Time and again, traditional agriculture has come under scrutiny for its recounted adverse effects on the environment – depletion of natural resources, contamination of water sources, misuse of synthetic chemical inputs. As arable land depletes, soilless farming techniques have emerged as part of the solution. At the forefront of soilless systems are hydroponics and aquaponics, both providing growers with many significant benefits to growing plants while minimizing potentially dangerous environmental effects.
Many new growers are torn between two techniques: aquaponics vs hydroponics. Each technique has its potential; aquaponics draws you in with the allure of living creatures, and hydroponics with its precision and control. In order for growers to decide which system suits their needs, a fair comparison is presented below:
HYDROPONICS is a method of growing plants without using soil. This technique instead uses a mineral nutrient solution in a water solvent.
AQUAPONICS is the combination of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (the soil-less growing of plants) that grows fish and plants together in one integrated system.
Many believe that aquaponics to be a better option over hydroponics when choosing a soilless growing system, because it creates an almost entirely self-sufficient, utterly sustainable ecosystem. At the same time, hydroponics is increasingly popular with hobbyists and commercial growers.
The bottom line is, the growers can make a choice after analyzing their resources and what they expect of a system to find one that suits them the best!