The increased use of pesticides and other harmful chemicals in commercial farming has made people more interested in growing their own plants and vegetables for consumption.

However, there is a common misconception that home farming is only suitable for people with lots of extra free land. Many people living in tight home spaces and apartments don’t even think of farming mainly because of space and resource limitations.

If you too kept away your farming dreams because of similar reasons, then we are here today to introduce you to hydroponics.

What is Hydroponics?

Hydroponics, aka hydroponic farming, refers to the process of growing plants without the use of soil.

Huh? Growing plants without soil?

We’ve been taught all our lives that soil is one of the primary constituents for plant growth.

Well, that’s not entirely true.

Soil acts as a medium to provide the plants with resources such as water, nutrients, etc. it requires for survival and growth. You can easily understand this logic if you think about root growth. Plant roots grow deeper into the soil to gain more water and nutrients when the resources near their original location deplete.

In hydroponics, plants grow without soil. Apart from the water itself, the nutrients it requires for growth are provided in the form of liquid hydroponic nutrients.

If you think hydroponics is a new revolutionary concept or something, you’re wrong again.

Early forms of hydroponics were discovered in the early 1600s and have developed quite a lot since then.

Reasons Hydroponic Farming is Best for Your Home Garden

Here are some of the best reasons why hydroponic farming is best for home garden concepts.

1. No Soil, No Dirt:

If you have a home garden in an apartment balcony or rooftop, then one big hassle with soil-based farming is the use of soil.
In case you don’t have a dedicated place for farming or have the flooring installed, then the soil will eventually leak out and cause chaos all around.
Once the soil starts leaking, cleaning the area is a big hassle.
In hydroponics, you grow the plants using non-soil mediums such as coconut fiber, rock wool, etc., which is very less of a hassle than soil.

2. Fresh Pesticide-free Produces:

One major motivation to start farming at home is to have fresh produce without the use of pesticides or other chemicals.
In hydroponic farming, plants receive their nutrients through soluble/liquid hydroponic nutrient produces.
You can easily buy through offline markets and even on online stores such as Astral Grow.

3. Reduced Water Consumption:

Water has become expensive and largely scarce around the world. Therefore, it is essential that we always explore ways to save it at home as well even if your ring doorbell is waterproof.
Unlike traditional farming, as water is directly provided to the root source of the plants, the overall water consumption is marginally lower. Also, the excess water is not lost via the surrounding soil and is reused by the plants themselves.

4. Setup Your Farming Area Anywhere:

With reduced space constraints and requisites, you can install the farming set up anywhere you like. It can be on your rooftop, or on your balcony, or even in a tight corridor.
Moreover, there are no climate or location constraints for hydroponics. Thus, you can also start farming regardless of where on earth you live currently.

5. Better Yields:

When it comes to traditional farming, most home gardens are only able to produce limited yields, again because of limitations in resources, etc.
However, many studies have found that hydroponic farming techniques offer better yields than traditional methods.
Not just in terms of yield rate, even the quality of produces is found to be superior to other farming techniques.

Final Words

Hydroponics definitely is one of the best ways for farming, especially when you have limited space to dedicate to farming.
Before starting a hydroponic system, you must research the various techniques for hydroponics, the best plants to grow, etc. to make sure that you get the best results for your time and work.