Ugrow Organic: Hydroponics

What Is Hydroponics?

Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in a solution (chemical or organic) without soil.

'Soil less gardening' is not a new concept and can be traced back to prehistoric times. The floating gardens of Mexico City, the hanging gardens of Babylon, and the flooding of the Nile are all examples of hydroponic systems.

The turn of the 20th Century and the subsequent birth of commercial and domestic electricity supplies led to a revival in hydroponics.

Hydroponics is a rewarding and addictive activity.

There are real advantages using hydroponics compared to conventional methods.

• Greater yields per growing area
• Improved taste of produce
• Organically grown plants free of chemicals are realistic propositions.

There are also more technical advantages:

• Hydroponic plants are more pest resistant
• Hydroponic systems use little or no growing medium
• Nutrient solutions may be re-used in other areas such as potted plants
• Growing mediums can be re-used and recycled
• More intense cropping technique requires less space
• Control over environmental factors translates to a nutritionally superior, fruit or vegetable product

Expensive? The beginner starting in hydroponics need not spend vast sums of money to get great results. As with other interests such as photography, the amateur grower with inexpensive equipment often achieves better results than the enthusiast with all the latest equipment.

Many growers begin with inexpensive starter kits and then progress onto more complex and expensive systems once confidence has been achieved.

A good way to get started is to decide which hydroponic system you would like to use and then choose one of our starter kits for that system available on our shopping cart.