Hydroponic Horticulture Has Advanced Our Food Supply

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Hydroponic gardening offers many advantages to the home grower. Because a sterile medium is used, there are no weeds to remove and soil-borne pests and diseases are minimized if not completely eliminated. Hydroponic herbs, fruits and vegetables that are properly grown are considered to be more vigorous and healthier because all the necessary growth elements are completely consumed. Thus, plants mature faster, yielding an earlier harvest of more zesty and more nutritious crops.

Hydroponics also offers many advantages for commercial agriculture. Growing of healthy and more flavorful plants is now possible using greenhouses, eliminating the need for vast farmlands. The techniques used in hydroponics allow growers to apply the precise water and nutrient solution directly to the roots of the plants. Since plants are grown in a controlled environment, hydroponics also enables growers to transform dry lands like deserts into productive lands using limited amounts of water.

Sometimes, nutrients that are supplied to hydroponic plants are used up faster than they can be replaced resulting in nutrient deficiency. When this happens, you can fix it by spraying an all-purpose foliar fertilizer on the leaves. This process may not completely solve the problem. The best thing to do is to change the nutrient solution every week instead of every two weeks. There are cases where it might be necessary to switch to a different type of fertilizer if the deficiency persists. The best hydroponic fertilizers and nutrients are made by a Canadian company called Advanced Nutrients.

Hydroponic horticulture has given growers a better chance of producing better and more quality crops. Because hydroponic plants are grown in a sterile medium, it eliminates soil and the microorganisms it carries. Without the presence of dirt, plants will not get soil-borne diseases and they will not be invaded by soil-based insects that can greatly affect their growth stage.

In a hydroponic set-up, the grower is given more chance to produce better harvests since the plants are maintained in a controlled environment that is free from pests and other harmful elements. In a controlled atmosphere, the plants are placed in a sanitary condition that helps in fighting insects and possible plant diseases. By eliminating the dirt, the pests, and the foraging animals, hydroponics has created the perfect environment for the plants to flourish, unaffected by many of the diseases that plague field-grown crops.

Hydroponic plants are also rich in water and essential nutrients they need in order for them to reach their highest potential. Since all the important nutrients are absorbed by the plants, growers can be assured of producing better, healthier, more nutritious and even more flavorful produce. The climate system that a controlled atmosphere uses in hydroponic gardening gives the best approximation of optimum growing conditions where temperature, humidity and light are precisely measured to create delicious and nutritious produce. Most importantly, hydroponic horticulture gives people the opportunity to grow their own food even inside the comfort of their own homes.

The development of hydroponic systems paved the way to producing high quality harvests. Good quality hydroponic produce are determined by the color, texture, firmness, shelf life and most importantly, the flavor. These are the key indicators that separate hydroponic crops from field-grown produce.

The single most important factor in all these indicators is the genetic makeup of the plant, so careful selection of the proper nutrients for plant growth is absolutely necessary.

The level of maturity at the time of harvest is also an important factor that affects the final quality of the crop. For example, in commercial trade, tomato is harvested mature but unripe because it still has a green color. It is usually ripened in transit, but this gives it the cardboard, tasteless quality associated with field grown, prematurely harvested tomatoes.

Since hydroponic greenhouses are usually located closer to market, “hothouse” tomatoes are allowed to ripen on the vine, and are sometimes sold in bunches that are joined by the actual stems. These tomatoes have a rich taste, and many of them are grown organically.

To preserve the high quality of the harvested fruit, it should be stored in well-ventilated areas or in a low oxygen or high carbon dioxide environment. The fruits must never be exposed to temperatures below 54° F (12.5° C) to avoid susceptibility to rot. Since hydroponic crops are maintained in a controlled environment, the grower has more opportunity to control the growing process, thus, producing more high quality harvests.

Hydroponic nutrients play an important role in growing healthy, large fruits and vegetables in hydroponic gardening. One of the main advantages to growing indoors is that you can control the amount of plant nutrients your fruits and vegetables are getting without having to worry about any outside factors. With proper use of these hydroponic nutrients, you control the whole process from start to finish and get to enjoy pesticide free, naturally healthy fruits and vegetables all year long.

