Hydroponics
Soilless cultivation method that uses renewed nutrient solutions and an inert substrate to do without the support and inputs of soil [1]
Definition
The following definition can be found on Wikipedia: “Hydroponics, or soilless culture, is the cultivation of plants carried out on a neutral and inert substrate (such as sand, pumice, clay pellets, rockwool, etc.), this substrate being irrigated by a flow of solution that provides mineral salts and nutrients essential to the plant. It is an alternative plant cultivation technique that can be implemented on farms of all sizes.”[2]
History
This is an ancient cultivation method. Indeed, the Aztecs practiced it on artificial islands called Chinampas [3]. These islands were located in swampy areas and structured using arrangements of reeds and wooden stakes. This structure allowed the retention of a tangle of mud and aquatic plants, on which the crops rested. Water circulated freely between these islands, as did fish and sediments.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon can also be mentioned, where crops were grown in channels continuously supplied with water [4].
Usage
Cultivation method
Economic aspects of cultivation
See also
- ↑ "Definition Hydroponics" - Futura Sciences https://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/definitions/developpement-durable-hydroponie-7409/
- ↑ https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroponie
- ↑ Ebel, Roland. n.d. “Chinampas: An Urban Farming Model of the Aztecs and a Solution for the Megalopolis of Our Times.” In . ECO. n.d. “Mangrove Restoration in Key Mexican Coastal Lagoons in the Gulf of Mexico | Featured Stories.” ECO Magazine. https://www.ecomagazine.com/featured-stories/mangrove-restoration-in-key-mexican-coastal-lagoons-in-the-gulf-of-mexico.
- ↑ William Texier, Hydroponics for Everyone, Mama Éditions, 2013
