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Nature is not always a good friend to modern farmers. They must deal with fierce drought one season and torrential rains the next. Crops become diseased or devastated by insect infestations. The answer? Hydroponics gardening. This type of agriculture is bringing peace of mind and essential profits to modern farmers. Natural rainwater, fertile lands and ideal growing conditions are becoming scarce, and hydroponics gardening is seen as a heaven-sent miracle for many farmers. They are no longer at the mercy of Mother Nature. Farmers are able to grow healthy crops all year long and yield full harvests in spite of weather, insects or disease. Of all the benefits of hydroponics gardening, this is the most important. The earliest documentation of plants growing and surviving without soil as the source of nutrients can be traced to the 1699 records of a fellow named Woodward. However, it's believed that hydroponics gardening was practiced in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The roots of hydroponics methods in modern agriculture were evident back in the 1840s. At that time, researchers discovered that a formula could be developed to contain all the essential nutrients that plants need for growth. These nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen dioxide. With these in place, the need for soil could be completely eliminated. A number of German botanists adopted this idea and soon developed the basic nutrient formulas and growing techniques that are still in use today. Hydroponics gardening requires as little as 10% of the land used in traditional farming and less than 10% as much water. Farmers may reduce the amount of water even further by re-circulating the water used for hydroponics gardening. Many popular types of produce can be successfully grown using hydroponics gardening. Growers who practice year-round gardening with hydroponics enjoy broccoli, cabbage, celery, chard, cucumbers, eggplant, flowers, grapes, lettuce, melons, onions, peppers, pole beans, radishes, strawberries and tomatoes. Rarely is produce grown hydroponically affected by the insects that typically thrive in soil, or the diseases caused by soil microorganisms. This is one of the main advantages to hydroponics gardening. In turn, farmers are less inclined to use insecticides to prevent pest infestations. As a result, the crops do not carry traces of insecticides. Further, the produce can be picked ripe and enjoyed immediately, eliminating the need for chemical preservatives. That's a huge benefit for people who like their produce pure and clean. Another important and attractive bonus of hydroponics gardening is water conservation. This type of gardening can produce huge yields in dry climates where precious water must be re-circulated. Farmers can also quickly grow larger amounts of produce in a relatively small area. It's not unusual, in fact, for farmers to grow four heads of lettuce in the same amount of space it would take to grow one lettuce head with traditional soil gardening. There are various techniques of year-round gardening with hydroponics: * Water Culture In this type of hydroponics system, the roots of the plants are held in a large waterproof tank. With mesh or string supporting the plants, the roots are able to hang in the water and obtain food from the nutrient formula contained in the tank. * Gravel Culture It's usually more expensive to install and maintain a hydroponics garden using gravel culture. This type of system has a waterproof bench filled with inert pea-sized gravel. The gravel contains nutrients and supports the roots of the plants. Nutrient solution is pumped from a holding tank into the gravel solution, and the plants absorb all of the nutrients they need. When the pump is turned off, the solution drains back into the holding tank. Both types of hydroponics gardening methods are effective, and you have to remember to replenish the nutrient solution with both methods. You'll also need a good, constant source of proper lighting. Many hydroponics growers use several grow lights that are set with automatic timers to deliver appropriate amounts of light to the plants. You can easily find the materials and supplies needed to build and maintain a hydroponics system. Visit your local gardening center and you'll be on your way to enjoying year-round hydroponics gardening.
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About the Article Author
Murielle Freegard is an author for several Internet magazines, on home interior and my family topics.
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