Learn How To Start a Hydroponic Garden: A Beginner’s Guid

Perhaps the idea of growing a hydroponic garden just popped up in your mind, and you have decided to give it a go. At this stage, you are probably trying to learn as much as you can, but you may have noticed there are many approaches to a hydroponic garden guide.

If you are just a beginner, easy is the way to go. But things don’t seem like it, though, do they? Relax, We’ve got your back. We have covered every basic information that will kick start your hydroponic garden in this guide!

First Of All, Select Your Method.

The confusion comes because there are several different methods to build a hydroponic garden. The basis is always there: grow your plants with nutrient-rich water rather than soil. The way your plants access that water is a different story.

There are six types of hydroponic systems. From these, the three beginner-friendly alternatives are:

• Wick System: It’s the most uncomplicated hydroponic system by far. You place your plants on top of a container with the nutrient water. There is a wick connecting both so that the water moves and nourishes the plants. It is best the best system for smaller plants.
• Deep Water Culture: You can place your plants in growing pots with a lightweight cover to get them floating in surface water. By doing this, you would’ve built yourself a deep water culture hydroponic garden. All you have to do is ensure a water reservoir and an air pump supply.
• Ebb and Flow: The ebb and flow method works great is more of an intermediate system but still easy to nail. You place your plants on a substrate, as per usual, over a water reservoir. Water gets to the plant’s thanks to a pump and is then drained back into the water source once it’s off.

You can start any method at the comfort of your home or wherever you want to grow your hydroponic garden. As you can see, location isn’t a setback after all. Now let’s show you which supplies you will need.

What You’ll Need

Your supplies vary slightly with the method for growing your hydroponic garden. First, let’s see what you generally need:

• Water: Always. Water used in a hydroponic garden has to be filtered. Distilled water, for instance, does the trick. You can get your water from other sources such as the tap or rain as long as you filter it.
• Nutrients: Your hydroponic garden would fail without nutrients. These come in commercial fertilizers, in an exclusive type for hydroponics which is 100% soluble in water. Other people choose to make their own. Both are valid as long as you provide the right nutrient mix.
• Growing media: Also known as substrates, in case info shows up with different names. Substrate materials replace the soil and perform its functions, which are supporting the plant and moisture. It also helps aerate it. You can choose from many options.
• Growing trays and Water Containers: You need something to place the water and plants you want to grow. Therefore, you require growing trays and a container, respectively. Make sure your water container has a lid, is black or opaque, and it’s best if it even has insulation.
• Plants: We don’t need to say how indispensable plants are. Start with smaller plants like herbs and leafy greens. If you opt for strawberries, cucumbers, and tomatoes, ensure your hydroponic garden has the capacity.

Grow Settings

We know a hydroponic garden has the facility of being located pretty much anywhere. With the correct ambiance settings, that is. You don’t need fancy equipment yet to install your hydroponic garden. Essentially you want to ensure these aspects:

• For indoor growing, pick up and set some LED light bulbs above your hydroponic garden. There are particular types of plant light bulbs for these purposes.
• Your plants get oxygen if grown outside, and if this is the case, you won’t need to put as much of it in the nutrient mixture. For indoor growing, you’ll need to increase it.
• Keep in mind water already carries certain nutrients, depending on its type. The water conductivity is a measure that will tell you how much nutrients and oxygenation your water needs, so make sure to check beforehand. Make sure to keep your water reservoir in a cool place with shade.

Let’s Get Started For Real

We’ve got the method and supplies covered. It’s time to dive into the actual procedure. Again, we will go through the basic steps and discuss the variations with all three methods we discussed.

1. Preparing the Set-Up

Water Container: Fill up your water reservoir with nutrient-rich water. For both wick and ebb and flow systems, the container sits beneath your growing trays. When using the deep culture water system, make sure to connect an air stone to the air pump to aerate it.

Plants: 

• Prepare your plants by placing them in growing trays and then in a tray stand. 
• Alternatively, fill the net pots with your substrate of choice and the plants, placing them in the platform of choice with the roots out (for deep water culture). You will have to cut holes in it for the net pots.
• The Ebb and flow system also requires placing the plants in perforated pots with a substrate in a flood tray.

2. Connecting Water Reservoir.

Wick: After you’ve ensured there are holes in the tray, connect the wicks through the holes to the water reservoir.

Deep Culture Water: You only need to place the platforms on the water reservoir so that they float!

Ebb and flow: You have to connect the tray to the reservoir via two tubes: a fill and a drain tube. Use a submersible pump inside of your water container and connect it to the fill tube. The drain tube connects to the reservoir and removes the water with gravity.

3. Light Fixtures

Finally, you can put the light fixtures on top of your plants, depending on how hot it is. The hotter it is, the further away you want to place it. The advised distance is twenty-four inches.

To Wrap Up

That wasn’t too complex, was it? With this guide, you will manage to set up a hydroponic garden in no time, which you can upgrade as you learn more. To gain that expertise, we invite you to stick around for more blogs about hydroponics. Of course, we also offer a range of supplies from A to Z here at our shop. Browse our products today!