Can Plants Grow Without Soil? | Wonderopolis

What about a huge greenhouse full of plastic pipes sprouting a wild variety of flowers and vegetables? No? Well…think again! As crazy as it seems, it's possible to grow plants above the ground without any soil at all.
Using a growing method called "hydroponics," you can grow plants in a watery solution of mineral nutrients instead of soil. The word “hydroponic" comes from the Greek words hydro (“water") and ponos (“labor").
The keys to plant growth are a variety of mineral nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. If you can add these necessarymineral nutrients into a plant's water supply, you no longer need soil for the plant to grow. Just about any plant can be grown with hydroponics.
Hydroponic containers can take many forms. Large hydroponic farms use vast networks of plastic pipes with holes for plants. The pipes supply mineral nutrients in a watery solution to the plants' root systems.
It's also possible to grow plants hydroponically by placing their roots in a mineralnutrient solution contained in a non-soil material, such as gravel, coconut husks, or shredded paper. These non-soil materials can provide greater support for the plants' root systems.
Hydroponic plants tend to grow well and produce high yields. Plant roots have a constant supply of oxygen.They also have access to as much or as little water as they need. Water in hydroponic systems is also reused constantly, thereby lowering water costs.
Hydroponics has many benefits in the modern world. In areas where good soil is scarce, hydroponics allows residents to grow fresh food. Since hydroponic farms can be set up indoors, fresh food can be grown all year long.
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Try It Out
Are you ready to learn more about hydroponics? Grab a friend or family member and explore the following activities:
Get outside to see how plants grow in the soil near where you live. If you already have a garden in your yard, that's great! You already have a place to explore. If not, don't worry! There are all sorts of plants growing around you, from grass and trees to flowers and vegetables. Find some plants and examine them closely. Dig up a small area of soil and look at it with a magnifying glass. What do you see?
Ready to explore gardening without soil on your own? With just a few simple items, you can try to Build a 2 Liter Bottle Garden at home! Just follow the directions and see what grows. Which plants would you want to grow at home?
Check out the Plants in Space activity to learn more about NASA's efforts to find ways to grow plants effectively in space. If you went to outer space, would you want to tend a garden? Why or why not? Do you think fresh produce would be a nice change of pace from prepackaged meals? If you could grow any plants in space, what would they be?
Marlowe
Charley
When was this written? I am doing a bibliography and need to know, Thank you
Jun 4, 2019
Hi, Charley!
You can use the date accessed. Thanks for checking!
Emma
May 27, 2019
Hi Wonderpolis,
Who is the author of this site? Do they study plants? I am writing an OPVL on this and I was just wondering.
From Emma
May 29, 2019
Hi Emma!
You can cite Wonderopolis as the author of this WONDER. Our WonderTeam researches the topics and writes the articles. On most of our Wonders, the sources used to gather information are listed. They are listed for this Wonder.
No one on staff that writes Wonders is a botanist.
Mynameisjeff
Feb 4, 2019
Are plants important in life?
Feb 4, 2019
YES! Plants are super important! Here is a WONDER (especially the 4th paragraph) that will tell you about why trees are important--and trees are plants!
Maesy
Alex Decker
ecent research has discovered a break-through new way of growing plants organically.
In short… you can grow up to 10 times the amount of plants in half the time it normally takes… and the plants are amazingly healthy and vibrant.
Here's how you do it...
http://www.bestquicktips.com/aquaponics-at-home
You will have your garden going in no time!
Feb 14, 2018
Thanks for sharing, Alex!
erik
Feb 2, 2018
how do you make a hydroponic system?
Feb 11, 2018
Hi, erik! Try reading through paragraphs 6 and 7 to learn more about what is needed for a hydroponic system!
Jasmyne
Oct 24, 2017
Does plants ever need water???
Oct 26, 2017
Plants do need water! Thanks for WONDERing with us, Jasmyne!!
khantshu
Jun 30, 2017
I had a chance to visit this kind of garden in Chiang Mai a few months ago. It is cool. I want to know more about it and want to try it out.
Jul 3, 2017
Wow! That's awesome! If you find out more about it, let us know, Khantshu!
katreena
May 22, 2017
i like fishes
May 24, 2017
Cool! How do you feel about plants?
arec
May 22, 2017
hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
May 24, 2017
?
Anthony
May 17, 2017
Cool dude
May 18, 2017
?
