"Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of hydroculture which involves growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions."
The process of growing plants using only water and nutrients, eliminating the need for soil.
Aquaponic and Hydroponic system design: Understanding the different types of systems, equipment and materials needed to set up a hydroponic or aquaponic system.
Plant nutrition management: Understanding the principles of plant nutrition and how to create the right mix of nutrients for optimal plant growth.
pH and EC management: Understanding the impact of pH and EC levels on plant growth and how to maintain them at optimal levels.
Water quality management: Understanding the importance of water quality for plant growth and how to maintain optimal levels of water quality.
Hydroponic and aquaponic growing media: Understanding the different types of growing media and how they affect plant growth.
Plant pest and disease management: Understanding the common pests and diseases that affect plants in hydroponic and aquaponic systems and how to prevent and control them.
Seed selection and propagation: Understanding the best techniques for seed selection, germination, and propagation in hydroponic and aquaponic systems.
Lighting and environmental control: Understanding the importance of lighting and temperature control in hydroponic and aquaponic systems and how to create the ideal environment for plant growth.
Fish selection and management: Understanding the different types of fish that can be used in aquaponic systems and how to manage and care for them.
Harvesting and marketing: Understanding the best techniques for harvesting plants and marketing them in the local community.
Economic analysis: Understanding the economics of hydroponic and aquaponic systems and how to create a profitable business.
Legal and regulatory requirements: Understanding the legal and regulatory requirements for hydroponic and aquaponic systems in your locality.
Deep Water Culture (DWC): The plants grow directly in nutrient-rich water, with their roots floating in it.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT): A thin film of nutrient solution flows over the roots of the plants, which are held in a horizontal or angled channel.
Aeroponics: Plants are suspended in air and their roots sprayed with nutrient-rich mist.
Drip Irrigation: A drip system is used to deliver nutrient-rich water to the plants.
Wick System: A wick is used to soak up the nutrient-rich water from a reservoir beneath the plant, delivering it to the plant roots.
Media-Based Aquaponics: Plants are grown in a medium, such as gravel or clay pellets, in a flooded bed or pot. This type of aquaponics uses traditional flood and drain grow beds.
Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) Aquaponics: As with hydroponic NFT, a thin film of nutrient-rich water is continuously pumped over the plant roots.
Deep Water Culture (DWC) Aquaponics: Plants are grown in floating rafts, with their roots submerged in nutrient-rich water.
Vertical Aquaponics: Vertical gardening in which plants are stacked on top of each other to maximize space usage. This type of aquaponics can utilize NFT or DWC systems.
Hybrid Aquaponics: A combination of different types of aquaponic systems, such as media-based and DWC or NFT and vertical gardening.
Raft Aquaponics: Similar to media-based systems, except the plants are grown on rafts that float on top of the water, with their roots submerged.
Integrated Aquaponics: A method of aquaponics that uses recycled materials, such as recycled water bottles, to create self-contained, low-maintenance aquaponic systems.
"Terrestrial or aquatic plants may grow with their roots exposed to the nutritious liquid or the roots may be mechanically supported by an inert medium such as perlite, gravel, or other substrates."
"Roots can cause changes in the rhizosphere pH and root exudates can affect rhizosphere biology and physiological balance of the nutrient solution when secondary metabolites are produced in plants."
"The nutrients used in hydroponic systems can come from many different organic or inorganic sources, including fish excrement, duck manure, purchased chemical fertilizers, or artificial nutrient solutions."
"Plants are commonly grown hydroponically in a greenhouse or contained environment on inert media, adapted to the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) process."
"Plants commonly grown hydroponically include tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries, lettuces, and cannabis, usually for commercial use, as well as Arabidopsis thaliana, which serves as a model organism in plant science and genetics."
"Hydroponics offers many advantages, notably a decrease in water usage in agriculture."
"To grow 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of tomatoes using intensive farming methods requires 214 liters (47 imp gal; 57 U.S. gal) of water; using hydroponics, 70 liters (15 imp gal; 18 U.S. gal); and only 20 liters (4.4 imp gal; 5.3 U.S. gal) using aeroponics."
"Hydroponic cultures lead to highest biomass and protein production compared to other growth substrates, of plants cultivated in the same environmental conditions and supplied with equal amounts of nutrients."
"Since hydroponic growing takes much less water and nutrients to grow produce, and climate change threatens agricultural yields, it could be possible in the future for people in harsh environments with little accessible water to hydroponically grow their own plant-based food."
"Hydroponics is not only used on Earth, but has also proven itself in plant production experiments in space."