Easy Hydroponic Gardening in your Home

Hydroponic gardening is not a new invention, but its popularity is currently increasing drastically. People are now using this process of growing plants, flowers, and vegetables without soil in their homes, where previously it was mostly used just by professional gardeners.

Hydroponic Gardening Made Easy
By Simon Morris

Hydroponic gardening has become popular over the last few years because of its many benefits. Some of these are the lack of insects inside the house, you can grow 24 hours a day, the temperature can be kept perfectly stable, they do not take a lot of space and you can even keep the CO2 levels right where ya want them.


Photo: home.aone.net.au

Hydroponics gardening does not use any dirt when growing the plants but there are many ways of doing this. The most common of these systems is the ebb and flow system. This system fills up and drains a try that the plants are sitting in every few hours. This keeps the roots nice and wet. The water then drains into a reservoir under the plant try and there waits to be reused. This water has the perfect PH and amount of nutrients necessary for the plants that you are growing. The strong light, perfect atmosphere and a perfect nutrient mix creates a perfect plant. You can grow amazing veggies with hydroponics peppers really come out great.

Hydroponics doesn't have to be done inside. People have outdoor systems too. Many of these systems have buckets filled with lava rock, a reservoir with the perfect nutrient water mixture all connected to a timer that lets the water flow in and out of the plant trays ever hour or so. There are many options for the growing medium in a hydroponics system. People use things like gravel, lava rocks, even rock wool cubes.

The hardest part of growing hydroponics is keep the correct PH level in the water. Like a jacuzzi there is one thing to raise PH and one thing to lower it but you still need to keep an eye on it frequently. The most popular way to check the PH is use the paper strips that turn color after sticking them in the water. You then match the color to a chart to determine the level. Another popular way is to use the digital PH meter which is the one i recommend because it reads much more accurately.

The type of system people pick is usually a personal choice. The three main types are the ebb and flow, the drip system and the Aeroponic system. These use the same concept for the most part. The fertilizer you use is the most important choice if you plan on growing any edible plants. If you are planning on growing veggies or herbs using the hydro system make sure to ask questions so there is no chemicals or harmful ingredients in the mix. This is very important because some of the solutions are harmful for your health if they are consumed. The best bet for edible plats is to use some organic solution. They sell these at most hydro stores. The problem with these is the PH levels are much more unstable and require constant checking.
If this sounds like the thing for you then i suggest giving hydroponics gardening a chance because it can give you the very best plants.

Though there might be hundreds of Types of systems, Drip, Ebb and Flow, Water, Wick, Culutre, N.F.T Wick, Water Culture, Ebb and Flow, Drip, N.F.T., Aeroponic and more. There really are amny but these are the six basic types of these.

Simon Morris is a horticulture specialist with over 10 years experience in the field. For detailed information on Hydroponic gardening, click the link below: http://www.ourgardensource.com/Container-Gardening/Hydroponic-Gardening.php

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Before Building Hydroponic System

Before building Hydroponic System, it's best to have had some hands on experience with the hydroponic system you intend to use. Before you buy anything or start looking for a starter's kit, get a few good hydroponic gardening beginner's guides and take your time to read up on the subject.

Hydroponic System - What You Need To Do Before Building It Yourself Or Purchasing A Starter's Kit
By Kyan Zen

To learn and experience hydroponic gardening, beginners including myself usually prefer to have a beginner's kit or a standard kit for them to try out.



Photo: ezhydrokit.com

When I began reviewing hydroponic components and starter's kits on the Internet and nearby gardening suppliers. I was amazed to discover that basically you can purchase from a simple hydroponic unit costs about $20 to greenhouse with full automation costs $20,000. The vast range of product and amount of information available is both pleasing and confusing. While you have a great range of products to choose from, it is not easy to make a choice.

Therefore, before you buy anything or start looking for a starter's kit, get a few good hydroponic gardening beginner's guides and take your time to read up on the subject. Then develop a rough idea of the size of the hydroponic unit your want and what you want to grow in it. Much of the beginner's kits won't make sense unless you understand the basics of hydroponics and your needs.

