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Hydroponics is the art of growing plants in water, rather than soil, and can be split into two sections active and passive.

Age
Hydroponics is quite technical and needs quite precise measurements of plant nutrients, involving constant experimentation. Although most children will have grown cress in a saucer on a windowsill using a damp tissue, this is passive hydroponics.

Description
Active hydroponics is simply explained as planting seedlings in a gutter pipe and trickling water containing the required nutrients down the pipe, the amount and balance being changed to the optimum plant requirement at every growth stage, to achieve maximum yield. Used in greenhouses most commonly on crops such as tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce. As a pasive and decorative showpiece a single bulb can be grown in a specially designed glass container so that the root become part of the display.

Dedication
Hydroponics certainly needs more regular attention than traditional gardening. however for the real enthusiast or showman hydroponics offers the chance to change the color of a bloom or the plant characteristics by feeding the plants on different chemicals real live home experimentation.

Closely Related Activities
Gardening see HIPS activity no 736. And Gardening showing no 283.

Cost
Passive hydroponics need cost no more than the traditional cost of growing a crop. Active system however need a pump and a means of recirculating the water, this need be nothing more elaborate than a small aquarium pump.

Level of Demand
The table below shows the maximum levels of demand that this activity requires. NOTE: These are not entry levels or levels of requirement and has nothing to do with ability.

Energy

Arms

Legs

Sight

Hearing

Speech

Learning

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