Hydroponics

Explanation

Hydroponics or hydroculture is the method of growing plants in an aquatic medium like water without the need for soil. The necessary nutrients for the plant's root are provided by exposing it to the nutrition-rich solution. Hydroponics is the widely used method to grow plants in controlled environment agriculture sites. The major advantages of hydroponics include weed-free farming, ability to grow more plants in small spaces, increased monitoring and automation options.

Frequently Asked Questions

How would plants grow without the soil?

On Earth plants convert carbon dioxide in air and water from the soil into carbohydrates like glucose with the help of chlorophyll and sunlight. This process is known as photosynthesis. The dependency of plants to the soil is only for the nutrients and water they need for the process. Therefore, if these macro and micro nutrients with oxygen are supplied in a different medium, the soil can be eliminated, and plants would still grow without the soil.

How do plants in hydroponics handle overwatering?

A natural plant that grows in the soil will be affected by overwatering by the factors like increased bioactivity due to the stagnant water, acting against the plant growth. Chances are, when there is a constant presence of water around the root, it forms a region where fungi can thrive more and leads to the overgrowth of other bacteria. The stagnant water also makes the root hypoxic. But in hydroponics, the water is not stagnant. In addition to that, the water used in hydroponics is oxygenated and is continuously restored as the plants intake the necessary nutrients.