The History of Hydroponic Gardening

The history of hydroponic garden is bot interesting and inspiring. The concept of gardening without soil has been around for many centuries. One of the first hydroponic gardening type system was thought to be the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; existing around 500 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar II built the garden for his wife. The garden was believed to be approximately 400 feet wide by 400 feet long and 80 feet high; some say the garden might have stood as tall as the outer city walls, which were believed to be 320 feed high. With the lack of rain at the time, irrigation was an obstacle. Water needed to be sourced from the Euphrates River to the top of the garden wall, in order to hydrate the plants and trees. A possibility that has been in question is some type of pump system created by using buckets or screws to carry the water to the top and fill a reservoir, which would then be released as needed to flow down the tiers of plants in the garden, to keep them consistently watered and help the root systems to flourish. Several techniques were used during the 1600s to help protect horticultural crops against the cold weather. Some items used included hot beds covered with glass, cold frames, lanterns and jars. The 1700s brought in the portable wooden frames that were covered with oiled paper that helped to warm the plants' environment, much like the hydroponic grow tents of today. Later in the century, slanted glass roof tops were put in place, called a "glasshouse" and were mainly used to grow fruit crops as opposed to vegetable. The reasoning was that the fruit crops appealed more to the wealthy and privileged at the time, when fruit crops were out of season. In the mid to late 1800s, the three main building block for the plants to grow was discovered. These elements are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK). The first nutrient solutions was created and used to demonstrate how plants could grow and flourish to maturity in the nutrient solution alone. Then along came the 1900s when the term "Hydroponics" was first used. A grower first tested systems with tomatoes that reached heights of over 25 feet, which spawned the growth of commercial hydroponics around that time. Another mixture of nutrients was discovered and produced at that time, which are still used in our modern day solutions. These are considered micro nutrients and contain the following; magnesium, sulfur and iron. In the 1950s scientists began experimenting with hydroponic gardening, bringing the invention of the drip irrigation systems in the 1960s. General Hydroponics was born in the 1970s as large chemical nutrient suppliers began. This launched the hydroponic "gardens of tomorrow" at the Epcot Center in Florida. The 1900s is when gardening via hydroponics took off with many advances in the soil-free arena were launched including aeroponics and aquaponics. Aeroponics is a fine mist of nutrient solutions that are constantly sprayed on the roots of the plants for extremely vigorous growth. Aquaponics combines farming with fish (aquaculture) and hydroponics by raising fish in a reservoir, which feeds the plants with the excretions. This brings us to the massive industry of today with hydroponic growing for every serious gardener or hobbyist. The cannabis industry has expanded this type of gardening as well as allowing others to grow year round in the comfort of their home.