The two root words are "hydro" and "ponic" which mean water and working or working water. 

Hydroponics is considered as a method for growing plants without soil.  As a growing method for plants, water is used as a nutrient carrier and water, air or an inert material is used instead of soil. 

Hydroponics is not New

It is believed that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the historic Seventh Wonders of the World, was actually a hydroponics garden.  Other ancient civilizations besides the Babylonians that used the hydroponics growing method include Egyptians and Aztec Indians. 

Many important scientists have worked with hydroponics in order to discover for themselves what it is and how they can use it. 

Sir Francis Bacon also had questions about what is hydroponics and after his experiments, he wrote a book in the year 1627 titled Sylva Sylvarum that was about growing terrestrial plants without soil.  After his book was published, hydroponics had a surge in popularity as a research subject. 

John Woodward, in 1699, published his discovery that plants did better in less than pure water source. 

Refining the Nutrient Solution

Discovering what is hydroponics has developed into an important branch of science and hydroponics continues to be a scientific subject. 

During the 1800s, plant physiology scientists discovered that plants use the inorganic ions in water for their nutritional needs and  that meant that plants are able to gain essential minerals that is necessary for growth from water. 

The nutrient solutions that are used today are based on what was discovered during these early experiments.  By the 1860s, Julius von Sachs and Wilhelm Knop developed the mineral solution culture for growing plants that continues to be used. 

In 1930, Professor William Frederick Gericke of the University of California of Berkeley introduced the term hydroponics for the science of cultivating plants without soil. 

Plant nutritionists Dennis R. Hoagland and Daniel I. Arnon developed the Hoagland solution and its modified forms in the 1930s and their Hoagland solution is another standard formula in nutrient solutions for hydroponics.

Nutrients and Growing Mediums in Hydroponics

What hydroponics is proving is that a plant does not need soil for it to grow; what it needs are the mineral nutrients found in the soil instead.  Mineral nutrients that are found in soil must be dissolved by water before the plant can absorb the minerals. 

If there are enough nutrients added to a water source, the plant is able to grow from the liquid instead of the soil.  Further, if plants are coated with enough of a nutrient solution often enough, they can remain suspended in air and will still thrive.   

Different medium besides air and water that can be used for a growing medium include perlite, gravel, packing peanuts, Rockwool, brick shards, and vermiculite.  Some people use sand and a clay aggregate and although these are forms of soil, these are called hydroponic mediums.

When you discover what hydroponics is and how is remains an important study subject, you will see that it is well grounded in science and has been proven to work for many people over a long period.  It adds credibility to understand what hydroponics is and how it can fit into your life. 

Find out more about this cost effective solution click here > Homemade Hydroponics

It’s fun, it’s easy and you will be able to grow whatever plants you’d like, all without using soil.

The best part about homemade hydroponics is that you’re not spending a lot of money on materials, as you are using common household items, and you are growing beautiful plants, fruits and vegetables from those items.

To begin, you’ll need a little bit of an understanding of hydroponics and then all you need to do is decide which plants you want to grow.

So get started and start learning so you can grow your first plants using homemade hydroponics.

How Does It Work?

Hydroponics doesn’t use soil to grow plants, it uses a solution based mixture that feeds the roots directly without the use of soil.

Therefore, you must have the correct equipment. You must have some sort of apparatus to hold the plants upright, since there will be no solid medium to do so, you must have some sort of pump system in order for the plants to receive oxygen, and you must have some sort of light source so that the plants can grow.

Of course, you’ll also need your nutrient rich solution so that your plants have something to feed off of. All of these materials can be found around the house, and that’s the essence of homemade hydroponics.

Finding Materials

When it comes to finding materials for homemade hydroponics, you only have to use a little bit of imagination to make your garden complete.

First you need containers to put your plants in. For this, any container will do, you just need to make sure it’s big enough to hold your plants.

You can use mason jars, milk jugs cut in half, or any other container that will hold your nutrient solution but that will also allow your plants to receive oxygen.

If you need a pump for your homemade hydroponics garden, you can use the pump from a fish tank or you can look online to find instructions on how to build a pump from scratch.

Of course, if you are just going to add the solution each day, no pump is required.

The solution can be found at any plant store, and this is the solution that is going to feed your plants to make them grow.

If you’re not going to use sunlight, you will have to go out and get lights. Lights such as fluorescents, High Powered Sodium lights, and Metal Halide Lights work best.

These will probably be your biggest cost when it comes to homemade hydroponics, but it’s a necessary cost as without lights your homemade hydroponics garden won’t grow.

Find out more about this cost effective solution click here > Homemade Hydroponics