What is Hydroponic GardeningGrowing Hydroponic Vegetables at Home
Welcome to Hydroponic Gardening Blog, the place where you’ll be able to find information about anything related to hydroponics, as well as hydroponic systems and how to grow hydroponic vegetables at home. We don’t sell any products or information, that way we can remain objective. We don’t just post the manufactures propaganda designed to sell products like other websites. We only use information from trusted and creditable sources, as well as feedback from actual growers. Not just home growers, but also what we learn form commercial hydroponic farms also.
Through the years we have spent a lot of time searching for good creditable information to grow our own plants, and Home Hydro Systems was created to share what we have learned and found out with everyone else too. Simply because we want to help everyone grow their plants successfully also. At the same time we can help promote the benefits of using hydroponics for food production. We only have one goal in mind, and that’s simply to help show people that you can grow your own produce hydroponically, and without it costing a fortune.
Growing plants successfully isn’t all, it’s got to be affordable too, or what’s the point. We aren’t’ interested in growing a $12 tomato, we strive to show you that you can grow better produce at home hydroponically, and for less money than you can buy it for at the store, or even grow it in the ground. After all, it wouldn’t be worthwhile if it wasn’t economical to grow them hydroponically now would it?
You don’t need an expensive hydroponic system, expensive nutrients, or even expensive grow lights to grow your crops hydroponically. You can build your own very good hydroponic systems inexpensively. Also there are plenty of very good commercially made cost effective nutrients you can use. You don’t even need any grow lights if you can make use of free natural sunlight. It’s easy to build your own hydroponic systems. Regardless of what you want to grow, hydroponic systems really only have, and/or need a few basic parts to work very well.
Hydroponic system only need a few basic parts to build
Growing Chamber (or tray),
The growing chamber is the part of the hydroponic system where the plants roots will be growing. Simply put, the growing chamber is the container for the root zone. This area provides plant support, as well as is where the roots access the nutrient solution. It also protects the roots from light, heat, and pests. It’s important to keep the root zone cool and light proof. Prolonged light will damage the roots, and high temps in the root zone will cause heat stress for your plants, as well as cause fruit and flower drop as a result of heat stress. The nutrient solution temperature itself is very important part of keeping the roots and entire root zone comfortable for the plants.
The size and shape of the growing chamber really just depends on the type of hydroponic system your building, as well as the type of plants you’ll be growing in it. Bigger plants have bigger root systems, and need more space to hold them in. The designs here are endless. Almost anything can be used as the growing chamber, you just don’t want to use anything made of metal or it could corrode or react with the nutrients. If you look around you’ll get lots of ideas of what and how you can easily use many different things for building the growing chamber of your hydroponic system.
Reservoir,
The reservoir is the part of the hydroponic system that holds the nutrient solution. The nutrient solution consists of plant nutrients that are mixed in water. Depending on the type of hydroponic system, the nutrient solution can be pumped from the reservoir up to the growing chamber (root zone) in cycles using a timer, as well as continually without a timer, or the roots can even hang down into the reservoir 24/7, making the reservoir the growing chamber also.
You can make a reservoir out of just about anything plastic that holds water. As long as it doesn’t leak, holds enough water, and is cleaned out well first it can be used as reservoir. Read this article for more about how big your nutrient reservoir should be. A reservoir also needs to be light proof. If you can hold it over your head and see light coming through it, it’s not light proof. But it’s easy to make any container light proof by painting it, covering it, or wrapping something like bubble wrap insulation around it. Algae and microorganisms can begin growing with even low light levels.
Submersible Pump,
Most hydroponic systems use a submersible pump to pump the water (nutrient solution) from the reservoir up to the growing chamber/root zone for the plants. Submersible pumps can easily be found at hydroponic supply shop, or most home improvement stores with garden supplies as fountain and/or pond pumps. They will also come in a wide variety of sizes. Read this page for how to decide what size pump you need for your hydroponic system?