Anthony
May 17, 2017
Hi
May 18, 2017
?
who found this out
May 12, 2017
who found this out
May 15, 2017
Check out our Wonder Sources! ?
who
May 17, 2017
tell me
who found this out
May 16, 2017
just tell me
Cole
May 3, 2017
Hey can you grow beans in a bag in the dark
May 4, 2017
Can it be done? Have you tried it?
21
May 9, 2017
No.....
ally
May 2, 2017
when i was in 5th grade i had a science experiment and it was with flowers i put then in colored die and they started to change color. So i would expect the plants to. So, therefore i am very surprised.
May 3, 2017
That is a very interesting experiment that you did! Thanks for sharing what you were WONDERing about!
ally
May 4, 2017
What is your favorite wonder of the day
May 5, 2017
Ooo tough question! There are SO many, it's hard to pick one...but we do really love coffee so one of our favorites is What is a Barista? What's one of your favorites, Ally?
Travis
May 1, 2017
This is fake my mom works with plants and she HAS TO use soil
May 2, 2017
Thanks for sharing your connection, Travis! Soil is certainly the best and much easier but we hope you learned something new from this Wonder!
travis
May 4, 2017
but it is fake me and my mom tried and it is impossible. i don't believe you lied to us :(
May 4, 2017
We are not in the business of lying, Travis - we are in the business of WONDERing! What we found out as we did research is that it has been done before: people have grown plants in hydroponic containers, without soil. We have no idea how difficult it might be but we DO know it can be done! Thanks for commenting!
Travis
May 9, 2017
ur in the business of lieing
Travis
May 8, 2017
it CAN NOT BE DONE!! one star for the topic :(
Caleb
Sep 18, 2018
Stop being rude! ????????????
May 9, 2017
?
Delcia M
Apr 28, 2017
l´d never that plants grow without plants
May 1, 2017
This was a pretty crazy one, huh Delcia? So glad you checked it out! Have a great day!
awesomeman
Apr 26, 2017
i did not know that they could grow without soil
Apr 27, 2017
Pretty crazy, right? So glad you learned something new with us, Awesomeman!
A-Aron
Apr 3, 2017
This website is amazing
Apr 3, 2017
Thanks, A-aron! Good luck with that substitute teacher. We heard he does not PLAY!
Shawna the softball player?
Mar 7, 2017
We use this website all the time in science class and I love it?Today I have to search plants find my favorite wonder about plants and write a paragraph about it☺Gtg have to leave class
Mar 9, 2017
Incredible, Shawna! So glad you are enjoying WONDERing with us!
bro sup
Nov 15, 2016
Plant life is cool bro sup
Josh
Jan 18, 2017
Hi
Jan 19, 2017
Hey, Josh! How'd you like this Wonder?
Nov 16, 2016
We agree, bro sup! We love WONDERing about plants! :)
Bruh
Nov 3, 2016
I love these my science teacher uses them for extra homework that's optional but gives us better grades and I do every sing one of them because they are so fun and interesting to read. I was sad today because my mom would not let me go onto this page to read todays article. But then I got to. LOVE IT.
Nov 4, 2016
Thanks for sharing your comment with us, Bruh! We are so glad to be WONDERing with you and your classmates. We look forward to hearing from you again soon! :)
Thanks for asking, Aspen! The following is how you would cite this Wonder of the Day. You may use Wonderopolis as the author and since we do not list the publish date, you can use the date you accessed the article for information. ---> "Can Plants Grow Without Soil?" Wonderopolis. Web. 11 September 2016. https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/can-plants-grow-without-soil.
jk
Aug 30, 2016
hi
Aug 30, 2016
Hello there, jk! Thanks for visiting Wonderopolis! :)
ewan hogarth
May 5, 2016
very good would plant again
May 9, 2016
We're glad you liked this Wonder, ewan! We hope you plant some plants this Spring and Summer! Let us know how it goes! :)
Llllll
We're sorry to hear about that, Wonder Friend. Maybe you can talk with your family to learn more about your Mom. Thanks for visiting! :)
hi
Apr 13, 2016
k
Apr 15, 2016
Hi, Wonder Friend! Thanks for WONDERing with us! We hope you learned more about what you need to grow plants! :)
ssssdds
Apr 5, 2016
I'm wondering if plants can grow with like toys and other stuff please get back to me as soon as possible
Apr 7, 2016
Interesting question, ssssdds! That would be SUPER cool! We encourage you to keep researching at your library and online! Maybe even try growing a plant with a toy! :)
Emma
Jan 6, 2016
I am doing a project on Hydroponics and need to know some more information. Who is the author of this article? Also, when was this article published? Thanks:)
Jan 7, 2016
Hi, Emma! Thanks for remembering to cite your resources! The following is how you would cite the Wonder of the Day. You may use Wonderopolis as the author and since we do not list the publish date, you can use the date you accessed the article for information. If that was today, then use today's date for your citation.
