“Hydroponics May Soon be Our Only Solution”

I long ago came to the conclusion that the path to reclaim our freedom and turning things around in this centralized, power hungry police state must involve a larger portion of the population growing our own food – decentralizing power and improving eating habits and health.

Thanks to some ingenious developments, there are now some interesting and efficient ways to make that happen.

So, this post will deal with the question of whether or not hydroponics can help.

Actually, this post deals with both hydroponics and aquaponics, as if interchangeably. Both systems have their trade offs and advantages, but can offer a personal solution to growing your own food in a small scale, off-grid model that promotes independence and can spread as quickly as other brushfires in the minds of men.

As one commenter noted: Hydroponics is growing plants without soil… letting the roots dangle in a constant spray or stream of water and nutrients.

Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics and aquaculture, which is basically farm raising fish or other aquatic animals. The systems can be closed loop and self-sustaining to a large degree, depending upon the set-up, with lots of room for variation and adapting to one’s personal needs.

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Among the major advantages are not only the possibility for faster and larger plant growth, but the ability to grow in urban areas or on contaminated lands, because the soil is not used. Further, because the water is recycled and used many times before changing, drastically less water is used in these systems that with conventional soil gardens. Continue reading →