The History Behind Hydroponics System
The definition of the term “hydroponics” sounds like “a method of growing plants without soil in water containing dissolved nutrients. That is, it means that the work is done by water. The relationship between plant growth and sufficient water was established by man thousands of years ago. But how exactly the plant eats, and with what, was discovered not so soon. To this day, mention has been made of the Chinampa rafts used by the Indian tribes of South America to increase arable land. Chinampa woven from the stems of reeds, corn and reeds. Mud rich in nutrients from volcanic earth was placed on this frame and the raft was lowered onto the lakes. Plant nutrients were obtained both from mud, and from lake water, which contained dissolved salts, was cool and well saturated with oxygen. Exactly the same method was used in other parts of the world, for example, in China as diy deep water culture hydroponic system. No one knows where and when the floating gardens first appeared, but it is obvious that this is the first hydroponic technology used by man.
In 1699, John Woodwart, a naturalist, historian with an interest in botany, conducted the first experiment proving that a plant receives nutrition from the soil and through water. He grew a plant in water, to which he added soil. And the more soil was added, the better the growth, therefore, plants get something useful from the soil. In addition, the scientists found that plants grow better in river water than in distilled water, which means that they also extract something from the water that contributes to their growth.
This was followed by a series of discoveries - that the plant releases oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide, that light is needed for photosynthesis. And only by the beginning of the 19th century did a person more or less comprehend the basic mechanisms of plant growth, but still did not know which elements were necessary for this growth.
The first scientist to publish a formula for a nutrient solution that can be dissolved in water and used for growing was Julius von Sachs (1860). Together with the agricultural chemist Knop, he laid the foundations of hydroponics. The exact formula of this solution has not reached our days. However, since then, by trial and error, adding and suppressing elements in solution, scientists were able to find out which elements are vital for plants.
The use of aquatic crops for food production is closely connected with the name of the American phyto physiologist prof. William F. Hericke, Assistant Professor, University of California He also coined the term "hydroponics." These were the years 1920-1930, turbulent times of many scientific discoveries. Gerrike's experiments showed the possibility of growing a large number of different plants in troughs filled with a nutrient solution. Later in the years 1940-1944. Gerrike’s method brilliantly passed the test when it was necessary to provide fresh American vegetables to separate American military units located on the completely barren rocky islands during World War II.
However, it should be noted that by the time Gerrike was conducting his experiments, similar installations were already operating in Europe. Probably, the largest of them was created at the Soviet Institute of Fruit Growing on the initiative of prof. D.N. Pryanishnikova. The results of this significant scientific installation were practically realized by the Soviet polar expedition as early as 1937. In the USSR, hydroponics in the greenhouses began to grow vegetable and flower plants since 1936.