"Does Hand Sanitizer Really Work?" Wonderopolis. Web. 4 January 2016.
Jessica Jimenez
Dec 6, 2015
I need to know if its better to grow a plant in water or in soil by its self
Dec 8, 2015
Great question, Jessica! It probably depends on the type of plant you're growing. We encourage you to do research about your plant and talk with someone at your local gardening store. Have fun! :)
Oct 21, 2015
hahaha kool
Oct 22, 2015
Hi, WONDER Friend! We're glad you liked this Wonder. We thought it was cool, too! :)
Katie Dodgen
Oct 31, 2014
Wow! Hydroponics is a really cool way to grow plants without soil! How long does it take a plant to grow using hydroponics? Would it take longer using soil?
Wonderopolis
Oct 31, 2014
What great questions, Katie! We hope you'll do some extra digging to find the answers to your questions! When you do, please come back to Wonderopolis and share with us what you discovered! :)
Gabriella Umana
Sep 23, 2013
If so what kind?
Wonderopolis
Sep 24, 2013
Hi Gabriella, we hope you'll continue to do some research of your own about hydroponics - perhaps you'll even create your own hydroponics garden with the help of your family! Seeds require nutrients in order to grow, and if they can find this nutrients without soil, they will grow! :)
Gabriella Umana
Sep 23, 2013
Can all seeds grow without soil?
Emma Watson
Jan 24, 2013
Can plants plants grow without soil?
Wonderopolis
Jan 24, 2013
Great question, Emma! We bet you'll learn about soil-less plants from the excerpt below:
"Researchers discovered hundreds of years ago that soil simply holds mineral nutrients close to plant roots, but the soil itself isn’t necessary for plant growth.
Using a growing method called “hydroponics,” you can grow plants in a watery solution of mineral nutrients instead of soil. The word “hydroponic” comes from the Greek words hydro (“water”) and ponos (“labor”).
The keys to plant growth are a variety of mineral nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If you can add these necessary mineral nutrients into a plant’s water supply, you no longer need soil for the plant to grow. Just about any plant can be grown with hydroponics." :-)
Wonderopolis
Meredith/MC
I remember something else we did in the life science unit: One of the teachers had a plant that had roots growing in it and the plant was growing regularly. I thought that that plant was sooooo cool!!
I agree with Grace that it could be poison ivy because they have three leaves, but I also think that it could be shamrocks because most of them have three leaves. I am very curious to see tomorrow's wonder!!! :D
Wonderopolis
Jun 23, 2011
That DOES sound cool, Meredith! It also sounds like you learned a LOT when you guys studied that life science unit. We know you had a WONDERful teacher!
Grace M/C
Jun 22, 2011
I think that the next wonder of the day Is about poison ivy. I can't wait to see what the big surprise is!
Wonderopolis
Jun 22, 2011
Hi, Grace! Thanks for hanging out in Wonderopolis today! We're excited about tomorrow, too! You'll have to check back to see if your guess about Poison Ivy was right! :-)
This is a great wonder! At our school we're looking at different options for urban farming in a dirt-free environment. You can watch a video about our AeroFarm unit here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY3sx-LKr6E&feature=player_embedded
Wonderopolis
Jun 22, 2011
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing about your school and the AeroFarm, Katrina! We could all learn a lot about urban farming and dirt-free planting and growing from you and your classmates! The video was really awesome...EcoSPACES sounds like a super special program! :-)
Our class used to ask the same question during our life science unit. We didn't use hydroponics though but what great idea. We used large Ziploc baggies, a wet paper towel and place the seeds inside the paper towel. Just lay the bag flat near a sunny window and just observe. You can even measure the growth through the bag. It was an amazing way to watch the root system develop. I WONDER if anyone will try watching seeds grow this way without dirt???
Wonderopolis
Jun 22, 2011
That's a GREAT way to watch the wonder of sprouting seeds and growing seedlings, Maria! What a FUN summertime learning experience...thank you so much for sharing!
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