29Dec/110
Better Gardening With Aeroponics
There are many ways of cultivating vibrant, healthy plants indoors. One method that has gained attention of late is aeroponics. Surprisingly, this type of gardening requires neither a huge amount of space nor potting soil to yield impressive results. Aeroponic growing, however, does require specific supplies to create a suitable environment for seedlings and plants.
What is involved in aeroponics?
While everyone is familiar with cultivating plants in soil, this gardening approach exposes the plants' root system to heavily misted air. The mist is not plain tap water, mind you, but rather a nutrient-rich solution. The roots absorb the nutrients readily in an aeroponics system-based environment and conduct them upward throughout the plant structure.
Although the root system is not submerged in either water or a growing solution, this method of plant cultivation is actually considered a variation of hydroponics gardening.
As you may expect, specific equipment is required to simultaneously contain and circulate this mist in a controlled environment. For this reason, an aeroponic system is often fully or partially closed. Such a design, some feel, also provides a barrier against pest infestation or the introduction of disease.
The low down on aeroponics systems
Equipment and complete systems for aeroponics growing are usually available from most locations that sell hydroponics supplies. While there are some similarities between components used for hydroponics gardening and air-based cultivation, they are not exactly alike. For this reason hydroponics supplies cannot be interchanged with aeroponics equipment.
A typical system includes some basic components. First an aeroponics system will include some sort of growing chamber. As mentioned, this chamber can be partially or completely enclosed so that it can control environmental conditions.
A pump mechanism is often included as well. Like hydroponics systems, these gardening environments require a fresh supply of nutrients. The pumping mechanism maintains the correct level of humidity in the growing area and ensures the airflow is active enough to prevent stagnant conditions.
A timing mechanism is also common in aeroponics gardening systems. While hydroponics systems maintain constant fluid levels by default, air based growing requires continuous misting in order to provide a stable growing environment. The timer insures that misting occurs at regular intervals so that growing conditions remain consistent.
Overall benefits
In addition to the convenience of having readily available produce from your indoor gardening efforts, this method of cultivation can provide a healthier crop than possible otherwise. Some feel there is less chance of disease and pest infestation in these gardens. Consequently, the use of pesticides is not necessary. This is particularly good news for gardeners preferring an organic crop.
By: Susan Slobac
21Dec/110
Aeroponics Hydroponics Explained
Breaking down aeroponics hydroponics systems for the beginner
Aeroponics is the best form of hydroponic system you can get. Aeroponics hydroponics systems are unique in the fact that in these types of systems the roots are actually suspended in mid-air. These roots are then watered with a highly oxygenated nutrients spray for you. The size of the water droplet differs depending on the type of aeroponic hydroponics system you have. The two primary types that we will talk about in this article are the pump driven aeroponic hydroponics system and the ultrasonic fogging driven aeroponics hydroponics system.
We'll start talking about the pump driven aeroponics hydroponics first, because it is by far the most common. In this type of system your plants roots are hung suspended in midair. A submersible MAG drive pump such as a 250 gallons per hour pump can be used to power a series of 360? microjet misters. These ministers will break down the water droplets to about 25 microns which is very fine particle droplet creating a light nutrients mixed that will surround your plants roots. This type of light misting in your plants roots zone and will really help to accelerate your plants root growth. The pump can be powered by either turning it on and off in 15 minute increments essentially to allow your plants to dry and then moistened again. This type of wet and dry technique has shown to increase growth performance substantially in hydroponics use.
In the other type of aeroponic hydroponic configuration you would use an ultrasonic fogger, rather than a pump to create the nutrient particle. In the case of using an ultrasonic fogger in the hydroponic grow box application the fogger would actually create a fine micron misty fog rather than a 25 micron water droplet. This much finer particle will look much more like a heavy fog or floating mist. With this type of system hundreds of thousands of tiny hairs will actually develop on your plants roots. As if these tiny hairs were there to pick up each and every water droplet that surrounds it. Again the ultrasonic fogging aeroponic hydroponics system can be controlled with a timer 15 minutes on a 15 minutes off so you have both the wet and dry to keep your roots happy and growing fast.