It is very important to have an idea what you want at the very beginning. For example, a person who spends $30 a simple hydroponic system may later find out that 7 days a week, 3 times a day, he/she must be available to pour nutrient over the aggregate. For the busy city dweller, this could be a hassle. In this case, an automated hydroponic system will be more suitable for him/her.

Just to let you have an idea of the common types of hydroponic systems Water Culture System, Ebb and Flow System, Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) System and The Drip System.
When you start planning for your very first hydroponic system, the followings are just some of the considerations:

- Where do you want to plant, outdoor or indoor? - How much space do you have? - How large a hydroponic unit you need?- What the types of plants do you want to grow?- How many plants will you grow?- How much you can afford to spend?

Once you have decided on your hydroponic system, you can handle your purchase in one of two ways

1. If you enjoy working with your hands, making things, gain tremendous satisfaction from what you create, then you can build your own unit by following the steps provided in the guides, and just restrict your purchases to those things you cannot make or otherwise adapt from materials at hand such as pump.

2. If you will rather concentrate on the actual growing of hydroponic plants using a system that is proven, then you can buy an entire hydroponic unit including a container, an aggregate and for some degree of automation, a pumping device. Many kits also include an initial supply of nutrients.

Once again, if you are new and keen to try out hydroponic gardening, then read. Personally, I think if you do it for the first time, then it will be good to get some books, at least two to three books. Because different authors likely focus and provides more detailed on 1 to 3 hydroponic systems based on their own experiences. So reading a few guides allows you to have better understanding of various types of systems and helps you to identify the best system suitable your needs.

A good basic guide should provide a parts list, a tools list and step-by-step instruction, and advices to ensure that you are able to build a good hydroponic system. In fact, nowadays, there are also guides on the internet coming with video clips to better illustrate the building process.
Hydroponics is fun and simple to learn, hope you will enjoy.

Zen has reviewed an amazing beginner's guide on Hydroponic Gardening. You can visit the website at Hydroponic Gardening to find more about this guide.

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Plant Cloning

Plant cloning is not a new concept and basically the exact same thing only the cultivation of cloned plants is done using hydroponic cloning instead of the more traditional soil potting. If you have a tough time cloning, make certain you have the right hydroponic supplies, available. Detailed below are some essential supplies for cloning plants.

Vital Information for Plant Cloning
By Michael Straumietis

In hydroponics, plant cloning is the act of reproducing a plant asexually so that it is a genetic copy of the original. Many people choose to clone because it can actually create a new plant faster than seed propagation. Others choose to clone in order to make copies of genetically superior plants. It is not uncommon for an experienced hydroponic gardener to have his grow room be mostly filled with clones of a single original plant.



Photo: lau.edu.lb

In hydroponics, the most common method of plant cloning is making a cutting. This simply involves cutting off a part of the "parent plant" and planting it in the medium. Since each cell in a plant has the ability to grow every part necessary for the plant's survival, this will create an entirely new plant if done properly.

The plant you use to make your clone or clones must be chosen carefully. During a growing season, make sure to pay careful attention to which plants seem to be the hardiest, were most resistant to the diseases, and provided the biggest yields. In vegetables, try to note which offered the best tasting food. In flowers, look at which offered the biggest, most colorful and most fragrant buds. Make certain that the mother plant is healthy and well fed. Making a cutting creates an open wound which increases the odds of the plant suffering from a bacterial or viral disease.

You may have to alter your growing room conditions when plant cloning. Cuttings often require more humidity and higher temperatures in order to successfully take root. Make sure that the light you use is neither too harsh or too hot. It will probably benefit from either indirect, reflected light and cool running light source, such as LED or fluorescent bulbs.

To make the cut, take a sharp razor blade and sterilize it with isopropyl alcohol. Cut a section of the stem that is about two to five inches long. The stem should have a few large leaves on it to maximize photosynthesis.

However, you should remove any leaves that may wind up below the growing medium. These will simply die because they will not receive any light, and create unwanted organic material that might attract bugs and diseases.

