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Efficiency in comparison to traditional soil growing systems would be one of the major advantages. Commercial production and just plain hobbyists would find that moving from regular soil growing methods to the modern Indoor Hydroponic systems to be more beneficial. Freedom from uncontrollable variables such as the weather, climate and time of day would be the most important factor over traditional growing methods. Farmers in Middle East countries would be able to grow plants such as vegetables only previously grown in tropical countries. Light and amount of growth nutrients to be absorbed by the plants could be optimized for best results without wasting any resources. Plant care could be individualized as to the amount of nutrients and light they receive at any time of the day. Plants grown in pots or plots tend to reach a growth plateau, wherein they become root bound and transplanting them is the best solution. This may present the individual with a sense of frustration and could be messy. Expert advice and appropriate planning beforehand could eliminate such unwarranted difficulties experienced with soil based planting.

Expenses made at the start of the project can be offset by the advantages in the long run. Fertilizers with their ever rocketing cost are major source of expenses in plant cultivation. Plants only take the nutrients they can absorb so maximum nutrient absorption without the risk of putting too much fertilizers is eliminated. But the risk of putting too much nutrients which leads to root damage remains, so proper nutrient feeding is advised.

All in all, the hydroponic system of growing plants increases plant production and quality of the crops. Nutrients essential for plant growth are readily available, proper ratio and distribution is assured resulting to better efficiency. Pesticides and plant diseases can be avoided as no soil is needed. Soil is an ideal medium for infection and disease, so harm to both plant and the individuals are reduced. Expenses are also reduced as pesticides are eliminated so overall; cost effectiveness is enhanced and make hydroponics a more economical way of growing plants.

For the environmentalist, the hydroponic system of growing plants also presents a more desirable and alternative way of plant production. The effects of growing plants through this new system has proven to be less polluting as it totally removes the need for pesticides and leaves the soil free from contaminants. Scientifically tests also show that plants grown through the hydroponic system contain more vitamins and minerals compared to those grown through fields.

Productivity is also increased with the use of Indoor hydroponic systems. Limited spaces for plant cultivation are maximized because smaller pots are used. Indoor hydroponic systems utilize different types of automated watering systems like drip, pumps and other means, allowing for a low maintenance operation. Spaces not available for plant growing can be utilized and together with regular soil gardens or fields, maximize each growing season.

Types of Indoor Hydroponic Systems

Wick or NFT

The system most often used, operated and maintained with the outmost ease. It requires very little setup and maintenance. This is done by simply cutting a hole in the bottom of the pot and a wick is inserted. The wick’s other end connects to the water reservoir below the pot.

Reservoir or Ebb and Flow System

A growing medium is directly placed into a pan filled with water and nutrients. It is easy to maintain, the pans contents needs only to be replaced every few days in order to maintain an effective system. Root adsorption is maximized with root surface in contact with the water, oxygen and nutrients are readily absorbed.

Drip Systems

The most common of all systems, drip systems are the most likely choice of hobbyists and professionals alike. The nutrient solution is kept in a container below the plants and is distributed by a pump to each plant thru a drip irrigation system. One type would be the Recovery type system; excess nutrients are recycled and channeled back into the reservoir. Another would be the Non-recovery type where excess system is not funneled back into the system, one advantage of this is that is a low maintenance system. Ph and nutrient concentration remains stable but is not as economical as the recovery type system.

Aeroponic System

Technically, the aeroponic system is the most advance of the three. Plants are suspended either without a growth rock or growing mediums. This permits the plant to breathe more air through the roots. Nutrients and water are introduced by timed misting. Root health is maintained by a timer and is set at intervals of a few minutes.

Plants use light to convert it into energy during the process, called photosynthesis. Growth of the plant is directly dependant on the amount of light received. By the way, the amount and type of light depend on the particular plant and its stage of development. So, a good grow lamp is the one, which is chosen in accordance with the light requirements of the particular plant.