By using an aeroponics hydroponics [http://www.homegrown-hydroponics.com] system either with the pump driven or ultrasonic fogger driven system you will grow your plants with a maximum possible efficiency. We recommend aeroponics hydroponics systems over all others types of hydroponic systems. For more free information on hydroponics check out the videos section of the homegrown hydroponics website. There is a lot of useful information on a DVD to teach everybody how to use hydroponics.
It should also be mentioned that other systems such as deep water culture or drip systems can actually give your plants too much water and therefore leads to root problems. The on / off action of aeroponic hydroponics system is the best route if you can afford and that type of system. The maintenance is actually quite low and easy to use.
By: Sonny I Griffith
28Nov/110
Ebb and Flow Hydroponic Systems Make Indoor Soil-Free Gardening Possible
Hydroponics is a great method of gardening indoors that requires no soil whatsoever, yet produces fabulous yields of fruits, vegetables and flowers. There are many types of hydroponics systems that you can try, including static solution, continuous flow solution, aeroponics and deep water culture. Among the most popular methods of hydroponics is the ebb and flow system.
With an ebb and flow style of hydroponics, plants are grown in a flat containing some type of growing medium. It could be peat moss, rockwool, vermiculite, perelite or many other types of media available to gardeners today. Beneath the flat is a container of hydroponic nutrients, which are dissolved in water. At regular intervals, a pump causes the hydroponic nutrients to flow up into the flat, soaking the roots, after which the solution drains, or ebbs, back into the container. The action of the solution rising and then falling in the medium helps to bring both oxygen and food to the plant roots.
There is some maintenance that needs to occur with the hydroponic nutrients in order to ensure that the plants are not harmed. The solution of hydroponic nutrients needs to be kept warm enough so as not to inhibit activity in the roots of the plant, yet not warm enough for germs to grow in the solution. Ebb and flow takes the temperature issue into consideration; by not allowing the hydroponic nutrients in solution to remain around the plant roots, the temperature of the solution is rendered essentially a moot point.
Some equipment is required to make the ebb and flow system work. A pump attached to a tube allows the solution to be pumped up into the flat, and also brings the solution back down into the container. How many times the growing medium needs to be flooded depends on which is used. To keep things simple with an ebb and flow system, most gardeners put the pump on a timer, so all goes according to schedule without constant attention on your part.
There are several benefits to the ebb and flow style of hydroponic gardening. One is that because of the movement of the solution around the plant roots via the action of the pump, you will not need an air pump but will still achieve appropriate oxygenation of the plant roots. The ebb and flow gardening method also uses less power than other hydroponic styles, and it is a quiet system, making it perfect for use in a home or office.
By: Anne Harvester
28Nov/110
Common Mistakes When Using Beneficial Bacteria in Hydroponics
To make a nutrient solution and root zone enjoy as many of the benefits of soil, without suffering the disadvantages of soil, many hydroponic growers choose to supplement their garden with beneficial bacteria. These helpful microbes can make a whole host of improvements to both your hydroponic system and your plants by correcting atmospheric nitrogen, increasing nutrient uptake, and decreasing the instances of disease. It is a shame that a significant portion of these growers do not enjoy the full spectrum of benefits that can be gained from beneficial bacteria because they make small, but important, errors during application. To make sure your investment in beneficial bacteria for your hydroponics system does not go to waste, learn to identify and avoid these common errors.
Forgetting to Use Bacteria for Clones and Seeds - It is strange, but even growers who know and understand the benefits of using beneficial bacteria will often only use them for their primary hydroponics system or systems and will not use them when propagating through seeds or cuttings. This is a huge mistake because at these delicate young stages are when your plants need the most help. This absolutely pertinent when cloning where the difference between poorly fed young roots and adequately feed young roots can spell the difference between success and failure, using beneficial microbes is crucial. These microbes will help your cuttings and seeds make the most possible efficient use out of your nutrient solution, thus helping ensure greater odds off success. Many hydroponic manufacturers even recommend that products that contain these bacteria should be used at two three times the normal concentrations when used for propagating plants.
