Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in a water-based, nutrient-rich solution. it does not use soil, instead, the root system is supported using an inert medium such as perlite, rockwool, coir, peat moss, or vermiculite. in hydroponics, the plant’s roots to come in direct contact with the nutrient solution, while also have access to oxygen.. Hydroponics and aquaponics are two methods used in agriculture to grow crops without soil. aquaponics is a type of hydroponics. both systems use a nutrient-containing water solution as the growth medium. the main difference between hydroponics and aquaponics is that hydroponics is the cultivation of plants in water whereas, fish and bacteria is.