There are a few factors for you to consider when setting up your indoor garden. You must first decide if you are going to be using soil or hydroponics. If you are new to gardening, I suggest starting with soil until you learn the effects of your fertilizer on your plants. If you are growing a variety of plants, I highly recommended starting with soil. You can work your way up to hydroponics by building your own drip system for your indoor garden.
Modifying the Circulating Drip System for Soil Container Gardens
To make the Circulating Drip System into a regular drip system for your container garden, you will just need to take the containers off the reservoir and into a Drain Table. There is a guide for building a homemade drain table here. It is for small plants, if you fill it with large containers it will tumble over. For bigger containers, you can buy a strong drain table or just sit them on something you can drain every day.
Azamax is an OMRI Certified Organic Pest Control solution. You simply mix a little bit with water and spray it on your plants to provide a pest and fungal barrier.
How Long Does It Take Azamax to Work?
7-21 days.
The first week of Azamax applications will pretty much stop the reproduction of your spider mites, aphids, or other pests. You need to reapply Azamax to your plants every 7-14 days.
You will still see the bugs, well what looks like bugs, but you will notice they aren’t really moving. Their dead bodies will still be on the leaves of the plant so make sure to spray your plants before harvest, and then give them a good rinse after harvest. You don’t want to be eating dead bugs!
If this sounds gross to you, think about what commercial farmers have to deal with. Now do you understand why they just use harsh pesticides to wipe out all the insects. If you grow your own food, you can be sure you are not ingesting harmful chemicals. Not to mention your food will taste and smell better. There are plenty of advantages to using Azamax over a harsh chemical pesticide.
Where is the Best Place to Get Azamax?
Get the best prices on Azamax at Amazon. You can also find the perfect hydroponic nutrients on Amazon. If you are interested in learning more about hydroponics or gardening in general, search through some of the 100’s of books Amazon has. I’ve picked up three or four used books from Amazon and they were all in perfect condition. They seemed brand new! Don’t be afraid to make purchases at Amazon, they have great customer service.
Every gardener is always looking for new nutrients to try. If you prefer real natural fertilizer, Annie Haven’s Moo Poo is for you. Moo Poo is an all natural soil conditioner made from life stock manure. It is also known as manure tea.
The Moo Poo comes in tea bag sized pouches that you let seep into water for a few days before use. It is a really simple process for some really strong organics.
One tea bag can make as much as 5 gallons of nutrients. If you are using a hydroponics system, I suggest using one tea bag for 10 gallons or more. You can really make these go a long way.
The natural tea is perfect for all kinds of plants. You can use it indoors or outdoors. It is good for container gardens, outdoor gardens, and even hydroponics.
Hydroponic gardeners will be able to get 90+ gallons of fertilizer out of the 9 pack which is only $22. Thats the same price you are paying for nutrients now.
There are three types of manure tea from the ManureTea.com shop. You can choose from horse or cow manure for your vegetable garden. There is also an alfalfa mix for roses.
Plastic containers are a crucial component of most home hydroponics systems. They can be used as plant containers, reservoirs, rain barrels, and even humidity domes.
Plastic buckets for home hydroponics systems can be expensive and counter productive to the project at hand; saving money and eating healthier in the process. If you are willing to ask around you can probably find what you need for free.
5 Places You Can Ask For Plastic Containers
1. Deli – Have you thought of using pickle jars or other deli containers?
2. Grocery Store – Sometimes the different departments of the grocery store will be tossing out buckets, see if they can be tossed to you.
Here is an example of a Grow Box made out of a dresser. It is very easy to do because the frame of the grow chamber is already made.
So you want to start an indoor garden but don’t know how to build a grow box. Building a grow box is actually simple once you understand the mechanics. Today you will learn every thing you need to know to build your own grow box.
The following guide will walk you through the basics of constructing a grow box out of an old piece of furniture. A lot of indoor gardeners are also very enthusiastic about recycling, so this should really hit home for a lot of you. The dresser grow box could be considered a grow cabinet, whatever you want to call it, the function is the same.
5 Reasons You Need Grow Box Plans:
1. Grow Room Ventilation: There is too much to say here. You will obviously need some sort of exhaust. The size of fan you need depends on the size of your grow box or grow room. This simple grow box uses PC fans which can be wired to an old PC power supply very easily. You can also control the timing of the fans by putting the power supply on a timer.
WARNING: Do not use the biggest power supply you can find. Stick to a smaller power supply with low wattage because the fans use very little power. If you do not know what you are doing, use a pre-made fan that you can just plug in. For 20 bucks you can get a dryer type ventilation fan that can be attached to ducting.
Cut a hole in the back of your box and screw your fan into place. You can also use epoxy or strong glue.
