What are the advantages and disadvantages of hydroponics farming?

Hydroponics Farming:

• The term hydroponics is referred for growth of plants in water and sand culture.
• It is also referred to as soil-free agriculture, test-tube farming, tank farming or chemical gardening. i.e., the technique of growing plants in a nutrient solution.
• Professor Julius von Sachs, a German botanist published the formula, for the first time, that plants could be grown successfully to maturity in a defined nutrient solution in complete absence of soil.
• This technique is employed to determine which mineral elements are essential for the growth and development of a certain plant.
• This technique may be employed for the commercial production of vegetables such as carrot, seedless cucumber, radish, potatoes, tomatoes and lettuce and to increase yield of ornamental plants such as gladioli, snapdragon, roses and vegetables
• It requires purified water and mineral nutrient salts, and the nutrient solutions must be adequately aerated to obtain the optimum growth.
• Commercially the application of hydroponics involves the production of horticultural and floricultural crops.

Advantages of Hydroponics

• Soil is not required for hydroponics
• No need for huge farming land as it allows the crops to be produced in greenhouses, even in the desert sands. It is a stable technology for growth of plants and ensures high yields
• The desired nutrient environment can be easily provided for plant growth
• Water stays in the system thus labor for watering of plants can be avoided
• Lower water costs as water is reused in these systems
• Less water is lost through evaporation and runoff
• Acid-base balance can be easily maintained.
• No mulching, tilling, changing of soil and weeding
• No scope of pesticide damage
• Proper aeration of nutrient solution is possible. Nutrition pollution is not released into the environment
• Easier to get rid of pests and diseases
• Easy to harvest

Disadvantages of Hydroponics

• Limited production in comparison to field conditions
• Initial setup cost is high, as the necessary equipments are expensive
• Technical skill is required to maintain the equipments
• Hydroponic gardens are influenced by power cut
• If a disease appears all plants in the container will be affected. Water borne diseases can quickly spread right through the hydroponic gardens
• If the hydroponic system fails it can leads to rapid plant death without soil as a buffer