Polyculture chemicals into the environment such as eutrophication of fresh water or the presence of excess atmospheric nitrogen are greatly reduced in polycultures. Other negative impacts of modern agriculture are similarly reduced. Excessive tillage occurs in most modern agricultural practices, but removes essential microbes and nutrients from the soil that are conserved in polycultures, especially permacultures. Agricultural machinery not only uses fossil fuels and creates waste, but is more costly to farmers. Because polyculture relies on natural systems of crop maintenance these costs can be eliminated as well. Modern agriculture is also dependent on a very limited number of plant species.
Plant nutrition gardeners to grow their plants in a controlled environment. The most common solution is the Hoagland solution, developed by D. R. Hoagland in 1933. The solution consists of all the essential nutrients in the correct proportions necessary for most plant growth. An aerator is used to prevent an anoxic event or hypoxia. Hypoxia can affect nutrient uptake of a plant because, without oxygen present, respiration becomes inhibited within the root cells. The nutrient film technique is a hydroponic technique in which the roots are not fully submerged. This allows for adequate aeration of the roots, while a "film" thin layer