2. Reflective: Reflectiveness should depend on your budget. Aluminum foil is probably the cheapest material, but it certainly doesn’t reflect the most light. Since you will likely be using small grow lights, you will want to get the most out of it. White poly or Mylar are the premium choice.
3. Water proof/Bug proof/Mold proof: Water proofing is one of the most important things about building a grow box. All hydroponic systems should be in water proofed grow boxes, or outdoors where they can’t possibly make a mess. I’ll discuss bug proof more in the next point. Mold proofing takes a little common sense. Don’t use carpet for the floor of your grow box or anything dumb like that.
4. Air tight: You will want your grow box to be air tight so that light doesn’t escape, bugs will have a harder time getting in, and you will want control of the ventilation.
5. Odor control: Some people enjoy having fresh herbs, vegetables, and fruits growing in their house, but don’t want their house to smell like a garden or green house. Some people just don’t like that smell. You can get a carbon filter for the unwanted smells, but you will need to get an inline fan, which could dramatically raise the price.
Electrical Components
Please make sure all of your electrical components are away from possible water sources. You should place your outlets on the out side of the grow box and hung up. The last thing you want is water in your electrical components.
Key Components
The small desk fan provides plenty of air movement in this small grow chamber. Here you can see two of the small ventilation fans and a few 23w CFLs. You want to get the most surface area of each bulb facing towards the plants. Notice the fan is pushing air OUT of the box. The fan at the top is drawing the heat from the lights and pushing it outside the grow box. The lights are what make the grow chamber's temperature rise. You don't want your plants to catch a fever!
Pura Vida is a pretty well known brand of hydroponic nutrients, and has been tried by a lot of different gardeners. Pura Vida hydroponic nutrients are great for indoor gardening because they come in liquid format. You measure out the desired amount of nutrients, and pour them into a gallon of water. After mixing the nutrient solution, it is ready for use.
You apply Pura Vida nutrient solutions with normal irrigation. The best time for feeding is usually in the morning, when the plant is just starting its metabolic processes for the day.
Note: The Pura Vida Organic Solution was OMRI Certified Organic. The Pura Vida Grow was not organic. The plants did not seem to notice the transition.
The first things you need to know about the Pura Vida combo is there are micro nutrients built in. It is a two part solution, but only one part per phase. One part per phase is talking about the growing phase of the plant, Grow or Bloom.
You only need to use the grow for the first part of their life. You only need to use Bloom for the second part of their life.
If you are new to hydroponics, I recommend starting with that type of simplicity. You are making up for the simplicity with the quality of nutrients.
Advanced Gardener’s Box: There are instructions for an aggressive two part formula on the back labels of these bottles. The PPM of the nutrient solution is MUCH higher than the one part formulas. Only experienced gardeners should attempt the aggressive formula once you know how to grow your particular variety of plant. It is very easy to salt lock your plants with this aggressive formula. You need to do frequent water changes to ensure balanced PH.
The Negatives:
I tested the nutrients in a large variety of hydroponics systems including three different drip systems. On the drip systems that used drip emitters, about 1 in 10 drip emitters would clog from the organic material. One way to defeat those clogs is to mesh out the chunks of fertilizer before you pour it in your reservoir. There are also pre-filter systems that can catch some of those pieces.
In open-ended 1/4 inch tube drip systems, with no drip emitter, the nutrients worked beautifully. The key to success with the open-ended tube system is to lower the ppm of your nutrient solution while buffing the number of regular feeding times as the plant grows and expands it’s root system.
The open 1/4 inch tube allows the root systems to get optimal amounts of aerated water. Use an aeration stone in your reservoir so the nutrient solution stays oxygenated and moving. The open ended 1/4 inch tube allows the water to connect with more air molecules before landing in the plant container. This system works for hydroponics, soil-less, and even soil growing methods. Talk about versatility.
Overall
Consider trying these nutrients if you have never used them. The bottles cost a little more than the lower end hydroponic nutrients, but thats for a reason. Do not under estimate the strength of these nutrients. Make sure to lower the ppm of your nutrient solution so you do not get salt locked plants. These nutrients can go up to three weeks with no water change in a 15gallon + reservoir. However, you should monitor your PPM for optimal conditions. Water changes every 12-14 days with a standard plain water rinse out is typical.
Look for the OMRI Certified bottles at your local hydro shop or you can order them online.
Bubbleponic cloning systems are an easy to build solution to weak and limpy clones. The entire system will not cost you very much. If you use neorepene discs, like the E-Z Clone uses, you will have an efficient cloning system that uses no growth medium. The aeroponic cloner you will have after this guide can root clones in as little as 7 days with an organic rooting gel like Earth Juice Earthstock. There are plenty of other types of rooting gels and powders. Clonex and Olivia’s are two other gels that work well.
