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Hydroponic Supplies and Fundamentals

Written by Grow Staff on October 15, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Working with quality growing equipment and keeping a hydroponic system well kept up is vital for raising quality plants. In order to cultivate premium herbs it is necessary to supply them with an optimum environment.

Soilless cultivation has turned out to be an excellent technique for growing various types of herbs but it only works if it is used in combination with quality equipment. Of special importance are the hydroponic minerals utilized to feed the plants and the choice of cultivation medium. Both those aspects are extremely critical and should be chosen with the type of crops being cultivated in mind. Maintenance supplies should also be used so that an appropriate cultivation environment can be maintained during cultivation.

Plants receive the compounds they need to flourish from minerals that exist in nature. To give grow room plants with the nourishment they require different nutrients such as calcium and potassium must be given. Various minerals can be mixed in different ratios to create ideal nutrient mixtures for any plants.

Although certain hydroponics techniques suspend a flowers root system in solution there are lots of kinds that use an inert substance to assist solution delivery. Growing mediums can help water reach a crops roots without drowning them and should act as a foundation for growth. Some of the more popular growing mediums include vermiculite, rock wool, and clay pellets. Depending on the crops being cultivated and any particular requirements growers might have there are many choices for cultivation medium such as expanded clay, brick shards, wood fiber and other materials.

Maintaining consistent environmental conditions is important for flows to flourish. The equipment required to operate a grow room can create a lot of heat and care must be taken to correctly air out all grow spaces. Depending and the specific design of a grow room usually blowers are necessary to maintain a suitable growing environment. Regular upkeep is also required to ensure that no fungus are introduced to the flowers. Depending on the herb type being cultivated changes to the environment could be required during cultivation.

Before you start a grow room make sure you understand how to maintain your cultivation environment. A expertly constructed setup will only work as long as it is maintained. Depending on the flowers being grown the maturation cycle could be a couple weeks to several months. Every day is as important as every other and the proper environment should be provided daily.

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Home Growing with Hydroponic Systems

Written by Grow Staff on October 15, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Hydroponic systems have been used by many gardeners to cultivate high quality plants. Grow systems can be set up virtually anywhere and can be used to raise almost any type of flower or herb.

Hydroponic gardening methods have been researched for many years,  and are currently used by many different gardeners. There are now various hydroponic methods that can be used to cultivate a range of different plants in almost any climate. In order to set up a complete hydroponic system there are several aspects that must be considered; an irrigation technique, grow medium, lighting, and maintenance of the environment. Every plant species can have various needs so the best grow systems are able to provide the optimum environment for whatever herb is being raised. There are many options to consider when designing a hydroponic system, it is critical that all the Design decisions you make are compatible with the herbs you intend to grow.

One of the critical parts of any hydroponic method is the medium. Hydroponics means utilizing just water as a grow medium as opposed to soil, however certain techniques utilize inert substances as grow mediums. All hydroponics utilizes special nutrient rich concentrations to feed herbs. Some systems suspend a herbs roots in water while some deliver nutrients via inert compounds such as expanded clay, coir, perlite, sand, and brick shards.

Hydroponic designs that suspend roots in water only can either be continuous flow methods or static systems. Whatever the cultivation medium solution can either be delivered up from the bottom wth subirrigation or from above in top irrigation. There are a few systems designed to maintain both nutrient and oxygen delivery known as aeroponics, flood and drain, and deep water culture.

Light is a vital aspect of every hydroponic method and will influence plant yield and timing. The most common types of lights utilized for indoor growing are fluorescent lights, LED lights, high pressure sodium lamps, and metal halide lights. These lamps can be utilized in combination to get the best growth.

Beyond giving your flowers with the nutrients they require and light they need it is also important to ensure that the environment remains stable for them. This means fresh air is provided, adequate gas levels, proper temperature, and no fungus. All hydroponic designs must be maintained throughout the entire growth cycle to make sure any problems that may occur are quickly fixed.

If you are setting up a garden room it is critical to think about all aspects of the growth process. Skipping even a single aspect can be a critical error no matter how well designed the system as a whole.

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Hydroponic Growing Methods

Written by Grow Staff on October 12, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Hydroponic growing is a growing methods that uses just water as a grow medium. This technique has been studied for many years and is used by many home growers.

