You may love gardens and gardening but hate the dirt – and that is absolutely normal. Most people have a special affinity towards gardening but when it comes to putting their hands in soil they panic. But, that shouldn’t happen to you and so hydroponics gardening is what you should choose.
For those of you who have little or no information about hydroponics gardening, here is some information for you.
A type of horticulture and a subset of hydroculture, hydroponics is a strong and new method of growing plants without soil and instead using nutrient solutions in an aqueous solvent.
While direct sunlight is not involved in the process, photosynthesis is assisted by means of a grow light that is placed in the room where the plants are kept. However, apart from the grow light there are other equipments involved in hydroponics gardening and these are all a part of the hydroponics kit.
About the Hydroponics Grow Kits
People who are interested in gardening and want to grow plants in their own houses and the first time gardeners who want to go from small gardening, hydroponics kit is the best kit for them and to teach them. The kit is equipped with all necessary equipment as well as the ingredients which will help you to grow your own green veggies and other food items. Hydroponics is very useful for those in the time of recession where you can grow your own plants and food for your sustainable lives.
Check the details below about hydroponics kits and everything it involves for a hydroponic garden –
- Start with the Grow Tent – The first thing to consider as an important part of grow kit is the grow tent. Grow tents are small grow spaces that have specifically designed for your plants. Clearly, the idea is to create an optimal growing environment for indoor plants.
The kits are usually made out of flexible materials and are big enough to accommodate fans, lights and other equipments that may be necessary for starting an indoor garden.
Choosing the right grow tent is important because ideally that is the first step in starting and creating a good hydroponic garden where you can grow as many fruits, vegetables, and plants usually throughout the year.
- Consider the Lighting – Another important thing that needs to be considered in case of hydroponics garden is the choice of lighting. There is an extensive range of lights available and each of these is made to fulfill a certain requirement.
Ideally the purpose of grow lights is to provide the right environment to the plants such that the process if photosynthesis is completed without any complications and the plant can grow just fine. Apart from this there is another purpose that the grow lights need to fulfill – it is to simply light up the grow room and make the plants visible even in the dark.
As for the prior purpose that we mentioned, it is vital that the gardeners understand not only the type of light but also the type of plant and see if the light is best suited for plant growth. There are an extensive range of options available when it comes to selecting the perfect light and these usually include incandescent bulbs, LED lights, CFL, reflectors, Lamps, etc.
Usually each grow room requires just one light depending primarily on the area of the room, the plant type as well as the distance from plants, but in some cases there may also be a requirement for more than one grow light.
Tip – Gardeners are always advised to monitor the distance between the grow light and the plant – this is because every plant has its own light requirements and excessive light may be harmful just like less light ceases the plant growth.
- Choose the Right Grow Medium – Honestly, the most important thing to consider in hydroponics is the grow medium / nutrient and selecting the one that works phenomenally. Growing media are materials that the plants can grow in and for hydroponics this media is anything but soil.
The role of growing media is to help provide plants’ roots with moister & oxygen they need to help the plant grow well. It also supports the plant weight and holds it upright so it doesn’t fall on the ground and eventually die out. Another role of the media is to allow plant’s roots to have maximum exposure to the nutrient. Using these media other than soil gives the gardeners lesser worries over the threat of soil-borne diseases and pests and allows them to grow healthier and better plants.
There are some great options available when it comes to choosing grow media but there are still some things that primarily need to be considered. Among the many options of the nutrient mix some popular one are Rockwool, coco, sand, gravel, peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, or even some organic options.
Remember, choosing an appropriate growing media is a really critical task because a perfect one will greatly impact the plants’ growth and the quality yield.
- Understand the Pot Type – Grow pot is another thing to consider and that is usually done by developing an understanding of the plant type and how it will grow in the pot.
For growers selecting the pot is some tough task because there are endless options available for them – usually depending on the shape, size, type, and material.
Remember you only need a big pot when you’re growing a big plant and because having big plant for small plants is entirely a waste of your money considering that these will only take up extra space in your grow room. Another thing to consider apart from the size is the size and if it allows for any ventilation for the roots. Mostly there are grow pots that come with some kind of ventilation holes at the bottom – another reason for which is that the extra water flows out and only that much is soaked by the material as much is required by the plant’s growth.
Remember excessive moisture in the nutrient mix will cause the plant to die out.
- Seeds for the Plant – There are certain grow kits that have some options of plant seeds that you may want to grow. However, this is entirely optional and you may also choose the one that comes without the seeds – just in case you want to buy additional seeds for your grow room.
- Pest Control is Important – Irrespective of what you’re growing, one thing that you definitely cannot ignore for anything is pest control. Your hydroponics garden and plants are always under threat by some kind of pest and you need to make sure you’re doing enough to get rid of them and deal using the appropriate measures.
While there are the usual pesticides available in the online and offline market that will help you to deal with the problem of pests and other insects that cause damage to your plant health, but there are also certain products that use can use for a particular kind of pest.
Before choosing the pest control you should not only consider dealing with pests but also the effect of the control method on the overall health of the plant. Another thing to consider here is the quantity in which the control method should be used because these are all harmful chemicals and can stop the plant from growing well in case a higher quantity is used to deal with the pest attack.
- Never Underestimate Odour Control – Another very important thing on the list and usually in the grow kit is the odour control – this is the method to deal with the smell of the gases released by the plants during the process of their growth.
You should never take odour control for granted because practically your plants are growing inside and there is not enough space for the gases to be released in the open air like in the case of outdoor gardening.
Usually air fresheners or mists are available for odour control as part of the grow kit but if you are looking for something else then there are hydroponic companies that sell some other options too. Certain growers also choose to go with the choice of ozone generators and this is a really good option if you are growing in a large area and do not particularly want to depend on the mist dispensers and air fresheners.
Irrespective of what you are choosing, it is best to choose something that is not too hard and work for a good amount of time so you do not have to invest in the odour control methods time and again.
- Air Circulations Fans May be Important Too – Air circulation fans are the newest best friends for hydroponic gardeners because these fans constantly move the air so that there are no microclimates – where the temperature, carbon dioxide level, and humidity level in the grow area varies. The grow fan is usually a part of the grow kit because it satisfies two main purposes – reduces the chances of mould in hot and humid spots and gives an even temperature in the area.
To top it all, the air circulation fans strengthen the plants by creating an artificial wind like condition. This mimics outdoor conditions and gives plant a usual environment like it gets in the outdoors.
All points said and considered, a grow kit is the jackpot for hydroponic gardeners; therefore, choosing where to buy the kit is just as important as buying the kit. Make sure you choose the seller that offers you a good range of options as well as the best quality equipment – ensuring that your hydroponic garden blossoms just the way you need it to.
