Hydroponics

T his could be considered a fairly accurate definition of the term
" hydroponics." In its more advanced stages, hydroponics can be a
c omplex art indeed, but the purpose of this book is to describe a series of
m ethods that will make hydroponics work for you. It will describe how
t o make or where to buy a hydroponic system, how to plant it, how to
m aintain it, how to correct commonproblems, and where to get
supplies. Two of the greatest benefits of hydroponic gardening are the
freshness and high nutritional value of the vegetables and herbs that
c an be grown. For these reasons, you will also find recipes from famous
chefs who use hydroponically grown produce in their own kitchens.
W hat this book will not do is give a lengthy history of the subject,
o r a great manypersonal anecdotes that do little good in helping you get
results from hydroponics. Presumably, results are the reason you bought
t his book. By following the procedures listed here you will be able, for
e xample, to raise several crops of garden vegetables per year at a fraction
o f their supermarket cost.

W ith the exception of a cursory knowledge of how hydroponics
c ame about, most readerscouldn't care less about the long list of
p eople who have experimented with hydroponics, or when. Nor do
most readers care that some nutrients can be "locked in" under certain
c onditions and are therefore unavailable to the plant. These things can
b e found in the books listed in the bibliography. Here we will be dealing
w ith only some of the hundreds of formulae where all the nutrientsare
available to the plant. In other words, I will not be giving you a lot of
superfluous scientific information. If anyone feels that I haven't given
e nough background or scientific information, then they'll have to
c onsult other books, because Hydroponics for the Home Gardener is
w ritten expressly to give you the facts you need.

History
H ydroponics is at least as ancient as thePyramids. The Hanging
G ardens of Babylon, which are listed as one of the Seven Wonders of
t he World, used a crude form of hydroponics. The world's rice crops
h ave been grown in this way from time immemorial. In 1934, however,
a U niversity of California professor adapted this time-tested technique
t o other crops. The results were twenty-five foot tomato vines that had
t o be harvested withladders. Modern hydroponics was born and it has
b een advancing ever since.
D uring the Second World War, Allied soldiers ate hydroponic
v egetables grown on their air and naval bases in the South Pacific.
T oday, hydroponic installations help feed millions of people; they may
b e found flourishing in the deserts of Israel, Lebanon and Kuwait, on
t he islands of Ceylon, the Philippines and theCanaries, on the rooftops
of Calcutta and in the parched villages of West Bengal.
Half of Vancouver Island's tomato crop and one-fifth of Moscow's
are hydroponically produced. There are full-fledged hydroponic systems
i n American nuclear submarines, Russian space stations and on offshore drillings rigs. Large zoos keep their animals healthy with hydroponic green food, and race horses staysleek and powerful on grass
grown hydroponically year round. There are large and small systems
used by companies and individuals as far north as Baffin Island and
Eskimo Point in Canada's Arctic. Commercial growers are using this
m arvellous technique to produce food on a large scale from Israel to
I ndia, and from Armenia to the Sahara.

Is It Worthwhile?
G ardeners love hydroponics, becausealmost anything can be grown
a nd there is no back-breaking work: no tilling, raking or hoeing. There
are no weeds to pull, no poisonous pesticides to spray. No moles or
c utworms eat your roots, and most insects leave your clean and healthy
p lants alone.
H ydroponics is ideal for the hobbyist home-owner or apartmentdweller who doesn't have the time or space for full-time soil gardening....