To maximize the potential of success of the plant cloning, you should use a rooting hormone. Rooting hormones are designed to increase the percentage of cuttings which form roots, speed up how quickly roots form and increase the number of roots on every cutting. To use this, simply pour the hormone into a shot glass or other container and dip the end of the cutting into it.

Now you should poke an area in your medium to allow easy insertion of the cutting and gently place it in the medium. Some growers cover their grow tray or buckets with a clear plastic bag to increase humidity. The bag should be removed after about two weeks, when the roots should start taking hold.

During the cloning stage, growers should pay extra attention to any fungi that might form in their growing room. The increased need for humidity creates a perfect environment for many species of undesirable fungi to thrive.

Michael Straumietis is co-founder of Advanced Nutrients, an international marketer and manufacturer of agricultural, home & garden, hydroponics and soil less fertilizers and plant nutrients. To discover more about plant cloning, read our feature article in the hydroponics gardening section at http://www.advancednutrients.com/

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Basic nutrients for Hydroponics

There are twenty mineral elements considered necessary or beneficial for plant growth. The beneficial elements may only be essential for some plants. So, understanding about nutrients.

Hydroponics Nutrient and Feeding Tips
By Moses Wright

Basic nutrients such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous are fundamental to the biochemical processes for a plant when it is making its food. To ensure maximum health, you can consider adding other nutrients such as magnesium or iron.




Nitrogen is an important part of growing leaves. The air is about 79% nitrogen, but plants will still need a supplement of it to grow. The molecule of N2 in the air is not very stable and plants can't break apart the compound to find the single atom. Phosphorous affects the growth of roots. Potassium, on the other hand, helps to fight diseases since it is a big part of enzyme formation.
There are other elements that are very important to the life and health of your hydroponic plant. Calcium is necessary to help build the cell walls and also will help to deliver ions to various parts of the plant. Chlorine is a part of chlorophyll and is a very big part of photosynthesis. Iron, meanwhile, is a big factor of the hemoglobin molecule and is formed by plants and animals to help transport oxygen for cellular respiration.

You can find pre-made solutions that will give your plants the nutrients they need. Just like with anything, the right dosage is essential. You can find young plants that will need a specific dosage, while flowering plants will require a completely different amount.

Maintaining a steady water temperature is crucial as it affects how the plant obtains its nutrients. You can find a range of solutions, but they should all be fed at room temperature level. The hydroponic plants themselves should also be in water that is room temperature for best results.

Dry plants need nutrients and nitrogen burning is possible. You can find the aeroponics, which is when one branch is grown in air and can suffer the problem of nitrogen burning.

If you get your water from the tap, leave the water overnight to allow chlorine to evaporate. Mineral water is preferable to distilled water as it contains calcium and other positive nutrients.
Make sure the soil is at a neutral pH level if you want to see positive results in your plant. You can keep your plants neutral to keep the water alkaline. You can add a little bit of sulfuric acid to make sure that the water is very neutral for your plants. If you have very acidic water, you can make it more neutral pH with sodium hydroxide.

Of course, you can also find testing kits that will help you accurately measure the pH of the water for your hydroponic water. Your hydroponic plants will be more sensitive to nutrient levels and can't self-regulate themselves like soil-based plants so you will need to keep an eye on your plants.

Moses Wright enjoys working in his garden. He started this site to help fellow gardening enthusiast with more hydroponics nutrient feeding tips and hydroponic gardening systems.

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Getting the garden ready by Shift Gears

Soil is never used in hydroponic growing. Some systems have the ability to support the growing plants, allowing the bare roots to have maximum exposure to the nutrient solution. In other systems, the roots are supported by a growing medium. Some types of media also aid in moisture and nutrient retention. Before growing your plants just read this article;

Time To Shift Gears
By Lill Hawkins

Even though there's still snow on the ground up here in the frozen North, many parts of the US are getting green and warm. Green is what I always think of when I think of spring, a soothing, natural color that spreads over lawns and through tree branches, covering the browns and grays and off-white winter colors and lifting our spirits. Even if you love winter, by the time it's gone on for several months, it's nice to see some fresh color in the landscape.


