Posts Tagged ‘ph meter’

Hydroponics Gardening: More Accessible Now with NFT System

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Hydroponics was coined in the USA in 1930’s to name the scheme plant growing with the roots based in mineral-rich waters. As a matter of information, the Aztec Indians had a similar scheme of producing crops on rafts in lakes with shallow levels of water; these are seen in their floating gardens in Mexico City.

Formal research on the nutritional requirements of plants and the hydroponics system of growing plants started since 1699 through today. Developments went on and the use of hydroponics commercially opened worldwide.

Hydroponics has come a long way since the Aztec Indians. Since water care and land care is today mandated in numerous countries to promote sustainability, well maintained hydroponics gardening systems will provide yields of high quality crops through the environmentally friendly way of farming.

Hydroponics is already an established and fast growing part of modern commercial agriculture. Hydroponics is in fact a developing field where you can see a large range for experimenting with plants. Hydroponics gardening will also supply you with fresh fruit and vegetables all year round. Even the banana trees are being grown hydroponically now for better and reliable yield.

Hydroponics: Gardening without the Soil

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Hydroponics was first accepted in mainstream America in the 1930’s. Hydroponics is the system of growing plants with the roots suspended in mineral-rich waters. In 1930, the scientist Gericke had grown the first commercial hydroponic unit in the USA. And such acceptance saved the American forces in the Pacific during the World War II. They grew vegetables the hydroponic way to survive and feed the soldiers.

Hydroponics literally means ‘working with water’. The definition has actually become popular and widened to account all types of gardening without the usual use of soil. Hydroponics is actually the soil-less gardening.

A German scientist named Liebig originated the use of nutrient solutions to study the required nutrition of plants in the 1850’s. This method was adopted by Sachs in 1860. It was Knop in 1861 however who made studies of nutrient elements in water solutions. They were able to grow plants in nutrients-rich solutions made up from mineral salts getting rid of the soil.

Research on the nutritional requirements of plants extended through into the 1870’s leading to the practical applications of hydroponics by 1925. By the late 1920’s, hydroponics was already employed with the greenhouse industry.

Your Very First Hydroponics System

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Hydroponic gardens are present with the early societies of man. Evident with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Indians of Aztecs, there had been several systems of producing plant crops without soils.

Hydroponics has come a long way since the Aztecs and the Babylonians. It has become an important method of producing crops in various countries in the modern times. Especially where water is scarce and land is unusable for growing plants, hydroponics farming has been extremely important.

With vigilance over water care and land care today and with regulation in some developed nations, quality-controlled hydroponic crops can sustain the farming of high quality produce and at the same time being environment friendly.

With this popularity, hydroponics is no longer a subject of mysterious form of growing plants in a laboratory. It is a well established way of agriculture where anybody enthusiastic with the rules of hydroponic culture and has inclination to planting and caring for a home garden can successfully operate a highly productive and rewarding home-based hydroponics unit.

Hydroponic gardening will definitely modify your lifestyle for good. It will be providing you with fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers all year round.

The Hydroponics System Means More Time for Gardening

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Hydroponics is no more an unfamiliar type of growing plants as it has reached more and more satisfied gardeners. Hydroponics is however still in a development stage where one can likely learn more by experimenting with various plants and trees.

A hydroponics system can effectively cut the amount of time necessary to bring about great plants like crops and fruit. Any vegetable, flower, shrub or tree can be grown without having to cultivate or weed while watering and fertilizing can be taken care of by automatic hydroponics system.

Therefore, the amount of time saved with the hydroponics system will grant you the luxury to focus on more gardening activities like pruning and training of crops. Moreover, it will be offering you with more time to spend on other activities outside the garden.

More importantly, you will no longer be frustrated with the quality of your soil as the major concern for the results of your harvest. With the hydroponics gardens, you will get the betas type of soils with the optimum nutrients for your crops. Thus, a hydroponics garden can be established in any place without much regard to the soil or climate.

