Maintaining a hydroponic garden may seem a little to technical compared to throwing a seed in some soil and hoping it grows. But it can be easier than regular soil growing and both methods enable the most 3 important elements to reach the plant, light, nutrients and water.

In a true hydroponic garden there will be no soil, other mediums such as rock wool are used to enable the plant to anchor it’s roots.

With all hydroponic gardens the pH nutrient level is an important factor, too much and it becomes toxic to the plant, to little and the plant begins to starve. Your hydroponic garden will not use water and nutrients in equal parts as it just takes what the plants need which causes the pH level to fluctuate. Keeping an eye on the pH levels will ensure your plant roots are surrounded in a solution that is optimised for plant growth. The recommended pH level for hydroponic gardens is 5 to 6.

Generally the optium temperature for hydroponic gardens is between 71-76F. There are of course plants that will thrive at slightly different temperatures is it can be helpful to the optimum growth temperature for each plant that you grow.

As previously mentioned hydroponic gardens just like regular gardens need light. Natural sunlight is best for plants but since most growers have hydroponic gardens indoors, they will need to compensate for the lack of natural light with grow lamps such as HPS lights.

Growers like having a hydroponic garden as it can be automated, so growing your own plants is easier for the lazy gardener. There is no need for weeding and pests are less likely to be a problem if your growing indoors. Hydroponic Gardens can be a feature in your home where you can grow tropical plants or kitchen herbs.

Hydroponic Gardens can be grown using many different types of hydroponic systems, you can read more about the different hydroponic system in this article. Hydroponic Systems

Hydroponics is a way of growing plants totally without soil. When plants are grown by traditional methods the soil delivers water and nutrients to the plant. Plants grown by hydroponic methods have nutrients and water feed directly into the roots removing the need for soil.

There are many different types of hydroponic system, these can be read about on here on my blog.

Hydroponic gardening could have a huge impact on the environment. It enables plants to grow quicker and larger as they can put their energy into growing up instead of developing a complex system of roots, more food production in less space.

Because plants grown hydroponically are grown in self contained systems, there is less need to add pollutents to our natural soil.

In hydroponic growing the environment is very controlled so pests are far less likely reducing the effects of pesticides.

Hydroponics is also a fantastic hobby allowing you to grow plants that aren’t accustomed to our natural climate, such as orchids.

Or making it feasible to grow your own vegetables in a confined space, and you’d know exactly what went into making that food. It’s also brilliant for children to watch plants that are grown hydroponically as there is less time for them to wait to see the results.

If growing hydroponically indoors you will also need grow lamps so the plants can get all the light they need. There are various versions of lights that can be chosen for this function such as High Pressure Sodium lights which require a ballast to operate, or LEDs as well as fluorescents.