Photo: hobbyhydro.com

I don't know about you, but when the sun rises higher in the sky and birds start pairing off and waking me up at 4 in the morning, I just have to get outside. Even now, in mud season, when walking down the driveway to get the mail can mean losing a boot in a soft spot, I still try to get out every day and do something. Gardening is out until the ground thaws and then dries out, which may not be until the end of June this year, thanks to the almost-record snow we had.

Instead of getting the garden ready, the kids and I have made canals in the driveway to channel the water so that it wouldn't go under the garage door. Daughter was delighted to discover that her Fairy House, made of stones, bark, moss and seashells, made it through the winter and she spent a couple of afternoons refurbishing it for any fairies cold-blooded enough to brave the freezing nights.

Maybe, where you live, it's time to plant a garden or - if you live in the Deep South - even time to harvest your first vegetables. If so, I'm sure you're appreciating spring after supermarket tomatoes all winter. Even the hydroponic ones just don't have the taste of the sun in them, do they?

Perhaps where you live, the ground is still "too wet to plow" as the farmers say, but you're able to get out for your daily walk again, after the ice storms and slippery sidewalks of winter. So you're shifting into exercise and maybe your dog is too, if you're lucky enough to have a walking companion.

Many of us are joyfully ogling gardening catalogues and web sites and seeking out just a few new plants to add to the usual veggies and flowers. Maybe some ornamental grass would look nice next to the little pond we're going to put in near the deck, so we can watch the grass wave in the breeze while we sip our iced tea. (Of course, we'll make sure that it's environmentally appropriate grass for our area.)

We're opening windows to air out the rooms and the fresh air smell lingers even when we have to close them against the chill of afternoon. The furnace isn't running during the day and that really bucks us up when we consider the high price of fuel. Maybe this summer we'll actually save up enough to install those solar panels we can never seem to afford. (Can't afford the oil either, come to think of it, so why not go solar?)

We're all turning our faces to the sun, literally and figuratively, this time of year and it's good to feel its warmth again. Even in places where winter is just cool, not cold, the angle of the sun, the new plant growth and the babies that appear behind their parents flying, swimming, waddling, running and frolicking tell us that change is in the air. Change is in us too during this season.

If you're concerned about the environment, global warming and rising fuel prices, maybe spring is a good time to start doing something about it. Start small, if you like, by adopting the Three R's: Reducing consumption, Reusing instead of throwing away and Recycling everything possible. Just those three things makes an enormous difference to our planet.

From there, read more about going green on this site and others. There are directories that can steer you to information and resources that will help. Sign up for online newsletters. Find a local volunteer organization and get involved in environmental improvement projects. Have fun and make friends, while you do good.

Shifting gears. Moving into the promise of new beginnings. To me, that's the whole idea of spring. We get to start over again with new energy and new ideas. What better time is there to help Mother Nature than spring when she gives us a chance, once again, to save the Earth.

Looking for Natural, Organic and Green information? Find info, resources and products for your green lifestyle. Lill's List for everything that's good for you.

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Hydroponic Theory

Hydroponic Theory is a techniques for growing plants without soil. It uses an inert medium (peat, sand, vermiculite, etc) and adding a solution containing all the essential nutrients required for plant normal growth. A purer form of hydroponics, water culture, involves having plant roots water containing nutrients.

Hydroponic Gardening Theory
By Alyssa Bentley

Something that's been buzzing in the growing community is the idea of growing your beautiful plants indoors using a process called: Hydroponics. Now, Hydroponics is something that's no good for those of you who garden specifically to get outside in the dirt and dig around in the manure, but for those of us who do not have large tracts of arable land, or any land at all, hydroponics starts to sound like a much more attractive offer.



Photo: gardenvisit.com

Why Hydroponics?

Hydroponic Gardens are compact and can be placed anywhere.

