What is hydroponics?
Hydroponics is the growth of plants in a mixture of water and mineral nutrients, without the use of any type of soil. Almost any plant can be grown in a hydroponic system, with natural light and/or artificial light, and there are no worries about outside temperature, climate, growing seasons, etc. [1] Background Many websites [2] mention how convenient hydroponics is when compared to soil. It is said that hydroponics uses less water, saves more space and cost, gives you extreme control, and has less pests and diseases. Soil has been used to grow anything that can be grown with it for an extremely long time, so this idea of growing plants using water is quite interesting. Is hydroponics really that great and convenient? Or will soil still come up on top? We decided to test this theory out. (*Note: this experiment would be for smaller scale gardening, such as growing at home, since we cannot test this experiment for a large-scale commercial hydroponic farm) In this experiment, water with added nutrients was used as our hydroponic solution to grow certain vegetables, while growing those same vegetables with soil, side by side. We compared the growth rate and other measurable data to determine which method is better. |
Hypothesis
If we grow plants in a hydroponic system, then they will grow better (in terms of height and colour) compared to the ones growing in soil, because the roots would always have easy access to nutrients, and will have a lesser chance of catching bacteria and diseases.
Dependent Variable: The growth rate and colour of the plant
Independent variable: Time
Variables attempting to control: The amount of water, sunlight, type of vegetables and soil used. To control our variables, we would also need to water the beans growing in soil with the same nutrient solution that the beans in the hydroponic system receives. If these variables are not controlled, then the results will be quite different each sample (plant), as the beans in one system would receive more nutrients than the other.
*Note: In this experiment, it was not possible to have multiple trials due to our allotted time frame. Therefore, we used multiple samples of pole beans instead of having multiple trials.
[1] - "Hydroponics." Biotechnology: Changing Life Through Science, UXL, 2012. Science in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/YPNXQW578518169/SCIC?u=39cu&xid=eece7d0c. Accessed 30 Jan.
2017.
[2]- "Soil versus Hydroponics." EzGro Garden. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
<https://ezgrogarden.com/hydroponics/soil-versus-hydroponics/>
"Learn to Grow Food at Home." Hydroponics vs Soil: 7 Reasons Hydroponics Wins. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.epicgardening.com/hydroponics-vs-soil/>
Helweg, Richard. How to Grow Fruits, Vegetables & Houseplants without Soil: The Secrets of Hydroponic Gardening Revealed. Ocala, FL: Atlantic Group, 2014. Print.
If we grow plants in a hydroponic system, then they will grow better (in terms of height and colour) compared to the ones growing in soil, because the roots would always have easy access to nutrients, and will have a lesser chance of catching bacteria and diseases.
Dependent Variable: The growth rate and colour of the plant
Independent variable: Time
Variables attempting to control: The amount of water, sunlight, type of vegetables and soil used. To control our variables, we would also need to water the beans growing in soil with the same nutrient solution that the beans in the hydroponic system receives. If these variables are not controlled, then the results will be quite different each sample (plant), as the beans in one system would receive more nutrients than the other.
*Note: In this experiment, it was not possible to have multiple trials due to our allotted time frame. Therefore, we used multiple samples of pole beans instead of having multiple trials.
[1] - "Hydroponics." Biotechnology: Changing Life Through Science, UXL, 2012. Science in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/YPNXQW578518169/SCIC?u=39cu&xid=eece7d0c. Accessed 30 Jan.
2017.
[2]- "Soil versus Hydroponics." EzGro Garden. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
<https://ezgrogarden.com/hydroponics/soil-versus-hydroponics/>
"Learn to Grow Food at Home." Hydroponics vs Soil: 7 Reasons Hydroponics Wins. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2017.
<http://www.epicgardening.com/hydroponics-vs-soil/>
Helweg, Richard. How to Grow Fruits, Vegetables & Houseplants without Soil: The Secrets of Hydroponic Gardening Revealed. Ocala, FL: Atlantic Group, 2014. Print.