Hydroponics: Soilless Gardening Explained [Paperback]

Les Bridgewood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2003

Plants need nutrients, air, water, and light with a little warmth to survive. Traditionally these have been provided by soil, but hydroponic techniques allow plants not only to survive but also to thrive by gaining the perfect balance of nutrients from a regulated solution. This book looks at the flood and drain method, drip feed, Nutrient Film Technique, aeroponics, and aquaponics. It offers a detailed examination of nutrient content and the strength of solution, advice on how to grow a variety of plants and how to control pests, a simple-to-follow guide to how to arrange and automate a greenhouse, and step-by-step instruction on how to build your own hydroponic systems. Without the need for stooping or weeding, hydroponics is ideal for anyone with back problems or mobility impairment, and superb for children, who can follow and monitor the plants’ growth.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ripe, juicy tomatoes in winter; lush, exotic blooms all year long. As an alternative to traditional, soil-based gardening, hydroponics offers many attractive advantages, but perhaps none is as alluring as its ability to provide a perfect, balanced, nutritive environment for a wide variety of vegetable and floral crops. With the potential to yield large, healthy harvests in a controllable, pest- and weed-free atmosphere, hydroponics appeals to those intermediate or advanced gardeners seeking environmentally, economically, and technologically innovative methods for propagating and raising plants. An acknowledged authority with more than 25 years' experience, Bridgewood examines the nutritional requirements and explains the diverse methods of hydroponics in an accomplished and accessible guide. Beginning with a concise overview of its history and basic methodology, Bridgewood then offers in-depth background on supporting topics such as nutrient solutions, hygiene, and greenhouse unit construction and maintenance. Explicit line drawings and detailed color photographs further aid in clarifying techniques and procedures. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Les Bridgewood has been gardening without soil since the early 1970s. He regularly contributes to gardening magazines including Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Crowood Press (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861265603
• ISBN-13: 978-1861265609
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent; consice but packed with information, June 28, 2006

By 

Amy Crawford (Northern CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hydroponics: Soilless Gardening Explained (Paperback)

After reading 5 or 6 other books on hydroponics, this book is by far the best. It is packed with information, good drawings and pictures, and the results of ongoing research. It explains the different techniques used with hydroponics in enough detail that a beginner can make intelligent decisions about how to proceed. Excellent hands on information. It is filled with tidbits of info that add to your understanding of why things work best a certain way, without overwhelming you with extremely techincal explainations. I found that most books were too simplistic, or else textbooks, on the subject. The author did a good job of finding the middle ground.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An inconsistent book, June 24, 2008

By 

J. Strout (Downers Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hydroponics: Soilless Gardening Explained (Paperback)

This is a thin book which you can read in a weekend, and it does a decent job of introducing you to the topic. But it's not very consistent -- some topics are covered in depth, while others are not explained at all. For example, the last chapter uses the word "bolster" (as a noun) repeatedly, but never explains it, and fails to include it in the glossary as well.

In addition, it has a focus on hydroponic growing in the UK -- listing only UK suppliers, and spending a lot of space discussing the particular issues of growing (outside) in the UK. It also spends many pages on what ought to be minor side-notes, like building a particular brand of commercial geodesic greenhouse, or building a system to maintain water level (a neat trick, but it could have been explained in a page or two).

So I found it a useful book to start with, but it's not one I will keep on my shelf.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Source of Information, June 4, 2008

By 

RCLPSH81 (New London, CT United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hydroponics: Soilless Gardening Explained (Paperback)

This book is full of excellent information and should be the first one you purchase if you are interested in Hydroponics. It is well written and concise and shows enough detail to get its point across.