Hydroponics: Interview with the Hydroponic Society of America (HSA)
Jay Choe and Dominic Hahm
April 25th, 2022
April 25th, 2022
Overview
The Hydroponic Society of America (H SA) is an NGO (non-profit organization) formed in 1976 in Berkeley, CA. Its extensive knowledge is in the disciplines of plant lighting, plant science, controlled environment agriculture, and hydroponics. The HSA has a rich history of being involved with leading industry scientists and groups like NASA, the FFA, 4H, and a number of other national and international organizations. The Hydroponic Society of America works with some of the leading plant scientists and controlled environment application engineers in the industry, as well as some of the largest educational facilities to spread knowledge and awareness of hydroponics and its various applications in science.
We interviewed Dan Lubkeman, the president of HSA.
Questions
1) How does hydroponics work, and what is the process of setting up a hydroponic system?
Dan: “Hydroponics is growing without soil. Setting up a system is as simple as watering by hand into a bucket with holes in it using a soilless growing media. There are a variety of styles of hydroponic systems. Some systems are pre-manufactured and some are made using common household items.”
Essentially, the term “hydroponics” refers to any method or system used to grow sustainable agriculture without the use of soil. This concept promotes efficiency in growing plants, as well as safer and greener methods of agriculture. There are numerous subsystems of hydroponics, featuring unique methods to promote growth in plants while keeping the materials sustainable and efficient. For example, simply putting plants over an aquarium filled with nutrient-rich water can be considered a hydroponic system. On the other hand, a massive aquarium with a complex symbiotic relationship engineered between aquatic life and the plants above the aquarium is also a hydroponic system. This idea of sustainable soilless plant growth can be utilized by organizations such as NASA and SpaceX to create sustainable agriculture in outer space, and also as decorations and simply a more efficient method of growing houseplants.
2) What are the environmental benefits that come with hydroponics?
Dan: “Environmental benefits include using no pesticides, using 90% less water, and recycling water. Hydroponics can be used in both green energy and other modern industries.”
Hydroponics is currently one of the major faces of green energy and agriculture. It surpasses traditional farming in sustainability and efficiency by using less water, recycling nutrients, and creating a sustainable biosystem that could go untended for months. The key point of hydroponics is that soil is not needed. This eliminates the need for constant maintenance, large spaces, and pesticides. A unique example of a hydroponic system is one in which both fish and plants are used to create a constant cycle that promotes growth in both fish and plants, without needing any external tampering. This is called an aquaponic system, which merges the principles of hydroponics with aquaculture. The work that the HSA does further proves that the concept of hydroponics could potentially be the key to solving global environmental problems, as well as promoting sustainable and green agriculture.
3) Could anyone set up a hydroponics system at home without a large budget?
Dan: “Anyone can grow at home, even on a small budget. You can find tools and resources to set up hydroponics easily on the internet, at a very low price.”
Although the advanced hydroponic systems that are used in space shuttles and other large industries are very complex and hard for the average person to set up, it is actually relatively easy to create a small and simple system at home, even with a small budget. Materials such as filters, plant seeds, and tanks can be found on numerous websites featuring hydroponics at a very low price. Additionally, hydroponic systems make common appearances in household decorations, such as in a vertical plant wall or a small aquarium with aquatic plants. With the right resources, anyone can set up a functioning hydroponic system in a matter of days, as stated by Lubkeman.
4) How was hydroponics utilized when involved with organizations like NASA, the FFA, and 4H?
Dan: “Groups like the FFA and 4H use hydroponics as a teaching tool for students. NASA uses hydroponics for growing in space, like on the ISS.”
The HSA has previously collaborated with numerous large organizations in teaching, developing, and researching the field of hydroponics in the past. The National FFA Organization and 4H are both premier youth organizations preparing members for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture. The HSA aided FFA and 4H in educating their members about the principles of hydroponics in agriculture, as well as its potential uses in the field of science and research. Additionally, the HSA collaborated with NASA, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in the research and development of sustainable agriculture in space, such as on ships and space stations. Hydroponics was used as one of the major food sources in many space shuttles such as the International Space Station (ISS). The HSA has utilized numerous varieties of applications for hydroponics, and their work will continue to aid people projects in the future.
Conclusion
Hydroponics has a virtually infinite amount of applications in nature and science. Using zero soil, zero pesticides, and up to 10 times less water, it is considered by many to be a feasible solution to counter climate change and its negative impacts on the global environment. The spread of hydroponics in the agriculture world will mark the end of the overexploitation of crops and the effects of intensive farming. Hence, it is integral for organizations like the HSA to continue educating and guiding the general public on the science, process, and impact of hydroponics on nature. Moreover, the concept of hydroponics promotes sustainable agriculture, as well as the elimination of environmentally-damaging methods of farming.
