Hydroponic living wall in London. Image credit: Rev Stan (Flickr)
September 20, 2018 Hydroponics 5,042 Comments

I know we usually spend far more time celebrating aquaponics, however it’s close cousin hydroponics that’s caught our eye today.

Our new crush in the field is Patrick Blanc, the botanical architect who we have to thank for many of the world’s most impressive ‘living walls’, such as this one pictured at the Athenaeum hotel in London (above).

Blanc uses hydroponics to grow plants on the outsides of buildings, creating a striking combination between the natural and unnatural.

Is this the future of our cities? Might we be able to grow food to feed the urban masses in this way?

What’s the difference between aquaponics and hydroponics again?

Hydroponics requires artificial fluids to feed the plant roots, whereas aquaponics is all natural, using the waste from nearby fish tanks to provide all the nutrients the plants need to flourish.

What would we like to see next? Living walls with nearby aquaponic fish tanks!

See also ‘Is vertical farming the future?’

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Written by Pippa Woodhead
Being a health-nut, London born Pippa has struggled to adjust to the lack of availability of lettuce and kale since re-locating to India. Previously naive to the extent of the worlds food struggles, she has now become obsessed with sustainability in food production and especially in India where it needs it the most (plus she’s also hoping to get her hands on some kale any day now). When she’s not writing for Aquaponics in India, she is usually found with her head in a book or in the kitchen experimenting with new vegetarian recipes.