Understanding General Hydroponics
For some, the concept of general hydroponics is tad baffling. By default, most people associate it with something very scientific - what with having laboratories, the manipulation of a natural process thereby turning it into something artificial. So let’s take the idea of hydroponics down to its fundamental elements.
Hydroponics comes from two Greek words meaning “working water.” In this sense, the importance of water in plant health is highlighted, because in reality, it’s through water, and not soil, that nutrients are fed to the plants. In very simple terms, hydroponics is the growing of plants without the use of soil - instead, a water-based solution is utilized.
Let it be known that there’s barely anything artificial about this process. There are no genetic controls and no chemical enhancements in hydroponics. Rather, the concept deals with breaking down the process into the basic elements. There are four elements that plants require for growth, these are: water, light, nutrients and anchor for roots. Apart from light, the other three elements usually occur through the soil - but then again, soil is not the one responsible for feeding the plant roots, but water. The only direct purpose soil has in the process is an anchor for the roots, and a medium through which water feeds them.
In general hydroponics, these four elements are taken over directly by the grower, rather than leaving it to the sun and the soil; but all the elements are still present. This is why it is not an unnatural process, just a natural process broken down into segments. The roots are anchored by a different medium other than soil (like vermiculite or coconut are used), and the roots are washed with a water-nutrient solution designed for the optimum growth and health of the plant. Lighting may be natural sunlight, or artificial lighting that maximizes the parts of the light spectrum plants thrive on or both.
With hydroponic growing, the grower is given more “influence” over plant growth because he can manipulate the natural elements in order to maximize growth rate. This isn’t to say that hydroponics is a straightforward process, because the reverse is true - but when done properly, this alternative can actually produce healthier plants and food. General hydroponics isn’t about growing plants in an artificial manner; rather, it is about having more control of the natural processes of plant growth. Bear in mind that everything that is grown using the hydroponic process is natural.