Organic Hydroponic-preparation Starts With a Simple Plan

By starting with a plan your hydroponic-preparation will take less time to organize,but,a little more than just effort to get things started. I am not suggesting you go out and buy a fancy greenhouse. I am suggesting that you reduce your enthusiasm at this stage ,and, think small. Of course, think organic, although with hydroponics this might be a challenge; but not an insurmountable challenge.

A few containers to start.

A few containers on the deck might be adequate to start, and you can develop from there. Containers are widely available and they are easy to assemble. Sometime in early spring start some plants from organic seeds, and you can transplant these into your containers as the weather warms up.

Hydroponic gardening can be very simple, or as complicated as you want. A single container that you water by hand, filled with granulated material; (media) and one plant is also a method of hydroponic gardening, or, you can set-up a greenhouse with all the bells and whistles, including a computer controlled gardener.

I suppose it depends on how much money you want to spend and how involved you want to become in what you are doing. Think, how much work am I getting into!

Make a simple start and expand

The "average" home hydroponic system however, usually starts with a few basic parts: a growing tray, a reservoir, a simple timer controlled submersible pump to water the plants and an air pump to oxygenate the nutrient solution. Of course, natural or artificial lights are a basic requirement.

Most hobby type hydroponic systems are somewhere in between the two extremes mentioned above. In fact one or two pots with tomato plants might not sound like much, but, I’m sure you know how many tomatoes you can get from a single plant.

The containers you decide to use can vary depending on what you finally decide to grow. A good first to try might be about 6-12 inches deep and 2-3 feet wide. You can also get individual containers, or, small container will work with smaller plants or gardens. Even a single tomato plant will require room to grow. To over-estimate the size you require won’t really influence your success or failure. We hope that failure is not the outcome.

Plan what you will grow

You need to have a plan of what kind and variety of plants you want to grow, and if you want to transplant started plants or plant seeds, or a combination of both. You have a large choice of what to grow because almost any plant can be adapted to a hydroponic system. It’s probably a good idea though to begin with something simple like tomatoes.

An early success might make the difference in your enthusiasm for the job, and, the tomatoes can give you early success as they are less demanding and produce prolific growth that at least looks like you know what you are doing. You will be assured of getting some fruit; something you can actually eat.

From these early beginnings you will develop a feel for hydroponics gardening without getting in over your head. With the right set-up you will soon be gardening year round in a cold or hot and dry climate.

You will be eating fresh vegetables and fruit all the time. If it doesn’t work out you can always try again, or, as happens from time to time, scrap the whole deal and go back to traditional methods of producing your own organic fruits and vegetables, or, buying your produce in the supermarket.

A system for working at waist level

My own experience has been, that as I get older and the body doesn’t bend quite as well in the middle, the hydroponic system works well. I have developed a liking for doing things at waist level. You don’t dig, you don’t weed between the rows, and you can deal with most things standing straight up.

Assuming we have decided to persevere, and since a hydroponic garden does not normally need soil to support the plants as they grow. We have to use some artificial methods of support or our plants just won’t stand up straight. Personally I never had much success in the ordinary garden at getting plants to stand up. The hydroponic garden, though has it’s own set of problems in this regard.

Fortunately, one can purchase kits that have all the structural components, or, home made devices as simple as wooden ice cream stick will support seedlings. Larger plants can be supported with string or wire or even the deck fence or wall. This is not all that complicated!

Fill your containers with clean water

Start with clean water, leave the none water systems till later. The water does not need to be distilled. In fact, plants grow better in water with minerals. But it should be free of organisms. Sterilize or microwave the water to be sure it is free of harmful life forms.

Fill you new containers, (follow the instructions) with water. Make sure the water is aerated. Photosynthesis, the process by which plants nutrient themselves, consumes CO2 and gives off O2, but plants grown in water still need to get oxygen from the medium for cellular respiration in the roots. They'll quickly use up any dissolved oxygen, so it has to be added artificially. An aquarium pump and filter will do the job, but one designed specifically for a hydroponic garden is best.

You will need lights or sunlight

Most plants will require 8-10 hours per day of intense light. That's best supplied by natural sunlight so your plants should be growing in an area of your back yard where they do get the most sun possible. You can,though, substitute, at least some of that light by artificial means. Sodium lamps and other types of lights which are suitable for hydroponics are available from a number of suppliers, and certainly from hydroponic equipment vendors on the internet.

Get some nutrients and you're on your way

Plants also need nutrients, and with your hydroponic garden you will decide when, how much and what kind, unlike your regular garden where the plant decides what it needs and how much. In other words you are in charge of a controlled environment. You are trying to maximize the full genetic potential of whatever you are growing.

Hydroponic gardening makes this task easy where-as growing plants in soil is less controlled. Your hydroponic plants get only what you give them. You are in control of the pH, the type of nutrients, the lighting. Everything your new "pets" need to live and produce.

If you really want to enjoy your hydroponic garden, experimenting with a variety of plants and growing them in water or other medium takes a little time and experience. But, the rewards are well worth the effort.