"Organic" defined
Many people are confused by the word 'organic" As it means different things to different people.to the farmer, the word means no pesticides or herbicides. No potentially toxic or hazardous materials are used on crops to control bugs, weeds and diseases. to the gardener, the word usually means the same plus that no unnatural or manmade materials will be used--only "organic" fertilizers and natural controls. They must be made by nature not by man. To the chemist it means two things either inorganic or organic. Inorganic chemistry deals with non-living materials. Organic chemistry focuses on the carbon and carbon-containing compounds typically associated with life. Biologists and botanists, and others who deal with the life sciences, are stuck in the middle. When they deal with chemists and other scientists, they have to adhere to the chemical definition of organic. When they talk to the farmer or gardener, they have to talk in different terms. to them, organic means "natural", not carbon based. They can say one thing, but really mean something else. There is really no difference between an atom, minerial or the element itself. What matters is whether they are in a form that is nonharmful and that can be used by the plants. If so, they are beneficial -- whether natural or manmade. Plants do not take up carbon at the roots, they get all they need from the CO2 in the air, so the term "organic gardening" is confusing. wink.gif The same minerials are needed in either hydroponic or organic growing. These minerials are provided to the plants in the organic garden as they are released from organic matter by the action of microbes, worms and bacteria. In hydroponics, these same elements are provided by water soluble minerial salts.
Medium and method
There are two major differences between hydroponic and organic growing. One is the growing medium --- organic gardening uses soil, hydroponic gardening, by definition does not. The second is the method of delivering nutrients to the plant roots. To understand these differences, it might be easier to first look at the similarities between these two seemingly opposite methods of growing. With either method, the soil or growing medium should possess the following characteristics:
* Plants need air (about 20% oxygen is best) at the roots where it is absorbed and aids in minerial uptake. The soil or medium should have good aeration.
* It should contain the necessary minerial elements to sustain plant growth, wheter they are present in the soil or delivered to the medium as in hydroponics.
*The soil or medium should contain no harmful substances. It should have a stable and proper pH, and be free of disease or pests.
With soils the composition and condition is important. Man, worms and bugs condition and loosen the soil to provide good aeration and tilth. In hydroponics, aeration is provided by the choice of growing medium and proper system design. With soil gardening, the grower must choose a proper location or provide for drainage to avoid water logged ground. With hydroponics, again, the medium selection and system design provide drainage.
Organic nutrients
So, we finally arrive at the real difference. Or is it? Here, the two methods differ substantially. In organic growing with soil, the minerial elements are obtained by composting. This is accomplished by decay and bacterial action in organic matter to free up the minerial elements for future use by the plants. The proper moisture and temperture conditions and the presents of the right kind of bacteria are a must with composting. In addition, the compost must be "worked", turned regularly, to complete the process and produce a consistent product. This can be somewhat labor intensive. Plant and animal matter is normally used and sometimes supplemented with fine dolomite lime (providing calcium and magnesium while raising the pH and " sweetening" the soil) and other mined ingredients. Hopefully the end result of all this work will give the gardener all of the minerial elements his or her next crop will require. Hopefully these elements will be available in the right amounts---no excesses that could cause toxicity, no deficiencies. Maybe the minerial elements will be in the correct form for uptake (assimilation) by the plant roots. Hopefully no toxic substances have been introduced or created in the composting process---no harmful pesticides or herbicides carried through from previous crops used in the compost, no heavy metals like lead, mercury, tin or nickel. These can be present in significant quantities in the fish waste and seaweed commonly used as additives or for direct application in organic gardens.
These are all hopes, as most organic gardners do not know the history of every item placed into the compost bin. What were the cattle who produced the manure eating? Where did those ground up fish heads come from? Were they caught offshore from a smelter dumping lead, mercury and arsenic into the water? Were the apple peels sprayed with Alar and the orange peals with DDT? Most organic gardeners do not know.
