Hydroponics is a term applied to the cultivation of plants in nutrient-rich solutions without the use of soil. Soilless growing began in the 1930s as an outgrowth of the culture techniques used by plant physiologists in plant nutrition experiments. More recent successful methods of soilless growth differ, but have two common features: the nutrients are supplied in liquid solutions; and the plants are supported by porous material, often being peat, sand, or gravel that act as a "wick" in relaying the nutrient solution from its source to the roots.

Nutrients:

Pants manufacture their own energy by absorbing sunrays and using carbon dioxide as raw material. Most nutrients are absorbed through the root structures from mineral salts in the soil. Cultivated plants need a number of key minerals from soil that aid in the development of the plant from seed to maturity...