MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HYDROPONIC GARDENING

Hydroponic gardening (growing plants without soil) is a growing but largely misunderstood practice.  Some view it with suspicion because they associate it with growing illegal substances; some see it as an overreaching of science; some see it merely as a novel-but-expensive hobby.  The truth is, hydroponics is a system used by hobbyists, gardeners, farmers and nations to grow strong, healthy plants of all kinds.  Let’s look at a few of the misconceptions about hydroponics, and follow up with a clearer understanding.

One of the largest misconceptions is that hydroponic gardens are essentially used to grow certain controlled substances in secret growing rooms.  Internet searches about hydroponics often reinforce the idea that hydroponics and illegal activity go hand in hand.  But that is primarily because those dispensing that information know how to use the Internet—not because every hydroponic garden is an illegal one.  In fact, illegal growing comprises a very small percentage of hydroponic gardening overall. Many plants and vegetables do very well in hydroponic settings, and there are many good, honest gardeners using hydroponics to do just that. In fact, nations like Canada and Holland are using hydroponics to grow food on a large scale.  To suggest that hydroponics is a bad thing because people use it to grow illegal substances is to suggest that soil is a bad thing for the same reason.  Farming is farming; hydroponics is simply an alternate method.

Another misconception is that hydroponics is artificial and unnatural simply because it bypasses the need for soil.  The truth is, there are no genetic or chemical manipulations in hydroponics, and no natural processes are interrupted.  All the normal ingredients for growing things in nature are supplied to the plants just the same as if they were planted in soil: light, water, nutrients, and an anchor for the roots.  It’s just that soil, which acts as a medium for all of these ingredients except light, is replaced by other root-anchoring methods; and nutrients, water and light are supplied in was that optimize health and growth.  Hydroponic plants, in fact, can be healthier and stronger than those grown conventionally—and without the use of additives.  The process is more complex, but the result is still the natural production of plants and food.

Others mistakenly believe that hydroponic gardening is simply an expensive hobby—a fad of sorts that has no real purpose.  While hydroponics is indeed a fun pastime (and a growing business) for hobbyists, it can also be very useful. Hydroponics make growing food a possibility in almost any situation and environment—in the dead of winter, in the extended twilight of the polar regions, in places where soil is contaminated, and even in space.  Hydroponics can increase the quality and yield of food-bearing plants, potentially making food more readily available to third-world countries and regions where famine has taken hold.

So perhaps there is more to hydroponic gardening than meets the eye; there is certainly more to it than these common misconceptions might lead us to believe.