Hydroponic Plants Triumph in Unlikely Places

The art of growing plants without soil (hydroponic growth) is now so advanced that it can help humans to survive for long periods in previously inhospitable environments such as Antarctica.

Traditional plant growth relies on plants absorbing minerals and nutrients from the soil. Plants do not actually need to be placed in soil to obtain the nutrients they need. In fact the soil is simply there to support them. There are many areas on Earth which do not have the necessary soils to support plant growth, preventing humans from living there.

Over recent years, this restriction has been combated by growing plants hydroponically. Hydroponics uses nutrient solutions applied directly to the roots instead of soil, in order to allow the plants to grow in unlikely places.

One of the earliest hydroponic success stories happened on Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. The island was first discovered in 1568 by lvaro de Mendaa de Nevra, who noted that it was a low, barren island. Later, when the island was surveyed in 1840 by the US Commodore Charles Wilkes, it was officially recorded as having no fresh water.

In the 1930s, Pan American Airlines began using the island as a refuelling stop between America and China. The airline constructed a village for its workers; the first time the island had been inhabited by humans. Because of the distances involved, it would have been expensive and impractical to import fresh food to the island, so the islanders relied on hydroponic methods for growing food instead for many years.

Hydroponic techniques are not as new or miraculous as some people may think; they have been developed over many centuries. However, perfecting the nutrient solutions which are used will really affect the success of hydroponic crops in remote or harsh conditions.

Perhaps the harshest environment of all is Antarctica. At the McMurdo station on Ross Island, a community of nearly 1000 people survive by relying on hydroponic techniques to grow food.

These techniques allow people at this icy station to enjoy fresh lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, fruit and herbs for use in cooking, throughout the year.

The Antarctic environment is unusual because it enjoys four months of continuous sunlight, followed by four months of darkness, not to mention high winds and extremes of temperature.

To survive this harsh climate, seeds are planted in a hydroponic mix of perlite and vermiculite and placed in a totally enclosed, insulated greenhouse at the station. Nutrient solutions are fed to the plants to ensure healthy growth and other environmental factors are dealt with by using hydroponic techniques. For example, artificial lighting is used to simulate a more normal day to night pattern in which the plants will grow best. The air is kept warm and humid by fans and hydroponic ventilation equipment, and at night an electric furnace is used to generate more heat. This gives the fresh fruit and vegetables ideal growing conditions to allow them to flourish.

Hydroponic techniques are now so advanced that we really are able to grow food anywhere on Earth, regardless of the external environment or the availability of light.

Growing food hydroponically is a fascinating process, making commercial sense for many growers who are now able to produce on a large scale without an enormous land investment.

In fact, the same techniques which keep people alive in Antarctica can be practiced in your own home using a hydroponic kit available online from Great Stuff Hydroponics. Kits and equipment for commercial growers are also available online, along with information downloads and expert advice.

Find out more about Great Stuff Hydroponics at http://www.hydroponics-hydroponics.com

About Great Stuff Hydroponics

Great Stuff Hydroponics is based in Middlesborough (UK) and supplies a vast array of hydroponic equipment for all your hydroponic plant cultivation needs. The Great Stuff Hydroponics showroom is open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday10am-2pm. Sales can also be placed online at http://www.hydroponics-hydroponics.com

Please direct all media queries, requests for press information and editorial details, to Rebecca Appleton. Tel: 0208 123 5178 or email: press@topposition.co.uk

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Building With Pressure Treated Lumber? Know The Rules!

If you are building a deck, retaining wall or a swing set for the kids it is highly likely that your material of choice is pressure treated lumber.

Pressure treated lumber, if installed properly, should provide a 40 year useable life. However, there are some things about pressure treated lumber that you have to know, in order to obtain that life and not have your project fall apart in a few years.

To create pressure treated lumber, raw lumber is impregnated with two waterborne compounds that are copper based chemicals. The amount of copper basically determines the usage and all pressure treated lumber, sold in the US, is supposed to have a tag stapled to the end of the board signifying its pounds of preservative per cubic foot of wood product:

0.25 Above Ground

0.40Ground Contact

0.60 Permanent Wood Foundation

2.50Salt Water

Because the lumber is impregnated with copper, the choice of fasteners becomes very important. When two dissimilar metals come in contact with one another a galvanic reaction is created, the outcome is that the materials corrode and disintegrate. The higher the levels of copper in the lumber the faster that the corrosion will occur.

Although most people realize that they must use corrosion resistant fasteners and connectors many do not consider items such as flashings and light poles that are also in contact with the pressure treated lumber. Of course the best metals to use for fasteners, flashings and anything else that comes in contact with the deck is stainless steel or copper whenever possible. Stainless steel is expensive and copper is not conveniently available at your local lumber supply so the next best material is steel that has been galvanized.

Galvanized fasteners come in different grades (the thickness of the coating), better manufactures mark the box with a G rating. The higher the G rating, the more zinc used. You shouldnt use less than a G-90 rating and engineers are now suggesting the use of G-185. If the box is not marked it is probably a G-60 or less and this will not provide enough zinc coating to prevent galvanization from occurring. Cadmium plated nuts, bolts and screws do not provide any protection from corrosion whatsoever.

Some manufactures have created composite coatings for use with pressure treated lumber. Read the label on the box and make sure that what you are buying is suitable for the job.

Do not use aluminum flashing, deck flashing must be stainless steel, galvanized or copper. Aluminum corrodes very quickly when in contact with copper. This also means that metals items that come in contact with the pressure treated lumber must also be protected, items such as outdoor furniture, and barbeques should have rubber or vinyl feet or wheels.

For additional information on pressure treated lumber for your home or other renovation projects, visit Renovation Headquarters.

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