The submersible pumps are basically nothing more than an impeller that uses a electromagnet to spin it. They can also easily be taken all apart to be cleaned thoroughly. If it doesn’t come with a filter, you can easily make one by cutting a piece of furnace filter screen or similar material to fit. You should clean both the pump and filter regularly to keep them clean.
Delivery system,
A hydroponic systems water/nutrient solution delivery system is really quite simple, as well as extremely customizable when building your own hydro systems. Besides the pump, it’s really nothing more than just the pluming the water/nutrient solution goes through to get to the plants roots in the growing chamber, and back to the reservoir again. Typically the simplest and best materials to use for the nutrient delivery system are a combination of standard PVC tubing and connectors, standard garden irrigation tubing and connectors, as well as blue or black vinyl tubing.
Depending on the type of hydroponic system you build, you may want to use drip emitters or sprayers as part of your nutrient solution delivery system. While they can be useful, they also can clog. So if you do, make sure you have extras you can quickly swap out while you clean the clogged ones. We try to avoid using emitters because they do clog, as well as cost extra money.
Simple Timer,
Depending on the type of hydroponic system you build, and where you place the system to grow your plants. You may need one or two simple timers. If you use artificial lighting to grow the plants instead of natural sunlight, you’ll want a timer to control the on/off times for the lighting system. For flood and drain, drip, and aeroponic systems you’ll need a timer to control the on/off times for the submersible water pump. Some types of aeroponic systems may need a special timer. Visit the aeroponic systems page to find out more about the types of aeroponic systems, and timers for them.
Standard everyday light timers work fine for both the lights as well as the submersible pumps. However we do recommend making sure the timer is rated for 15 amps rather than 10 amps. Fifteen amp timers are often called heavy duty, if not just check the back of the package or timer for the 15 amp rating. Also try and get one for outdoor use, they usually have a cover and are usually water resistant.
We don’t recommend the more expensive digital timers over the analogue dial type. Simply because digital timers will loose all memory, as well as your settings if they loose power or get unplugged, even for one second for any reason (unless you find one with a battery backup). They often don’t have any more actual on/off settings than the analogue type as well. Just make sure the timer you get has pins all the way around the dial.
Air Pump,
Other than in water culture systems, air pumps are optional in hydroponic systems. But using them has benefits, and air pumps are relatively inexpensive. Air pumps can be found anywhere they sell aquarium supplies. Air pumps simply just supply air and oxygen to the water and roots. Air is pumped through an air line to air stones that create a bunch of small bubbles that rise up through the nutrient solution.
In water culture systems the air pump helps keep the plants roots from suffocating while their submerged in the nutrient solution 24/7. For any other type of hydroponic system, the air pump is typically used in the reservoir. It helps to increase dissolved oxygen levels in the water up and keep the water oxygenated. Visit this page for more about dissolved oxygen levels.
Other advantage’s of using air pumps are that as the air bubbles rise, they keep the water and nutrients moving and circulating, this keeps the nutrients evenly mixed all the time. The circulating oxygenated water also helps reduce pathogens from gaining a foothold in the reservoir.
Grow Lights,
Grow lights are an optional part of hydroponic systems. Depending on where you plan to put your hydroponic system, and grow your plants. You could choose to either use natural sunlight, or artificial light to grow your plants with. If you can make use of it we prefer natural sunlight, it’s is free and doesn’t require any extra equipment. However if there just isn’t enough natural sunlight where you put your hydroponic system, or at that time of year, you’ll need to use at least some artificial light to grow your plants.
Grow lights are different than most standard household lights. Grow lights are designed to emit certain color spectrums that mimic natural sunlight. The plants use these color spectrums (wavelengths) of light to conduct photosynthesis. The plants need to conduct photosynthesis in order to grow and produce fruit and flowers. So the type, as well as the amount of light a plant gets will greatly affect the plants ability to photosynthesize, and thus grow. Visit our page on lighting and grow lights for hydroponic plants for more about the different types of artificial lights used to grow plants.