Organic growers operate on an assumption, normally a pretty good one, that compost materials come from previously living organisms that had taken up the proper minerial elements for them to survive and grow and that these same minerials are still present in the dead material used for composting. While this logic is generally sound, it does not apply to all required elements. Some trace elements like manganese, copper, zinc, boron and molybdenum which must be present in small amounts for proper growth are "catalysts" that help in nitrogen assimilation, ion transport and enzyme manufacture. They are not taken up or used in significant amounts. Many of the other trace elements that are taken up by plants are stored in flowers and fruits. These are the plant parts that are most often removed from the garden for food or other purposes, not returned to the soil by way of the compost bin. If these are not replenished from an outside source, the soil and plants are eventually depleted of them. The classic example of this process comes from the history of corn production in Iowa and Nebraska around the turn of the century. Farmers kept adding more and more NPK, especially nitrogen, to the soil to keep production up. It worked for a while, but soon production began to drop even as more fertilizers were added to the soil. Laboratory analysis of soil and plant tissues revealed that some of the trace elements, especially copper, zinc,and boron, were sadly depleted. Upon application of these and other trace elements, production rebounded. Those tests and the government's agricultural requirements that came out of them gave us the guidelines for the "minimum requirements" now found on fertilizer labels.
Hydroponic nutrients
In hydroponics, minerial elements are provided by the use of minerial salts. These may be either naturally derived or manmade, but most have been purified and processed so that they are water soluble and in a form that can be used by plants. Many start out as mined minerials or naturally concentrated deposits that are dissolved and processed into compounds with a definite molecular structure and composition. In the refining process, these minerial salts are usually purified to remove heavy metal contaminants and toxic substances that could harm plants or people. since the chemical composition is precisely known, different minerial salts can be combined to forma balanced hydroponic nutrient. When dissolved in the proper proportions with good quaility water, a hydroponic nutrient solution can provide all of the elements needed for plant growth without soil. By its nature, the hydroponic methods eliminates much of the uncertainty and guesswork found in organic growing. Some adjustments are normally made for proper pH, controlling nutrient concentrations (parts per million) and to maintain balance between the nutrients provided. These are usually easy adjustments and within control of the grower. In a well-built hydroponic installation, all conditions are controllable so optimum plant growth can be achieved, even surpassing nature.
But is it organic?
Can a hydroponic plant nutrient be classified as organic? probably not, unless you go back to the chemical definition of the word, that it is a substance that contains carbon. By this definition, many "chemical" nutrient formulas would be considered organic. These include the chelated trace elements as well as urea, which contains carbon in the form (NH2)2CO. It is also possible to define a hydroponic nutrient solution as organic by drawing on the definition many people use that organic is "natural". Most of the minerial elements used in hydroponics srart out as mined rock or minerial deposits which are as natural as the earth itself. The important point is that it is not the elements that are different in organic and hydroponic growing, it is how these elements are obtained and delivered to the plant.
There are definite advantages and disadvantages to both organic and hydroponic growing. With proper techniques and care, organic growing can yield good, nutritious crops on a large scale with minimal expense, although it can be quite labor intensive. Organic growing has an element of uncertainty, as already mentioned, but with care and knowledge, that can be keep to a minimum. Still, optimal minerial and elementcomposition is going to involve guesswork unless expensive chemical soil analysis is routinely done and soil amendments are used to correct deficiencies. Most of the amendments used in modern agriculture happen to be the exact same minerial salts that are used in hydroponic nutrient formulas. The advantages of hydroponic growing are increase yield through complete nutritional and environmental control, the absence of competing weeds and soilborne diseases, increased crop density and reduced water consumption. With recycling systems, hydroponics uses one-tenth the amount of water used by irrigated agriculture. Growing media are easily sterilized and conditions can be altered quickly to suit specific crops or the growth stage of a particular crop, such as during flowering. The main disadvantage is the initial set-up cost. The cost of a good installation is fairly high, but if quality materials are used that cost can be spread out over many years. What about using hydroponic nutrients in an organic or soil garden? There are many advantages to this kind of hybrid application, combining organic compost with hydroponic nutrients similar to Mittleider Gardening. Care must be taken not to overdose the plants with such a system. If a full-strength chicken manure is used with a full-strength hydroponic solution the plants can be burned. Handled properly the system could eliminate minerial deficiences. Plants grow faster and healthier as long as pH, drainage and water/nutrient retention are adequate. Because the plants are healthier they are able to ward off insects and diseases, further enhancing yield.
