Gardening is one of those hobbies that have a tendency to just grab you by surprise. That is, people who never thought they would enjoy gardening as a relaxing hobby sometimes find themselves drawn into the hobby quite unexpectedly. Part of the reason for this is from an observational perspective, people may assume that gardening is a passive hobby. This is, of course, not accurate at all as gardening is quite the active and fun hobby with a great deal of physical work involved to properly maintaining a garden. Of course, in order to truly maximize the pleasure of gardening, one needs adequate space. In certain situations, those who find themselves drawn to this new-found world of gardening for fun and relaxation will also find themselves in a bit of a quandary. This is because they may reside in a residence that simply lacks the aforementioned adequate space required for gardening.
Learning about hydroponics
If one is in such a situation, there is no reason to believe having your own garden is out of reach. After all, there is a viable alternative available to those up for the challenge. That challenge is foregoing the traditional route of gardening and embracing the world of hydroponics gardening. For those unfamiliar with hydroponics, it is a method of growing plants without soil, but rather exclusively with water. While this may sound like a difficult venture on the surface, the reality is that after one becomes familiar with a few hydroponics gardening tips, the ability to become successful in a hydroponics venture will become quit easy to achieve.
Provide proper nutrients
The key to success for any hydroponics system is supplying the system with all of the appropriate nutrients. Of all of the hydroponics tips that one can offer, the most important of all hydroponics growth tips is that an adequate food supply must be provided. Most hydroponic nutrient formulas available today are comprehensive foods that include all of the elements plants need to grow. You can even find specific formulas tailored to different types of plants (like tomatoes for example).
When purchasing nutrients, be sure to ask someone who is knowledgeable or do some independent research before making your choice. Nutrients come in granular forms or liquid concentrates and these are either organics or synthetics. Typically, synthetic nutrients are used in hydroponic solutions because they run cleaner through the system. Base foods are commonly used to keep a plant growing and healthy but can also be mixed with specalty additives or supplements to increase yield, flavor, or root health. Think of it as eating your three meals a day (base food) and then taking health supplements on top (additives) to be an even healthier and stronger person.
Pest control
Preventive maintenance should be considered when it comes to hydroponics gardening. Using natural pest control deterrents will protect your plants from any menaces that may opt to turn your hobby into their lunch! Identifying the type of pest that may be plaguing you can be difficult. Either consult the internet or a hydroponics specialist at Peterborough Hydroponic Centre to figure out what may be attacking your plant. The use of general pesticides and natural insecticides can be used on a wide-range of pests, however, some bugs require specific treatment methods. Keeping a clean environment, quarantining outside plants, and preventative spray treatments can help to keep bug problems from ever beginning.
Proper lighting source
Plants need a solid lighting source in order to be able to grow. As such, a solid artificial lighting source must be deployed in order to make sure that the plants will be able to survive in an interior environment. Again, this is one of the most important hydroponics gardening tips that can be offered. Contrary to popular belief, such artificial light sources are not as expensive as one would think and can be obtained fairly easily without significant costs.
Remember, that it depends on what type of plants you are growing and what your desired yield would be. Low intensity lights like fluorescents and LEDs can be used for small seedlings, herbacious and leafy greens, or keeping plants growing in a dormant state. For growing larger vegetables, fruits, or flowers, higher intensity lights are required. Large fruits like tomatoes or peppers require this intense light to grow large and be sizeable enough to pick. The more intense the light, the more energy the plant has to put to growing more fruits/veggies and larger sized fruits. This inevitably means more yield and perhaps cheaper price breakdowns for your own indoor grown crops.
Questions on the best choices for your hydroponics application? Come into Peterborough Hydroponics and we’ll be happy to light the way!