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As environmentally conscious growing becomes more mainstream, a slew of terms like organic, biodynamic, vegan, regenerative, and biorational flood the conversation. But what do they actually mean?
In this blog we break down these often misunderstood farming styles, how they relate to hydroponics, and where fact meets fiction.
Organic farming is regulated by official standards—like the EU Organic Regulation (Annex I) or the OMRI list in the U.S. While it’s often thought to mean “no chemicals,” it’s more nuanced.
Key Characteristics:
Common Myths:
Some products at Eutrema (like seaweed extracts) are organically compliant even without formal certification.
Vegan farming attempts to meet organic standards without using any animal-derived inputs.
The Challenge:
Plant-based NPK sources are limited, making it hard to supply all macro and micronutrients. It’s possible—but not easy.
Popular in wine production, biodynamic farming predates modern organics but includes spiritual or pseudoscientific practices like:
Permaculture focuses on designing self-sustaining ecosystems using companion planting, like the famous Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash).
📚 Looks great in theory
📷 Not-so-great in practice
Actual implementations often look chaotic and yield poorly, though the philosophy is appealing.
Unlike organic, regenerative agriculture emphasizes rebuilding soil health and ecosystem function.
Common Practices:
In hydroponics?
The term is used more loosely—mostly referring to biostimulants and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.
Biorational products are inputs that don’t harm beneficial organisms and instead promote ecosystem health.
🦟 Examples include:
This as a critical approach for sustainable pest control in both soil and hydroponic systems.
Homeopathic fertilizers claim to “charge” water with the memory of nutrients.
They don’t work. And in hydroponics, they’ll likely leave your plants sick and underfed.
While some growers might see results due to residual soil fertility or over-fertilization, there’s no evidence of efficacy in controlled systems.
A hot debate: Can hydroponics be organic?
From biodynamic to biorational, these labels can help you communicate values—but they don’t guarantee yield or efficacy.
Whether you’re cultivating lettuce in a rooftop NFT system or growing legal cannabis under LEDs, understanding these terms will help you choose the right strategy, not just the trendiest one.
| Term | Definition | Key Points | Dr. Sharp’s Take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic | Regulated, natural inputs | Rock phosphate, fish emulsions allowed | Useful but not always vegetarian |
| Vegan | No animal inputs | Hard to balance nutrients | Feasible, but limited |
| Biodynamic | Spiritual organic | Moon cycles, horn manure | “Nonsense” |
| Permaculture | Ecosystem design | Companion planting | Looks great, poor yield |
| Regenerative | Soil-health focus | Direct drilling, cover crops | Strong potential |
| Biorational | Biology-friendly inputs | Feed beneficials, selective products | Very useful |
| Homeopathic | “Water memory” fertilizers | No active ingredients | Ineffective, misleading |
Are you using vegan nutrients successfully? Found a permaculture setup that actually works? Or discovered a killer biorational trick? Share your insights
Article by Dr Russell Sharp
If you would like to keep up to date with subjects just like this, you can listen to both our podcasts! Links can be found bellow:
Hydroponics Daily Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/207T7p7fw9sPjINfSjVXW2
Cereal Killers Podcast: https://t.co/eSEbBkTVHl