Hydroponics Experiment

Background

Over the years, many scientists studied plant growth. They discovered that plants require sunlight, water, fresh air, and nutrient to grow. In 1860, Professor Julius Von Sachs published the first nutrient solution that could be dissolved in water where a plant could be successfully grown. This was called “Nutriculture.”

Professor Julius Von Sachs

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By 1920, the method of growing plants in water containing nutrients was well known. Soil structure, fertility, and pests cause the need for constant soil replacement in greenhouses. In 1925, the greenhouse industry began expressing interest in Nutriculture. From 1925-1935, scientists developed methods of Nutriculture for large-scale crop production.

Dr. William F Gericke of the University of California, began experimenting on plant nutrition for practical growth of large scale outdoor crops for commercial use. Gericke named this method “hydroponics”, meaning “water-works” in Greek.

Growing medium supports the plant, and does not include soil. Types of growing medium are vermiculite, perlite, gravel, sand, etc. Weeds, pests, and diseases are eliminated and so is the need for pesticides and weed killer. Healthier hydroponics grown produce is safer because it does not contain the cancer causing agents found in pesticides or weed killer.

From early civilizations, man has used hydroponics to grow food crops. They found that hydroponics produces greater yield than soil-grown crops, and that the water and fertilizer are recyclable. Today, the population is rising, and its resources are vanishing. Hydroponics may be the solution for world hunger.