Hydroculture [1] is a method of growing plants in a soilless growing medium (such as clay pebbles) or an aquatic environment. Although plants are often seen growing in soil, it is not essential for plant growth. Instead, plants require 16 chemical elements to thrive, all of which can be delivered without the use of soil. Instead, these chemical elements or “plant nutrients” can be delivered directly in water or through a range of growing media such as rockwool and clay pebbles.
The collective name for soilless gardening is often simply called “hydroculture” and stems from the word “hydro” which is derived from the Greek word meaning water. So “hydroculture” simply means “water culture” to illustrate that plants are grown in water instead of soil.
Basic hydroculture (passive hydroponics)[edit | edit source]
In basic hydroculture, also known as “passive hydroponics” plants are delivered water and nutrients through capillary action, where the plants absorb the nutrients and water at the rate they need each.
An example basic hydroculture set-up[edit | edit source]
There are many variations to the hydroculture method of growing plants but a commonly used, basic hydroculture set-up will consist of an inert growing medium (often expanded clay pellets such as the trademarked LECA and Hydrocorn), culture pots, a water level indicator (which lets you know when to top up your water / nutrient solution), pot liners, and fertiliser specifically tailored for plants grown in hydroculture / hydroponic environments.
Uses and applications[edit | edit source]
Hydroculture-based plant cultivation is currently more common in the Netherlands and Europe than other parts of the world. However, it is used the world over as it is a simple-to-use, hygienic and sustainable method of cultivation.
As hydroculture is a form of soilless gardening it can be particularly useful in areas where soil is scarce, such as desert areas or in urban environments where the use of soil is impractical and in some cases impossible. Hydroculture is often used in indoor environments as once established, a hydroculture-based system is usually cheaper and easier to maintain than a soil-based system.
Advantages[edit | edit source]
Compared to soil-based gardening growing using the hydroculture technique can come with a few advantages. Firstly, growing without soil eliminates the common issues of soil-borne pests and diseases. The water level indicators that come with basic hydroculture systems make it virtually impossible to over or underwater / fertilise plants and unlike soil, the growing medium itself does not degrade over time and in most cases can be cleaned, washed, and re-used (expanded clay pellets are often re-used several times before replacement).
Disadvantages[edit | edit source]
As with any method of plant cultivation there are disadvantages as well as advantages. One of the biggest disadvantages of using the hydroculture growing method concerns plant stability. In soil, plants can remain stable easily because the medium is dense. In media used for hydroculture, such as expanded clay pellets, plants often have to establish a firm root system before becoming fully stabilised. This means that before a substantial root system has formed any tipping over or forceful movement of plant pots can cause spilling of the growing medium and dislodge the plant, causing unnecessary stress to the plant.
Aside from that the only other real disadvantage with hydroculture is a build-up of salts from fertilisers and chemicals from pest-control products in substrates such as expanded clay pellets. However, maintaining a clean growing environment and using products designed to flush excess fertiliser and chemicals can counteract this issue.
