Recent Inactivity – West Coast Hydroponics Shops

Its good to be back!  I recently visited California to meet up with some other indoor gardening enthusiasts and check out some west coast hydroponics stores.  Sacramento hydroponics stores are on point!  I visited a couple different hydro shops in the Sacramento and San Francisco area and every shop that I went into had good prices and a good selection of hydroponic equipment.   The ‘vacation’ is what has kept me from posting new articles so I’ll be sure to post some good information tonight to make up for it.  Be sure to check back through the next week to see my hydroponics DIY guide.  I’ll be posting a pretty detailed guide on how to construct some simple and cheap hydroponics systems.

Do I need a Nursery or Hydroponics Shop?

A common confusion can arise about the difference between a nursery and hydroponics shop.  A nursery will sell things geared mostly towards outdoor gardening and flowers or trees and shrubs.  These shops usually will carry things like simple trays, drip pans, some pest control, moisture meters, shovels and gardening tools.  Nurseries will also have things like trellis, trimmers, stakes, gloves, soil, and usually low quality fertilizers.  Although some nurseries carry very high quality nutrients for outdoor gardening.

A hydroponic shop carries the most advanced gardening tools available.  A hobby indoor gardener would get most of their supplies at a hydro store.  Hydroponic stores carry the best tools for indoor gardening and hydroponic setups.  Hydroponic stores will have high quality hydroponic nutrients, water pumps, air pumps, carbon filters, inline fans, circulation fans, cloning supplies, Co2 enrichment supplies, grow lights, timers, and full hydroponic systems.  A lot of this stuff is usually on display so you can see how it works before you buy.  Never be shy to ask questions.  The clerks at the shop should be happy to explain the products to you to make sure you get the most efficiency out of your indoor garden.

The possibilities at hydro shops are endless.  If you have no intentions of setting up a hydroponic garden there are still things at the shop you may find interest in that you could not get a nursery.  For instance if you know you are going on vacation for a week or more but don’t want to lose your beautiful hard work  to a drought – your solution may be a hydroponic based solution.  At the store you may want to buy a water pump and tubing to set up a hydroponic drip system for your outdoor garden, indoor garden or even your window garden! The folks at the hydro shop should be able to point you to what you need to set up an automated watering system.  An automated watering system means less time needed by you for the care of your plants.  That allows you to free up time for more plants or less time per day in the garden.  I’ll be posting some articles about hydroponic drip systems in the future.