What is hydroponics?
In the simplest of terms, it is literally “dirtless farming”
Hydroponics (from Greek words “hydro” meaning water and “ponos” meaning labor) has been around since ancient times. It is believed to have been used to grow plants in the hanging gardens of Babylon, over 2000BC.
HYDRO-STACKER
In more modern times, the US Army used hydroponics to feed the occupation troops in Japan after World War II. The US Army brought in horticulturists who set up hydroponics to produce vegetables in order to avoid growing plants in the local Japanese soils where it was known that human waste was used to fertilize the ground which resulted in US troops getting sick.
It is a method of growing plants without soil. Plants are fed dissolved mineral nutrients directly to the roots designed to give optimum and predictable results; plus save and incredible amount of water. Most of the mineral elements used in the dissolved solution start out as mined rock or mineral deposits which are as natural as the earth itself. There are a few methods of Hydroponics plant growing but they all work on the same principal; dirt less growing. There is the Dutch Pot system, the Bato Bucket system, the Raft system, the Bubbling Planter system, and our choice the Hydro-Stacker system. We chose this system because it affords us the most yield in the least amount of space and is more cost efficient for our needs. Each of our Hydro-Stacker grown plants uses only 4.8 ounces of water daily compared to soil based field plants using approximately 250 ounces daily for their traditional irrigated agriculture.
TYPICAL OUTDOOR COMMERCIAL
HYDRO-STACKER FIELD
The nutrient requirements of most plants change as they mature and some minimal changes may be useful during changing seasons. This permits the crops to grow expeditiously and with increased density compared to soil based plants.
Hydroponics is used in places where farming used to be impossible, such as deserts, densely occupied cities and rocky, mountainous areas.
Conserving both land and water is a top priority for our rapidly growing world and hydroponics is gaining in popularity and you can find Hydro-Stacker systems in use all over the world.
