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Zachary Mooney

Mrs. Layton

English IV

12 March 2019

Hydroponics is a new form of agriculture. It has been around for hundreds of years, yet

not until recently, has it gained much attention. It is a method of farming without soil, using only

water. With hydroponics gaining popularity, fwe are now able to obtain food from different

sources. So, not only does this affect the farmer in how he could grow his crops, but it will also

affect the consumer with other options of how their food is grown, conventionally via soil or

hydroponically via liquid. ​Although conventional farming is the norm and still widely used,

hydroponics provides plenty of benefits that conventional farming can not provide.

Hydroponics has been around for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. Although we

have no proof, Babylon and other ancient civilizations may have had some form of hydroponic

farming. However, the earliest we have it in writing was in 1677 when Francis Bacon, wrote a

book about growing plants without water. In present time, hydroponics has gotten more popular

than ever and is being seen as the solution to many of life's farming challenges. For example, to

live on Mars you need food like meat and vegetables. One form of hydroponics, which is called

aquaponics, is a method of hydroponics where fish live in the same water as the growing plants.

This form of hydroponics is seen as a solution to farming issues with the Martian soil. The only

thing that is not yet understood is why hydroponics, since it such an efficient method of growing

plants, is not being used as much as conventional farming. It is uncertain if hydroponics provides
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the exact same benefits as other forms of farming, if it is as efficient and if there may be other

methods that may be more proficient, these are questions are still unknown. Also, the USDA is

holding off on saying which product is better for consumption and it is undetermined if

hydroponics is even organic in the first place (​Miller​).

Hydroponics uses fewer nutrients than conventional farming or soil farming (​Rauscher​).

Because it is in a closed off environment, the waste production is controllable, so there is no

need for excess amount of nutrients. In soil farming, nutrients are gained by using fertilizer and

water. Most of the time fertilizer is used in excess, but with hydroponics there is no need for

fertilizer because hydroponics uses only water. Hydroponics doesn’t waste as many nutrients

because it gathers them from the constantly moving water, which moves the nutrients to the

roots. Hydroponics in general uses less resources to keep happy and healthy plants. Hydroponics

uses less water than soil farming “...in the hydroponics system less water is used since the

required water is supplied in fixed proportions and a controlled environment, furthermore, water

is recycled in this system.”(Starr). This is different from the conventional ways which lets the

water runoff into the soil and it gets wasted making the production cost increase. With

hydroponics, the water is recycled and reused so it saves on water costs on the plants. With

hydroponics you control how much water the plant gets and not waste a single drop.

Hydroponics provides more bang for your buck, if it is done properly. By using less energy

digging through the dirt it can grow faster, “The growth rate on a hydroponic plant is 30-50

percent faster than a soil plant, grown under the same conditions. The yield of the plant is also

greater....The extra oxygen in the hydroponic growing mediums helps to stimulate root growth.”

(Greentrees). This means that using hydroponics the crops grow more than soil farming, utilizing
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fewer resources which makes it more profitable. Faster growth means farmers are able to harvest

earlier. Having earlier harvest means farmers can then replant earlier. Being able to replant

earlier means farmers can sell more crops, and get more money. Also, being able to get bigger

plants or more yield to the plant is a huge plus. In addition, hydroponics doesn't provide the

chaotic element of mother nature which also provides another problematic dimension with witch

to work in soil farming. Disasters can happen all the time out in the weather and they can’t

always be prevented, however, “Hydroponic plants can be grown everywhere; it is said to

convert any terrain into fertile farming land.With the normal farming or the soil farming, there

are multiple problems such as pest, climate and soil diseases.With hydroponics, you have full

control over your garden together with more optimal results.” (Starr). Hydroponics needs less

space than soil farming because it only needs water and some small container for it instead of a

large amount of soil. While it can probably be done with soil farming, hydroponics can also be

grown easier at different heights. For example, a hydroponic container can be layered, they can

be stacked on top of each other using vertical hydroponics.

For people who are more into the science behind farming, they should know that bacteria is a

very important part to making a plant happy and healthy. Farmers don’t need to worry about

bacteria if they are growing plants using soil because in a soil environment bacteria are plenty.

