Newsletter for December 2008

Start Growing with Hydroponics Today

This month our goal is to help you get your indoor hydroponic garden started. This installment will cover some of the basic things you need to keep in mind.

One of the advantages of bringing your grow operation indoors is that you have the ability to control the environment. When thinking of this, the following environmental elements should be considered: relative humidity (40-60% is ideal), temperature (68-75 F degrees), CO2 (300-400PPM).

Second your plants are going to need good water. Although you don't need fancy testers to get started, it is a good idea to have the water tested by someone that knows. PPM (parts per million) or EC (electrical conductivity) is the measurements of salts in the water. Ideally you want to start off with a low PPM or EC. Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) water is a good idea to help filter your water. Also, pH (potential hydrogen) is another factor you need to consider when testing your water. The scale is from 0-14, with acidic being below 7 and alkaline above 7.

There are several different methods of hydroponic gardening. It is best to research your crop and talk with your local hydroponic dealer when deciding which method is going to be best for you. Ebb & flow, drip, aeroponic, NFT (nutrient film technique), and organics are all different styles of gardening available to you.

Hydroponics not only allows you to vary your method, but also your growing medium. Hydroponics uses many different grow mediums including soil, silica stone, rockwool/stonewool, coco, and clay pellets.Your local hydro dealer can help you with this decision.

Like humans, plants require nutrients to grow. Each plant will require a different mix of macro and micronutrients. N-P-K is a good foundation to work from. N is for Nitrogen, P is for Phosphorous, and K is for Potassium.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) is the preferred lighting in a garden room. Two common HID lights are used for indoor growing: HPS (High Pressure Sodium) which deliver more of an orange/red spectrum good for flowering and MH (Metal Halide) deliver a blue/green spectrum good for vegetative stages.

Though you can have your water tested, a serious gardener is going to want to have the necessary testing equipment on hand. There are many different meters available to test various elements such as pH, PPM, EC, temperature, humidity, CO2, and lighting levels.

Though it is not necessary, as you get your indoor garden dialed in, there are many optional accessories that are going to make your life a lot easier. Organics, controllers, fans, blowers, supplements, and the list goes on. Consult your local hydro guys for more.