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Today’s farmers face brutal challenges. One season they deal with fierce drought, the next year it’s torrential rain. Then there are diseased crops and insect infestations to worry about. One solution that has brought both peace and profit to the modern farmer is year-round gardening with hydroponics.

In times when natural rainwater, fertile lands and ideal growing conditions are scarce, hydroponics is considered by farmers to be some kind of heaven-sent miracle. No longer are farmers at the mercy of Mother Nature. They can grow healthy crops throughout the year, and yield full harvests, no matter the season or the weather. This the most important benefit of gardening with hydroponics.

Early documents show that plants were successfully grown, without soil as the source of nutrients, as early as 1699 at the hand of a man named Woodward. It’s also believed that hydroponics gardening was the method used for the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

The roots of hydroponics methods in modern agriculture were evident back in the 1840s. At that time, researchers discovered that a formula could be developed to contain all the essential nutrients that plants need for growth. These nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen dioxide. With these in place, the need for soil could be completely eliminated. A number of German botanists adopted this idea and soon developed the basic nutrient formulas and growing techniques that are still in use today.

Hydroponics gardening requires as little as 10% of the land used in traditional farming and less than 10% as much water. Farmers may reduce the amount of water even further by re-circulating the water used for hydroponics gardening.

Many popular types of produce can be successfully grown using hydroponics gardening. Growers who practice year-round gardening with hydroponics enjoy broccoli, cabbage, celery, chard, cucumbers, eggplant, flowers, grapes, lettuce, melons, onions, peppers, pole beans, radishes, strawberries and tomatoes.

People love hydroponics-grown produce because it is rarely affected by the insects that can thrive in soil, or by the diseases commonly caused by soil microorganisms. Another big bonus of growing with hydroponics gardening is that farmers are less inclined to use insecticides to prevent pest infestations. The crops, therefore, are cleaner and chemical-free. Farmers can pick produce when it’s ripe and enjoy it immediately, without the need for chemical preservatives. It’s a huge benefit for people who like to eat natural, additive-free produce.

Water conservation is another attractive feature of hydroponics gardening. In dry climates, where precious water must be re-circulated, hydroponics systems can greatly improve harvest yields. It’s also possible to grow a large yield of hydroponics produce quickly, in a relatively small area. In fact, it is not unusual to grow four heads of lettuce in the same amount of space that one head of lettuce would require using tradition soil gardening methods.

Various techniques are available for those wanting to try year-round hydroponics gardening:

* Water Culture Hydroponics

In this type of hydroponics system, the roots of the plants are held in a large waterproof tank. With mesh or string supporting the plants, the roots are able to hang in the water and obtain food from the nutrient formula contained in the tank.

* Gravel Culture Hydroponics

It’s usually more expensive to install and maintain a hydroponics garden using gravel culture. This type of system has a waterproof bench filled with inert pea-sized gravel. The gravel contains nutrients and supports the roots of the plants. Nutrient solution is pumped from a holding tank into the gravel solution, and the plants absorb all of the nutrients they need. When the pump is turned off, the solution drains back into the holding tank.

Despite the method of hydroponics chosen, it’s important to replenish the nutrient solutions periodically. Of course, proper lighting is also required. A number of grow lights should be set with automatic timers to deliver the appropriate amounts of light to the plants.

It’s easy to find a purchase the materials and supplies you’ll need to build and maintain your hydroponics garden. Visit your local gardening center to learn more. Soon, you’ll be on your way to enjoying fresh produce all year with hydroponics gardening.

A large number of people are concerned about their smiles, and fear that the loss in brightness of their pearly white teeth will make their smiles less attractive. For this reason, they seek out the best teeth whitening kits. Many prefer to attempt the more affordable treatments offered in home kits to the more expensive alternative of obtaining the assistance of cosmetic dentistry, which may not be covered by their dental plans.

Many of these kits are popularly advertised to achieve significant results within only a few applications. One of these, the Zoom Weekender’s Kit, has demonstrated reliable results in whitening a person’s teeth by up to six shades after only three applications. Of course, these applications take from four to six hours each, but can be accomplished in the comfort of one’s own home, and without the aid of a costly cosmetic dentist. This system, according to Consumer Reports, is the most successful home kit for whitening teeth.

Crest Whitestrips Premium is another product that is much less expensive than Zoom kits. The results, however, do not last as long. In addition, the need to place this strips directly against the stained area make their use impractical in places that are difficult to access. This product does lighten teeth an average of at least 3 shades. It does, however, require twice daily treatments of at least 30 minutes each time. The user should be warned that using these strips often results in drooling, so it is wiser to use when one is planning to be at home for the entire treatment.

An alternative to this method is the GoSmile Advanced Formula B1. It features the use of small tubes of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide that can be applied to a brush and swabbed across the teeth. Unlike the strips, the brush is more useful in inconvenient spots, and the treatment itself is more user-friendly because it does not need to be removed before one leaves home. Some persons have reported this treatment to be effective after only a few applications, but others may not see noticeable results so soon.

In comparison, the Aquafresh White Tray is designed for use at home. This product features a more generic tray that the user can fill with whitening gel. The gel is composed of a proprietary percentage of percent hydrogen peroxide (meaning Aquafresh will not disclose the percentage of hydrogen peroxide in the gel). These trays, however, offer no feasible means by which the lips and gums can be protected from the whitening compound, and many users have reported significant mouth pain that, although temporary, is inconvenient and uncomfortable.

Affordability and convenience are hallmark traits of the Supernova Whitening Kit. Buyers are instructed on the process of creating molds of their teeth for use in creating trays in which the whitening compound is placed. Unlike some others, this company offers both step-by-step instructions and a money-back guarantee to purchasers who are not wholly satisfied with the kit’s results.

One other company, Online Dental Lab, advertises themselves to be the first to offer whitening products to clients without requiring a visit to a dentist. Purchasers create molds of their teeth following instructions in the kit, and send these molds to the lab, where a dental tray is made that specially fits the buyer’s mouth. This company also offers a money-back guarantee.

Countless companies advertise online that they have the best home kit for whitening teeth. The formulas in these compounds may consist of up to 22 percent hydrogen peroxide or 10 percent carbamide peroxide. Some research has been done concerning the efficacy and convenience of many of these products, but the results are widely debated. Persons who are determined to whiten their teeth without the expert advice of a dentist should consider kits that offer a money-back guarantee and plenty of information about the products used in the kit.