Hydroponics isn’t generally grown outside and does not use the bacteria filled soil, so some

might believe that hydroponics is sterile or lacking germs. It is surprisingly not sterile and has its

own healthy bacteria. Studies have shown that in hydroponics systems per 1 milliliter of nutrient

solutions 10 million bacteria have been found compared to dry compost 100 thousand to 1 billion

bacteria has been found. While in the study it compares dry dirt to wet water, it is really the only
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way to measure the two systems. If the number of bacteria are compared to one another, dirt will

vary wildly and the hydroponics systems are around the medium range of the two numbers

meaning that hydroponics is not completely sterile and is more precise in the amount of bacteria

it has. This means that a hydroponics system is neither better nor inferior to compost in bacteria

levels. Also, there is a difference between soil and compost. Compost is recycled plant matter

which is used as a fertilizer and can help with bacteria growth rates, and diversify microbe

populations. But hydroponics still doesn’t lose in growth rates and diverse microbe population.

So growers have studied to see if hydroponics is valid on a microbial level, “A study watching

the growth of bacteria in a hydroponic system started with a nutrient solution that had 500-900

cfu/ml bacteria in it. Within 20 hours of running the solution through tomatoes in rockwool, the

bacterial population rose to 1,000,000 cfu/ml.” (​Taber​). Using cfu/ml is just the way the study

measured the bacteria, but it has a high bacteria growth rate. Studies have also found that

microbe populations are also diverse and they are equivalent to what is found in soil as well.

When it comes to bacteria, not only is hydroponics not sterile, it is equal to soil farming in the

amount needed for the plant to survive and in it’s growth of bacteria colonies on the plant. So

when it comes to hydroponics, it is still a viable way of farming equal to soil.

While hydroponics has plenty more benefits than conventional farming it can’t keep up

with the sheer amount of product that staple crops produce. Hydroponics can’t compete with the

number of staple crops like rice, wheat, and corn that conventional farming can, due to the

extreme size and high cost (​“Hydroponic vs. Conventional”​). This is why the hydroponics

industry is focusing on crops that are higher value like tomatoes, peppers, basil, and marijuana.

But conventional farming can’t be farmed all year long like hydroponics. Hydroponics can also
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be used in areas with little water and bad soil since hydroponics uses 90% less water than

conventional farming and doesn’t need soil. But together they make up for their obvious

weakness and can be used hand in hand. There is a lot involved in hydroponics and it may seem

confusing to other people who don’t want to do too much research and just start farming fast and

simple with soil farming. Frequently, first time hydroponics growers set up their farm incorrectly

and won’t be able to get all the benefits from growing hydroponically. It can be hard setting up

the ph levels, the amount of nutrients a plant needs, the lighting it needs, and even algae

infestation that won’t happen with soil farming. But both sides are affected by similar problems

and while it is much more simple to buy some compost and plant a seed and water it once or

twice a day, growing plants hydroponically will eventually, save time and provide more benefits.

Conventional farming, still widely used, can’t provide as many benefits as hydroponics.

Hydroponics can grow more, take up less space, be more cost effective, and have all the same

qualities that conventional farming has . Hopefully, with time, more people will know about

hydroponics and more people will switch over to hydroponics maybe making buying your

groceries just a little bit cheaper. Almost anyone can get started growing plants hydroponically,

they simply need a little bit of money to set up and some knowledge to prepare the growing

system.
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Works Cited

Greentrees. “Hydroponic Gardening for Beginners.” ​Greentrees Hydroponics,​

www.hydroponics.net/learn/hydroponic_gardening_for_beginners.php​.

Heather. “Learn The 7 Reasons... Why Most Hydroponic Growers Fail.” ​Origin Hydroponics​,

originhydroponics.com/why-hydroponic-growers-fail/​.

Miller, Carol. “Smackdown: Hydroponic vs.Soil-Based Organic Growing.” ​Growing Produce,​

21 Feb. 2018,

www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/smackdown-hydroponics-vs-soil-based-organic-growin

g/

Rauscher, Frank. “Soil vs. Hydroponics: What Method Grows the Best Plants?” ​Maximum Yield

- Your Modern Growing Resource,​ 1 Aug. 2017,

www.maximumyield.com/soil-vs-hydroponics-what-method-grows-the-best-plants/2/3428​.

Starr, Khang. “Hydroponics vs Soil.” ​Hydroponics Gardening Equipment & Supplies,​ 22 Jan.

2019, ​www.farmhydroponics.com/hydroponics/hydroponics-vs-soil​.

Taber, Sarah. “7 Facts That Will Make You Rethink the ‘Sterility’ of Hydroponics.” ​Zipgrow

Blog Library,​

blog.zipgrow.com/7-facts-that-will-make-you-rethink-the-sterility-of-hydroponics​.

“Hydroponic vs. Conventional, Friends or Foes?” ​Re-Nuble​, 18 Oct. 2014,

www.re-nuble.com/blogs/re-nuble/100392902-hydroponic-vs-conventional-friends-or-foes​.