If you are looking for the highest quality hydroponic nutrients to help your produce reach its maximum growth potential, HIDHut has one of the largest selections of plant nutrients available on the market today. HIDHut offers a full range of Advanced Nutrients suitable for all types of hydroponic gardening. Advanced Nutrients Big Bud is a fertilizer additive that can be used, along with one of their base fertilizers, in order to improve the flowers on a plant. The flower's size and weight will increase, as well as the speed of growth and the number of flowers produced will be enhanced with the use of this extensively tested product.

Another fertilizer additive you will want to try is Advanced Nutrients Voodoo Juice. Plants can benefit from Voodoo Juice because this product focuses on improving the root system. It increases the root mass so that plants can take in nutrients and water more easily because of the fast root growth and increased efficiency in the root system. You can expect great yields and improved disease resistance in your plants with Voodoo Juice.

The world of hydroponic gardening is ever changing and the best way to be updated on the ways to increase your yield is to subscribe to hydroponic newsletter. By doing so, you’ll be able to keep up on the ways to improve the size of your buds and the flavor of your vegetables every month.

The best tool a grower can have is information and a good newsletter can give you tons of useful tips for a few dollars or even free. But the information you receive can sometimes be overwhelming, so it can sometimes be confusing. Here are some tips on how to distinguish a good hydroponic newsletter:

1. Ensure that your newsletter comes from a reputable source. Make sure that your hydroponic newsletter comes from a company, organization, or person who has real experience in hydroponic gardening and not from someone who just heard some advice elsewhere.

2. Test a small area first. When you read of some new breakthrough that promises to vastly increase your yield, try not to apply it to your entire crop immediately. Remember that the safety of your plants is the utmost concern. Try the new advice on a single plant first, so you can be sure the information will actually be beneficial. That is why it might be a good idea to grow one or two "test plants" in a smaller hydroponic system separate from your main system that will allow you to experiment without taking too much risk for your plants.

3. Make sure the advice pertains to your particular condition. There are so many factors that go into successful hydroponic growing that a piece of advice might help one grower but might actually harm another grower's plants. So before you rush off and make those adjustments, make certain that the any new research you are reading about applies to your particular hydroponic system, lighting system, medium and plants.

4. Find a newsletter that helps growing on your scale. Some hydroponic newsletters specialize in a certain scale of growing. This means that some might contain advice targeted to a hobby grower who just likes to grow vegetable in his basement, while others are for large, profit greenhouses. Make sure the information can really help your condition and will work within your budget.

All plants need water, light and food in order to grow and flourish. Food is vitally important plants in order for them to grow and eventually reach maturity. In hydroponics, plants grown are fed using a hydroponic nutrient solution most commonly referred as hydroponic plant food.

All plants, whether growing indoors or not, need several types of nutrients. The main hydroponic plant food or plant nutrients for hydroponics are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Plants also need macronutrients in greater amounts than micronutrients, but nevertheless all are needed in order for any plant to thrive.

In a traditional garden setting, your plants would be receiving nutrients from the soil, but without soil, plants are helpless without the gardener providing them with plant nutrients for hydroponics.

Hydroponic plant food come in the form of organic gardening supplies suitable for fruits, leafy vegetables, melons, berries, grapes and many more.

The use of hydroponics as a method of producing crops has been proven to increase food production in modern greenhouses. It has been labeled to be the most effective and practical way of growing healthy crops today because it reduces costs of farming with pest control procedures and introduces the precise nutrient intake to plants. Moreover, the method requires less water (only 5% of water is required) compared to the water requirement of traditional farms yet it produces five to six times the produce per square foot that field agriculture is able to do.

This new agricultural technology has been a breakthrough in the need for a less spacious venue for farming yet guarantees maximum yield to the producers, plus safe and unblemished produce. With this method, more healthy crops are expected to be produced, thus, allowing us to advance our food supply. Also, greenhouses are usually located closer to the urban centers they supply, so transportation costs are reduced. Not to mention that they can produce food year round.

Books and manuals have been made to assist growers on the proper procedures with regards the plant watering system and nutrition feeding of plants. Simple may it seem but proper administration is needed to exactly formulate the nutrition for the plants. Nowadays, there are thousands of Hydroponic gardening centers throughout the United States that aim to establish it as an alternative gardening method, because it is more cost effective and highly beneficial to plant growers. For a hydroponic gardener, hydroponics means produce at its best; meaning, higher yields, environment friendly technology, minimal labor and high return on investment.

Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances used to kill pests. They are commonly used in soil-grown crops. Studies have shown that even a single daily serving of some produce can deliver unsafe levels of toxic pesticide residues. Thus, consumers always try to stay away from produce that were grown using these toxic substances.

One of the important differences between soil-grown and hydroponic gardening is the ability to control the environment. Pests are highly inevitable in open areas; while in hydroponics, vegetables are grown indoors in carefully controlled environments therefore pests can be prevented.

And did you know that hydroponically grown fruits and vegetables are not only safe from pesticides but are also more nutritious compared to soil-grown produce?

You may ask, how is this possible with hydroponics? The answer is quite simple. Because the fruits, vegetables and other plants grown using this type of method is free from pesticides and harmful elements that can contribute to losing its essential minerals. The continuous flow of nutrient solution in the process allows the plants, fruits and vegetables make it possible for these crops to reach their full potential.

Just imagine getting all the nutritional benefits we can get from the food we eat. Imagine how fresh, nutritious, delicious, and healthy are the fruits and vegetables that we can harvest if we grow our crops hydroponically.

With all the risks of eating fruits and vegetables grown using pesticides taken in consideration, it’s a good thing that the science of hydroponics was discovered. Through this method, eating healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables is possible.

Grow lights are mediums used to bring an imitated sunlight to hydroponically grown plants. To successfully promote the growth of your hydroponic plants, it is a must that you choose the right light spectrum.

If you are trying to grow plants, vegetables and herbs, you must carefully consider the grow light that you will use. In indoor hydroponic gardening, the required grow lights depend on the type or kind of plant being grown. This is crucial for your plants since the range and color rendering indexes determine each specific phase of your plants’ growth. Most vegetables for instance, grow best in full sunlight and would require different indoor grow lights than a foliage plant that naturally thrives best in the shade.

The various grow lights made available for hydroponics growing include:

• Radiant grow lights for a consistent spread of intense light;
• Metal Halide lights, which emit mostly blue light used by plants for vegetative leaf growth;
• High pressure sodium lights, ideal for fruit and flowering plants;
• Sodium agro lights that have the same color spectrum as a High Pressure Sodium but with 30% more blue light and reduced levels of infrared.

Incandescent lights burn very hot and do not make adequate grow lights for hydroponic plants while fluorescent lights are excellent for starting seedlings and for cultivating cool weather basement harvests year round as long as these "cool" grow lights are kept relatively close to the plant. Moreover, the wattage of your grow lights will be determined by the size of your growing area combined with the amount of natural light.

Subscribing to home hydroponic newsletters has many advantages. The greatest advantage is having access to breaking news and new trends in the hydroponic gardening world. Some newsletters arrive in either your computer Inbox or postal mailbox weekly, others on a monthly schedule. Either way, the news is fresh.

Unlike forums, the information stays put until you have the time to read and digest it. You don’t have to scroll through a hundred or more posts to find the piece of information you are looking for. You are also able to have a hard copy of newsletters for future reference. You can print each e-mail newsletter and place it in a file so you can find it exactly when you need it.

There are a few things you need to take into consideration when subscribing to any home hydroponic newsletter. First and foremost, make sure the company or organization distributing the newsletter is one you can trust. Research reputation; ask to see the newsletter archive or a sample issue to get a feel for what kind of material is included.

Try to find newsletters that are focused on the same type of crops that you are producing in your home hydroponic garden. A newsletter focused on hydroponic growing for the mass market isn’t going to be very helpful to you if are growing a small rose garden for personal pleasure and a newsletter focused on marijuana production isn’t going to help you with the vegetables you hope to can in the fall. Make sure the newsletter will be helpful and not just a waste of your time.

Finally, until you know the information contained within a newsletter is accurate, don’t put your entire garden at risk. If some method does not seem logical, don’t use it until you have researched. Even then, use it cautiously on one or two test plants to make sure the method works for you and your crops. Each home hydroponic garden is as varied as each hydroponic gardener. With this in mind, know that every method and every newsletter is not intended for each and every situation. Look for the home hydroponics newsletter that works best with you and your garden.

