Hydroponic growing is a growing methods that uses just water as a grow medium. This technique has been studied for many years and is used by many home growers.

Hydroponics is the growing method that utilizes only nutrient rich water as a growing medium.The method was first tried when botanists first realized that plants acquire all the nutrients and food they need to grow from minerals and other compounds in water not soil. The soil that outdoor plants grow in serves only as a conduit for water to reach a plants root system. Researchers discovered that by removing soil from the growing process ans using just water they could grow plants faster and with larger yields. The technique is currently used by researchers who need to grow in controlled conditions, home gardeners who want to raise quality plants or herbs year round, and for growing in locations with no soil

The study of hydroponics has been going on for hundreds of years but serious advancement in the area began in the early 20th century. It was then that researchers started clinical trials to determine the potential for hydroponics and how to maximize its use. A researcher by the name of Dennis Hoagland working at thr UC Berkeley was able to develop a number of formulas for mineral nutrient solutions. These became known as Hoagland solutions and are still in use today.

Hydroponics was quickly put to use in location around the world that did not have adequate soil or dirt for planting crops. Advancement of hydroponics continued throughout the 20th century with several different methods and techniques being developed for various uses. NASA has been doing extensive research on the subject as a way to provide food for astronauts on long term voyages. Researchers have made use of hydroponics to grow plants in a controlled setting for clinical study. Currently soilless growing of many plants and crops is much more efficient than terrestrial methods, with equivalent yields requiring a fraction of the grow area as is need outdoors.

Recently many home hydroponic systems have been created and implemented by gardening enthusiasts. These systems have allowed amateur growers to produce quality crops year round and in any climate. The advancements over the last several years means that there are now more options than ever. Current technology has made many systems much more convenient than in the past; timers and pump can automate many of the daily growing tasks.

There are systems designed to grow a range of different plants and to accommodate many different crop sizes. Most hydroponic system differ in how they deliver water to plants and include static solution culture, continuous flow solution culture, aeroponics, passive sub irrigation, ebb and flow systems, top irrigation, and deep water culture. These methods can all be combined with nutrient solutions and be used to cultivate almost any plant or herb species.