Simultaneously Using Hydrogen Peroxide - One of the cheapest and easiest ways to oxygenate your nutrient solution is to use hydrogen peroxide. This can particularly be helpful if your solution is lacking in oxygen or your roots are suffering form root rot. However, this compound is also a very potent bacteria killer and it will completely rid your reservoir of bacteria, both the good and bad kind, if you use it inappropriately. While hydrogen peroxide certainly has its uses, it is generally better to use an air pump in your reservoir for oxygenation while using beneficial bacteria.
Using the Same Amount for Vegetative Flowering Stages of Growth - As each plant has different needs, each plant also has these special needs at all of its different stages of life. Most manufacturers recommend that you use higher amounts during that vegetative state of growth and slightly less during the flowering stage of development. The vegetative stage is when rapid growth means that it needs the most nutrients to grow to its potential. During the flowering stage, growth has slowed significantly and it therefore is more prone to suffering nutrient excesses.
Not Adding Beneficial Bacteria to Your Foliar Spray - Your reservoir is not the only place that can benefit from beneficial microbes. You can also add it to your foliar spray so that the stomata of your leaves absorb the most possible amount of nutrients. When using as a foliar spray, most choose to also add humic acid to help the spray stick to foliage.
By: Michael Straumietis
19Nov/110
Do-It-Yourself Hydroponic Plans
Due to rising awareness and preference to healthier and natural products, people are considering more wholesome and safer alternatives in the production of food. Most health-conscious individuals prefer to grow their own food to make sure that they are no contaminants and harmful chemicals in them.
Hydroponics is the exact fit for today's health needs. Hydroponics is the method of growing plants without the use of soil. Hydroponics systems were used in commercial food production in a large scale setting - mostly, in industries. But today, it has been increasingly done and used in small scale farming such as in home gardening. The best results arrived in horticulture are products of the effective systems of hydroponics.
There are six basic types of hydroponics systems, namely, the Wick, Drip, Ebb and Flow, Water Culture, Nutrient Film Technique, or NFT, and Aeroponics. The difficulty of creating these systems at home depends on its complexity and your skill or availability - that, considering how far are you willing to go in accomplishing with this project. Simpler systems can be made out of every day materials. More complex systems may require more equipment and mechanisms to work. Remember, though, that your chosen system must suit you and your lifestyle and, of course, the plants you are willing to grow at home.
The simplest among the systems involves the Wick method and the Drip method system. The most complicated is Aeroponics which involves growing your plants without a medium and suspending them in air. NFT, on the hand, is less complicated but also involves suspension of some part of the plant, its root, and running a film of nutrient-enriched water under it.
You can create a Wick system in a jiffy by using a bucket and using it as a holding tank for the liquid nutrient. The growing medium you use and placed over the growing tray, such as pea gravel, will act as wicks carrying the needed water and nutrient solution from the tank to your plant. The Drip variation can be made by adding a submersible pump and installing it in the holding tank. The pump should run according to a timer which regulates various intervals for the nutrient solution to drip at the base of the plants. The excess nutrient liquid that drips off runs back into the holding tank for recycling. An air pump is also needed for aeration.
Do note that in adding your growing medium, it needs to be washed or pre-soaked. Make sure to plant the seeds properly in the growing medium. The mixture of your nutrient solution should be according to the instructions on the packaging. Most mixtures are in a ratio of 1/4 to 1/2 fertilizer-water ratio during the first two weeks of plant growth. Mixing it in the holding tank can be repeated whenever it is necessary. Strength of the mixture and other specifications may vary according to plant type or specie.
