Interested in taking gardening to the next level? Welcome to the wonderful world of hydroponics. If you have ever bitten into a hydroponic tomato, you can't help but be curious as to how it's done. This article is a quick guide to getting you started in growing vigorous flowers and vegetables hydroponically.
The system.
There are four popular hydroponic systems:
·????? Water Culture Hydroponics.
This system consists of reservoir that hold the gardener's desired water plant solution. In the reservoir there are floating plants in planters, which the roots are consistently submerged.
·????? Drip and Ebb Flow system.
The ebb flow system is like the water culture but instead of the roots being submerged they are dripped on by a steady drip through a hose. This is the system we are going to focus on.
·????? Aeroponics
Aeroponics is a system that instead of using predominately water, uses a system that mist water in to an airtight enclosure. The roots are suspended in the air so the roots get high levels of oxygen. This helps the grow process immensely.
We are going to use a drip system, as it is easy to maintain. You will need a decent size tote that is plastic. Pick one that is black if possible because we don't want to let any light get into the bin, which could cause root rot. Make sure also that the bin has a lid that can stay on tight. Next you will need to go to a hydro store and purchase special net pots that have a mesh like bottom and sides. Also we will need a fish pump an air stone/pump and some tubing that fits the desired pump.
First we will cut holes in the top of the bin so that the net pots fit snug but no fall through. After that we will want to cut a hole in the side of the net pots so that the tubing fits through to get to the roots. Hook up and connect with connecters the tubes to the one pump. Hosing and connecters can be purchased at your local hardware store. After that, throw in the air stone in the bottom with the pump being outside of the bin. Fill the bin with 4-8 gallons of water depending on the size of your bin. Should be about 6 inches deep of water.
There are many different types of medians to fill the net pots with. Most are pretty much all the same but we are going to use hydroton as it seems to evenly disperse the water to the roots and is cheap. This also can really only be purchased online or at a gardening store.
Atmosphere
There are two ways of creating a good atmosphere. One you can buy plastic and create a room or two you can purchase online grow tents. These tents are perfect as they consist poles to hang lights and holes for installing ventilation.
Generally speaking you are going to want to keep the room at a consistent 65 to 75 degrees. This varies form plant to plant but for this guide we are just going to assume that you are growing tomato plants.? You need fresh air to blow in and fresh air to blow out. A fan is also needed to push the air around inside the tent. Humidity can also be an issue depending on where you live in the world. A dehumidifier maybe needed to be purchased depending on how your type of plant responds to humidity.
Lighting
To make your beautiful plants grow, you will need to pick up a HID light. These can range from 80 to 1200 watts. The more watts the bigger and better the plant will grow. Keep in mind that the higher the wattage means more heat. If you have the money for a 1000-watt light and need to maintain 75 degrees, you will want to hook up a fan to the light, as it was get the growing environment super hot. Keep the light 1-2ft away from the plant as this will burn or dry out the plant.
You are going to want to keep the light on for 18 hours and 6 off. This will save on power and still maintain enough light to keep the plants growing at an optimal level. If your plant flowers which tomato plants do, you will need to trigger the flower stage by setting a timer to 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. In 3-7 days you will start seeing the flower/fruit start to develop. Be careful not to interrupt the plants with light when they light cycle is supposed to be dark as this will cause the plant to do bad things including reducing how big the flower/fruits are.
Feeding
Once your have your room all set up, you are going to want to feed your plants a specific formula of nutrients which suit your plants specific needs. I like to use a line of food called advance nutrients for tomato plants. These guys have it down like it's their job. Wait it is their job.? Anyways pick a line of nutrients that are ideal for your type of plant. Make sure to test your water for its PPM (parts per million) and PH. An Ideal PPM is anywhere from 1000 to 2000PPM and a PH of 6.5. A PPM meter and PH meter can be purchased at a hydroponic store or online. It is very important to keep an eye out for PPM and PH levels, as this is crucial in the deployment of your precious plants.
For more information check out your local library on hydroponics as they will give you way more detail on this advance way of growing. Trust me as soon as you see your plants flourish with growth and fruit you will never want to grow outdoors again.
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