What is hydroponics? How does it work? How does hydroponic farming compare to traditional farming? 

When we tell people that we grow our produce using hydroponics, we usually get something close to this response: 

“Sounds cool…sounds like it has something to do with health food maybe? What even is it?”

For all the hydro-curious folks out there, we’ve put together a primer on the basics of hydroponic farming. 

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We suggest you start here to learn the essentials of hydroponics, and if you’re inspired to try growing some hydroponic plants of your own, click over to this page to see what kind of system would work best for you!

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So What is Hydroponics?

 

Put simply: Hydroponics is a way to skip the soil, sub in a different material to support the roots of the plant, and grow crops directly in nutrient-rich water.  

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There are multiple approaches to designing hydroponic systems, but the core elements are essentially the same.

• Fresh water. Were talking primo, filtered stuff with a balanced pH. 

• Oxygen. Don’t drown your plants! In traditional farming, roots can get the oxygen needed for respiration from pockets of air in the soil. 

• Root Support. Even though you don’t need soil, your plant’s roots still need a little something to hold on to. 

• Nutrients. Your plant is going to need plenty of magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and other nutrients to stay healthy and productive

• Light. If you’re growing your plants indoors, you might have to invest in some special lighting.