HYDROPONICS INFORMATION

Hydroponics History
The term hydroponics comes from the Greek words hydro(water) and ponos(labor). Essentially, hydroponics is a way to put water to work in feeding the plant root system. Dating back over 400 years, early researchers discovered that soil or dirt wasn't necessary for the proper growth of plants. This was a big discovery as many researchers began to find that there were certain nutrient elements that the plants needed for proper growth. As more time and research passed, scientist found ways to incorporate these essential elements into feeding programs and nutrients. Some of these nutrient formulas as still in use today (e.g. The three-part hydroponic formula)

Hydroponics Explained
In simple terms, hydroponics uses an inert medium (a medium which provides little or no nutritional value to the root system of plants) to support the root system of the plant and also provide a hydration buffer in order to protect the roots. Although not necessary, the medium helps minimize certain errors growers make when first starting with hydroponics. The rooting mediums' main purpose is for support. Plants use the root system as an anchor. Without a way to support itself from below, plants tend to fall over when faced with certain outside factors such as wind or fruit development.

Most hydroponics systems can be assembled using a simple set of parts. All that is needed to get started is a reservoir to hold the nutrient rich water, a tray or container to house the plants and a pump with some irrigation line to supply the nutrients. If you study most hydroponic systems, you will notice that they have have these simple parts in common. The main difference amongst all systems in how they group these parts together as a single unit. Some units are designed to work in constrained spaces while other units are made for large scale production. Knowing your design constraints will make choosing a system much easier.

Advantages of Hydroponics
Hydroponics has been intriguing people ever since its introduction. With its accelerated growth, cleanliness and ease of use, hydroponics has become of the the most used methods in indoor gardening.

Because the root system is able to get the proper ratios of water and oxygen, hydroponics allows plants to not only grow faster, but also produce larger fruits and flowers. This growth is further increased when a high quality hydroponic nutrient is used. These nutrients are chelated which allow for quick absorption from the root system. Since these synthetic nutrients are readily available to the plants, one has to be careful to not over feed their plants. Doing so can quickly harm the plants causing root and leaf burn.

Hydroponics is also easy to maintain. Once the system is setup, maintenance becomes a simple process. Most hydroponic systems are almost self sufficient. This means that they only need an initial setup and minor water change intervals for a complete cycle. When a system is properly designed, plants are able to get all of the necessary elements for proper growth. A poorly designed system is one which needs constant maintenance and repairs.

One can expect great quality results from hydroponics. This again is due to having complete control over the plants' environment. This is a crucial part which determines the difference between success and failure in most gardens. Being able to control all aspects of the growth phase will help your plants achieve their maximum potential.

Just remember that with advantages comes disadvantages. Like everything else, hydroponics has its share of hurdles. The biggest hurdle most people face with hydroponics is the entry cost. This should not be a factor any longer. With the proper knowledge and help, any gardener can build a good quality system for just a little more than what you would expect to pay for a traditional soil garden. Contact us to find out how easy it is to get started with hydroponics.

Hydroponics Basics
Getting started with hydroponics is easier than you might think. Every basic setup consists of the same parts. Lighting, water and nutrients source is all that is needed to get you started. Most hydroponics setups require only a few select parts. Below, you will find some of the basic items needed to get started.

Lighting
Lighting, one of the most important aspects of any garden, yet one of the most neglected items. This is usually due to either initial equipment cost or electrical cost concerns.

Equipment cost should not be a factor. GrowAnnex.com has a grow light package for any budget and garden size. Lighting should be on the top of your list when it comes to equipment budget.

Hydroponics Basics
Getting started with hydroponics is easier than you might think. Every basic setup consists of the same parts. Lighting, water and nutrients source is all that is needed to get you started. Most hydroponics setups require only a few select parts. Below, you will find some of the basic items needed to get started.

Medium
The medium in a hydroponics setup is responsible for stabilizing the plant. Unlike traditional soil gardening, a grow medium isn't required for hydroponics. Although not needed, most hydroponics systems make use of a medium for both support and nutrient/water storage.

If a medium is going to be used, it is recommended to use an inert medium as this will help give more control over what the plants consume. Some gardeners prefer the insurance certain mediums provide in the way of water and nutrient starvation prevention.

Always opt for a medium which has a neutral or consistent pH buffering capability. This will help reduce any pH fluctuations which can harm plants and roots. A medium such as Rockwool has an excellent buffering capability once conditioned.

Nutrients
You are what you eat. The same goes for plants. Poor nutrition leads to unhappy plants. This is usually due to a nutrient deficiency. There are sixteen elements that plants need to properly grow and perform the Calvin cycle. When one of these elements are lacking, it prevents the plant from performing a certain function. The same can be said about an over dose.

Most hydroponic nutrients depend on additives to make a complete plant food. Most of the time, nutrient manufacturers depend on the water source to provide some micro and trace elements. This must be taken into consideration when using an Reverse Osmosis system. These systems remove almost all impurities from the water leaving little to no mineral content. If this is the case, one must add back the proper micro elements and trace minerals to prevent unnecessary plant deficiencies and stress. Grow Annex recommends using General Hydroponics nutrients. 

pH
Knowing the pH of the root zone is very important. This is because the pH level dictates what nutrients are available to the plant. For hydroponics, the pH should remain between 5.2 and 6.2. The ideal range is between 5.5 and 6.2. At this range, the most common and highest range of nutrients will be available to plants.

