A History Of Hydroponics Gardening Methods

Hydroponics is a word that means "working water", and the seeds of this technology have been around for a long time. Experiments from as early as four centuries BCE are on record, and floating gardens such as those at Tenochtitlan in Mexico are pointed to as the ancestors of hydroponic technology. The first published work on growing plants with no soil was created in 1627. Sir Francis Bacon's Sylva Sylvarum was printed a year after his death, and showed that plants grown in impure water were more productive than those in pure water.

However, it wasn't until the nineteenth century that scientists began to make real progress in this field. These researchers discovered that plants absorb important minerals as the form of inorganic ions held in water. Normally, soil contains these nutrients, but the soil isn't required to grow plants. If minerals are dissolved in water, they can be absorbed by the plants without the need for any soil at all. Almost any type of plant can be grown this way, given the correct conditions.

By 1842, a list of nine essential elements for plant growth had been created, and more modern methods of soilless cultivation were detailed in the 1860s. This technique of growing plants in a nutrient solution is still in use today as a type of hydroponics that uses no inert media. Methods of growing fresh produce on nonarable land were tested during World War I, when hydroponic systems fed troops in the Pacific. In the late 1920s, Professor William Gericke at the University of California, Berkeley, began publicly promoting the use of solution culture for commercial agriculture. He created enormous tomato vines in his own back yard, using mineral nutrient solutions. Twenty-five feet high, these plants had to be picked via a ladder.

The term hydroponics didn't come about until 1937, when Gericke introduced it. His refusal to reveal his secrets caused him to leave the University of California and write his own book, the Complete Guide to Soilless Gardening, which was published in 1940. In his absence, two of his colleagues at the University of California were asked to look into his claims. They debunked some of the more exaggerated claims regarding hydroponics, including the claim that yields could be higher than those in good soils. In hydroponics, just like in regular cultivation, the plant yield is limited by the available nutrients.

These researchers overlooked the fact that hydroponic growth offers constant access to oxygen and water, preventing many problems with regular growth. They developed some of the standard formulas for mineral nutrient solutions, some of which are still used in modified form todays. Hydroponics was also used in the Pacific Ocean on Wake Island to provide vegetables for passengers aboard Pan American Airlines, which used the atoll as a refueling station. No soil was present on this island.

Hydroponic techniques were also used in the US space program, with the intent of eventually creating a society in space. By the 1970s, use of hydroponic techniques had spread to the general public, with farmers and hobbyists taking up hydroponic methods. They found that these techniques offered higher yields than soil based agriculture and that there was no need for pesticide use. Commercial growers looking for a good way to produce crops reliably have taken up using hydroponic techniques, which continue to advance. Plants grow faster and more effectively than ever before.