How to Get Results With Hydroponics Gardening

Most people are familiar with the prefix "hydro" especially if you're in the Western Washington area where the Hydroplane races take place. But we're not here today to talk about boat racing; we're going to discuss planting a hydroponics garden.

The Greeks originally developed the word Hydroponics by putting hydro (which means "water") together with ponos, which means "labor or water-working". Adding that all together we get hydroponic gardens which grow plants without soil.

Hydroponics gardening needs basically the same care as a regular garden.  You need to pay attention to the plant's needs for light, water, temperature, and humidity. What's makes hydroponic gardens more interesting is that a soil substitute holds the roots while nutrients are carried by the water. Indoor hydroponic gardening is not that hard and plants respond well to this method of growing.

The nutrient solution that goes into the plant must have a pH level of 5 to 6 after dilution. The labor intensive part is that in hydroponics gardening, you should water more than three times a day. However, you can set up a system using a pump and timer to make things easier.

If you have an indoor hydroponics garden, it needs to be fairly warm inside. Usually between 71 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, you'll need to adjust temperature needs depending on the different types of plant you are growing (i.e. tropical plants vs vegetables). Also check for much needed humidity. As the temperature in the room rises, the air can hold the amount of moisture your plants need.

Light is of utmost importance in a hydroponic garden. Make sure your plants are placed in an area that gets the right amount of light for the plant - or use an artificial lighting system built with high pressure sodium lights or bulbs.

The nice thing is that a hydroponics system can be fully automated. It's water-based, so there's no soil to dig or weeds to pull. And water can be re-used to prevent waste. Hydroponics gardens can yield many quality plants, and home hydroponics systems and DIY kits are readily available in most hardware stores.

See also:

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