Advantages and disadvantages of hydroponics.

1. PLANTS CAN BE GROWN ANYWHERE

Today, space is increasingly at the premium. With hydroponics, plants can be grown anywhere where no soil exists and light is available.

 2. BETTER CONTROL OVER PLANT GROWTH

A soil system is difficult to keep in control due to the complex chemical and biological nature of the soil. Plants nutrients are frequently not available to plants due to poor soil structure or unfavourable soil pH value. Plants growing in soil are also frequent competitors for the essential in the soil solution. On the contrary, a hydroponics grower has the freedom to regulate the composition of the nutrient solution and the frequency of the feeding of nutrient. This gives the hydroponics grower a considerable degree of control over the plant growth.

3. LESS WORK WITH HYDROPONICS

Hydroponics has no need for tilling of soil, fumigation, watering, pulling of weeds or yelling at the neighbour's dog for running through your crops.

 4. WATER AND NUTRIENTS ARE CONSERVED

A properly designed hydroponics system uses a lot less water and nutrients than soil culture. This is because the nutrients can be recycled through the system. This advantage is significant as it can lead to a reduction in the pollution of land and the stream with high levels of run off nutrients.

 5. PEST AND DISEASE PROBLEMS ARE REDUCED

The chance of soil-borne disease is largely reduced with hydroponics as it is a soiless culture system, thus the need to fumigate is much lessened. With soil culture, the animal waste, high residues of pesticides, and soil microorganisms applied on to food crops and pose a health hazard to consumers.

 6. TRANSPLANTING SHOCK IS REDUCED FOR SEEDLINGS

In hydroponics cultivation, seedlings can be easily raised in either foam or rockwool propagation blocks. These blocks can be then transplanted directly into the hydroponics system without a need to ***** out the plants as in the case of soil media. Therefore, hydroponics shortens the propagation time needed and also reduces the transplant shock in young seedlings.

 7. SOIL EROSION PROBLEM IS NON-EXISTENCE

The use of heavy machines in conventional agriculture farming compacts in the soil and results in damage to the soil structure. This could lead to serious soil erosion problems. It is estimated that in the United States, three billion tonnes of topsoil are lost through soil erosion every year as a result of human activities. This problem could be significantly curtailed if much of the present farmlands are converted to hydroponics cultivation.

 8. CULTURE IS EXTENSIVE

In hydroponics culture, the plant nutrients and water are available in sufficient amounts all year round, thus allowing higher density planting. It is also possible to grow plants in multi-levels with hydroponics. Together with the absence of pests and diseases which can affect the overall production, the increase in yields per acre under hydroponics cultivation is striking compared to soil cultivation.

Disadvantages:

The plants have to be supported as they have no anchorage for their roots.

Expensive fertilisers are a compulsory part of the system to supply the plant with minerals.