Home hydroponics gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponic garden you can, visit http://www.advancednutrients.com/ and take a look around. Their free newsletter is one of the best out there. It is full of tips and advice that are accurate and easy to follow.

An often overlooked, but very important, part of the home hydroponics garden is the use of light reflectors. Light is one of the most crucial factors in the health of your plants; both too much and too little will result in sickly plants. Reflectors can help to solve both problems. The correct use of light reflectors can increase the amount of growing area you have for your home hydroponic garden, giving you a greater yield or room for more of a variety. If your home hydroponic garden is also your business, this can translate into greater income in the end. 

You can buy some of the most expensive lights on today’s market and find they are nearly useless without proper light reflectors. When set up correctly, using a light reflector in your home hydroponic garden can double and sometimes even triple the available growing area. You want to look for reflectors you can set up horizontally. Reflectors take the available light from your lamps and spread it out to brighten dim areas that can’t be reached by bulbs alone. By placing the light reflector horizontally, you allow for more surface area to reflect light outward rather than upward. 

Another factor to consider when buying light reflectors for your home hydroponic garden is whether the plants you are growing grow best in bright or dim light. Smaller reflectors concentrate the light more, providing a brighter light in their coverage area. If your particular needs are for plants that do not need a great deal of light, then larger reflectors can be used. At first, you may need to buy a couple different sizes to see exactly how each performs in your particular growing area. 

We all know that light produces heat. The more light there is the greater the heat and many home hydroponic gardens are in smaller areas with little in the way to ventilate. Too much heat can be just as dangerous, if not more so, for your plants. Light reflector manufacturers have taken that into consideration and manufactured some light reflectors to be air-cooling. Many light sources are combined with air-cooling reflector hoods to make it even more convenient for the home hydroponic gardener. These units tend to cost slightly more than other units, but are often well worth the extra cost. They eliminate the need for expensive ventilation systems and make it possible to keep your growing area at a temperature that is both comfortable and healthy for your plants. 

Home hydroponic gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponic garden you can, visit http://www.advancednutrients.com/ and take a look around

n any type of garden, it is essential to make sure your plants have all the nutrients they need to grow and resist disease. This is especially important in your hydroponics garden. Many nutrients are found in soil, which is not present in a hydroponics setting. You will need to add these missing nutrients to realize the best crop possible. With so many fertilizers on the market, however, it is often difficult to decide which one is the best for your home hydroponics garden. It is my hope that this will clear up some of your confusion. 

Fertilizers, both organic and inorganic, are labeled with a sequence of three numbers. These numbers indicate the percentage of the three main compounds found in all fertilizers, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (or Potash). The letters N-P-K represents these. Basically, Nitrogen helps plant foliage to grow strong. Phosphorous helps roots and flowers grow and develop. Potassium (Potash) is important for overall plant health. . Fertilizers then contain a variety of other vitamins and minerals that vary greatly from one brand to another. 

Inorganic fertilizers are made of chemicals that can harm your plants and the environment. More and more gardeners, especially those with home hydroponic gardens, are switching to organic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are derived from what was once a living plant or animal. Microorganisms break these down to release their benefits to your plants. This process is a natural occurrence that enables your plants to benefit as nature intended.

Organic fertilizers are often ignored for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is the smell that is often produced by the organic material. Fortunately, hydroponic supply producers are finding ways to combat this odor problem and more organic fertilizers sold in hydroponic supply shops have a less offensive odor. Yet another argument is that organic fertilizers work slower than inorganic ones. While this is often the case, the way these organic fertilizers work makes it easier to grow healthier, larger plants. In addition, the plants, especially those grown for human consumption, are less likely to create health problems. 

Originally, organic fertilizers were also known to attract fungus gnats. This was annoying at best for the home hydroponics gardener. At its worst, these annoying insects could harm plants. This annoyance has been virtually eliminated in some cases with the proper organic fertilizer. Some organic fertilizers, such as the Iguana Juice listed below, have also taken care of the problem caused by sludge plugging the drip emitters in your home hydroponics garden, a problem that for many years plagued users of organic fertilizers. Today, virtually every argument against the use of an organic fertilizer has been eliminated. 

