Hydroponics | Behrman House Publishing

Hydroponics

NASA has extensively researched hydroponics as a method of sustaining life on space stations and space colonies.
Eurofresh Farms in Willcox, Arizona, is the largest commercial hydroponics farm in the world, with 256 acres under glass.
Hydroponics uses 1/20 of the water used on a regular farm to produce the same amount of food.


IMAGINING THE FUTURE: Disney "imagineers" who developed EPCOT Center in Orlando, Florida, dreamed of building a futuristic community that would showcase the world's newest and most exciting technology. When the park opened in 1982, it featured a high-tech greenhouse that demonstrated hydroponics, a technique for growing fruits and vegetables in water, without soil. For the most part, the advantages of hydroponics modeled at EPCOT have been realized around the world; for example, water, energy, and land are conserved; food is safer because fewer pesticides are used; and crops grow faster.

THE DIRT ON HYDROPONICS: Hydroponics farmers can grow plants without soil because roots absorb nutrients only after they have dissolved in water. Soil acts as a nutrient reservoir but isn't necessary for growth. Once scientists learned to add nutrient solutions directly to water, hydroponics was born.
The most elementary hydroponics system involves growing plants in plastic containers with holes cut in the top. The containers' bottom section, called the reservoir, holds the nutrient solution. Farmers change the solution according to a regular timetable, or when the concentration drops below a certain level. (Start your own hydroponics experiment. Log on to babaganewz.com for details.); In hydroponics-and traditional farming-the pH level of the nutrient reservoir determines a plant's ability to absorb nutrients and grow well. An abbreviation for "power of hydrogen," pH refers to the soil's acidity and is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. Acids, like vinegar, have a pH from 1 to 6.9; alkalis, like baking soda, measure 7.1 to 14; water, which is neutral, has a pH of 7. In general, most crops prefer a pH level between 6 and 6.5. Hydroponics allows farmers to easily adjust pH levels.

SOIL ON VACATION: In addition to giving farmers greater control over their crops, hydroponics helps us observe the mitzvah of shemittah. The Torah commands us to give land in Israel a rest every seven years: "Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce. In the seventh year, you shall let it rest and lie un-harvested" (Shemot 23:10-11). During a shemittah year, hydroponics farmers at Ein Gedi, Eilat, and Ashkelon supply Israelis with fresh produce and allow Jews outside Israel to enjoy Israeli fruits and vegetables in accordance with Jewish law. Since the crops aren't actually planted in the ground, hydroponics farming isn't considered working the land.

Please rate:

Additional resources: