Negative Effects of Hydroponics

Hydroponic growing is essentially growing plants without the use of soil; instead, plants are suspended with root systems exposed into nutrient-enriched water. Though relatively few negative effects of hydroponic systems have been recorded, there are a few notable issues unique to hydroponic growing systems.

Plants grown in soil, rather than in hydroponic systems, have no exposure to several soil-based bacteria that coat the roots of plants. Plants grown in soil often develop immune factors to protect them from varying types of bacteria which are consequently passed on to individuals who eat the plant. Over time, eating plants, fruits or vegetables that have been grown in soil may help give you a stronger immune system.

One problem that occasionally crops up in some hydroponic systems is the growth of harmful algae in the water. In some cases, the algae will bloom and die so quickly that it can collect on plant root systems, suffocating them, making the plants susceptible to pathogens.

It has been suggested that crops and plants grown hydroponically will likely be more expensive than traditionally grown counterparts. This is largely because of the wide variety of equipment and refined materials needed to maintain hydroponic systems.

Research has been conducted testing the qualities of hydroponically-grown produce against traditionally grown produce. According to a University of Nevada experiment, there was no significant taste, visual quality or texture difference between the two. In fact, hydroponic growing systems eliminate many of the problems of traditional growing methods, including plant exposure to harmful pests and soil inconsistencies.