Here at GreenCoast, you'll often hear us chanting strange phrases like "Sustainable Agriculture," "Environmentally Sound Methods," and "Nature and Science Abound." We are trying to form these key ideas into one handy mantra. We are attempting to devise a sacred verbal formula to distinguish GreenCoast's philosophy in the often unruly field of hydroponics. What we can say is: we're committed to providing our customers with focused service, the best products and great prices. We promise to offer you an unsurpassed range of choices attuned to a variety of growing methods, while staying true to a philosophy that still eludes a pithy summation.

We, of course, strongly advocate the use and possibilities inherent in hydroponics, both natural and organic. The elegance of hydroponics lies within a system's ability to provide crucial minerals required for plant growth directly, thus eliminating the need for soil. The freedom of soil-less gardening is a huge benefit for people who don't have the space to work with soil, on city rooftops or basements for instance. Hydroponic growing materials are usually recycled and reused over and over again. Water-based farming uses less water than conventional methods, so more food can be produced using less water. This means, more food can be grown, while consuming less. This is what the hydroponic model is capable of….using less water, recycled growing materials, no lasting harm -- and fruits & flowers abounding.

When it comes to hydroponic nutrient formulas, we focus on two independent, yet in some ways inter-connected types. There are Organically-Based Nutrient Formulas and Refined Mineral Formulas. Both formulas are dedicated to the goal of flourishing plants. Both methods support sustainable agriculture. The ways are different, but the goal is the same. We find that fanatically sticking to just one type of nutrient formula can be limiting and prone to misinformation. That's why we adhere to the basic principles of sustainable methods : to encourage optimal plant growth through a variety of ways, while leaving nutrient preference up to you, the individual grower. However, in the hydroponic field, definitions and conceptions are often slightly confused -- so we feel it's necessary to clear up a few things.

What is Organic
The word 'organic' is thrown around a lot these days, practically willy-nilly to the whims of marketing. It's moved beyond agricultural diction; it's now being invoked to sell toothpaste, deodorant and shampoo, which only adds to the confusion surrounding its actual meaning. Sure, you'll find the word 'organic' used frequently in this catalogue to describe certain products. But before dismissing it as a simply a term meaning 'good', let's delve into what 'organics' truly is, stripped of quotation marks.

Organic is a method of farming that supports a healthy environment. It is not a definition of produce itself. There is no such thing as "Organic Produce," rather there is only organically-grown produce. Organic farming methods are gentle on the planet, a stark contrast to conventional farming practices, which use synthetic methods, such as chemical fertilizers made from toxic substances. Organics completely refutes this farming method, but organic farming is not the only method to eschew farming techniques that aren't earth friendly. All methods under the aegis of sustainable agriculture are against products and practices that harm the earth.

Organic nutrients are unique because they are derived solely from nature in raw and unrefined forms. Organic products are derived from living organisms ranging from seaweed, to worm castings and bat guano, just to name a few. When it comes to hydroponics, however, organic nutrients are still in a primitive stage. Compared to refined mineral nutrients, organic nutrients are much more unstable to use and control. They can also be more costly than standard nutrients, since they require more supplements and fine-tuning.

Refined Mineral Nutrients
Within the field of hydroponics, we've found that mineral-based nutrient products work best since their high refinement allows for the most nutrient uptake. This may change in the future as techniques and products increase in sophistication, allowing for a more direct and balanced organically-created nutritional diet. The mineral-based nutrients we carry are made of the most highly-refined pure ingredients, including food and pharmaceutical grade minerals. They are derived from natural sources, but can not be considered 'organic' because of the refinement process they have undergone, and more importantly, because they are not alive. Of course, they are still of the earth. Some mineral-based nutrients are slightly better than others depending on the source of the nutrients.

Organic growers tend to look down upon hydroponic technology for using farming methods other than organic, but the quality and freshness of locally grown hydroponic produce is making a name for itself everywhere. In fact, the term 'sustainable agriculture' is now being used to apply to both organic, as well as natural hydroponic cultivation methods.

Eventually, as techniques develop and mature, we envision the perfect indoor garden will be a fusion of hydroponics and organics. In the future, the line between the two methods will blur, ultimately enhancing and enriching the sustainable growth ethic. Hydroponics was originally designated as a method of growing with water, no soil. At GreenCoast, we believe hydroponics is a dynamic field -- one that grants all of us a better understanding of what plants need to thrive. Naturally, improved techniques will follow this pursuit. It can be dizzying. Just breath in and then out. The more informed you are, the better the hydroponics field will develop. So, breath in and then out. By the way, we're beginning to realize what that mantra we were looking for, but couldn't quite vocalize is -- it's starting to sound like "GreenCoast."