hydroponic garden – Hydroponic Economics

Delicious Home Hydroponics Salad Harvest

Organic Hydroponic Garden — Thriving Mesclun in a mini DWC system.

Why should you use hydroponics to increase your yields? The same reason you started a garden! If you have ever had a successful harvest, you know the feeling I’m talking about. Some growers are discouraged by organic fertilizers when it comes to hydroponic gardens. Fear not growers, water soluble organic fertilizers are available online and at local hydroponics shops. Some greens can even be grown using tiny amounts of fertilizers. Basils, lettuce, mesclun, and other leafy plants can be grown organically in hydroponics system with very little fertilizer.

Organic indoor gardens can be maximized with the use of hydroponics. Organic hydroponic systems are like normal hydroponic gardens, but with a little more care to detail and quality.

The salad mix in the picture was started in a jiffy pot full of soil. When the seeds sprouted, the jiffy pots were put into a mini DWC system. The roots grew through the soil and into the DWC environment. There was explosive root growth when the roots entered the high humidity environment.

The salad grew very fast under simple CFL lighting. Small hydro setups can produce big results with the right knowledge.

This is a single 3 inch jiffy pot full of soil. Each Jiffy yielded at least 2 or 3 servings of salad greens under only CFL lighting.

Air Pump Broke on Hydroponics System

I have heard of many indoor gardeners plagued with broken air pumps. Don’t blame the broken air pump on a poorly built product, blame it on a poorly trained user. Sometimes air pumps won’t turn on after a power outage of some sort. The reason this happens is water is siphoned into the air pump. The water destroys the electrical components and the air pump no longer functions.

There is a preventative measure growers can take to protect their hydroponic garden from broken air pumps. The answer is a check valve. Check valves prevent water from siphoning water into the air pump in the case of a power loss. They are cheap and easy to install. You can find check valves in department stores, pet stores, aquarium stores, and of course hydroponics stores. They are the same type of check valve you put on an aquarium air pump.

Hydro systems with a reservoir should be using an air stone. The air stone is powered by the air pump. Nearly all hydroponic systems including drip systems will need an air pump. A check valve is something everyone should get when ever they get a new air pump.

To install a check valve simply cut air tubing to be secured to both sides of the Check Valve. Make sure to face the valve the right way so air can flow. Check Valve will make your hydroponic system more dependable. Its an awful feeling to lose a good harvest to a hydroponic equipment failure.

Click Here to get your check valves from Amazon.com

AzaMax: Hydroponic Solutions for Pest Control

AzaMax by General Hydroponics has a lot of different uses and applications. Today I will be focusing on the reservoir applications for recirculating and run to waste type systems. The amount of AzaMax to use depends on the size of your hydroponic system and type of infestation you are dealing with. For a minor to severe spider mite infestation, only the weaker end of the product recommendations are required to eliminate the problem without over affecting crop quality. Believe me, I’ve seen a few different pest control options, a lot of the products do work like they say, however you may have to live with the slight taste of bug spray on your prized fruits and veggies. AzaMax is one of the few hydroponic solutions that is safe for the reservoir and can be mixed right in with the nutrient solution. When the plant absorbs the solution this way, it pest proofs the plant from the inside out. The inside out method is useful because the solution can be applied at any time without getting residue on fruits or veggies close to consumption. It also ensures there will be no light burn on the leaves from the water magnifying the light.

Be warned – The AzaMax solution may change the color of your water a bit to a more milky color. This is natural and also happens when you mix it with water for foliar applications. Since AzaMax has the nice little measurement cup added to the bottle you can squeeze up the same amount or a semi precise amount without busting out the glassware. For my reservoir applications I try about 5 ML of AzaMax for every 5 or so gallons of water. That is about 1 Ml per gallon of water which is about .034 fl oz. The solution I use ranks below the lowest end of the spectrum according to AzaMax’s chart that comes with the bottle. Remember, those tables are guides and your application may vary from what others use. The solution I mention is what I use as my preventative measure! If you notice pests for weeks after your initial application, try adding more AzaMax on your next reservoir change.

Get General Hydroponics AzaMax at Amazon today to protect your indoor garden investment. You can also read customer reviews here.