Solution Versus Aggregate Cultures
When setting up a hydroponic garden, you’ll need to decide whether you want to use only a solution culture or use some sort of aggregate as a growth medium. Your decision will be influenced in part by the size and sturdiness of the plants you grow, the structure of your system and the root development of your plants.
Plants with shallow roots, like leafy greens, do fine in solution cultures. On the other hand, plants with deep roots, such as beets, do better with aggregate systems, as do top-heavy vegetables, such as squash and cucumbers.
Aggregate cultures can use a variety of growth mediums, including:
- small clay rocks (sometimes called hydrocorn)
- rockwool
- sand
- perlite
- vermiculite
- peat moss
- coconut fiber or chips
- sterilized pea gravel
These are fairly inert ingredients, meaning they won’t decompose or break down quickly. Therefore, they provide a more stable environment to hold nutrients for the plant roots. Roots that are submerged in growth medium shouldn’t be allowed to get too soggy, or they will suffocate. (Solution-only systems use air pumps to generate bubbles to provide oxygen to the plant roots.)
You can use a single type of aggregate, or you can mix growth mediums. Many savvy garden centers these days offer a good selection and can help you compose the perfect material for your hydroponic garden.
Nutrient Solutions
Whole volumes could be written about nutrient systems for hydroponic gardens. There are hundreds of commercially available pre-made solutions today. Some store-bought solutions are ready-to-use, while others need to be mixed, combining primary, secondary and micro nutrients. You can buy special solutions for different types of crops too, based on the chemical elements those plants need most.
You can also mix your own solutions to get just the right nutrient mix. For example, to grow strawberries, it is recommended to use 50 milligrams of nitrogen and 150 milligrams of potassium per liter of solution. Cucumbers, however, to better with 200 milligrams of nitrogen and 280 of potassium.
Nitrogen is essential to create chlorophyll, as well as to build amino acids that make up proteins. Sulfur is another important amino acid element. Both potassium and magnesium help plants build starches and sugars, and calcium contributes to cell wall structure. Phosphorus is vital for photosynthesis. Micronutrients needed in trace amounts include:
- iron
- copper
- manganese
- zinc
- molybdenum
- boron
Your plants will often tell you if they are receiving too few or too many nutrients. Not enough nutrition and the leaves will turn yellow; too much and they will look brown, burnt or curled.
Make Your Own Nutrient Solution
Here is a recipe for a basic nutrient solution that you can make yourself. The proportions are for mixing in quantities of five gallons (20 liters):
- 5 teaspoons (25 ml) CaNO3 (calcium nitrate)
- 1/3 teaspoon (1.7 ml) K2SO4 (potassium sulfate)
- 1-2/3 teaspoons (8.3 ml) KNO3 (potassium nitrate)
- 1-1/4 teaspoons (6.25 ml) KH2PO4 (monopotassium phosphate)
- 3-1/2 teaspoons (17.5 ml) MgSO4 (magnesium sulfate)
- 2/5 teaspoon (2 ml) trace elements
Store your solution in food-grade containers, such as old milk jugs. Make sure to shake it well before using. Keep your solution away from light at room temperature.
Water for your Solution
You need to be much pickier about the water you use with a hydroponic garden than you do with a traditional soil garden. This is because the plants are absorbing much more of whatever is in the water, and there is no soil to act as a filter for undesirable elements.
Be sure to use raw water that does not contain any sodium, chloride or fluoride. This means using water straight from the tap is out in most cases. Use a pure water supply, or treat your water with an ion-exchange system or desalinization. You cannot use softened water for hydroponic gardens, as it has far too many additives in it. If you have hard water that is free of fluoride and chloride, you can purchase nutrient solution that is designed to balance its hardness.
Solution pH Levels
Keep in mind that you should probably test periodically to make sure your nutrient solution is at the optimum pH for your plants. Most plants prefer a slightly acidic growing solution, somewhere in the range of 5.8 – 6.3 (7 being neutral). Solutions at a pH below 5.8 will cause your plants to lose calcium and magnesium.