By: Jack Stinton
15Nov/110
Start Your Very Own Hydroponics Gardening System
The idea behind hydroponics kits involves growing plants without using soil but instead in a nutrient-enriched liquid. Sometimes preferred over the conventional method of using soil, this method of gardening is becoming popular because the gardener maintains control over the nutrients and oxygen the plant receives. Under these controlled conditions, the plants grow faster.
Hydroponics systems are, simply put, a method of indoor growing plants using a mineral nutrient solution instead of just a soil. Hydroponics kits are also used a standard technique in biology research and teaching. The process allows for easier fertilization since it is possible to use an automatic timer for fertilizing plants. With hydroponics systems, you can grow more plants in a smaller space since the superior efficiency of the nutrient feeding system.
It isn't just scientists jumping on the hydroponics bandwagon. With more and more farmers investing in these kind of indoor growing systems, it is easier than ever before for you to start your own hydroponic garden at home. All it takes is a minimal investment.
These grow systems are sold in a variety of hydroponics kits, many of which include a self contained growing reservoir. Each kit includes everything you need to start your homegrown hydroponics garden such as LED grow lights, grow lights, and fertilizer. The only thing you provide is the water.
You're next step is to pick out plants which will grow well in a hydroponic garden. Some of these include tomatoes and lettuce. These commonly grow in commercial hydroponic gardens so they are perfectly suited for the hydroponics growing environment. You can also try peppers, herbs and cucumbers.
After you've picked out the plants you'll be growing, stop at the store and buy a double-walled hydroculture pot, a ceramic container or an opaque glass container to use as a container. Many gardeners prefer to show off a little displaying a single plant in a colored-glass vase or a jar filled with marbles or decorative gravel. They can match perfectly with your LED grow lights.
Now, hydroponically grown plants need a little support. I recommend vermiculite, gravel or rock wool to anchor the roots. Another option would be to anchor the stems in a small sheet of plastic with the roots dangling freely. Make sure they will work with the grow lights you are using.
Once the grow lights are set up to maximize the lighting for indoor growing, fertilize the plants with a product specifically designed for hydroponics. This fertilizer provides the 13 micro-nutrients and macro-nutrients essential for growth. Monitor the pH of the solution with a pH test kit and maintain at a level of 6.0.
Now you know how to start your very own hydroponics system. Next time you have people over for dinner, you can show off your delicious homemade vegetables that you grew. They'll be thanking you for not only serving them something so delicious but also so healthy.
By: Anne Harvester
3Nov/110
Hydroponics Kits Simplify the Process of Hydroponic Gardening
There are many advantages to hydroponics, the popular soilless gardening system. It is a way to practice indoor gardening when gardening outdoors is not an options, such as in remote locales like Antarctica, outer space, or even in an apartment building high above your city. Because hydroponics uses no soil, plants are not bothered by diseases that incubate in the soil, and neither are they crowded out by weeds.
Because the environment is strictly controlled in order to produce the best results with the plants being grown, hydroponics gardening usually uses less water, energy and fewer pesticides while requiring less space than conventional outdoor gardening. Hydroponic kits take all the guesswork out of growing indoors, because all of the major components are included.
What are some of the different hydroponic kits available?
1. Deep water culture kits
One method of hydroponics is deep water culture. The crown of the plant is suspended over the nutrient solution by a net. The net is placed in a hole in the center of a plastic lid, which fits on top of a plastic bucket. The roots remain in the solution to soak up nutrients, which is the plant's food. In order for plants to thrive with this gardening method, the solution must be aerated in some manner, because the movement of the liquid helps to bring the nutrient to the plant roots, allowing them to feed and oxygenates the liquid as well.
You can have one bucket or several buckets linked together in deep water culture gardening. When several buckets are used, the water is typically recirculated through all of them using spray nozzles, which helps to aerate the liquid.
2. Aeroponic gardening kits
Aeroponics is a subset of hydroponics where plants' roots, rather than being suspended in the liquid nutrient, are instead suspended in air. The roots are regularly misted with nutrient, as an alternative to floating in solution typically found in hydroponics systems. Plants grow very quickly using this type of growing system.