Many people are confused by the word 'organic" As it means different things to different people.to the farmer, the word means no pesticides or herbicides. No potentially toxic or hazardous materials are used on crops to control bugs, weeds and diseases. to the gardener, the word usually means the same plus that no unnatural or manmade materials will be used--only "organic" fertilizers and natural controls. They must be made by nature not by man. To the chemist it means two things either inorganic or organic. Inorganic chemistry deals with non-living materials. Organic chemistry focuses on the carbon and carbon-containing compounds typically associated with life. Biologists and botanists, and others who deal with the life sciences, are stuck in the middle. When they deal with chemists and other scientists, they have to adhere to the chemical definition of organic. When they talk to the farmer or gardener, they have to talk in different terms. to them, organic means "natural", not carbon based. They can say one thing, but really mean something else. There is really no difference between an atom, minerial or the element itself. What matters is whether they are in a form that is nonharmful and that can be used by the plants. If so, they are beneficial -- whether natural or manmade. Plants do not take up carbon at the roots, they get all they need from the CO2 in the air, so the term "organic gardening" is confusing. wink.gif The same minerials are needed in either hydroponic or organic growing. These minerials are provided to the plants in the organic garden as they are released from organic matter by the action of microbes, worms and bacteria. In hydroponics, these same elements are provided by water soluble minerial salts.
Medium and method
There are two major differences between hydroponic and organic growing. One is the growing medium --- organic gardening uses soil, hydroponic gardening, by definition does not. The second is the method of delivering nutrients to the plant roots. To understand these differences, it might be easier to first look at the similarities between these two seemingly opposite methods of growing. With either method, the soil or growing medium should possess the following characteristics:
* Plants need air (about 20% oxygen is best) at the roots where it is absorbed and aids in minerial uptake. The soil or medium should have good aeration.
* It should contain the necessary minerial elements to sustain plant growth, wheter they are present in the soil or delivered to the medium as in hydroponics.
*The soil or medium should contain no harmful substances. It should have a stable and proper pH, and be free of disease or pests.
With soils the composition and condition is important. Man, worms and bugs condition and loosen the soil to provide good aeration and tilth. In hydroponics, aeration is provided by the choice of growing medium and proper system design. With soil gardening, the grower must choose a proper location or provide for drainage to avoid water logged ground. With hydroponics, again, the medium selection and system design provide drainage.
Organic nutrients
So, we finally arrive at the real difference. Or is it? Here, the two methods differ substantially. In organic growing with soil, the minerial elements are obtained by composting. This is accomplished by decay and bacterial action in organic matter to free up the minerial elements for future use by the plants. The proper moisture and temperture conditions and the presents of the right kind of bacteria are a must with composting. In addition, the compost must be "worked", turned regularly, to complete the process and produce a consistent product. This can be somewhat labor intensive. Plant and animal matter is normally used and sometimes supplemented with fine dolomite lime (providing calcium and magnesium while raising the pH and " sweetening" the soil) and other mined ingredients. Hopefully the end result of all this work will give the gardener all of the minerial elements his or her next crop will require. Hopefully these elements will be available in the right amounts---no excesses that could cause toxicity, no deficiencies. Maybe the minerial elements will be in the correct form for uptake (assimilation) by the plant roots. Hopefully no toxic substances have been introduced or created in the composting process---no harmful pesticides or herbicides carried through from previous crops used in the compost, no heavy metals like lead, mercury, tin or nickel. These can be present in significant quantities in the fish waste and seaweed commonly used as additives or for direct application in organic gardens.
These are all hopes, as most organic gardners do not know the history of every item placed into the compost bin. What were the cattle who produced the manure eating? Where did those ground up fish heads come from? Were they caught offshore from a smelter dumping lead, mercury and arsenic into the water? Were the apple peels sprayed with Alar and the orange peals with DDT? Most organic gardeners do not know.
