Hydroponics: The Soilless Future of Urban Farming

By Henry Smith

July 10, 2023

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost 34 million US citizens face severe food insecurity. Adding fuel to the fire, the USA lost 4 million acres of fertile agricultural land to urbanization in 2020 alone. 

Besides the agricultural land, the forests are also facing severe deforestation for urban development. All these issues are leading to problems like food insecurity, pollution, and climate change. So, is there a way to retain greenness without halting our progress? Yes, there is

The hydroponics culture technique is the solution to the problem of shrinking greenery in the cities. Traditional farming in urban areas is unfeasible due to the lack of large cultivable land, and soil. Hydroponic plants do away with both of these limitations and ensure the presence of nature amidst even the most congested urban setups. It allows farming without any need for vast space or soil.

What is Hydroponic Culture Technique?

In the simplest terms, this is the technique of growing plants without soil. Instead of soil, hydroponics uses water as a growing medium. The nutrients that plants normally get from soil are dissolved in the hydroponic water artificially.

In nature, nature itself provides the individual needs of each plant type. However, here, humans play nature and provide conditions and nutrients that meet the needs of each plant type that they intend to grow as hydroponics.

Components of Hydroponic System

The conditions in the hydroponic system are made to imitate exactly what a plant would face in nature, but better. In nature, a plant needs soil, water, light, and nutrients. In hydroponic setup, it needs the following

Growing Medium

A medium from which the plant takes its nutrients for growth and development is called a growing medium. In hydroponics, water is used for this purpose. The name “hydroponics” literally means “water work”, meaning the water is doing the task of growing plants here.

Water cannot germinate seeds. Therefore, the seeds are germinated in other media, and then the seedlings are shifted to the water. 

Nutrients

Water is an essential need of plants for photosynthesis, but here in hydroponics, it is more than just a photosynthetic need. Here it carries all the necessary nutrients for plants to thrive. 

Since pure water lacks all those nutrients, they must be added artificially. Growers add both organic and inorganic nutrients to the hydroponic water. 

All nutrients might have the same goal, but those little variations they have can have lasting effects on, especially, the plants grown for food. Therefore, experts advise to always research a little and choose the best hydroponic nutrients for vegetables. 

Lighting

Besides water and carbon dioxide, plants need light to make food. For hydroponics, sunlight can be used, however, there are several limitations attached to it. Like, it only comes for a specific period of time, and that duration can change at the moment due to weather conditions. 

Therefore, growers prefer artificial grow lights. Their strength, intensity, duration, and wavelength can be adjusted as per the needs and demands of the grower for its plant.