Home Gardening with Hydroponics
Posted by lindseyshoe
Easy how to introduction to doing hydroponics at home with hints and tips.
What do you need to practice hydroponics gardening at home?
Hydroponics gardening is very doable at home. It requires some basic hydroponics knowledge, a pH measurer, a hydroponics medium for growing, a water nutrient solution, a hydroponics water system (which can be very basic or very involved), and of course plants.
Most plants can grow hydroponically within a pH range of 5.8 to 6.8. The ideal pH is 6.3. Checking a nutrient solution pH level is not a daunting task. It is easier to check the pH of a water solution than to test the pH of soil. Testing kits are available at many hardware, hydroponics supply stores or even pet stores. Once established, most solutions only need to be tested weekly.
Soluble Potash can be added to raise pH and phosphoric acid can be added to lower pH.
A hydroponics nutrient solution contains all of the elements a plant needs to grow. You can purchase nutrient solutions from a hydroponics supply store or web site. Nutrient solutions come in liquid or powder mixes. Most solutions will be highly concentrated and call for something close to 2 to 4 teaspoons to be mixed with a gallon of water.
Tips for Beginning Hydroponics Gardeners:
Liquid hydroponics gardening solutions are a bit more expensive but they are very easy to use. They dissolve quickly into the growing reservoir and have an added pH buffer.
With experience, hydroponics gardeners may like to use the less expensive powders but they are more difficult to dissolve and do not have a pH buffer so gardeners have to be very diligent about checking the pH balance.
Most purchased solutions will come with a reservoir, often one for sprouting and one for blooming. Hydroponics gardeners may also want to experiment with the variety of other natural or man-made mediums for hydroponics gardening. 
A growing medium serves to aerate as well as support the root system of a plant and to direct the water and nutrients. There are a variety of options for mediums for hydroponics gardening.
Hydroponics gardeners must be aware of any pH in a medium that will raise the pH of the nutrient solution in the water.
One option is Hydroton. Hydroton is a light clay that is airy and allows plenty of oxygen to reach the plant’s root system. Hydroton is also fast draining.
Another fast draining medium of rock is expanded shale. Shale is more fragile and breakable and often breaks down faster than Hydroton. Neither Hydroton nor expanded shale usually affects the pH of the nutrient solution in the water.
Rockwool is also growing in popularity as a hydroponics-growing medium. Originally used in insulation during construction, there is now a horticultural version of Rockwool that is pressed into cubes and sold in blocks.
Rockwool, which is produced from volcanic rock and limestone, has become an extremely popular growing medium. Rockwool was originally used in construction as insulation. There is now a horticultural grade of Rockwool that is pressed into growing cubes and sold in blocks.
What makes Rockwool so popular for hydroponics gardening? Rockwool holds 10-14 times as much water as soil. Rockwool does have a pH of 7.8 so it can raise the pH of the nutrient solution. Rockwool is often chosen for propagation. Unfortunately Rockwool cannot be used indefinitely and often hydroponics gardeners only get one use through cubes.
Perlite, vermiculite and various grades of sand are also viable options for some hydroponics gardening projects. Each of these three mediums are stable and rarely affect the pH of the nutrient solution and each of these mediums is also a very inexpensive option. It is important to know that each of these options have high moisture retention and should only be used with plants that can tolerate high moisture.
There are a variety of design systems from very simple to highly sophisticated. Should you buy a system or build your own? Experienced hydroponics gardeners say that building your own systems can be either “extremely rewarding” or “highly frustrating.” Most recommend investing in an inexpensive system first to experience the design and use and then, if you are engineering minded, to enjoy building your own.
With some basic knowledge and tools, hydroponics gardening can be very successful and rewarding. Growing plants in a nutrient solution may be the perfect solution for want-to-be gardeners who don’t want to get their hands dirty.
Here is one step by step guide for building your own hydroponics garden but there are many, many to choose from depending on your choices of systems and mediums.
Want to try a kit? Or start slow? Here is an Aerogarden to help you grow salad greens, there are also ones available for herbs and many other choices.
Get a free CD for hydroponics at home:
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say other than that I have really enjoyed reading about hydroponics here.
I will keep visiting going greenvery often.
Thanks again,
Margaret