper developed the

system called .Nutrient Film Technique. (defined on page 6). Today the use

of hydroponics is becoming more widespread. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were

a series of solariums filled with plants. Investigations have concluded that an

intricate tunnel and pulley system was used to bring the water from the ground

to the top platform. It is a possibility that the water used was waste from

human inhabitants. This would actually make the gardens hydroponic because

nutrients were added to the plants. The Aztec Floating Gardens or rafts were

called .chinampas.. They were locates on Lake Tenochtitlan, in Mexico. The

rafts were constructed of rushes and reeds that were bound together with roots.

The Aztecs then took mud from the bottom of the lake and collected it on the top

of the raft. Then vegetables, flowers, and even trees were grown on the rafts.

Some of the roots sprouted down into the lake. The nutrients in the mud and in

the lake helped to produce lush gardens. Pros and Cons Of recent years, the

method of hydroponics has become more widely used to grow healthy plants,

vegetables, fruits, and herbs indoors. Plants can be grown out of soil, their

natural way of growth, because the physiological needs of plants can be met in

an environment void of soil. Nutrition in hydroponics is provided by a liquid

solution made of water and water soluble mineral elements. The plant.s roots

are supported in an .inert medium.. This inert medium will be discusses

later in this report. Aside from the fact that plants do not physiologically

need soil, there are many other reasons why the use of hydroponics is becoming

more popular. One of these reasons is that hydroponically grown vegetables claim

dramatic increases in vitamin and mineral content as opposed to geoponic (grown

without the use of soil) vegetables. There are also many advantages of

hydroponics related to the caretaking and ease of gardening. This is a chart to

demonstrate some of these reasons: Geoponic Growth Hydroponic Growth Suitable

soil must be found and present. Suitable soil is not necessary. More time and

space is necessary. Space requirements and growth time are reduced. Plants must

be planted; fields must be cultivated, etc. The heavy work is reduced. The plot

must be weeded. There are no weed problems. Crops must be rotated (in commercial

growth). There is no crop rotation. Transplant shock can occur. Little if any

transplant shock occurs. Frequent watering of the plants is necessary. Plants do

not need to be watered as often. There are also benefits of indoor growth versus

outdoor growth: Outdoor Growth Indoor Growth Limited plant growth Conditions and

plant types determined by the grower Too high/ low temperature Temperature

controlled Too much/ little sun Light controlled Too much/ little rain

Controlled water supply Bad weather No storms; no bad weather Still more

benefits of hydroponics are included in an environmental or nutritional

category. Geoponic Growth Hydroponic Growth Soi

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