Organic growers operate on an assumption, normally a pretty good one, that compost materials come from previously living organisms that had taken up the proper minerial elements for them to survive and grow and that these same minerials are still present in the dead material used for composting. While this logic is generally sound, it does not apply to all required elements. Some trace elements like manganese, copper, zinc, boron and molybdenum which must be present in small amounts for proper growth are "catalysts" that help in nitrogen assimilation, ion transport and enzyme manufacture. They are not taken up or used in significant amounts. Many of the other trace elements that are taken up by plants are stored in flowers and fruits. These are the plant parts that are most often removed from the garden for food or other purposes, not returned to the soil by way of the compost bin. If these are not replenished from an outside source, the soil and plants are eventually depleted of them. The classic example of this process comes from the history of corn production in Iowa and Nebraska around the turn of the century. Farmers kept adding more and more NPK, especially nitrogen, to the soil to keep production up. It worked for a while, but soon production began to drop even as more fertilizers were added to the soil. Laboratory analysis of soil and plant tissues revealed that some of the trace elements, especially copper, zinc,and boron, were sadly depleted. Upon application of these and other trace elements, production rebounded. Those tests and the government's agricultural requirements that came out of them gave us the guidelines for the "minimum requirements" now found on fertilizer labels.
Hydroponic nutrients
In hydroponics, minerial elements are provided by the use of minerial salts. These may be either naturally derived or manmade, but most have been purified and processed so that they are water soluble and in a form that can be used by plants. Many start out as mined minerials or naturally concentrated deposits that are dissolved and processed into compounds with a definite molecular structure and composition. In the refining process, these minerial salts are usually purified to remove heavy metal contaminants and toxic substances that could harm plants or people. since the chemical composition is precisely known, different minerial salts can be combined to forma balanced hydroponic nutrient. When dissolved in the proper proportions with good quaility water, a hydroponic nutrient solution can provide all of the elements needed for plant growth without soil. By its nature, the hydroponic methods eliminates much of the uncertainty and guesswork found in organic growing. Some adjustments are normally made for proper pH, controlling nutrient concentrations (parts per million) and to maintain balance between the nutrients provided. These are usually easy adjustments and within control of the grower. In a well-built hydroponic installation, all conditions are controllable so optimum plant growth can be achieved, even surpassing nature.
But is it organic?
Can a hydroponic plant nutrient be classified as organic? probably not, unless you go back to the chemical definition of the word, that it is a substance that contains carbon. By this definition, many "chemical" nutrient formulas would be considered organic. These include the chelated trace elements as well as urea, which contains carbon in the form (NH2)2CO. It is also possible to define a hydroponic nutrient solution as organic by drawing on the definition many people use that organic is "natural". Most of the minerial elements used in hydroponics srart out as mined rock or minerial deposits which are as natural as the earth itself. The important point is that it is not the elements that are different in organic and hydroponic growing, it is how these elements are obtained and delivered to the plant.
There are definite advantages and disadvantages to both organic and hydroponic growing. With proper techniques and care, organic growing can yield good, nutritious crops on a large scale with minimal expense, although it can be quite labor intensive. Organic growing has an element of uncertainty, as already mentioned, but with care and knowledge, that can be keep to a minimum. Still, optimal minerial and elementcomposition is going to involve guesswork unless expensive chemical soil analysis is routinely done and soil amendments are used to correct deficiencies. Most of the amendments used in modern agriculture happen to be the exact same minerial salts that are used in hydroponic nutrient formulas. The advantages of hydroponic growing are increase yield through complete nutritional and environmental control, the absence of competing weeds and soilborne diseases, increased crop density and reduced water consumption. With recycling systems, hydroponics uses one-tenth the amount of water used by irrigated agriculture. Growing media are easily sterilized and conditions can be altered quickly to suit specific crops or the growth stage of a particular crop, such as during flowering. The main disadvantage is the initial set-up cost. The cost of a good installation is fairly high, but if quality materials are used that cost can be spread out over many years. What about using hydroponic nutrients in an organic or soil garden? There are many advantages to this kind of hybrid application, combining organic compost with hydroponic nutrients similar to Mittleider Gardening. Care must be taken not to overdose the plants with such a system. If a full-strength chicken manure is used with a full-strength hydroponic solution the plants can be burned. Handled properly the system could eliminate minerial deficiences. Plants grow faster and healthier as long as pH, drainage and water/nutrient retention are adequate. Because the plants are healthier they are able to ward off insects and diseases, further enhancing yield.
could be worse tho 
(yep,,plain 'ole water) into which the "grower" mixes and maintains a nutrient rich solution,,,which REPLACES the need for 'soil'--technically one could say the technique is not 'organic',,however,,again,,'technically' speaking,,none of the nutrients are 'synthesized',,and water is natural so IMHO i consider 'hydro' plants to be "organic" (for what its worth-FWIW 
)