Light is essential for health of your indoor plants, but choosing a proper grow light may be challenging and always requires thorough considerations. Grow light fluorescent offers the benefits of high effectiveness, no heat generation and full spectrum of light. For comparison, incandescent bulbs also produce a lot of light, but at the same time they generate a lot of heat, which is not always beneficial for indoor plants.

Each stage of plant development requires a particular light. When the plant is in its growing stage during which stem, branches and leaves develop, it is the best timing to use metal halide lamps for they produce blue spectrum light. However, when plant forms flowers and fruits, it is better to use high-pressure sodium or HPS lamps, which provide red light spectrum. 

The only downside of MH and LPS lights is the heat generated by them. Heat is not good for plants and soil. To prevent overheating, special cooling fans may be required.

 diodes or LEDs, introduced in early 1920s, have debuted in hydroponic gardening as grow lights only recently. In comparison to metal vapor lights, LED lights offer a lot of benefits with the initial cost being their only disadvantage. However, these grow lights are more cost-effective in the long run, having the average life time of about 100 000 hours vs. 15 000 hours of other lights. Besides, LED lights consume less energy, providing energy saving up to 80% in comparison to fluorescents and metal vapor lamps. Furthermore, LED lights do not generate heat, and, therefore, they need no additional cooling and ventilation.

 In order to increase plant growth and productivity it may be necessary to use certain additional accessories, such as reflectors, which help to increase light intensity and make it more balanced, eliminating any “hot spots”.

 Another key component of the grow light system is ballast, which provides energy. While fluorescent light fixtures have built-in ballasts, the other types of grow lights, namely metal vapor and LED lights require remote or external ballasts. Digital ballasts are important components, so it’s better not to save money on them. It is recommended to choose domestically produced digital ballasts instead of old magnetic coil types or those imported from China. In addition to being more reliable, expensive digital ballasts are equipped with additional features, such as short circuit or defective bulb detection.

 Hydroponic gardening belongs to the most common techniques to grow plants and flowers with no land required. While building hydroponic system, sooner or later one faces the necessity to invest in high quality grow lights. A lot of people give their preferences to HID (high intensity discharge) lights equipped with digital ballast. These types of lamps provide the most natural light similar to sunlight, which is especially important for successful indoor plants growing. However, there are certain differences between HID lamps worthy to know.

 In general, five types of HID lights exist. They are mercury vapor, xenon short-arc lamps, metal halide, low-pressure sodium and high-pressure sodium lights. Among these metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights are the most preferred types.

Hydroponics implies growing of the plants without soil; however, they still need medium to grow in. Hydroponics stores online or local ones offer a wide range of mediums to choose from, and it is better to know them to make the optimal choice.

Different Types of Growing Mediums

Although almost any substances can more or less serve as the growing medium, the most popular are those named below:

- Water / Air / Sand / Gravel

- Vermiculite / Perlite

 - Lava Rock

 - Sphagum Moss / Sawdust

 - Expanded clay pellets

 - Oasis Cubes

 - Coconut Fiber

 - Fiberglass Insulation

 - Proprietary Soilless Mix

 - Rockwool

Although rockwool is the last in the list, it can definitely be named the most popular growing medium among hydroponics gardeners, because it is easy and cozy to use.

Rockwool was initially used as insulation material in building. However, hydroponic gardeners in Denmark were the first to discover its advantages when used as a growing medium. Nowadays, rockwool is highly valued and commercially available in the forms of rockwool cubes and rockwool plugs. To produce rockwool stone and sand are melted together and then spun into various shapes and sizes, which sounds similar to the production of cotton candy.

Rockwool Advantages

Rockwool cubes (sized 36” by 12” by 3”) are very convenient to use, because they can be easily cut to a shape matching your needs. This material perfectly holds water and air, being very porous. Therefore, the roots of the plants will be protected both from rotting and drying out in case of the pump malfunction or other event long enough for you to be able to correct the situation.

The granules of the rockwool plugs keep together well and are not less easy to use.

