Hydroponics is something that not many people have explored yet. The word comes from a Greek phrase. Hydro translates to water, and the word ponic means work. The means to grow plants without soil is not a new one. Two examples of this are the Floating Gardens in China, as well as the Hanging Gardens of fame and mystery.

These are just two examples of the way in which alternative gardening methods have been used. Beginning about the middle of the fifties science began to explore new ways to get fruits and vegetables that we need without having to use the soil to do so.

Hydroponics has some real advantages over gardening in the actual dirt. Plants grow and mature more rapidly. In fact, they grow about fifty percent faster when they are grown in a medium rather than in soil. The plant also tends to yield a greater harvest than soil grown plants do.

The reason for this, science conjectures, is that plants don’t have to work so hard to find food. They are given it directly in the plant medium that is mixed with water. The soil is not in the way, so to speak, so the nutrition goes straight to the roots of the plants.

Recently several systems have been put out on the market that permits you to grow plants hydroponically in your home. They are small scale planters but the output of the plants is truly astonishing when you use the method to plant things like herbs, tomatoes and even flowers.

If you garden on a small scale inside your home, finding one of these kits is worth your time. They will truly amaze you with how much one small plant can put out, and how rapidly your small crop will grow to fruition.