Example
Check out this Pre-Assembled Aeroponic Cloning System
Supply List
-Storage Tote
-Neorepene EZ Clone Discs
-Air Pump
-Air Tubing
-Air Stones
-Power Drill w/ drill bit that is the same size as your discs.
Light Proof Your Tote
If you bought a light proof tote, you can skip this step. If it is clear or semi clear you need to wrap it in a reflective material. You can use Christmas wrapping paper if you do not have access to something else. You just want to make sure no light comes in through the walls of your tote. The storage tote will be the water reservoir for your cloning system.
Use HDPE Food Grade plastics for your storage tote if you plan on cloning consumable plants like fruits or veggies. Food grade plastics ensure the safety of you and your family. If the cloning system is only for flowers, there is no risk since you will not ingest the chemicals.
The key to keeping mother plants small lies in taking strong cuttings. Strong cuttings will root fast and grow into large plants of higher quality. Weak clones are susceptible to disease and bug infestation. Cloning is very rough on the mother and fresh cutting. Avoid taking too many clones from one mother plant in one day. When mother plants lose a lot of their vegetative growth, they can become weak. A weak mother plant can only provide weak clones(a problem you are already trying to avoid).
Follow these step by step instructions to ensure you have a successful cloning system.
The mother plant could produce 4 or 5 fresh cuttings at this point.
First identify the best part of the plant to clone. This can vary a little depending on the type of plant. For the most part you want to have a long enough stem to fit through your growth medium. Use a razor blade or trimmers to cut a clone at a 45 degree angle. Cut at a node where another branch will grow out. The old stem will appear to split into two new stems. Those two stems can turn into two strong clones or one very strong clone. You have the power to decide.
The line is exactly where you should cut your clone. Below the line the new growth is sprouting out.
Once you have cut the clone from the main stem, you want to cut off any large leaves because they will drain the cutting of its moisture. Do not fear, the leaves will grow back. The bottom 6-8 inches of the steam should be completely clear of leaves.
Dip the end of the stem in your favorite Cloning Gel. I prefer Earth Juice for organic applications and Clonex for flower types.
Next put the cutting into its own growth medium to be put into your cloning system. The growth medium could be a rockwool cube, a net pot of hydroton, or a neorepene disc. After a few hours if you notice your clones are sagging or wilting, gently mist them with plain water. DO NOT OVER DO IT. You want the plant to feel the need to grow roots to find water and nutrients. Good Luck Gardeners! Feel free to leave comments below if you have any questions.
Before deciding your homemade drip system is non-functional, check your work. Did you plan the needed gallons per hour your pump would need to push water through the whole system? Water pumps are rated by GPH(Gallons per Hour). You will need to know the minimum GPH your drip system needs to pressurize the water and make it through your drip emitters.
New growers seem to back away from home made drip systems because they are unsure of the necessary parts. Drip irrigation kits are usually over priced and come with some pretty barebones parts. The kits may also come with a small reservoir, that you are required to use because the pump is attached to it. Avoid the woes of drip system kits by making your own irrigation system at home.
Outdoor Drip System with a strong water pump at the heart of the reservoir.
Hydroponic shops carry all the parts you need to set up a custom drip system. Start with a plan. If you have not built your grow room yet, you will need to know the number of plants you plan on having and at least the distance the drip line will travel. It is important to know the distance of the drip line to calculate the power you need for your water pump.
To find out the needed GPH rating start with the length of tubing you are going to use. For every foot of tubing you use, regardless of size, subtract 1-2 GPH from the water pump’s rating. Check the packaging for the drip emitters you would like to use. The packaging should tell you the PSI rating. Take the PSI and multiply times the number of drippers. Subtract that number from the remaining GPH of the pump in question. If the number of GPH remaining is very low or negative, you need a stronger pump.
Calculating GPH for a Drip System: (2 GPH x 1 ft of tube) + (PSI rating of Drip Emitter x Number of Drip Emitters) = rough estimate of the necessary GPH. There are outside factors not mentioned in this equation. The number of connections the water has to travel through will affect the needed GPH. Bridged drip line connectors like tees and elbows can slow down your water. Be sure to wash your pump’s pre filter out during reservoir changes to ensure there is no blockage cutting down your GPH. Follow these simple guidelines to ensure you don’t buy an expensive water pump you don’t need or wind up with a less than functional drip system.
Strong water pumps can forcefully pump water out of open drip lines to feed even the most demanding plants.
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 seeds for this plant were started in soil. The container with the soil was planted directly into a mini DWC System for extremely explosive vegetative growth.
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.