The Hydroponic Society of America (H SA) is an NGO (non-profit organization) formed in 1976 in Berkeley, CA. Its extensive knowledge is in the disciplines of plant lighting, plant science, controlled environment agriculture, and hydroponics. The HSA has a rich history of being involved with leading industry scientists and groups like NASA, the FFA, 4H, and a number of other national and international organizations. The Hydroponic Society of America works with some of the leading plant scientists and controlled environment application engineers in the industry, as well as some of the largest educational facilities to spread knowledge and awareness of hydroponics and its various applications in science.
We interviewed Dan Lubkeman, the president of HSA.
Questions
1) How does hydroponics work, and what is the process of setting up a hydroponic system?
Dan: “Hydroponics is growing without soil. Setting up a system is as simple as watering by hand into a bucket with holes in it using a soilless growing media. There are a variety of styles of hydroponic systems. Some systems are pre-manufactured and some are made using common household items.”
Essentially, the term “hydroponics” refers to any method or system used to grow sustainable agriculture without the use of soil. This concept promotes efficiency in growing plants, as well as safer and greener methods of agriculture. There are numerous subsystems of hydroponics, featuring unique methods to promote growth in plants while keeping the materials sustainable and efficient. For example, simply putting plants over an aquarium filled with nutrient-rich water can be considered a hydroponic system. On the other hand, a massive aquarium with a complex symbiotic relationship engineered between aquatic life and the plants above the aquarium is also a hydroponic system. This idea of sustainable soilless plant growth can be utilized by organizations such as NASA and SpaceX to create sustainable agriculture in outer space, and also as decorations and simply a more efficient method of growing houseplants.
2) What are the environmental benefits that come with hydroponics?
Dan: “Environmental benefits include using no pesticides, using 90% less water, and recycling water. Hydroponics can be used in both green energy and other modern industries.”
Hydroponics is currently one of the major faces of green energy and agriculture. It surpasses traditional farming in sustainability and efficiency by using less water, recycling nutrients, and creating a sustainable biosystem that could go untended for months. The key point of hydroponics is that soil is not needed. This eliminates the need for constant maintenance, large spaces, and pesticides. A unique example of a hydroponic system is one in which both fish and plants are used to create a constant cycle that promotes growth in both fish and plants, without needing any external tampering. This is called an aquaponic system, which merges the principles of hydroponics with aquaculture. The work that the HSA does further proves that the concept of hydroponics could potentially be the key to solving global environmental problems, as well as promoting sustainable and green agriculture.
3) Could anyone set up a hydroponics system at home without a large budget?
Dan: “Anyone can grow at home, even on a small budget. You can find tools and resources to set up hydroponics easily on the internet, at a very low price.”
Although the advanced hydroponic systems that are used in space shuttles and other large industries are very complex and hard for the average person to set up, it is actually relatively easy to create a small and simple system at home, even with a small budget. Materials such as filters, plant seeds, and tanks can be found on numerous websites featuring hydroponics at a very low price. Additionally, hydroponic systems make common appearances in household decorations, such as in a vertical plant wall or a small aquarium with aquatic plants. With the right resources, anyone can set up a functioning hydroponic system in a matter of days, as stated by Lubkeman.
4) How was hydroponics utilized when involved with organizations like NASA, the FFA, and 4H?
Dan: “Groups like the FFA and 4H use hydroponics as a teaching tool for students. NASA uses hydroponics for growing in space, like on the ISS.”
The HSA has previously collaborated with numerous large organizations in teaching, developing, and researching the field of hydroponics in the past. The National FFA Organization and 4H are both premier youth organizations preparing members for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture. The HSA aided FFA and 4H in educating their members about the principles of hydroponics in agriculture, as well as its potential uses in the field of science and research. Additionally, the HSA collaborated with NASA, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in the research and development of sustainable agriculture in space, such as on ships and space stations. Hydroponics was used as one of the major food sources in many space shuttles such as the International Space Station (ISS). The HSA has utilized numerous varieties of applications for hydroponics, and their work will continue to aid people projects in the future.
Conclusion
Hydroponics has a virtually infinite amount of applications in nature and science. Using zero soil, zero pesticides, and up to 10 times less water, it is considered by many to be a feasible solution to counter climate change and its negative impacts on the global environment. The spread of hydroponics in the agriculture world will mark the end of the overexploitation of crops and the effects of intensive farming. Hence, it is integral for organizations like the HSA to continue educating and guiding the general public on the science, process, and impact of hydroponics on nature. Moreover, the concept of hydroponics promotes sustainable agriculture, as well as the elimination of environmentally-damaging methods of farming.