They use and re-use water over and over and require minimal additional water to function properly.

They eliminate the need to watch for garden pests such as aphids, caterpillars, potato beetles and fungus.

They are very efficient growers for plants - plants grow very quickly in a hydroponic setup.
They are convenient, and most systems are easy to automate so they require a minimum of interference by you. Any plant can grow (or start to grow) in a hydroponics system, regardless of the time of year, or how north or south you are located.

There are other reasons why one would choose hydroponics over a traditional garden, but there are also detriments. For instance, many people associate hydroponic gardening with the growing of certain illegal plants that are generally abused as controlled substances. It seems like every week there's some large house in a nice neighborhood that's being busted by the cops with hundreds of compact fluorescent fixtures, water sprayers, containers, grow dirt, nutrients and plants removed. However, just like anything, a small percentage of people can ruin a good thing for everyone else.

In reality, the main benefits to Hydroponic Gardening is to give people who would otherwise be unable to grow plants the ability to grow plants. It's very common for avid gardeners to start their tender young plants out in a hydroponic setup, and then transfer those plants to their gardens after the ground thaws.

Orchid growers, in particular, seem to gravitate towards the hydroponic grow systems. The obsession that many people have with Orchids is intense. This obsession, coupled with the frustration of being unable to meet the exacting needs of the orchid in a person's unaltered back yard, leads many to try growing in greenhouses or in a hydroponic setup.

Additionally, the technology for hydroponics is everywhere. Light timers are used in many applications to conserve energy, just as they are used in hydroponics to time the light cycle for plants. The compact fluorescent, metal halide, T5 and other types of intense lighting used in Hydroponics are also used on aquarium systems that strive to meet exacting needs for freshwater plant life or delicate corals and anemones. Water drip systems are used in greenhouses and in large scale agriculture, as well as outdoor gardening and landscaping on a regular basis. Plant nutrients have been in development for quite a long time - as long as there have been people trying to grow non-native plants in partially depleted soils. PH meters are used in scientific applications, and again in all forms of gardening. We wouldn't know where the acidic soils to grow grapes were located if we didn't use a PH tester, aside from costly trial and error.

Hydroponics evolved out of a combination of need and desire. We desire fresh tomatoes, we desire fresh basil, we need somewhere to grow them because we don't all live on farms anymore. The more we hear about plants being coated in wax and pesticides, the more we worry about those substances getting into our children and ourselves, and we want some way to be sure of our food sources. While it's impractical to think that we could go from buying our food at the store to growing it all in our apartments, it's nice to know that we can supplement some of our produce in this way. Specialty sauces, for instance, or your own personal herb garden for fresh cilantro, basil and oregano are a tempting reason to go Hydroponic.

For die-hard, natural gardens only people, hydroponics may not be your cup of tea. If you're using plants that are native to your region, you simply sow your seeds and let nature take its course. However, for many in northern climates, the wait for spring is too far off. These people appreciate the plant life that technology can bring to their homes.

Something to keep in mind: Before this writer knew what hydroponics even was, she was buying "Vine-ripened, hydroponically grown tomatoes" at the local grocery store due to their superior color, texture and flavor. They were consistently bright red, juicy, and devoid of spots. They were always smaller than the so-called "stew tomatoes", but the bigger, lighter-colored tomatoes had a less rich flavor. The balance of nutrients, light and water combined with the plant's reduced need to fight off infections, insects and fungus produces a much healthier plant specimen than would otherwise be possible.

Alyssa is an Online Marketing author who uses personal experience and research to write informative articles for her clients. Hydroponic Gardening is a fascinating subject, as it encompasses modern technology and ancient agriculture together to produce better produce. Alyssa writes this article for Grow Closet, one of the best, economically sound resources for hydroponic supplies. They ship discretely, too, for those concerned with that.

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Aquaponics and Symbiotic

Aquaponics is the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating environment. Alternate definition: An integrated hydroponics and aquaculture system.

