Hydroponics an Introduction Nothing tastes better than a freshly picked vegetable, nothing flavors food more than a just-cut herb and the feeling of achievement when you taste you first home grown produce is out of this world.
Between rising prices at the produce market, and food contamination scares in the newspaper, now is the perfect time to grow your own.
Hydroponics is one way you can, quickly and easily, in the convenience of your home.
Why no Soil? Your plant needs the nutrients found in soil, not soil itself, to grow.
Hydroponics is a gardening method which grows plants in a specially formulated liquid nutrient instead of soil, effectively removing the bacteria and contaminants also found in soil and delivering a higher concentration of nutrients to your plants in a shorter time.
Hydroponically-grown plants, therefore, grow quicker and healthier than soil-grown plants.
Commercially Available Hydroponic Kits While not as popular as - and more expensive than - standard indoor greenhouse kits, hydroponic kits are available from a variety of plant nurseries and online sites.
A quality starter system will most likely include a planter, grow lights, growing medium, nutrients, a pump and timer.
Planting Container The planting container will most likely be made of plastic and will consist of a plant bed with growing medium suspended over a nutrient reservoir.
The growing medium is what supports the plant, structurally, in place of the soil.
It can be any of a number of substances, such as gravel, moss or even coconut fibers.
Liquid Nutrients The liquid nutrient, which consists mostly of potash, nitrogen, phosphoric acid and calcium mixed in water, feeds the plant by being pumped regularly into the growing medium.
This solution will need to be changed every couple of weeks, with the water level topped off regularly in between changes to prevent the solution from becoming too strong and burning the roots.
No Need for Natural Lights Hydroponically grown plants do not require natural light, but manage very well with grow lights, which emit an electromagnetic spectrum, thereby promoting photosynthesis.
This is a very freeing factor when deciding where to place your greenhouse, but you will still need to choose your greenhouse location carefully.
Never place a greenhouse on an unstable surface, or in a high traffic area, especially if you have children or pets.
You'll need access to an electrical outlet, and basement greenhouses may require special heating considerations during the cold winter months.