Are Hydroponic Growing Methods Bad For The Environment?

Growing plants hydroponically means growing them in nutrient enriched water rather than soil. Large scale hydroponics systems will pump the water to circulate it and may depend on the use of daylight simulating growing lights to extend the growing season. The use of greenhouses and polytunnels for hydroponics systems is considered a visual blight by many people. Therefore in terms of energy use and visual impact, hydroponic growing does seem to have a negative impact on the environment. At the same time the efficient use of water in hydroponics (conventionally grown plants usually only take up around 10% of any water supplied through irrigation) helps combat the environmental impact of extreme water shortages. Crops grown this way do not contribute to the pollution of the natural environment by fertilizer run-off and high yields also mean less land is required for hydroponically grown crops. The technique has helped growers make a living in extreme climates as well as enabling less scrupulous individuals to grow a great deal of cannabis illegally in ordinary looking houses. The social and environmental impact of hydropincs is definitely mixed.

In many cases the nutrients and fertilizer used are not natural.  So in many ways the food is not as healthy as organic.   If the amount of nutrients and fertilizers are measure wrong, the end result can even be unhealthy.