Home hydroponics gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponics garden, visit the Advanced Nutrients website (http://www.advancednutrients.com/) and take a look around. They have one of the finest organic fertilizers available, Iguana Juice Grow and Bloom (http://www.advancednutrients.com/iguanajuice). Grow will astound you with its boosting of vegetative growth, while Bloom will not only multiply the number of your buds, flowers, and fruits, but will serve to increase their size, as well.

What is a bloom booster and why should you use it in your home hydroponic garden? A bloom booster is a combination of essential amino acids; plant hormones and other nutrients that can help your plants produce larger, stronger flowers. This results in more beautiful flora and larger fruits and vegetables. For those who depend on their home hydroponic garden to help provide income, this can result in greater profit.

That takes care of the "what and why"; now let's explore the "how" where it comes to using bloom boosters in your home hydroponic garden. It isn't enough just to spray a bloom booster on your plants and leave it at that. You need to first find the best product and then use it in combination with other hydroponic products. It is by knowing when and how to use bloom boosters that is essential in gaining the best results possible.

Bloom boosters are most effective if you increase such nutrients as phosphorus and potassium in your home hydroponic garden. This can backfire, however, if you are not careful. Too much phosphorus can cause a deficiency in the amount of iron your plants can utilize, resulting in unhealthy plants with yellowed leaves and stunted growth. It is important to make sure you add a greater amount of potassium than of phosphorus to prevent this phosphorus toxicity.

In nature, plants bloom best when the amount of light and dark are equal. By changing your lighting schedule to twelve hours on and twelve hours off, you simulate nature. This helps your plants bloom naturally, ensuring their blooms are stronger and healthier. Adding a bloom booster at this time will aid in optimal growth.

You need to keep in mind that a bloom booster is not meant to heal unhealthy plants. Even the best product will not work unless you have taken the time to provide your home hydroponic plants with all they need in the way of nutrition and a healthy environment

Home hydroponic gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponic garden you can, visit Advanced Nutrients website and take a look around.

Big Bud is infused with twenty amino acids; among those are L-trytophan and L-cysteine, the two most recommended for optimal blooms.

All kinds of bacteria are harmful to growing plants, correct? Actually, the answer is no. There are many types of tiny bacteria, called microbes that can actually benefit your plants. The idea is to encourage these microbes. Some plants actually depend on certain microbes to help keep them healthy. We will explore how microbes can benefit your plants as well as several ways in which you can encourage the growth of beneficial microbes in your home hydroponics garden. These microbes are found naturally in soil, but the home hydroponics gardener needs to purchase specially formulated products to provide them.

The first and foremost benefit of providing your plants with beneficial nutrients is that it will help increase the healthiness of your crops. A healthy plant is hardier and can withstand unforeseen events that may cause hardship in other plants, such as broken pumps, burned out lights and other such problems. While unhealthy plants can wither and die quickly if everything isn't perfect in their growing environment, a healthy plant can withstand hardship and continue to flourish for a short time.

Beneficial microbes can help keep infectious diseases away and prevent nutrition deficiencies. The microbes "feed" off harmful bacteria and thus keep them from attacking the plants. This allows the harmful bacteria less time to take hold and create problems. The beneficial microbes also enable the plants in your home hydroponic garden to absorb the needed nutritional elements better, thus making your plants bigger, stronger and less likely to experience deficiencies. Beneficial microbes help your plants develop greater root mass, than untreated plants, resulting in accelerated growth and bigger yields.

Now that you see how beneficial microbes help, it helps to know ways to increase them in your home hydroponic system. The more natural, or organic, products you use, the greater chance the beneficial microbes have of growing. Nature has automatically created these beneficial microbes for us; and by using fewer chemicals on your plants and more natural products you allow nature to help.

Keeping your growing area warm (but not too warm) will also help increase the presence of beneficial microbes. Cooler temperatures slow down, and often halt, bacterial growth. This may be beneficial where harmful bacteria are a concern, but the cold does not differentiate between harmful and beneficial. Keep your growing area as warm as possible for the kind of crop you are growing. (Unfortunately, too much heat will also kill off beneficial microbes-so don't be tempted to mix them into your nutrient solution, using hot water!)

