An Introduction to Hydroponic Gardening

If you have a few square feet or more to devote to intensive indoor growing, we will proudly help you gain further understanding and have a good time. Indoor gardening requires neither an expensive green-house or lots of sunny windows. Today’s technology can help you duplicate Mother Nature’s best conditions indoors. Your indoor garden will do well if you provide the right conditions.

It is easy to create the ideal growing environment:

• Lighting – the right spectrum and intensity

• Air – the right temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide level

• Growing Environment – clean and well ventilated, Water and Nutrients

What is Hydroponics?

The word “hydro-ponics” is believed to have come from two Greek words: Hydro-meaning water, and ponics – meaning work. So, in simple terms, hydroponics means waterworks. Hydroponic gardening has been around for ages. Remember the hanging gardens of Babylon? The Aztec Indians grew plants on rocks in shallow streams and lakes.

What are the advantages of Hydroponics?

Hydroponic gardening is much easier than outdoor gardening, once a few basics are understood.

Fast Growth

• With hydroponics, food and water are delivered directly to the plant roots, so plant energy can be directed into vegetative growth above the surface, instead of being directed to development of a large root system in search of food, water and oxygen. This results in faster growth and earlier yields. This is not the case with soil grown plants where roots compete for food and oxygen.

Greater Yields Per Square Foot

• With hydroponics, you can plant and grow more plants per square foot. Smaller root systems and immediate availability of food and water means less competition among plants, so each does not require as much root growth area. You’re limited only to the size of the mature plant, and with training of branches, you can grow many more plants in a small area than you could in soil. There is much better root aeration in hydroponic systems.

Cleaner and More Sterile

• Very important when gardening indoors – no messy soil! Also, no itchy bug bites!

Easier Control of Watering-Feeding

• Most hydroponic gardens incorporate timers that automate feeding of plants. You simply add water and nutrients in the reservoir, or holding tank, always making sure it is full.

Less Work

• With automated watering and feeding, a hydroponic garden requires less manual labor and valuable time.

Fewer Pests

• No soil born pests. The cleaner environment and healthier growth usually results in fewer pest problems of any kind.

No Over Watering or Under Watering

• These two big problems cause more plant deaths in soil than anything else. The automatic watering and feeding systems help avoid this issue.