Precautions

Unfortunately, rockwool has weakpoints as well, besides the benefits mentioned above. It can hardly be called environmentally friendly, as it is made of rock and thus does not bio-degrade, requiring some efforts to eliminate it. Moreover, it can be dangerous for the human health, causing silicosis if accidentally inhaled. For this reason, it is recommended to wear a face mask with a HEPA filter and handle rockwool carefully. 

One more thing, a gardener should keep in mind while using rockwool, is that this material has a very high pH level, which should be reduced with available acidic substances and regularly checked.

In spite of the rockwool cons, it is still so easy and comfortable to use that it remains the most popular growing medium type among the hydroponics gardeners. The only thing to do is to take necessary precautions while working with it.

One can enjoy hydroponics gardening any season of the year, but it is especially rewarding during the cold and dark winter days. Being a type of indoor gardening, this system implies growing of plants in a special growing medium, supplied with nutrient solution, instead of soil. Similarly to other indoor gardening methods, with hydroponics gardening it is necessary to use grow lights, which allow plants to grow, make food and reproduce themselves through flowers or fruits. For this purpose HID lights are commonly used. There are several types of HID or high-intensity discharge lights: for example, metal halide grow lights and HPS grow lights. Every HID light requires digital ballast, which is necessary in order to control electrical current within the lamp, and thus provide its seamless functioning. Supplying light with a reflector is highly recommended as well, since it allows pointing the light in proper direction and increasing the light, produced by the bulb itself. Other type of grow lights are cost-effective and lightweight LED lights, where light-emitting diodes are used to produce light in colors beneficial for keeping up plant growth. The use of any of these lamps is highly effective for hydroponics growing.

Metal halide lamps contain aluminum arc tube, filled with argon, mercury and a variety of specific metals. It is a set of different metals that provide a particular color of the light, produced by the lamp. The argon gas works to start a lamp, when electric current is introduced at the electrodes on either end inside the arc tube. Under the effect of electric current mercury and metals start to vaporize and the light is produced. The key benefit of these lamps is that being small in size they produce a significant amount of light.

HPS grow lights, also known as high-pressure sodium lights, also have an aluminum arc tube inside, similarly to metal halide lights. However, the filling of the tubes is different: in case of HPS there are sodium, mercury, and the Xenon gas inside. Both metal halide lights and HPS lights require ballast for stabilizing electric current and providing smooth performance.

LED grow lights are small, but work very efficiently providing a lot of bright light. In general, they are similar to the lights, used for decorating Christmas tree. The light is produced when electric current moves between the two crystals inside a diode, which works as semi-conductor. Furthermore, LED grow lights usually have a reflector and a lens to direct the light where it is needed.

 Along with being cost effective and energy saving, there are multiple different color spectrums to choose among in order to suit specific plants needs in the best way. So, irrespectively to what type of grow light you choose, it will work accurately and provide effective growth of your indoor plants.  

It is good when people treat seriously to any thing they are going to occupy themselves with. They get acquainted with the theoretic base, they learn how to do everything right, and they buy all kinds of tools and materials, which, they think, may be necessary. However, sometimes the successful beginning may easily be done using simple things – those that everyone has at home.

Hydroponics gardening may also be started simply: do not overbuy on supplies, use plastic tubs or children’s swimming pool to make your first grow beds for the plants. Consider expensive sophisticated hydroponics supplies the next step you will take in hydroponics.

Beginners usually find it reasonable to get a “plug and go” hydroponic gardening kit. It includes plant cubes, heating pad, nutrient solution, and seeds. Sunlight and water are the only things that you will have to add in this case.

If you have already decided where your hydroponic garden will be arranged, you may wish to purchase a “grow tent”, which is easily installed within an hour. Its price may vary from $250 to $500.

Thinking about a small greenhouse, take into account that it will need a drainage system and cement or gravel flooring. Also note that the price for a greenhouse may be a few thousand dollars, though the simplest ones may cost only $500.