Hydroponics is the growing method that utilizes only nutrient rich water as a growing medium.The method was first tried when botanists first realized that plants acquire all the nutrients and food they need to grow from minerals and other compounds in water not soil. The soil that outdoor plants grow in serves only as a conduit for water to reach a plants root system. Researchers discovered that by removing soil from the growing process ans using just water they could grow plants faster and with larger yields. The technique is currently used by researchers who need to grow in controlled conditions, home gardeners who want to raise quality plants or herbs year round, and for growing in locations with no soil

The study of hydroponics has been going on for hundreds of years but serious advancement in the area began in the early 20th century. It was then that researchers started clinical trials to determine the potential for hydroponics and how to maximize its use. A researcher by the name of Dennis Hoagland working at thr UC Berkeley was able to develop a number of formulas for mineral nutrient solutions. These became known as Hoagland solutions and are still in use today.

Hydroponics was quickly put to use in location around the world that did not have adequate soil or dirt for planting crops. Advancement of hydroponics continued throughout the 20th century with several different methods and techniques being developed for various uses. NASA has been doing extensive research on the subject as a way to provide food for astronauts on long term voyages. Researchers have made use of hydroponics to grow plants in a controlled setting for clinical study. Currently soilless growing of many plants and crops is much more efficient than terrestrial methods, with equivalent yields requiring a fraction of the grow area as is need outdoors.

Recently many home hydroponic systems have been created and implemented by gardening enthusiasts. These systems have allowed amateur growers to produce quality crops year round and in any climate. The advancements over the last several years means that there are now more options than ever. Current technology has made many systems much more convenient than in the past; timers and pump can automate many of the daily growing tasks.

There are systems designed to grow a range of different plants and to accommodate many different crop sizes. Most hydroponic system differ in how they deliver water to plants and include static solution culture, continuous flow solution culture, aeroponics, passive sub irrigation, ebb and flow systems, top irrigation, and deep water culture. These methods can all be combined with nutrient solutions and be used to cultivate almost any plant or herb species.

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Grow Room Basics

Written by Grow Staff on September 27, 2009 — Leave a Comment
grow rooms give growers complete control over their envronment

grow rooms give growers complete control over their environment

Grow room is an indoor space where plants or flowers can be grown in controlled conditions. Grow rooms are popular because they have several advantages including complete control over conditions including lighting, temperature, security, and privacy. Indoor grow rooms can make use of natural sunlight, artificial light, or a combination of the two. Depending on the size, set up, and layout of a grow room energy usage to run and heat from the equipment can cause significant problems.

When growing indoors a primary obstacle is soil or lack thereof. Grow rooms sometimes use soil but increasingly are utilizing soilless cultivation techniques including hydroponics and aeroponics. Many growers report that soilless growing provides better yields, faster growth rates, and quicker maturation. This is attributed to the nutrient control that soilless techniques confer on the grower. Growing in soil nutrient concentrations can only be estimated and fluctuate over time. Hydroponic and aeroponic methods allow the grower to custom create the medium for the plants to grow in. Concentrations can be changed at will and with extreme precision making it possible to provide optimum growth conditions for any crop. Some of the more popular nutrients used for grow mixtures include vermiculite, perlite, coconut husk, and rockwool.

Apart from the medium in which the plants will grow lighting is the other critical design aspect of any grow room. Light is essential for a plant’s growth and has a tremendous impact on the size, timing, and quality of crop yields. In order to maximize the yield from indoor growing growers use three common types of light at different points in the growth and maturation cycle of the plant. Growers use HID, or high intensity discharge  lamps, compact fluorescent lamps, and regular fluorescent lamps. The types of lamps used and their placement determines how effective they will be and are commonly changed throughout the growth and flowering cycles. The walls of grow rooms are often covered in reflective material to utilize as much light over as large an area of the plant as possible.

Beyond the growing medium and the lighting set up regular maintenance is also required throughout the process.The light required to grow plants indoors will generate a substantial amount of heat. Fans are usually required to dissipate the heat and for air circulation depending on the location and layout of a grow room. Close attention must be paid to humidity levels and regular inspection for pests will help ensure indoor crops remain safe and healthy.

Grow rooms have proven to be a convenient and effective way for millions of people to grow any plant they want in highly controlled conditions. Many growers report yields of better size and quality than what they can achieve outdoors.

Posted in Growing Indoors
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