When I first started my journey into hydroponics, I was a purist. I was taught that plants were autotrophic, and that they could make all of their own food from full-spectrum light and 16 essential elements (a few years later it was upgraded to 17). They told me that plants couldn’t take up large organic molecules, only minerals in their tiny, ionic forms. So conventional hydroponics seemed like the perfect way to grow plants, providing all of the essential mineral elements in a form that plants could immediately use. And guess what? It really worked! Using mineral nutrition alone I was able to grow fruits, vegetables and culinary herbs that even the master gardeners envied, and I found a new hobby that I loved.
It wasn’t until years later that I found out that I had been given only part of the truth. Yes, plants are autotrophic, and yes, plants can’t take up large organic molecules… but plants can take up small organic molecules which can have a dramatic effect on plant growth. Plants and microorganisms co-evolved on the earth in a symbiotic relationship. Plants feed some of their sugars and organic molecules to microorganisms on their roots, but microorganisms in turn feed the plant chelated minerals, growth hormones and coenzymes that speed up metabolism and improve the health and vigor of the plant. So it seems that the organic gardeners were right all along, or were they?
After years of research and experimentation in plant physiology, microbiology and plant nutrition, the pieces finally came together! By isolating certain biologically-active molecules produced by living microorganisms and adding them to a hydroponic nutrient solution, the same results could be achieved as growing in the best organic soils, but in a reproducible manner. The science of bio-hydroponics was born!
Bio-hydroponics bridges the gap between mineral and organic plant nutrition, providing a base of full-spectrum mineral nutrition with the addition of organic biostimulants in a closed or semi-closed system. The hydroponic nutrient formula provides all of the essential elements for plant growth, specifically tailored for each crop and stage of growth, and the organics improve the uptake of the minerals for improved quality and increased resistance to environmental stress, pests and disease.
Bio-hydroponics can actually improve the nutritional value of food. In my early experiments, I took frequent leaf samples and sent them to the lab for analysis. When using bio-hydroponic nutrients, every essential element accumulated to higher levels than with standard hydroponic nutrients, and the brix was at the top of the scale for premium quality. Lab results showed that bio-hydroponically grown food is nutrient dense and loaded with vitamins and minerals.
Bio-hydroponics also improves the plant’s natural resistance to pests and disease. My first clues to the value of bio-hydroponics for plant protection came during a visit to the Netherlands in 2001. In 2000, the Netherlands made all fungicides illegal on food crops since all known synthetic fungicides had at least the potential for negative side effects in human beings. Immediately, some Dutch strawberry growers started losing over 40% of their crop to powdery mildew and other fungi, especially under high humidity. So the hydroponic growers started to experiment with organic biostimulants from Germany. The improvement was dramatic. They reduced losses from powdery mildew to zero, achieved a ten percent increase in yield over any past year, and they were first in the line for sugar content in the fruit! And it was all achieved by simply adding traces of organic biostimulants to their hydroponic nutrient solutions. As a result of the field trials, the Dutch government approved the organic biostimulant as a plant protection agent the following year. Meanwhile, I continued to my research in bio-hydroponics.
Finding the right combinations of mineral nutrients and organic biostimulants was the easy part. Combining them in a concentrated nutrient formula was more challenging. Concentrated mineral salts and organic molecules don’t play well together when mixed in liquid form. They have many opposing characteristics, and the solution is so biologically active that shelf life can become a problem. So I was limited to the number of biostimulant ingredients that I could put in a bottle. I could only use small quantities of the purest, biotech-grade organics. Even so, the results spoke for themselves, and both soil growers and hydroponic growers reported significant improvements in both quality and yield.
To combine a wider array of water-soluble minerals and organic biostimulants in an all-in-one package, however, it is best to package them in dry form. Without water, there is no microbial activity and all of the nutrients retain their full potency. When mixed in water and fed to the plant, the fresh nutrient solution provides a rich supply of minerals and organic biostimulants, immediately available to the plant.
Surprisingly, the best applications for bio-hydroponics are in soil. In soil, the organic biostimulants not only improve the metabolism of the plant, they also improve the metabolism of plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria in the root zone. Microorganisms are the biostimulant factories. As rhizobacteria actively divide, they continue to produce a wide array of growth hormones, organic acids, siderophores and natural chelators that have a positive effect on plant growth. The extra “spark” that the bio-hydroponic fertilizer provides, stimulates the microorganisms to do their work faster and more efficiently.
As I continue research in the field of bio-hydroponics, I often discover positive side effects that I hadn’t anticipated, and positive feedback continues to come in from gardeners. For example, some growers are reporting thicker stems, tighter internodal length, improved fruit quality and better shelf life. In my own experiments, I’ve seen improved resistance to temperature extremes, and I’ve been able to reduce or eliminate the need for plant protection agents. In short, I’ve found that when we work with nature, there are positive side effects we hadn’t even thought of, but when we work against nature, sooner or later there are negative side effects to plants, people or to the environment. Bio-hydroponics promises to pave the way to future advances in plant nutrition, while helping us discover the true genetic potential of our favorite fruits and vegetables.
Some of the benefits of bio-hydroponics include:
Improve the nutritional value of food.
Increase the plant’s natural resistance to pests and disease.
Grow more food in less space.
Conserve water and natural resources.
Protect the environment from harmful runoff.
Provide a sustainable model for local food production.
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