Hydroponic Gardening Information

I hadn't ever seen a hydroponic garden until our recent vacation to Anguilla. The Cuisinart Resort & Spa on Anguilla boasts the island's only hydroponic garden. The chefs take full advantage of the wide array of fresh vegetables creating the restaurant menus. The vegetables and salad greens were absolutely outstanding and the freshest we'd ever eaten anywhere. Hydroponics is gardening without soil. It's been doing in ancient cultures for thousands of years. It's a well established fact that plants grown in a hydroponic environment can grow up to 50% faster and have more yield as compared to a plant grown in conventional soil gardens. This is because unlike soil gardening where roots much search for nutrients with hydroponic gardening the nutrients are released at the root. If the plant does not have to expend energy searching for nutrients it's energy goes into production.

There are several different ways that plant roots are supported in a hydroponic garden. One way is the use of Rockwool. Rockwool is a fiber which expands when moist. It performs two very simple functions in a hydroponic garden, it retains water and holds air. Most hydroponic gardeners prefer Rockwool over other methods.

Hydroton is another growing media used in hydroponic gardening. It is a pelleted clay aggregate that holds and transmits water very effectively.

There are two types of hydroponic systems, passive and active. Passive hydroponic gardens rely on the absorptive characteristic or the growing medium or a wick. Active hydroponic systems are those where water is circulated using a pump.

Your home hydroponic garden can start as small or large as you want and can be started in any container that holds water and that can accommodate the wicking system or pump. You can grown absolutely any kind of vegetable or herb in a hydroponic garden that grows in a conventional garden, tomatoes, broccoli, leaf lettuce, brussels sprouts, strawberries, peas, chili peppers, swiss chard, spinach, head lettuce, oriental greens, bell peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, cabbage, cauliflower, baby carrots, green onions, radishes, all herbs and all flowers.