If you plan to have a medium to large greenhouse with many plants, you will have to control temperature inside. A grow room temperature control unit will be of help in this case. It will turn the blowers or fans on if it becomes too hot in the greenhouse. It may also be used to open and close air ducts. Note that the temperature depends on the number of plants you have.

To provide the normal plants growth it is necessary to install two types of grow lights in your greenhouse – blue and red spectrum lights.

The necessary minimum may be enriched by the more advanced irrigation and drainage system if you become a skilled gardener. The quantity, types, and size of the plants will help you choose what other supplies and equipment you need in your hydroponic garden.

With the lapse of time, an experienced grower needs to have grow light fixtures in his garden, an exhaust fan, a high quality and convenient aeration system, heating mats, a temperature control unit and other supplies.

All hydroponics equipment can be found at a hydro shop. Beginners can also rely on the advice and practical tips of the professional and knowledgeable personnel. Moreover, gardeners will always find people with the similar hobby there to communicate with. 

Buying flowers and vegetables in the garden centers or greenhouses is undoubtedly comfortable. However, starting his own seeds at home, a gardener has a chance to grow unusual and not those popular plants, many of which can rarely be found in the garden centers. To successfully start the seeds a grower should choose a southern exposure window with much sunlight. Still, it may be necessary to purchase cool-white fluorescent grow lights. Commercial mix may be the best variant of the medium, which is healthy and free from any insects.

One of the best-known mediums for starting seeds is Natural Beginnings Seed-Starting Mix from Gardens Alive, which gained several awards for its great performance. It gives better rates, as well as speed of seeds germination. It is reasonable to choose those seeds for indoor starting that are difficult to start in the garden; otherwise you would be able to just sow them in the garden.

To properly control seeds starting, it is necessary to know how many days it takes for them to germinate. This data can be found either on the packaging, or at www.savygardener.com. Web sites usually give information on many plants seeds and include the description of the best timing to sow seeds of this or than plant. Do not forget to gradually adjust the seedlings to the outside air. They are usually recommended to be planted in the garden after Memorial Day.

One more important thing to remember is that the smaller the seeds are the closer to the soil surface they should be planted. Besides light and air your seeds will also need warmth. It is thus beneficial to place a heating pad under the seeds tray or container. Hydrofarm Company offers its special product for starting seeds called the Germination Station. It consists of a 72-cell insert for the plants seeds and a humidity dome. The 10-inch by 20-inch tray is lined with a thin electric heating unit at the bottom. This allows to significantly increasing germination rates.

The detailed description of the correct seeds planting may seem a difficult task to complete. However, it is worth trying; and even if you start with only several seeds, you will definitely enjoy observing the starting of the new plant growth

Thinking of hydroponics as of something too difficult some people are reluctant to try it. As a matter of fact, it is not always true. With hydroponics everything actually depends on the gardener. He is the master, who can make the process either as simple or as complicated as he wants. A beginner can succeed in it, or an experienced gardener can be faced with serious difficulties. The clue is in the system, either built or bought by the gardener. Anyway, there is no the least reason to hesitate. And the final result is really a worthy tribute.   

 

Hydroponics is a technique of growing plants without soil, using a nutrient solution instead.

 

Though there are various methods to hydroponics, we will discuss the easiest and the most frequently used ones. The key elements of hydroponics are given below.

SYSTEM TYPES

Depending on the way of delivering nutrient solution to the plants roots passive and active systems types are defined in the hydroponics.

Passive systems are the simplest and, therefore, recommended for the beginners. This type implies that the nutrient solution gets to the plant through a wick or through the growing medium (rocks, gravel, vermiculite, etc.). This easy method has, however, a weak-point: the solution cannot circulate, which requires additional care and attendance of the gardener.  

Wick System is a vivid example of a passive system.