Another thing that can prevent the growth of beneficial microbes is the use of pesticides. This works on the same principle as the temperature. Pesticides are not able to tell the difference between good and harmful parasites. When you utilize such a product, you kill off the beneficial microbes in your home hydroponic garden as well as harmful ones. This leaves your plants at risk of future attacks from harmful bacteria and at risk if all does not go well in your growing area.

Yet another word of warning concerns hydrogen peroxide. Some hydroponics growers use this product to oxygenate their roots that are dangling in the nutrient solution. If you use hydrogen peroxide, you might as well say goodbye to your beneficial microbes. It will kill most of them on contact.

Home hydroponic gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponic garden, you can, visit http://www.advancednutrients.com/piranha or http://www.advancednutrients.com/tarantula, and discover the difference these beneficial microbes make.

When you think about stress, what comes to mind? Do you think about things that attack your body, causing you discomfort and often bringing about illness? I know I do. Stress is not just a human concern; pets can experience stress as well. What most people don't realize is that plants also fall victim to stress. They react much in the same way as humans do, with shutting down and falling ill.

Some of the things that can cause stress in your home hydroponic garden are drastic changes in temperature. Excessive heat or cold can cause your crops extreme stress. Plant stress can come about if proper nutrition isn't given. Your plants need to work harder to gain as many nutrients as possible from what they are given. Lack of water, not enough light and pruning can all be sources of plant stress. Even something good like blooming can increase the stress level in your home hydroponic garden. How the different stressors affect your plants depends on how healthy they are, where in their growing cycle they happen to be and what the stress is.

While there is nothing you can do to avoid plant stress entirely, you can help reduce the damage caused by it. By providing adequate light, water and temperature, you can reduce environmental stress. By seeing that your plants are given adequate nutrition, you can help them combat the stressors that can't be avoided. Like humans, the B vitamins are excellent for this.

Adding B vitamins to your home hydroponic garden will help your plants combat the effects of stress. These vitamins will allow your plants to withstand more, repair themselves if they are damaged slightly and give them added energy to flourish in spite of less than ideal conditions.

To help combat the inevitable stresses that befall your home hydroponic garden, try Organic B. Organic B provides more than B vitamins. It also contains plant-strengthening B vitamins, amino acids and other enhancers. Your clones, transplants and seedlings will better resist stress and disease to turn into healthy adults. You can find out more about Organic B at http://www.advancednutrients.com/landing_pages/organic-b_landing.html.

Home hydroponic gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponic garden you can, visit Advanced Nutrients and take a look around.

Plants, like all living things, need certain vitamins and minerals to grow and bloom. They have special needs depending on which part of the growing cycle they are going through. You want to provide more of one supplement during the initial growing stages and another during the blooming phase. This is the same as the human body needing more of one vitamin when in childhood and another in old age.

In traditional gardening, plants are apt to get most, if not all, of their nutrients from the soil. This is not the case in the home hydroponics garden. For this reason, you will find it necessary to provide these necessary vitamins and minerals with the addition of a vitamin supplement. The trouble is, how do you know what your plants need? For example, vitamin B1, or Thiamine, helps encourage the synthesis of sugars

Some of the most necessary vitamins and minerals needed by plants in your home hydroponics garden are the B vitamins. These give your plant the energy they need to grow, ability to handle any stresses caused by less than idea circumstances. The B vitamins also help your home hydroponics plants repair any harm that may be done. Other than oxygen, the B vitamins may well be some of the most important.

When searching through the myriad of vitamin supplements available, it helps to know what to look for in the way of a healthier supplement. The first thing is the ability to be absorbed by your hydroponics plants. Let's face it; if the plants can absorb the supplement, it does no good. For this, you want to look for a product with a humic acid base. Humic acid has the ability to chelate, or bind positively to charged ions. To your plants, this means it allows many more nutrients to be absorbed than would be possible without the humic acid. This in turn translates into larger, healthier plants.

One of the best Vitamin B supplements I have found is Organic B, sold by Advanced Nutrients. Organic B is made from the best sources and provides an excellent source of B vitamins to the plants in your home hydroponics garden.

