Gardeners interested in hydroponic growing are sometimes put off by worries about the cost or complexity of hydroponic systems. The good news is that raising your crops in a soil-free environment doesn’t need to be expensive or difficult. Beginners can easily make some very simple systems that provide the perfect introduction to hydroponic growing. The simplest of hydroponic planters do not even require power, however they can out-produce a traditional garden by up to 25 percent, based on “Mother Earth News.”
Basics
Hydroponic systems put you in control of your garden. If you raise plants in your house or in a greenhouse, you can determine how much lighting they get and what temperature they reside in, a definite plus for off-season growing. On the patio or deck, hydroponic systems let you raise flowers or food in areas where traditional gardens only won’t match. All you have to get started are a acceptable container, a way to encourage the nutrients and plants to feed them. Set your planter where the light and temperature are suitable and commence growing.
Containers
The container you use as a planter should match the dimension of the plants you would like to grow. Great choices include a five-gallon bucket for bigger plants, such as tomatoes, or a recycled ice chest or plastic storage bin for several smaller kinds of plants such as lettuce and strawberries. With a flow-through bucket program, your planter will want to have holes so the water can run out the bottom. A bin or ice chest raft system must be waterproof, because a bit of polystyrene floats on top to hold your garden.
Support
Among the most common strategies to encourage hydroponic plants is the inert growth medium such as perlite or silica stones. The medium facilitates the plants but does not provide nutrients. To get a simple bucket system, it is your choice to water your crops several times every day. The water passes through the medium and out of the planter every time. With a raft setup, the crops spend their entire lives floating at the top of the water. They’re often planted in web pots filled with a growth medium, and their roots reach the water through holes in the polystyrene raft.
Nutrients
It’s vital to utilize a comprehensive plant food that contains trace elements such as molybdenum and copper, since hydroponic plants are wholly dependent on you for nutrition. You can achieve this using a business hydroponics formula blended with water, or create your own food by mixing a comprehensive fertilizer as well as Epsom salts. One of the benefits of a flow-through planter is that the mineral balance is consistent — your crops get new solution many times every day. The enzymes within a raft system must be entirely replaced every week or 2 to keep the chemical balance.