Active systems suggest the circulation of the nutrient solution with the help of the pumping equipment. Being pumped into the system, the solution nourishes the roots and then drains down back into the reservoirs due to the gravity, and it is later reused. Such systems may need more efforts to initiate their work, but they do not require significant maintenance.

 

Ebb and Flow, Aeroponics, Nutrient Film Technique (NFT), and Top Feed belong to the active systems.

NUTRIENT SOLUTIONS

Nutrient solution is another vitally important element of hydroponics. The first thing to do here is to take as much tap water as required by the type of your system. To get rid of chlorine just let the water stay in the buckets for 24 hours.

 

The next step you should take is to dissolve nutrients in the water. They come either in liquid or in powdered forms, the latter one being usually less expensive. Different mixes of the nutrients are always available online or in the garden supply stores. It is recommended to strictly follow the instructions not to exceed the amount of the nutrient needed. 

 

Prior to using nutrient solution be sure to check its pH level, which can be neutral (7), acidic (0-6), or alkaline (8-14). pH level depends on many things as the chemical composition of the water in your tap, its temperature, light, etc. The optimal pH for the majority of plants is about 5,5- 6,5. To check it you can use testing kits available in the majority of garden shops or with the help of the electrical tester.

 

Relying on the testing done you may need to adjust pH of the solution. To do it you can use pH adjusters, some of which lower pH level, while others increase it. On the other hand, some gardeners prefer to use baking soda (one tablespoon per three gallons of the solution) to lower pH level of too acidic mixture, or white vinegar if it is too alkaline (one tablespoon per four gallons). Though this process needs some practice to be successful, it is still an effective alternative way of adjusting solutions, which works well for many gardeners.

LIGHT

To achieve proper growth rates plants require sufficient lighting. Natural sunlight is ideal, but not always possible to get in the necessary amount; thus, artificial lighting is a common practice in hydroponics. Grow lights or artificial horticultural lights are usually present in almost any hydroponic system. However, they can be quite pricy, so it is better to shop around before making the final decision which one to purchase.

We welcome everyone, who is willing to grow herbs, plants and flowers inside the house. It is so easy to get lost among the large number of sources about the indoor gardening; that is why, we will do our best to give you the most important and easy to understand information before you start.

HOW TO CHOOSE A PLACE FOR HYDROPONIC GARDEN?

The very first and the most important task for you to do is to choose a place in your house, where you will make a garden. Actually, any free space, whether it is a closet or a basement, will do. You will need 250 Watt – 400 Watt high pressure sodium or halide light for not less than about 6 feet (150-180cm) of grow room height to avoid the growing place overheating. These lights are enough to properly light up the space of about square meter.

 WHAT DO I NEED TO START INDOOR GARDENING?

Hydroponics belongs to those avocations, which, along with requiring much time, knowledge, and skills, will need good equipment to be successful and satisfying. Here belong inert hydroponic media, hydroponic system, either natural or artificial source of light, hydroponic nutrients and, actually, plants. 

COULD YOU, PLEASE, EXPLAIN WHAT HYDROPONICS MEAN?

Hydroponics is an art of growing plants using a nutrient rich solution instead of soil.

ARE THERE ANY REQUIREMENTS TO THE PLACE FOR HYDROPONICS?

The trickiest and the best thing about hydroponics is the possibility to grow plants everywhere: inside or outside the house, as well as in a greenhouse. To tell the truth, any plant can be grown with the help of hydroponic method, though some herbs may require more skills from the gardener to grow well.

 WHAT DOES AEROPONICS MEAN?

Aeroponics is another way for the gardeners to get rich crops. In this case the infusions of oxygen into the nutrient solution are used to hasten plants growth.

ARE HYDROPONIC PLANTS ORGANIC OR NOT?

For the time being, the question whether hydroponics is organic remains debatable for many people. However, a large number of gardeners are definitely the advocates of this statement. Hydroponics uses the methods of direct supplying all the necessary minerals to the plants without growing them in the soil. It is a proven fact that the yields obtained in this case are much richer and of better quality than those received from any other organic method of plants growing. 

