Hydroponic System Basics

Hydroponic systems can get pretty fancy, especially when aeroponics are incorporated. To get started growing hydroponic vegetables or any hydroponic plants, a simple system will suffice. There are lots of do it yourself hydroponic guides out there, but if you want to be creative and try your own design, here are a few basic requirements you will need to plan to incorporate into your hydroponic system:

• Plants need light to perform photosynthesis, hydroponic nutrient reservoirs are better off without light. Dark materials and thermal insulation are good for making nutrient tanks. They can also be partially or completely buried to help control nutrient temp.
• Optimum nutrient temperature varies for each variety of plant or vegetable, but in general hydroponics nutrient solutions should be kept between 60 deg. and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Aquarium heaters and commercial chillers are the best ways to control nutrient Temp.
• The best hydroponic systems have a design that provides plants with a well oxygenated or aerated nutrient solution that is at the right temperature for the crop of choice. As the temp. of the nutrient soln. increases, its oxygen holding capacity decreases. DO, O2, or dissolved oxygen meters are not necessary, but they can be a valuable tool for the hydroponic grower.
• Hydroponic systems must provide the roots of plants and vegetables with oxygen. There are some simple ways to aerate hydroponic nutrient solutions, but aquarium air stones and air pumps are the easiest.
• Simple timers and small magnetic drive pumps can be used to circulate hydroponic nutrient solutions. Magnetic drive pumps are the best pumps to use for hydroponics because they are efficient and do not allow harmful oil based lubricants to come into contact with and contaminate your growing system.
• Growing mediums must be compatible with the type of hydroponic system that they are used in. Coco-coir is great when mixed 50/50 with lecca or hydroton in auto pot systems, but may clog pumps in circulating systems such as NFT, ebb and flow or flood and drain, and deep water culture or lettuce raft systems. Sure to grow and rapid rooter plugs are great for circulating hydroponic systems and can be used with lecca or hydroton in net pots to support the growth of larger plants and vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes as they mature.

Keep your design simple. When it comes to hydroponic growing systems, the less complicated the safer the plants and vegetables will be. When systems fail to give plants what they need plants are likely to suffer or if the roots are allowed to dry out the plants will likely die. For healthy and happy hydroponic plants plants monitor pH regularly. Keeping a pH of 5.8 -6.2 will keep most plants and vegetables happy, but check for plant specific pH requirements.
Remember to treat growing with your new hydroponic system as an expiriment. Keep written reccords of your growing trials to fine tune your system making it as productive as possible. Make adjustments to your system as needed and don't forget to have fun!

God Bless and Happy Hydroponic Growing!

General Hydroponics Nutrient: Grow Hydroponic Vegetables

General hydroponics nutrient consists of twelve main nutrients called macro nutrients and some micro nutrients. The macro nutrients are available in larger quantities than the micro nutrients. All of the nutrients must form a solution that stays in suspension in order for the hydroponic vegetables to thrive. If any imbalance occurs in any of the nutrients concentration, problems can cause crop loss or total crop failure.

When mixing general hydroponics nutrients in liquid form, be sure to use accurate measurements. A good graduated cylinder or graduated beaker are best, but a measuring cup will usually suffice. It is also good practice to double check the nutrient concentration with a ppm (parts per million) or e.c. (electrical conductivity) meter. These can be obtained through your local hydroponics supply store or from an online hydroponics supply store. All meters are not the same, so do a little research on meters before you buy. Hanna makes excellent commercial grade meters that have many different options. I recommend getting an all in one pH, temp. and e.c./ppm meter. These functions are all necessary components of a meter for any hydroponics grower. The temperature function is also best for calibrating the other settings. Calibration solutions are labeled with adjustments for temperature and having to use a different meter for temp readings is a hassle.

When mixing general hydroponics nutrient in dry or powder form it is best to measure with a scale or an electronic balance, but measuring spoons or a measuring cup will do. It is best to use warm water when mixing dry nutrients. This will help the nutrient to dissolve completely and form a solution that your hydroponic vegetables will love. I have used General Hydroponics FloraMato Dry from Growco in Grand Rapids, MI and I had good success.

Speaking of Growco, Jay and his staff are great! A couple of years ago, I wanted to start growing hydroponic vegetables in my brothers commercial greenhouse. Our family has been in the flower business for 48 years and I wanted to branch off of our already successful business. Growco gave me all of the info that I needed to get started growing with hydroponics. The first time I went to Growco, I was there for about four and a half hours. They answered every question that I had, and I had a lot of questions. Since then I have made several orders and they are always at my house or my greenhouse a day or two early.

Back to general hydroponics nutrient, the hydroponic grower needs to adjust pH on a regular basis. Different plants have different requirements, but a good general rule for nutrient pH is 6.2. Anywhere between 5.8 and 6.5 will do, but I think that for most hydroponic vegetables 6.2 is best. The pH level is very important because as pH drifts certain nutrients will become unavailable to plants. Fluctuations in temperature and changes in nutrient concentration as caused by evaporation of water from the nutrient solution, or the absorption of nutrients by plants are common causes of pH drift for which the hydroponic grower must compensate. General hydroponics nutrient supply stores offer a variety of different products for balancing pH. Phosphoric acid is my favorite, but it is also dangerous to handle as it is a very acidic solution. There are lots of other buffers available, so don't feel like you need to use something that you aren't comfortable working with. Some companies even make organic pH buffers that work pretty well.

Hope someone finds this information helpful!

God bless and happy growing!