The biggest mistake most beginning gardeners make is to over adjust their pH. The pH level shouldn't be adjusted more than once per 24 hour period (48 hours is preferred). Adjusting your pH to 5.5 and allowing it to increase over time is the best approach to the problem.

In a healthy system, the pH level will rise as the parts per million (ppm) goes down and vise-versa. This means that it is always preferred to feed your plants on the light side as to allow the ppm to decrease as the week progresses. This is the goal to achieve.

Depending on the type of system used, nutrient changes will be required. In most hydroponic setups, it is recommended to perform weekly water changes.

Environment
Controlling the grow room environment can be challenging. Different plants require different sets of temperature and humidity. Knowing what your plants require will make performing this task much simpler. There are many ways to control the environment. Some involve using a series of ventilation systems while others make use of humidifying and air conditioning devices.

Letting your plant get too hot or too cold can be detrimental. Yield, fragrance and the quality of your fruits and flowers depend on these factors. If budget is a concern, there are other methods of achieving similar goals without the need of expensive equipment.

Another environmental control factor is carbon dioxide. Since plants use carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Calvin cycle to produce sugars, it is recommended to either allow adequate air flow or add supplemental CO2 into your garden. Supplemental CO2 has been shown to increase yield production by at least 30% in proper environments.

Hydroponic Systems
The hydroponic systems in use today are much more sophisticated and easier to use than anything seen before. It was just a few years ago where just the thought of having your own indoor hydroponic garden was unimaginable. With the latest technology and reduced costs, it is easier than ever to design and build your own fully operational hydroponic system.

As with many other systems, hydroponics has many forms. Understanding these methods will not only help you decide on which system is best for you, but also make it easier to use and maintain such systems. Most systems have the same thing in common. The typical hydroponics setup has a reservoir, irrigation system and plant containment system with few parts in between. Some are most popular than others for obvious reason. Others are just better suited for certain grow room designs. There is not one perfect system.

Drain To Waste
The drain to waste system. Possible the most popular setup worldwide due to its many benefits and simplicity. The main advantage of these systems lies in its ability to feed plants a fresh dose of nutrients every feeding. There are numerous advantages to this.

The drain to waste system, as the name implies, doesn't reuse the nutrients fed to plants. Instead, the run-off nutrients are not returned to the reservoir. Some systems either dispose of this run-off onto the sewage system, others reuse it to feed their lower priority vegetation.

There are many reasons why reusing the nutrients can be a bad thing for your indoor garden. The most common reason is for pathogen prevention. When nutrients are recycled back into the feeding reservoir, plant pathogens can multiply and reintroduce themselves to other plants in the system helping the disease to spread much more quickly.

Not only do your plants get a fresh batch of nutrients for each feeding, the drain to waste system helps the gardener control the pH much easier. Since added salts and other unwanted minerals aren't introduced into the reservoir, pH fluctuations become easier to manage.

Recirculating
The recirculating system, another popular method, uses a reservoir and return line to form a closed loop system. These setups are required for certain hydroponics designs. The main advantage of these systems lies in their ability to conserve water while still being able to grow healthy roots and plants.

The most common setups that use these systems are the ebb and flow and the basic recirculating setup. The ebb and flow design feeds plants from the bottom. As the name implies, a tray or bucket is flooded from underneath feeding the plant's roots. These systems require the plants to be fed at fixed intervals to prevent root drying.

Another popular design using the recirculating setup is the basic recirculating system. As opposed to the ebb and flow design, the recirculating system feeds the plants from above while the run-off is returned to the reservoir. These designs have different feeding schedules. Some has a constant 24 hour feeding while others feed at fixed intervals. Both designs offers many benefits.

Aeroponics
Aeroponics is another form of hydroponics. The difference is in the way the roots are fed. In an aeroponics system, the roots are suspended in mid air while a sprayer, which mists the nutrients, feeds the roots. These systems allow plants to uptake the nutrients much faster and easier.

These systems are some of the most sophisticated and also the most complicated of them all. There are two basic designs. The low pressure aeroponics and the high pressure aeroponics system. The main difference between the two has to do with the water droplet size. The high pressure systems require special pumps and misters. These setups also require more maintenance but also offer the best results.

The low pressure aeroponics system works almost as well while providing a lower cost setup and maintenance. Results from low pressure aeroponics can be almost as good as the high pressure counter-part. Whichever design is chosen, keep in mind that certain nutrients are recommended for either setup.

Deep Water Culture
Deep Water Culture systems are a subset of the recirculating system. These designs use a container which holds a nutrient rich water which is aerated with an air pump and air stone. The purpose of these systems is in their simplicity. The entire system is enclosed and has no outside parts. Great results can be obtained from these systems when properly used.

Nutrient Film Technique
The Nutrient Film Technique takes a few concepts and puts them together. The basic principle of these systems has the roots constantly fed using a streaming nutrient water source. The turbulent water flow is aerated allowing the root system to thrive. There are many systems which are incorporating the NFT technique for its benefits.