Understanding The Concept Of Hydroponic

Model Hydroponic set at my home in Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

The term hydroponics is derived from the Greek's hydro (water) and ponos (labour). Many people use this term to describe any methods of growing that does not use soil (although some scientists dispute this definition), as nutrients were obtained from other sources. The mineral nutrient solutions used today for hydroponics were not developed until the 1800s.

Hydroponics is defined as crop growth in mineral nutrient solutions, with no solid medium for the roots. The distinction between hydroponics and soilless culture of plants has often been blurred. Soilless culture is a broader term than hydroponics. It only requires that no soils with clay or silt are used. Note that sand is a type of soil yet sand culture is considered a type of soilless culture. Hydroponics is always soilless culture, but not all soilless culture is hydroponics. Many types of soilless culture do not use the mineral nutrient solutions required for hydroponics.

Billions of container plants are produced annually worldwide, including fruit, shade and ornamental trees, shrubs, forest seedlings, vegetable seedlings, bedding plants, herbaceous perennials and vines. Most crops are produced in soilless media, representing soilless culture. Most soilless media for container plants also contain organic materials such as peat or composted bark, which provide some nitrogen and other nutrient to the plant. Greenhouse growth of plants in peat bags is often called hydroponics, but technically it is not because the medium provides some of the mineral nutrients.