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Hydroponic Gardens: Growing Guidelines

Hydroponics is a technique for growing plants without using soil. Hydroponic gardening involves immersing the roots of plants in a chemical solution containing hydroponic nutrients and supporting the plants in gravel or sand.

Hydroponic gardening is a great hobby for gardeners who are short on space, but looking for fast results. If you have a patio, or even a small rooftop garden in a sunny location, then you can consider hydroponics in your gardening repertoire.

Hydroponic Gardening: Origins

Growing plants in soil-free media dates back to Greco- Roman times. Hydroponics was also used in early Asian civilization.

More recently, research has documented the advantages of hydroponic crop production. In controlled studies, hydroponics has been shown to increase plant growth rate by up to fifty percent compared with plants grown in soil.

Did you know that . . .
. . . the word 'hydroponics' derives from the Greek hydor (water) and ponos (labor or toil)?

Hydroponic Garden Systems

Don't be put off by the jargon used to describe the different types of hydroponic garden systems. All you need to know is that hydroponic systems are available in two main types: active (or recovery) and passive (or non-recovery).

The main difference is that active hydroponic systems have a mechanism that circulates the nutrients in the system; passive hydroponic systems are reactive and allow the plants to grow at their own pace.

Active systems use a pump to circulate the hydroponic nutrients, whereas passive hydroponic systems supply nutrients through the medium of a simple wick.

Recovery type hydroponic systems recover or reuse the nutrient solution by recirculating the nutrients through the system. Non-recovery systems distribute the nutrients from the reservoir to the roots of the plant, using a wick-like device.

Active or recovery hydroponic systems are more complex and offer better control, but are more expensive than simple wick-based systems. A passive hydroponic system, however, is more than adequate for first-time hydroponic gardeners.

Important Hydroponic Nutrients

Soil contains minerals and non-mineral elements that help plants grow. Plants grown using hydroponics rely entirely on the quality of the hydroponic nutrients provided by the system.

Hydroponic gardeners have the advantage of being able to control macro-nutrients needed for growth, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur and micronutrients, boron, copper, iron, chloride, manganese, molybdenum and zinc, at all times, and to supplement hydroponic nutrients as required.

Hydroponic Supplies: Getting Started

You'll need thefollowing hydroponic supplies to set up a hydroponic garden:

hydroponic garden system: Either build your own or use a ready-made kit that comes with step-by-step instructions.
growing media: Your choice of growing medium will depend on your type of hydroponic garden system. For example, hydroton or pea gravel is commonly used in recovery type systems. Rockwool or Perlite works for both types of systems, while Perlite is particularly suited to wick systems.
hydroponic nutrients: These are available in either organic or chemical form. Your choice of hydroponic nutrients will vary according to the types of plants you wish to grow.

How to Set Up an Active Hydroponic System

To set up an active hydroponic garden system:

Place the drainage container in the slot on the table surface
Fill the container with growing medium, to within an inch or two of the top
Position the reservoir (bucket) directly below the drainage holes in the plant container
Place the water pump next to the reservoir; attach one plastic tube to the water pump, and balance the other end in bottom of the nutrient reservoir
Place one end of another plastic tube on top of the growing medium and attach the other end to the water pump outflow.
Fill the reservoir about half full with water to cover the intake tube.
Finally, activate the timer on the water pump and check that the nutrient solution is circulating through the system.

Hydroponic Plants

Plants that thrive well in greenhouses, especially salad plants and herbs, also flourish in hydroponic gardens. Examples include the Hungarian wax pepper, micro Tom tomato, extra curled dwarf parsley, red salad bowl lettuce, green salad bowl lettuce and chives.