January 15, 2008

Indoor Gardening Ideas - Techniques For Hydroponic Gardening

The following article is from a series of gardening-related articles, videos tips and information on hydroponic gardens …

Possibly the easiest method for a hydroponic gardening system, or raised gardening, is the Wick method. With this hydroponics gardening system, there are no moving parts and no expensive equipment to buy. The gardener simply inserts one end of the wick into a solution rich in nutrients and the other end of the wick is inserted into the growing medium, where the plant roots are. The nutrient solution is then transferred into the growing medium. For free plans and diagrams about how to build this type of hydroponics grow system, search online for “free hydroponic gardening system plans”. One disadvantage of this hydroponic gardening system though, is that it is not suitable for large plants, as they use up the water and solution faster than the wicks can supply the nutrients.

Another popular hydroponics grow system method is the water culture method. With this raised gardening system, the plants are suspended on a Styrofoam platform that floats in nutrient rich water. An air pump is used to bubble the nutrient solution to give oxygen to plants. This type of hydroponic gardening method is great for leaf lettuce and other plants that grow fast in water. Other plants are best left to other hydroponic gardening systems. Because of its cost efficiency, this is a common hydroponics gardening system used in classrooms to demonstrate the basics of growing plants.

Many indoor gardeners use the Ebb and Flow method (also known as the Flood and Drain method). With this hydroponic garden system, a submerged pump floods the grow tray with a nutrient rich solution at regular intervals. A mechanism monitors the surrounding environment to help determine the amount of nutrients to provide to the plants for optimum growth. With this hydroponics grow system, gardeners can use a range of different growing mediums. Grow rocks and gravel are also helpful when placed in the bottom of the grow tray to help the plants intake of the nutrients provided by the solution. Or, for smaller plants, gardeners may choose to use individual pots that they can easily move around if needed. Beware of power outages, though. Since some equipment runs on electricity, a power outage can cause the roots to dry out quickly.

Hydroponic gardening systems and other raised gardening methods provide many benefits to gardening enthusiasts. If you want a hydroponic gardening system, you can choose between some that are practically maintenance free or others that require more maintenance for the gardeners who enjoy hydroponics gardening as a hobby. several online hydroponics web sites offer gardeners various methods and diagrams for building their own hydroponic gardening system that will best suit their needs.