Question

What is hydroponics? Give an application of this technique.

Answer 1

Hint: Hydroponics is an effective new age method of growing desirable plants of best quality in an artificial medium, that results in obtaining a better yield.
It is therefore employed as a prominent technique for the commercial production of vegetables.

Complete answer: Hydroponics is an effective method of growing crops without soil. Hydroponics operates on the premise that as long as you are able to provide what they need; plants will grow well.
1. Hydroponics replaces the soil with water and the growing media.
2. The growing media can be Perlite, sand, Rockwool, etc.
3. Their main role is to transfer the nutrients in the water and keep the roots oxygenated.
4. Nutrients are added to the water and are moved to the growing media and through the plant roots usually by a water pump. The interval of each action is often set by a timer.
5. Hydroponics is usually grown indoors or in a greenhouse.
6. This means growers will take full management of the environment - climate, temperature, lights, ventilation, and so on.
7. Hydroponics has been successfully used to grow vegetables such as Lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, kale, cucumber; several herbs like basil, chive, oregano, mint; and fruits such as strawberries and hot peppers.

Additional information: Some of the applications of this technique include:
1. Soil-less farming.
2. Additional space for the crops as they are grown in containers.
3. Better growth rate by regulating the pH (5.5-6.5).
4. Growing summer crops in the winter season and vice-versa.

Note: Hydroponics has evolved from primitive times and has undergone lots of scientific research by scientists. And what we have today is modern Hydroponics, which have been in wide application by greenhouse farmers as well as Hydroponic hobbyists.