Overview
Hydroponics, derived from two Ancient Greek words meaning “water work,” is a method of growing plants in a nutrient-rich water solution without soil. People have used this approach to agriculture in various forms and numerous places for thousands of years. Hydroponics was embraced for scientific use from the mid-1700s onward — largely as a way to study the effects of varied nutrient levels. However, many credit William Frederick Gericke, a plant nutritionist at the University of California, Berkeley, who coined the term hydroponics and brought it into the modern era throughout the 1920s.
At the university’s plant experiment station, Gericke set out rows of shallow tanks made from wood, concrete and metal. Unlike previous scientific efforts, Gericke used tap water and commercially available chemicals in his tanks to grow thick, towering tomato plants that bore rich, red clusters of fruit. In other tanks, potatoes, tobacco, gladioli, and begonias thrived with equal vigor. The striking thing about these flourishing plants? Their roots weren’t in soil but suspended in chemically treated water. He advertised his success to the public using printed fliers and newspaper articles.
The concept of growing plants in water is centuries old. For a long time, it was believed that plants derived all their sustenance from water alone. However, growing commercial crops in water was a different challenge altogether. Gericke’s work at Berkeley aimed to produce crops in tanks that could economically compete with, or even surpass, those grown in soil.
Over the past century, hydroponic production has evolved from experimental laboratory techniques to a widely adopted and sophisticated method of agriculture, revolutionizing the way we grow food and significantly advancing our ability to produce high-yield crops in controlled environments.
The following are essential aspects of hydroponic production, from basic principles to practical advice. They provide a solid foundation for beginners and more experienced growers to help guide you in growing without soil.
Advantages of hydroponics
- Soil-free growth: Hydroponics eliminates the need for soil and can even be conducted without traditional growing media such as coconut coir or perlite.
- Commercial benefits: For commercial growers, hydroponics offers consistent production and higher yields compared to the variability of traditional soil-based farming.
- Home gardening: Hydroponics allows home gardeners to grow fresh produce year-round, even without a traditional garden space.
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Efficiency: Hydroponics offers several resource-use efficiencies over traditional farming:
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Uses 100x less water for the same yield.
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Promotes faster plant growth due to efficient nutrient delivery.
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Provides more consistent production.
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Simplifies sanitation and pest control.
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Allows for higher planting densities.
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Best practices
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Food-grade materials: Use food-grade materials for all components that come into contact with plants or nutrient solutions. High-density polyethylene is a recommended choice.
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Maintain solution quality: Keep the nutrient solution cool and protected from sunlight to ensure it remains oxygenated. This prevents stagnant, low-oxygen conditions that can harm plant roots.
Choosing the right system
People have developed various methods to deliver nutrient solutions to the plants. These solutions are typically salty and mildly acidic, due to the dissolved nutrients.
Any plant can be grown hydroponically, but the best system depends on your crops and space:
- For short-lived crops or vertical gardening, consider nutrient film technique.
- For long-lived or vining plants, look into a technique called buckets.
- For large spaces, deep water culture is a good option.
- For seedlings or nursery crops, consider ebb and flow.
References and resources
Baras, T. 2018. DIY hydroponic gardens: How to design and build an inexpensive system for growing plants in water. Cool Springs Press.
Gericke, W. F. 1937. Hydroponics—Crop Production in Liquid Culture Media. Science 85,177-178
Jones, J. B. 2014. Complete guide for growing plants hydroponically. CRC Press
Jones, J. B. 1982. Hydroponics: Its history and use in plant nutrition studies. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 5 (8), 1003–1030.
Marschner, H. (Ed.). 2023. Marschner’s mineral nutrition of higher plants (4th ed.). Elsevier Science Publishers.
Raviv, M., and J.H. Lieth (Eds.). 2008. Soilless culture: Theory and practice. Elsevier Science Publishers.
Resh, H. M. 2013. Hydroponic food production: A definitive guidebook for the advanced home gardener and the commercial hydroponic grower. CRC Press.
TIME. (1937, March 1). Science: Hydroponics. TIME Magazine.
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