You may have watched videos and read blogs involving hydroponics gardens, and you find them very interesting. Know more about hydroponics gardens on this site here. So, you’re starting to want one, but you may be unsure of where to begin.
Know that there are several components involved to make your garden work. Some of the steps are simple, and others may require you to hunt for the best hydroponic grow supplies and equipment that are for sale in your area. You don’t have to worry, though, as plenty of shops in Canada can offer you the equipment that you need at wholesale prices, and you can rest assured that they are the best out there.
Starting your Garden
- Choose the Plants and Start with the Seeds
One of the things that you need to decide on is the kind of plants that you want to grow. This decision can affect factors like the kind of grow equipment that you are going to use, the amount of light, nutrients, and more. The most popular recommendations for beginners are growing lettuce and other green leafy veggies.
You may also want to use rooter cubes for faster germination. The plugs in your garden will make the germination rates faster, and the plugs can promote healthier systems. Utilizing heat mats will keep the seeds warm as well.
- Decide on the Kind of System you Want to Have
There are several types of systems that you can choose from, including nutrient film techniques, deep water cultures, wick, ebb & flow, and drip. Nutrient film techniques are the most scalable ones, and they make it easy to grow plants for commercial farmers. At the same time, deep water cultures use methods of suspending the nutrient solutions in the air to provide the roots with diffusers or air stones.
There are other methods, and they are unique to each technique. You may want to know more about how each of them is functioning and the best system to suit your needs on many websites and videos. Typically, you may want to specify the type of plant you’re planning to grow, your overall budget, the space you have, and the amount of sunlight available during this time of the year.
Start something small and see how well they are working for you. If the ebb & flow does not work for you, you may want to change to wick hydroponics. Learn more about the ebb & flow here: https://www.trees.com/gardening-and-landscaping/ebb-and-flow-hydroponics. There’s always room for growth in the future and beginning your hydroponics by having too many plants may make you become overwhelmed.
- Know the Right Light Source for You
What you need is proper lighting, and this is one of the keys to success. If you’re not using the sun, you may want to get artificial lights with the right considerations. Plant lights with 5000K and above are considered cool, while those below 3000 Kelvin are warm ones. Different species may require various spectrums when it comes to growing.
Research and read legitimate sources on the best light setup that will work for your garden. The factors may vary according to light spectrum, coverage area, costs, light intensity, and spectrum. When you combine them, they will produce the quality of plants that you’re looking for. You may want to avoid going into the cheapest route since you should never skimp on quality lighting.
- Choosing the Grow Medium
If you’re starting, it’s essential to select the type of medium that will work best for your area. The medium will also depend on the kind of plants that you want to grow. There’s the rock, perlite, Rockwool, oasis cube, coco chips, vermiculite, and expanded clay that you can work with.
They vary in pH balance, airflow, water retention, and more. With expanded clay pebbles, they may provide support with net pots, and they can be an effective medium if you’re planning to grow hydroponics for the long-term. Coco fibers or a coconut husk is a prevalent medium in many growers because they have the best moisture retention.
Perlite is an excellent additive to garden soil. Perlite is a type of volcanic glass pops like popcorn when heated. They are used in the drip system. You can combine other mediums like vermiculite and perlite for healthier plants. Vermiculite is a mineral rock that allows the roots to get the moisture they need, while perlite enables them to get sufficient oxygen.
Rocks and gravel are easy to come by, and they are excellent in flood and drain systems. They are cost-effective, especially the river rocks and the pea gravel. The sun’s heat on the stones can raise the temperature, so you may want to choose your medium-well.
There are advantages and disadvantages when it comes to a different medium. It would be best to consider the costs, aeration levels, water retention, pH stability, and whether it would be compatible with the plants that you plan to have in mind. Most of these systems are versatile, and they work well as long as they are paired with compatible systems.
- Purchase of Supplements and Nutrients
There are different nutrients that you need to use for each system. For beginners, there are 1-part nutrient solutions that you may want to consider promoting vegetable growth. Others are for better flower blooms, so it’s best to understand what you want. Know more about the nutrients in this link here.
Some of the factors that you need to consider when choosing nutrients are affordability, ease of use, and quality. You shouldn’t spend a lot with nutrients, and custom liquid solutions are there if you are going to make the water steady.
You can also add supplements that can boost your plants’ flavor, sizes, and growth rate. Additional nutrients can make the plants stronger overall, less susceptible to diseases, and they will be able to grow faster.
Besides the factors above, you can also get more information about the best plants that you can grow according to your climate, tools you should use, equipment to invest in, and more on the right website. With the right things, you can get the cabbages that you want in no time.