3. Ebb and Flow kits
This method of hydroponics was inspired by large farms that use irrigation as a means for watering outdoor crops. With ebb and flow kits, there is a pan of nutrient solution and above this pan is a tray that holds plants that are planted into some type of growing medium, such as rockwool or coir. A pump is called into play to fill the tray holding the plants with nutrient solution, and after it fills the solution drains back down into the pan. Because of the movement of the solution into and out of the tray, ebb and flow provides its own means of aeration of the plant nutrients.
By: Susan Slobac
23Oct/110
Hydroponics Simplified
There are many aspiring gardeners out there looking to cultivate their green thumb. Unfortunately many of them don't have the space or land to do so. Hydroponics and aeroponics gardening can be the perfect solution to this problem. These are gardening techniques for those with little to no opportunity for a real garden and it is growing in popularity.
Hydroponics systems allow a person to grow nearly all kinds of plants. They work great for beautiful looking and smelling flowers and can produce vegetables as full and tasty that any supermarket can provide. All it takes is a certain amount of nutrient solution. This solution is what is used to replace soil in hydroponics systems.
The definition of hydroponics means 'water-working," such as growing plants in a water and nutrient solution with the help of LED grow plants. See no soil. Hydroponics lets you grow plants in a more efficient and productive manner. You spend less time with the back breaking work and more time enjoying the fruits of your labors.
The science behind hydroponics and aeroponics shows that soil isn't a necessity for a plant to flourish. Instead, it is the other "stuff" such as the elements, minerals and nutrients the soil provides which is vital to the health of the plant. The only job the soil performs is that it holds the nutrients. Deep water culture systems can easily take its place with a little help from grow lights.
In hydroponics kits, you provide the exact nutrients your plants need such as the nutrients and the light from grow lights. The nutrients are added at the base of the plant near the roots and the LED grow lights are obviously place above the plant at a safe distance. Almost all plant you choose can grow within hydroponic systems, however some will do better than others.
Here are just a few of the many advantages of growing with hydroponic kits:
o Smaller deep water culture systems are less work than soil gardens since there is obviously no soil to till as well as no weeds to pull. Since there is no soil, you needn't worry about soil born diseases, either.
o Hydroponics uses only a small fraction of the water a soil garden requires. There is no water wasted or stolen by weeds.
o Since it is you that is providing the needed nutrients, you can be sure that the plants receive the exact amount they need. This causes them to grow more rapidly while also producing bigger yields.
o It's been shown that hydroponic systems produce is much higher in nutritional value than ordinary crops grown in fields. It is also thought to tastes better than field-grown produce, as well.
o You can grow your plants on a year-round basis when growing indoors with LED grow lights or in a greenhouse with their grow lights.
So as you can see, hydroponic growing is perfect for the hobby gardener or the farmer growing crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, leafy crops, like lettuce and herbs and flowing plants.
By: Anne Harvester
7Sep/110
How to Grow Hydro – Using Hydroponics Systems to Grow Plants
For a gardener, growing plants in a controlled setting is a blessing because it would mean better results and may be even the best harvest ever! If you want to grow plants in your home but have no space for a bigger garden or just can't garden at all because of the weather, why don't you try hydroponics?
From the Greek words, "hydro", meaning water, and "ponos", meaning labor, hydroponics is the method of growing plants without using soil. So, it is lesser hassle than actually doing the gardening outside and digging under the sun and rain. Let me give you the basics in creating your own hydroponics system at home.
There are few things to consider in using hydroponics systems to grow your plants. Here are some of the important things you need to know in building one for your own use.
Choosing the system
You can choose to use one from the six basic types of hydroponics systems: the Drip, Wick, Ebb and Flow, Aeroponics, Water Culture, and Nutrient Film Technique (N.F.T.). Aeroponics is the most complicated, technically and technology-wise. This is the one with the plants hanging in mid air and the system misting the roots periodically with the nutrient solution. The simplest is the Wick system, with the nutrient solution being pulled into the growing platform via a wick. The Drip system is the most commonly used. It works with a pump that delivers the nutrient solution directly to each plant via a tube with drip points in it.
