Here you will read a brief summary of the advantages and disadvantages of hydroponic gardening:
Advantages of hydroponic gardening
· The typical growth rate of a hydroponic plant is thirty to fifty percent faster than a plant that is grown in the soil under the same conditions.
· The yield of plants grown in a hydroponic garden is greater. And many believe that hydroponic fruits and vegetables are sweeter and more luscious than those grown in ordinary soil.
· The extra oxygen in the hydroponic growing mediums helps to stimulate root growth that in turn allows the root system to absorb nutrients faster.
· The plant does not have to search in the soil and waste energy developing a complex root system looking for the nutrients that it needs to thrive. The nutrients in a hydroponic system are mixed with the water and sent directly to the root system.
· In a hydroponic garden, nutrients are being delivered to the plant several times per day, versus traditional gardening methods where nutrients are delivered much less often.
· The hydroponic plant spends very little energy to find and break down food and this saved energy can then be put to better use when the plant can grow faster and produce more fruit.
· Hydroponic plants also have fewer problems with bug infestations, funguses and disease due to the fact that there are no soil-borne infestation influences.
· Hydroponic gardening is more environmentally friendly because it uses considerably less water than soil gardening. Because there are no soil pests to have to eliminate, fewer pesticides are used on hydroponic crops.
· Hydroponic gardening systems do not contribute to the problem of topsoil erosion as there is no soil involved in the hydroponic growth process.
· Hydroponics can be used in places where ordinary agriculture or gardening is impossible, such as places where soil conditions cannot facilitate the growth of certain plants (i.e. deserts, rocky and stony land in mountainous districts or barren and sterile areas).
· Hydroponics has benefited humanity in that it has given workers who do not own enough farmland the opportunity to cultivate and grow food for themselves and their communities.
· With hydroponic gardening, weeds are practically non-existent.
· Once you have a hydroponic garden established, the cost of running it is very low, certainly lower than traditional soil gardening.
Disadvantages of hydroponic gardening
· The primary disadvantage of hydroponics is cost.
· The equipment needed to set up hydroponic systems can be expensive, especially because hydroponic gardening is a relatively new phenomenon. Not everyone who wants to have a hydroponic garden has the means to get such a garden started.
· Pump-driven hydroponic systems can be expensive to power and they are susceptible to power outages. Back-up power sources can solve this problem but they too will cost money to have on hand.
· Hydroponic gardeners typically need to have a certain level of technical knowledge to operate the plant and to make the initial decisions as to which hydroponic gardening method they will employ.
Many see that the benefits of hydroponic gardening far outweigh the advantages. While the initial start-up costs of hydroponic gardening can be substantial, a great deal of money can be made and initial investments can be well worth the effort in the long term. Some experts agree that if the erosion of top soil continues at its current rate, hydroponic gardening may be our only option. If this is the case in the future, those who are getting into the industry early stand to benefit from the vital experience that can be gained before hydroponic gardening becomes the mainstream technique.