Home hydroponics gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponics garden you can, visit http://www.advancednutrients.com/ and take a look around

The home hydroponic gardener may not spend much time thinking about pests and diseases. After all, most of these come from soil. Correct? Eliminate the soil and you rid yourself of having to deal with such nuisances. That seems to be the thinking of those new to hydroponic gardening. The truth of the matter is that pests and diseases will always be something gardeners have to deal with, even in the home hydroponic garden.

The indoor home hydroponic garden often finds itself a victim of such pests as the spider mite or white fly, among others. In addition, diseases in the form of fungi or mold can be a problem. In order to have healthy plants, the home hydroponic gardener has a few choices available to control these infestations. The most common treatments are using a commercial pesticide, biological control (which involves introducing predator insects and such to your growing area) or use of a specially formulated pest control product found at the local hydroponic shop.

Most hydroponic gardeners do not want to add chemicals to their growing environment. These chemicals can harm both human and plant. In addition, plant pests have often developed immunities to these products. You end up harming the plants and the pests continue multiplying. Specially formulated hydroponic products are safer, but there is still the risk of damage to plants if used incorrectly or too often. Adding live predators to the growing area is often not practical. You don't want to bring more insects into play, especially in home hydroponic gardens growing within the living environment. There is a solution that can be better than all these-prevention.

Just as the preferred method of disease control in humans is to prevent the disease in the first place, this is also practical for plants. Take, for example, Barricade . This product works from inside your plants, making them stronger and more resistant to bugs, fungi, molds, and even stress. By not allowing the pests and pathogens to get a foothold in your home hydroponic garden, you have greater control.

Another advantage of using preventive products is that a stronger plant will grow better and produce more. You are not adding harmful chemicals to either your home hydroponic garden or the environment in general. Your plants are healthier; pests and disease are stopped in their tracks and your time and investment are protected. Just as with humans, it is often a lot less expensive to prevent a problem than it is to cure one.

Home hydroponic gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponic garden you can, visit http://www.advancednutrients.com/ and take a look around

Carbohydrates play an important part in the growth of the plants in your home hydroponics garden. They help provide necessary energy for optimum growth and carbohydrates are stored for times when the plant may need either energy, such as during blooming, or extra help, such as cases where there is less than perfect growing conditions. Simply put, the plant uses carbon dioxide molecules from the air and water molecules and the energy from the sun to produce a simple sugar such as glucose and oxygen molecules as a by product. The simple sugars are then converted into other molecules such as starch, fats, proteins, enzymes and. all of the other stuff that helps a plant grow.

Carbohydrates are sugars, correct? So, it makes sense you can just toss a handful of sugar into your plant's water and leave it at that. Wrong! Simple sugars, or corn syrup, isn't any better for your home hydroponics garden than they are for you. Plants have to work to gain nutrition from the simple sugars they ingest and certain combinations of carbohydrates work better than others because of their ease of absorption.

Unfortunately, many carbohydrate supplements are little more than sugar and corn syrup. You need to seek out a product that will enable your plant to make full use of the nutrition. A product containing fulvic acid will help increase the rate and speed of absorption. This will help you see a visible increase in your plant's growth in the way of larger blooms and stronger, healthier plants.

Simply adding nutrients to your plant, without a carbohydrate supplement, may actually do more damage to the plants in your home hydroponics garden. The nutrients make your plants work harder to realize the benefits, yet they don't have the necessary energy required to do so. This makes them weaker. By adding the carbohydrates, you give your plants the extra energy necessary to utilize their nutrition more effectively and with less work. This gives them a chance to grow larger and stronger.

Home hydroponics gardening is increasing in popularity, especially with the rising costs of gas and food. Making sure your plants are as healthy as possible will help save you money in the long run. For more information on creating the best possible home hydroponic garden you can, visit Advanced Nutrients website and take a look around. Take a moment to check out CarboLoad . This is one of the best products for helping your plants gain their needed carbohydrates.

Leeks are part of the onion family. They have a milder flavor, however, and are often preferred to their stronger tasting cousin. This vegetable is very versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked and both leaves and stems are edible. In addition, this cold-weather crop is so easy to grow, it is almost a must in any hydroponic garden. 

Leeks do best in a perlite growing material. This allows the roots plenty of air by providing adequate drainage. The roots of the leeks are the most wanted part and you do not want to keep them too moist or you can cause root rot. An ebb and flow system will work perfectly while growing hydroponic leeks as it will enable the gardener to control how moist the growing medium remains between feedings. Leeks prefer a pH of between 6.5 and 7.0 for optimal growth and will benefit tremendously from added nitrogen. 

