Hydroponic gardening is a method of growing plants in nutrition enriched water instead of planting in soil. The concept of soil-less gardening is not new, dating back to the hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Hydroponic gardeners believe that growing in a controlled environment is preferable because there is a better chance of preventing plant disease, which can be transmitted through soil. Others say that hydroponic gardening requires less time as there is no need to till or weed as in traditional gardening.
Today, there are many different methods of hydroponic gardening and. It is important to consider what is right for you.
- The hydroponic grower & the system
- The watering system
- The media
Although the system may vary, the basic needs of hydroponic methods remain the same. We use NFT or nutrient film technique system.
We here at Gr8Greens are growingUP to hydroponics. We are vertical! Our systems and designs will fit most spaces and offer an unique conversation piece.
What is Hydroponics?
What Makes It Fun?
what is nft?
The Nutrient Film Technique or NFT system is an active recovery type hydroponic system. Using a submersible pump and reusing nutrient solutions, the NFT method is comprised of a reservoir with a submersible pump that pumps the nutrient solution into a grow-tube where the roots are suspended. The grow-tube is at a slight downward angle so the nutrient solution runs over the roots and back into the reservoir. The nutrient solution flows over the roots up to 24 hours per day.
The plants are supported in a grow-basket or net pot and no soil is used. The NFT system is very effective.
there's no dirt!
One of the most simple and overlooked benefits of growing without soil is that food is cleaner! Soil-free, hydroponic produce requires less time in the kitchen because there is no dirt or bugs to wash off, and less worry about residual chemicals or other harmful bacteria like E-coli. Most importantly, your hands dont get dirty...growing your own fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and herbs gives you the ultimate control over what goes on and in your diet.
Why Is It Important?
Fresh local produce
"This is better than traditional agriculture that requires more land space, is more labor intensive and presents challenges that can yield fewer crops."
- AlertNet
Water conservation
Hydroponics is a closed system, which means that all of the water used is re-circulated. The water used for soil gardening either seeps into the ground or evaporates leaving no possibility for it to be collected and reused.
It takes nearly 70 gallons of water to produce a single pound of soil-grown lettuce. In a hydroponics system, that same pound of lettuce can be grown using less than 3 gallons of water. Essentially, you could grow over 20 pounds of lettuce in your hydroponics garden with the same amount of water it takes to produce one pound in the field.
benefits of local produce
Just a few generations ago, our great grandparents and great-great grandparents had no choice but to buy local. Transportation choices were limited as were the food storage systems we have today. Once a plant was harvested, the produce had to be sold and eaten within a few days or it would spoil.
With the advent of railroads and other motorized transportation came advances in commercial farming we see today...but not without sacrifices like increasingly higher produce prices due to increased transportation costs; less nutritious and tasteless food due to harvesting and storage methods used to prolong freshness and availability; and even depleted farmable land due to over farming.
So, buying local makes sense from many angels. By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow and that future generations will have access to nourishing, flavorful and abundant varieties.
it's vertical & mobile!
Our systems growUP (using the NFT or nutrient film technique system) & you can move your garden around...
- Uses 80% less water than traditional soil-based growing
- Eliminates weeding
- Reduces or prevents runoff of nutrients and sediments
- Provides up to 4x the density of soil-based crops, reducing the amount of land to produce the same amount of food
- Produces plants faster than other growing methods, reducing days-to-harvest
- Allows plants to be grown in almost any environment, indoors or out