Hydroponics as a Way to Grow to Plants without Soils

Monday, April 27th, 2009

The term hydroponics was coined in the USA in the early 1930’s. It was coined to describe the scheme of plant growing with the roots of the plant based in mineral-rich waters. From the words hydro and ponos which are Greek for “water” and “to work” respectively, hydroponics literally is defined as ‘working with water’.

The definition of hydroponics has gradually become broadened to distinguish all forms of gardening without the usual soil as in traditional farming. Let us take a look at the importance of hydroponics in the history of mankind.

Hydroponic gardens in history are evidently a big part of early societies. One of the biggest evidence of the use of hydroponics is with the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

In addition, the Aztec Indians has even pioneered a scheme of producing plant crops on rafts in shallow lakes. You can even witness some of these floating gardens near Mexico City.

In 1930, as the term hydroponics became popular, Gericke produced the first commercial hydroponic unit in America. During the Second World War the American forces in the Pacific produced vegetables hydroponically to survive.

Hydroponics from the Aztecs to the Modern Times

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

The Indians of Aztec had been known for a scheme of producing crops on rafts in shallow lakes. As an evidence of such ingenuity, you can even witness these gardens near Mexico City.

Hydroponics is the system of growing plants with the roots suspended in mineral-rich waters. Developments in this scheme of growing plants did not start taking place in Europe before 1699. In 1699, Woodward found that he could grow plants in a solution of water to which soil had been added. Knop in 1861 started studies of nutrient elements in water solutions and grew plants in nutrients-rich solutions with mineral salts ridding of the soil.

Studies on the nutritional requirements of plants continued until the 1870’s. And by 1925, there were already practical uses of hydroponics established in the greenhouse industry.

The 1930’s see huge development as scientists observed the prospective development of farming using hydroponics as a method. In 1930 Gericke even produced the first commercially acceptable hydroponic unit in the United States of America.

Later during the World War II, the American forces in the Pacific even grew crops hydroponically. Today, the availability of automatic control systems and digital testing equipments has unfolded the hydroponics field to the whole world.

The History of Hydroponics

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

History reveals that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is a big evidence of a hydroponic garden. Moreover, the Aztec Indians in the now Mexico had a system of growing crops on rafts. These rafts are in shallow lakes that you can still see in floating gardens near Mexico City. Therefore, history shows the great significance of hydroponic system of growing plants even in ancient times.

Developments with hydroponics did not however take place in Europe until 1699 when Woodward discovered it. He found out that he can grow plants in a solution of water to which soil had been added.

On the other hand, Liebig, a German scientist, originated using nutrient solutions to study the nutritional requirements of plants in the 1850’s. It was then followed by Sachs in 1860. Knop also did some studies of nutrient elements in water solutions in 1861. They grew plants in nutrients-rich solutions with mineral salts. This does away with the soil as a main requirement for growing crops.

Many researches on the nutritional requirements of plants extended through even until the 1870’s. By 1925, practical applications of hydroponics were being introduced for the vast development in the greenhouse industry.

The Benefits of Soil-less Hydroponics Gardening

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

Hydroponics gardening will improve your lifestyle by offering you with fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers all throughout the year. One of the famous systems is the NFT system development by Dr Alan Cooper with covered plastic channels. In this system, the plants are growing through holes in the covers and their roots are suspended in the nutrient solution.

One of the major benefits of a hydroponics system is that it can greatly shorten the necessary amount of time required to produce healthy crops. Whether a vegetable, flower, shrub or even trees, it can be produced without having to cultivate, weed and mulch the garden. Other important maintenance like watering and fertilizing can be taken care of by the automated system.

With the soil-less gardening, the quality of the soil will no longer be a problem with growing your crops. Hydroponics gardens can also be based in any place, irrespective of the soil or climate.

You will eventually notice that vegetables and fruit grown with the hydroponics system have a superb flavor and texture compared to the conventionally-grown counterparts. Because the crops will not be deficient in nutrients you will notice that they develop quicker and are healthier because they have more resistance to plant diseases than crops raised in the soil.