The Symbiotic Relationship of Aquaponics
By Rhonda Cossey

The symbiotic relationship of aquaponics is much clearer if you understand the ways in which each of the farming methods offers up its faults to the other, and gives back by accepting faults for itself. A complete ecosystem can be achieved just by allowing nature to do what comes naturally - correcting itself with adaptation.



Photo: laughingduckfarm.com

The hydroponic method of farming has been around for as long as there has been farming itself. Many ancient cultures have used water and nutrients to grow their food, and the rice patties around the world still use this method to produce their food and necessities. Hydroponics as a system is a very good way to produce, but the drawbacks with this method include constant monitoring of the nutrients, oxygen, and water levels being used. A very in depth knowledge of plant nutrition is generally required, with each plant family having specific needs. The water usage in the hydroponic system is also high due to the constant changing water values and quantities necessary for optimum production. Evaporation can be a wasteful value. The plants themselves produce oxygen in great amounts, but need carbon dioxide and other "pollutants" to sustain themselves. These are some of the problems that are solved by the addition of another farming method - aquaculture.

Aquaculture can help hydroponics become a more efficient production method by rectifying the common problems associated with it. The water circulates in a closed system, creating less evaporation, and the oxygen given off by the plants in their growth process is used by the aqualife being grown in the water tanks. In return, the aqualife excretes nitrites, carbon dioxide, and other pollutants that the plants need to maintain growth. The plants gratefully use these and give back fresher, cleaner water for the aqualife to thrive in. A complete, natural, organic ecosystem can thus be created.

The simplicity of the system, the lack of large tracts of land needed to produce abundant crops, and the water and fossil fuel conservation aspects of this farming method should make it one of the major emerging food production plans for the future. With the new issues of our food security coming under scrutiny in recent times, a closed, highly productive food ecosystem could be the answer.

Follow along on the escapades of an aquaponics enthusiast building a miniature aquaponics system in a small greenhouse at http://greenhouseaquaponics.blogspot.com/
Gardening is in my blood, and in my freezer! I'm going to start planning for this years harvests now, why don't you come along and do some yourself at http://thegardencenter.blogspot.com/
And for more on tomatoes http://tomatosuccess.blogspot.com/

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Indoor Hydroponic System

Indoor hydroponic system is not alway need large-scale setups with timers and pipes dripping everywhere. Actually, growing hydroponically can be very simple and easy. That can also growing in your indoor area.

Indoor Hydroponic System
By Tracy Ballisager

An indoor hydroponic system is a lot like gardening with magic. Where once a dank, dark basement might have stood, now a lush, tropical paradise might flourish, favorite flowers bloom profusely, and edible delicacies delight the eye as well as the dinner table.




One truly enchanting element of creating an indoor hydroponic system is that this type of gardening has no limits. Whatever your imagination can dream up, you can create.

Unless, of course, your dreams encompass old world forests, redwoods, and other environments which rely on some really tall trees. But then, again, an indoor hydroponic system is so versatile even this might be achieved, given enough height above and big enough pots below.

A more realistic dream for your indoor hydroponic system is probably an idea a lot more attractive than something that pretty much defies the scope of gardening.

And it's probably not a good idea to start your first indoor hydroponic system with a fantasy environment in mind, anyway. You might enjoy it more if you start small and familiar.

Once you've mastered some of the basics, you can then expand your indoor hydroponic system at a pace that keeps the experience engaging without becoming overwhelming. Any gardening project, indoors or out, that becomes overwhelming can put a damper on the fun.

If you already enjoy gardening because of your outdoors gardening experiences but your green thumb is getting restless to tackle a new project, an indoor hydroponic system can be an ideal adventure. Just make sure the first thing to plant indoors is something you are confident of growing outdoors.

Once your indoor hydroponic system is planted with something tried and true because of your outdoor gardening adventures, compare all elements of the indoor garden - soil, water, light, and humidity - and adjust as need be to achieve the same results indoors as you do outdoors.
Once you've mastered the basics, the fun - and the magic! - blossoms.

Tracy Ballisager is stays at home mum. To read more about gardening tips and idea go to http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com/

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