Water Gardening
When people talk about water gardening they are either referring to hydroponic gardening or water features like ponds or fountains. We will cover both here.
Water Gardening
If handled incorrectly, water gardening can contain many pitfalls for the unwary gardener. Handled correctly however, water gardening is a worthwhile and rewarding project, and will enable anyone hours of contented relaxation. Whether you’ve got a small garden, or a large garden capable of handling an extensive water garden, you’ll still have to plan down to every last detail, otherwise you might just be left with something you didn’t bargain for.
If you already have a small lake or pond in your garden, or even a little winding stream, your water gardening efforts just became that much easier. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of homeowners, such a bonus is just not on the cards, so you’ll have to build your water garden from scratch. If you’ve thought about water gardening then you’ve probably already thought about the how’s and where’s of how to obtain water for your water garden, and equally, how to dispose of it with ease. This being the case, we can now concentrate on the actual water gardening.
There are plenty of DIY books in the market these days on building your own pond, so I won’t go into too extensively. The basics you’ll need to know about are simple really. Your pond will need to be designed in a way that will fit within your garden confines, and budget confines. Once that’s done, mark out the edges and start digging to the required depth. Line with pond liner when finished, and weight down with stones and plant pots, as required.
If you want your pond to include fish you’ll need to decide early on in order to make the pond a livable habitat for the fish. Hardier fish that can survive winter are a must if you want them to live for some time. Koi, and Goldfish are the most popular varieties, but your local aquarium can provide you with more information. Also keep in mind that Koi tend to grow to about 2 feet in length when fully mature, so it’s desirable to leave them some swimming room for later on.
Next we can see about populating your pond and its surroundings with the plants that are so essential to water gardening. As an obvious choice, Lotus is very popular and easy to grow. You also get many varieties and shades in the Lotus family to choose from, so it does make your life slightly easier. Be careful not to overpopulate your pond with plants as this will detract from the beauty of your garden, and make it seem cluttered instead. Place the rest of your chosen plants artistically, in and around your pond area, and you’re good to go! Your efforts at water gardening will be much appreciated by all and sundry, and once you’ve finally gotten over all the hard work this labor of love entailed, you too, will appreciate the pleasures this bountiful water garden has to offer you.
What is Meant by Hydroponic Gardening?
You may be wondering what is hydroponic gardening and where does the word hydroponics come from. The word hydroponics is Greek in origin. The two root words are "hydro" and "ponic" which mean water and working or working water. Hydroponics is considered as a method for growing plants without soil. As a growing method for plants, water is used as a nutrient carrier and water, air or an inert material is used instead of soil.
Hydroponics is not New
It is believed that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the historic Seventh Wonders of the World, was actually a hydroponics garden. Other ancient civilizations besides the Babylonians that used the hydroponics growing method include Egyptians and Aztec Indians.
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Many important scientists have worked with hydroponics in order to discover for themselves what it is and how they can use it. Sir Francis Bacon also had questions about what is hydroponics and after his experiments, he wrote a book in the year 1627 titled Sylva Sylvarum that was about growing terrestrial plants without soil. After his book was published, hydroponics had a surge in popularity as a research subject. John Woodward, in 1699, published his discovery that plants did better in less than pure water source.
Refining the Nutrient Solution
Discovering what is hydroponics has developed into an important branch of science and hydroponics continues to be a scientific subject. During the 1800s, plant physiology scientists discovered that plants use the inorganic ions in water for their nutritional needs and that meant that plants are able to gain essential minerals that is necessary for growth from water. The nutrient solutions that are used today are based on what was discovered during these early experiments. By the 1860s, Julius von Sachs and Wilhelm Knop developed the mineral solution culture for growing plants that continues to be used.
In 1930, Professor William Frederick Gericke of the University of California of Berkeley introduced the term hydroponics for the science of cultivating plants without soil. Plant nutritionists Dennis R. Hoagland and Daniel I. Arnon developed the Hoagland solution and its modified forms in the 1930s and their Hoagland solution is another standard formula in nutrient solutions for hydroponics.
Nutrients and Growing Mediums in Hydroponics
What hydroponics is proving is that a plant does not need soil for it to grow; what it needs are the mineral nutrients found in the soil instead. Mineral nutrients that are found in soil must be dissolved by water before the plant can absorb the minerals. If there are enough nutrients added to a water source, the plant is able to grow from the liquid instead of the soil. Further, if plants are coated with enough of a nutrient solution often enough, they can remain suspended in air and will still thrive.
Different medium besides air and water that can be used for a growing medium include perlite, gravel, packing peanuts, Rockwool, brick shards, and vermiculite. Some people use sand and a clay aggregate and although these are forms of soil, these are called hydroponic mediums.
When you discover what hydroponic gardening is and how is remains an important study subject, you will see that it is well grounded in science and has been proven to work for many people over a long period. It adds credibility to understand what hydroponics is and how it can fit into your life.