Hydroponics is the growing of plants in a medium other than soil, such as a nutrient-rich liquid.
Some Federation starships have laboratories devoted to hydroponics. The USS Enterprise-D had a hydroponics laboratory, which was to be visited by the winners of the primary school science fair in 2368. (TNG: "Disaster") The Enterprise-E had a hydroponics laboratory on deck 11. (Star Trek: First Contact)
In 2370, Rigel IV hosted a conference on hydroponics. (DS9: "The Wire")
The USS Voyager did not have a hydroponics lab, but the variable environmental controls in cargo bay two could support hydroponics equipment. Shortly after Kes joined the crew in 2371, she volunteered to establish a hydroponics bay in cargo bay two in order to provide fresh fruits and vegetables. She used nitrogenated soil instead of an alternative for Voyager's hydroponic's lab. (VOY: "Parallax")
- The hydroponics bay may have been the same as the airponics bay. If it was created in cargo bay two, it may have been destroyed by the Borg when they assimilated that area in VOY: "Scorpion, Part II," although it was most likely reestablished elsewhere.
In 2375, Dukat and his Cult of the Pah-wraiths turned some of the lower levels of Empok Nor into hydroponic bays in order to grow food, as they could not activate the replicators. (DS9: "Covenant")