Stay tuned on pest control with HPE – I’ll be posting more articles about AzaMax and its many uses in the future. I’ll also be posting some good home made natural pest remedies soon. If you have any comments or questions about AzaMax feel free to email me or reply with a comment below. Stay Green!

Hydroponic Cloning Tips

If you have wilting clones there could be a number of issues with your hydroponic cloning method. Make sure to have a thermometer to measure temperature and humidity accurately throughout the day. You can find digital ones at a department stores or hydro shops that will tell you the current and high/low temps and humidity throughout the day. The digital ones aren’t expensive in comparison to the knowledge you’ll have. If you are using a metal halide or other high powered lighting system, the clones must be a few feet away so they receive minimal light. If they get too much light they will try to work too hard with roots they don’t have.

If the temperature is getting to be in the 80’s F move the lights up more or add a circulation fan on a timer so the humidity stays high. Having a fan on for an hour at a time 2 or 3 times a day will really help to move the hot air. Try to use cool burning bulbs like fluorescent tubes so your temperature will stay down. A high humidity of 90% or higher will help your fresh cuttings more than anything else. Spray the walls of a clear container with water and put it over your cloning system. You can also attach spray emitters to a small water pump to spray water automatically for the first few days to ensure success rate. The humidity needs to be high so the leaves of the cutting can absorb water from the air because it does not have any roots to do that job yet. It may need a small hole or two for air flow so the temperature stays low and the cuttings have access to as much oxygen as they need.

Use an aeroponic or deep water culture method with aerated water to keep the roots or stems in a 100% humidity environment until they are established for transplant. You can find cloning systems at your local hydroponics store, online, or even build your own! Hardware stores and hydroponic shops should have pretty much everything you need to build your own.

Another Reason Hydroponic Gardening is Important

One of the main reasons I chose to start an indoor gardening project was to produce my own fresh, good-tasting, safe food. Some stores sell fresh produce, but my area lacks in availability for year round fresh fruit. Strawberries were one of the first things I tried to grow in a hydroponic system. Once you learn the basics of hydroponics you could set up a system to grow tropical fruit inside your house! If you have a big back yard you could even create a tropical green house with the sun and the addition of high power grow lights. Once you are familiar with all the equipment available you can create any environment for any plant. You can tend to plants with very delicate environmental needs.

If you do not trust the source or are unsatisfied with the quality of your local produce then start a hydroponic or indoor gardening project to perfect the fruit of your dreams! Anything is possible if you learn enough about the plant requirements. I try to find books on Amazon.com about organic gardening and plant care. The books on Amazon don’t cost very much and are usually pretty detailed. Buying a book centralizes large amounts of information for you to consume. Searching on the internet for the information you need is fast, but sometimes it is not detailed enough if you are just beginning. If there is a topic you are confused about or don’t know where to start, try getting a book to get your feet wet. On the other hand experience is the most valuable knowledge you can get. Good luck green thumbs!

Hydroponic Systems as Scientifically Perfected Nature

Hydroponic systems are able to increase plant yield and in some cases plant quality because the plant’s growing conditions can be controlled closer to the plants optimum growing conditions. A few of the conditions that benefit from hydroponic systems are:

Roots – Roots can not only be seen in some hydro systems but they are able to grow in a high humidity conditions.

Water – The plants water needs are met more often and systematically than hand watering or outdoor growing with the rain and good ol hose! Hand watering a large container garden can be very time consuming. Attention to detail may be beneficial during watering because drowning the plants feeder roots with too much water at once could be harmful to the plant. Hydroponic systems usually are characterized by automated waterings and feedings which could reduce the stress of constant human handling not to mention the convenience factor. It’s not always convenient to water your whole garden by hand when your plants need it, humans have lives to fulfill and water as well!

Nutrient content – Nutrient content is one of the best features of hydroponic systems because of the precise control the grower can manipulate. However, nutrient control is an art form that must be tailored to every hydroponic set up and plant selection.

The goal of hydroponic gardening is to increase yield and plant vitality. Hydroponic growing can be very simple or very complicated, the beauty is in the versatility of hydroponics. Look for more to come on how hydro can outgrow soil.