Comparing Hydroponics to Traditional Farming

One of the most common things that people do when thinking about hydroponics is to compare it to traditional farming. That's not surprising, given that humans have done soil-based agriculture for hundreds and thousands of years. Some of the more advanced societies have also done hydroponics, but what we’re most familiar with, in our Western civilization, is growing plants in the ground. That is, up until just a few decades ago, when people started to realize that you could do good plant cultivation without taking up a lot of arable land.

Anyway, how does hydroponics stack up to traditional farming? Here are some things that people often think about when comparing the two.

Replacing Soil Nutrients

While hydroponics has a lot of benefits over soil-based growing, one of the benefits of traditional farming is that soil naturally has a range of nutrients in it. That means you just plant the seed and watch it grow.

With hydroponics, it's a lot different. Hydroponics reservoir water doesn't naturally have nutrients. You need to add them. Growers need to understand exactly what chemical elements are used in order to nurture plants -- and that requires some dedicated biology research.

The Climate

Climate is another big thing that's a lot different with hydroponics. In traditional farming, there was a high degree of fatalism in the crop process -- farmers might say things like “Lord willing the corn don't freeze” or throw up their hands if there was, for example, natural disaster, a hot or dry spell, or an invasion of locusts.

In a hydroponic climate, none of these things are left to chance. Plants are kept in a sterile, isolated system, where growers can control temperature, humidity and more. It gives them a lot more power -- but it also gives them a lot more responsibility.

Maintenance

Maintenance in traditional gardening is mainly restricted to weeding. Again, lots of the climate factors are ready determined by Mother Nature. Farmers plant, and then they come in and weed on a regular basis. They don't try to isolate the plant environment. They weed, and get ready for harvest.

In hydroponics, there's the careful methods of preserving good ph balance, pruning plants back and keeping debris out of the plant environment, and more. Growers do all of these things because they can, and because they support a healthier garden and a better harvest.

For a lot more on hydroponics and how it is unique, take a look at what modern retailers offer to assist growers building the perfect hydroponic gardens to feed their families or grow local food for local communities.