You can easily test your solution pH with a home testing kit from your garden center or online retailer. If your solution is too alkaline, you can use dilute sulfuric, phosphoric or nitric acid to increase the acidity.
Light
Light is an essential component of growing plants. Like with any garden, you can use natural sunlight to light your hydroponic garden. You can also use artificial lights, such as:
- high-pressure sodium bulbs
- LEDs
- metal halide
- high-output fluorescents
- compact fluorescents
You may want to use natural light when it’s available and artificial light at other times, so consider how portable you make your system if you intend to do this. Also, keep your light system fairly flexible, so you can adjust it as your plants grow, much like when starting seeds indoors.
Starting Out: A Few DIY Options
Plastic Storage Tubs as Your Structural Base
You can create easy DIY hydroponic systems at home using readily found items or even containers you may already have around the house. You can convert a plastic storage tub with lid into a mini hydroponic garden in an afternoon. Some people also use this method to start plants, transplanting them into a conventional garden once they’re big enough and the weather is conducive.
You can also stack multiple storage tub hydroponic units on a rack to maximize your growing space. If you put wheels on the base, it will be easy to move in and out of the house or to follow the sun on a deck or patio.
The bottom container holds a reservoir of nutrient solution that gets pumped through the entire unit, and the base is a good location for larger, heavier plants as well. Use the uppermost rack for lightweight herbs and small flowering plants (there’s no rule that says you can only grow food with your hydroponic system). This is a simple and elegant solution for apartment dwellers, seniors or even school classrooms.
Plastic Storage Tubs with Wicks
If the systems above feel too challenging to start out with, you can create an even easier home hydroponic garden with a wick system. Any two containers nested one on top of the other will work for this type of garden. Two plastic paint buckets or two plastic storage bins are ideal. In the bottom container place your reservoir of nutrient solution, and in the top container place a growth medium and your plants. Cut small holes in the bottom of the top container through which you can run wicks to transport your nutrient solution from the base to your plants.
For your wicks use braided polyurethane yarn or a fibrous rope. Stay away from cotton or nylon, as the former will rot too quickly and the latter won’t wick the liquid well enough. Run a piece of PVC pipe vertically through your system to act as a nutrient fill tube when you need to replenish your solution.
No pumps or tubing are needed for this setup, making it perfect for locations without electricity or when you don’t have access to aquarium supplies. It’s also a wonderful project to let kids manage, as once it’s established, it takes a minimum of maintenance to see results.
Aquarium Water Culture Systems
If you want a system that uses little to no growth medium and only liquid culture, an aquarium provides the perfect container. Many people have an old one sitting around the garage or basement, and this is a great way to put it to good use. Even purchasing one new is a small cash investment for the amount of produce you can grow in such a small environment. Aquarium systems are well suited to growing water-loving plants, like lettuce and other greens.
Cut a thick piece of styrofoam (one inch thick or more) to serve as a platform at the top of the unit. Make sure its dimensions are smaller than those of the aquarium, so it can float freely at the top of the garden. Set an aquarium air stone at the bottom of the unit, connected to an air line running to an air pump, just as you would for fish. This supplies oxygen to the plant roots.
Fill the aquarium about two-thirds of the way full with your nutrient solution. Next, cut holes in the styrofoam, and insert plastic cups with no bottoms to hold your plants. Gently place the styrofoam tray with your plants in the solution. The ends of the roots should dangle in the nutrient liquid. If your plants are too small or fragile, you can add a tiny amount of growth medium in each cup to hold them steady and vertical. Simply lift up the corner of the styrofoam platform whenever you want to check on your solution or add more.
The handier you are and the more time you have available, the more creative you can get with your hydroponic systems, especially once you have a little experience growing like this under your belt. You can start off small and expand your garden as you gain know-how, or if you don’t mind a bit of trial and error, take on a big system right out of the gate. You can even video or blog about your process and results to help other novice hydroponic gardeners get their gardens started. You may enjoy hydroponic gardening so much that you never go back to digging in the soil again!
Hydroponic Gardening 