Starter Cubes
Another thing that is important to know about are starter cubes. Starter cubes are where you plant the seeds in and allow them to sprout before you move them to the hydroponics system. Some of the most commonly used are peat pots, Organo-Cubes, Rockwool, and Oasis Cubes. You start by making a hole in the top, put the seed in, and cover the hole with surrounding starter cube materials. Your starter cubes should remain moist, but should never sit in water, or your seedlings might drown.
A nutrient solution is basically composed of fertilizer and water. During the first two weeks, your nutrient solution should be mixed at a 1/4 to 1/2 fertilizer-water ratio. After that, you can move onto the full strength.
Lighting
Plants need a good lighting sources to grow. This is a must, whether you plant in soil or in a system. There are three basic light types you can use indoors: fluorescent, incandescent, and high intensity discharge. Although, it gives off much lower heat than high intensity discharges, fluorescent is still the lighting of choice for small gardeners because they are inexpensive. High intensity discharge lights are more effective and also more expensive.
At last, the seeds! Actually, you can grow whatever you want - tomatoes, lettuces and spinach. These do well under fluorescent lights because they do not need direct sunlight. You can also grow African Violets. There are guides you can buy online and at grow shops near you that may be able to help you in choosing plants to grow in you're your garden. But, of course, read the labels of your seed packages. Most include information about growing them and help if you're still learning.
Building your own hydroponics system is not difficult. It's actually a lot of fun! You can use this to introduce gardening to your kids and even develop it as a hobby in which you can share and enjoy together as a family. Not to mention the benefits of having a great garden at home.
By: Jack Stinton
4Sep/110
A Quick and Easy Guide to the Different Types of Hydroponic Gardening
The terms hydroponics gardening refers to growing plants without the traditional use of soil. Instead it employs another form of growing medium, often times more successful with higher yields produced. With the hydroponics system, any gardener would be hard pressed to find a reason to go back to traditional gardening.
Finding the right hydroponics systems for your needs is a difficult decision. To help you out, here are three of the most common types of gardening using hydroponics:
o Ebb and flow system - The ebb and flow system is one of the more favored ways of hydroponics gardening. It is known as an active system as well as being a recovery type. The plant is contained in a reservoir filled with a nutrient solution. The nutrients are pumped in to the plant. Once the water reaches a preset level, it is drained in to a river while oxygen is sucked in by the roots.
o Aeroponics system - Although not technically a hydroponics system, aeroponics uses much of the same basic principles in water-based, soil-less plant growth. However, aeroponics implements the use of air vapors instead. The plants are hung on top of a reservoir in an aeroponic system and the container is sealed tightly. A device creates vapors out of the nutrient solution which is then sprayed in the reservoir, engulfing the dangling plant roots. The roots soak up the nutrients quicker and allow for great oxygenation capabilities, causing the plants to grow more heavily.
In an aeroponics setup the roots are separated from the tops of the plants and misted with a water/nutrient solution. These systems possess advantages such as helping to fully aerate the roots of the plant, stimulating growth. Aeroponics is also a cost saver for larger needs since it uses less growing medium.
Areoponics cloning also revolutionized the culturing of plants. Aeroponics cloning permitted the entire culturing process to be carried out in a single unit. Numerous plants can now be replicated simply from a single stem cutting. This was a major advantage to green houses attempting to propagate plants normally propagated by seed.
o Deep Water Culture Hydroponic Systems - The deep water culture was actually the first type of system invented for hydroponics. It is basically a straightforward growing system. There is a reservoir filled with nutrient solution, atop of which the gardener sets a floating platform which contains several planters. The roots of the plant are drowned in the nutrient solution, with the rest of the plant being held by the planters. Deep water culture systems, even for how simple, can yield the highest producing harvest of all considering the other systems inability to maximize nutrient and oxygen levels.
By: Anne Harvester