History of Hydroponics

The Aztecs used a hydroponic system known as the floating gardens. To make this they would build rafts of rushes and reeds, lashing the stalks together with tough roots. They then dredged up soil from the shallow bottom of the lake, piling it on the rafts in a variety of organic debris. These rafts had abundant crops of vegetables, flowers, and even trees planted on them. The roots of these plants, pushing down towards a source of water, would grow through the floor of the rafts and down into the water.

The Incas dug oval ponds near their mountain dwellings, leaving an island in the center. After the ponds filled, they added fish. Geese flew in, harvested their meals from the water and relaxed on the island. Their droppings and fish scraps quickly turned the island into a super rich, high quality garden. Now not only did the Incas have the geese doing the fertilizer work, they also had fresh fish ready to eat and a moat around each garden to keep out hungry prowlers.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics records dating back to several hundred years BC describe the growing of plants in water along the Nile without soil. Babylon also used hanging gardens, which are listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and was probably one of the first successful attempts to grow plants hydroponically.