WHAT IS THE KEY BENEFIT OF HYDROPONICS OVER SOIL CULTIVATION?

Having the possibility to adjust the rate of nutrients required for plants optimal growing, hydroponic gardeners manage to achieve the best growth rates and increased crops volume for the shortest period of time.

IS IT TRUE THAT HYDRPONIC PRODUCTS HAVE DIFFERENT TASTE THAN THE SAME PRODUCTS, GROWN ON SOIL?

Taste, flavor, and nutrition rate of hydroponic produce often surpass those of the soil grown produce, due to the fact that nutrients, necessary for the plants, are easily accessible for them at the time when plants need them the most. 

WHAT MINERAL ELEMENETS IN PARTICLUAR ARE NEEDED FOR PLANT GROWTH?

To succeed in the plants growing a gardener should know what elements are essential for the plants. Here belong those provided by water and air: oxygen (O), hydrogen (H), and carbon (C); several others are available for the plants from soil or growing medium: calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), sulfur (S) and potassium (K); as well as some others, determined as essential not so long time ago: zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mb), copper (Cu), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn) and boron (B).

Hydroponics otherwise known as indoor gardening has been steadily growing in popularity as a hobby. People, young and new have started turning those empty spaces to their own personal gardens where they could grow what they want and when they want. Imagine yourself in the middle of the desert or that freezing cabin somewhere in the Arctic and be able to grow roses all year round. So if you ever decide to pick up that seed and decide what plant to grow at the convenience of your home or backyard, this guide would help to answer your questions from A to Z. Hydroponics or indoor gardening requires skills and know how, but the rewards in the end like watching that flower bloom or that seed turn into a glorious blossom is reward in itself. So let us walk you through this and answer all your questions in this indoor gardening guide.

Advantages of Indoor Gardening (Hydroponics) over Traditional Gardening

Many people have turned to alternative of indoor gardening. It is more efficient and economical if done properly than traditional soil gardens. Here are just a few advantages of indoor gardening:

Environmental factors such as temperature or soil and weather conditions do not affect hydroponic or indoor gardens as they are sheltered from such elements with fan and climate controllers for example.

Soil based gardens increase the risk of disease as they are ideal habitats for bacteria and microorganisms.

Soil based gardens also present the troublesome work of weeding out undesired vegetation and soil maintenance through fertilization and tilling.

Space consideration is also a factor as a large number of plants could be grown in such confined and odd spaces where creativity is the only boundary.

Scientifically, vegetables and fruits grown through indoor gardening (hydroponics) contain bigger amounts of vitamins and minerals, and are better sources of nutrition.

Indoor gardening (hydroponics) systems are fairly simple. It is tailored to the individual as to what he needs and what he wants. Simple setups for ordinary hobbyists could be turned into complex ones to more season and professionals as they desire. Indoor gardening has no specific person in mind, the love for gardening and growing plants is what is common to hydroponics hobbyists. Proper planning and design together with that you as a hobbyist needs is what makes a successful project. It may seem to require a little effort and expense at the start but the benefits and fruits of indoor gardening far outweigh the costs and effort. It only takes one simple setup if done right and the benefits can be harvested all year long.

Choosing Indoor Hydroponic  Systems over traditional Gardening

Hydroponic Systems present numerous advantages for the gardener, freedom from uncontrollable environmental factors such as the weather, soil condition and time of year presents the most obvious reasons. Different types of growing mediums allow for those who plan to grow fruits or vegetables, better tasting and more nutritious products is the definite advantage. Production is also increased so those who plan to use indoor gardening (hydroponics) present a better yield thus is it more financially rewarding.

Numerous systems ranging from simple to complex can be tailored to each individual’s specific need.  Setting up complex systems for a business for individuals who want to make it their livelihood or for that individual who lives in an apartment with a limited space presents no difficulties. It is only an individual’s desire and imagination that limits indoor gardening (hydroponics).