One of the most preferred methods of feeding leeks is the drip irrigation method. This method allows for adjustments to be made easily should it be necessary. You want to keep the roots slightly moist, but allowing them to remain wet for too long can cause rot. The adjustment valves on the drip irrigation system are easier to maintain than some other hydroponic methods. 

Leeks have very few problems with insects. Having your hydroponic garden inside either your home or a greenhouse should eliminate this pest problem completely. It is important to remember that commercial pest solutions are highly discouraged in the hydroponic garden. If absolutely necessary, visit your local hydroponic supply store and obtain a pest product specially formulated for hydroponics. These are developed to cause the least amount of damage possible to your leeks and other plants. 

Being cold weather crops, your growing area temperature can be as low as twenty-four degrees Fahrenheit, but you really don’t want to allow this low of temperature for too long. During germination, set temperature at seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit and provide as much light as possible. Once your plants have become as big around as an average pencil, they will be ready to plant in their final growing area. At this point, the temperature in the growing area needs to remain between fifty-five and seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit, preferably at the lower end of this spectrum. Temperatures above seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit will jeopardize the growth of your leeks. 

Finally, if you want to give your leeks the best nutrition possible, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter at http://www.advancednutrients.com/newsletter/. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere. 

Soybeans are one of the most versatile of crops. While they have been grown for some time as a possible alternative fuel source, they are finally being recognized for their nutritional value. As meat prices continue to rise, alternative sources of protein-rich food are being turned to—and soybeans fit the bill. Let’s explore some of the special growing conditions needed for soybeans in your hydroponic garden. 

One of the first things necessary when growing soybeans is to inoculate them with special nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This is used to allow the beans to absorb nitrogen more readily. You dust the seeds with this special solution before planting. These inoculates come in both powder and liquid form. Fungicide treatments applied to seed before planting are designed to protect the plants from root rot diseases. Many fungicide treatments can be mixed with inoculation materials and applied at the same time. 

Soybeans grow like many other beans, vining and needing some sort of structure to support them. Construct a support system in your hydroponic growing area by running a line from one end of the area to another. When this is done, provide lines from each plant upward to the main line. This will enable your soybeans to grow upward, providing more space for plants and allowing bottom growth to obtain enough light. Soybeans need a great deal of light to produce flowers, which will then become your soybeans. Without enough light, your plants will not flower. 

While soybeans need a great deal of light, they do not like either high temperatures or great humidity. The growing environment would be ideal if it stays around sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit during the day. Humidity in the hydroponic growing area also needs to be kept low to prevent causing your soybeans to rot. 

A growing medium such as a peat/vermiculite blend is best for your soybean crop. You may also want to consider placing pebbles at the bottom of your growing container, as they prefer a well-drained medium that allows the roots plenty of room to breath. 

Soybeans are an excellent choice for the hydroponic gardener. Provide them with a growing medium that drains well, plenty of light and a pre-treatment with a special nitrogen-fixing inoculate and you will soon have one of the most versatile crops available. 

Finally, to help ensure your soybeans get the best nutrition possible, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere. 

Once you have had a taste of hydroponic gardening, you may find yourself wanting to expand your efforts to a scale that is bigger than what can fit in the corner of your living room. It is time to start looking into a greenhouse. There are so many kinds of greenhouses on the market today, that it can often be confusing deciding which is best for your particular needs. Let’s explore two of the most common types of greenhouse coverings, glass and polyethylene film. Hopefully, this will make your choice a little bit easier. 

When deciding between glass panels and polyethylene film covering, there are several factors you need to take into consideration. These factors include how much you can afford to or are willing to spend; environmental factors required for the hydroponic plants you are growing; and how permanent, or temporary, you want your greenhouse to be. 

Glass is the most expensive covering for a greenhouse, costing on average six times more than polyethylene film. The framework of your greenhouse will also be more expensive, as glass is heavy and needs a stronger framework. Glass, however, can withstand extremes in temperature better and will not need to be replaced as often as polyethylene film. This being the case, within twenty-five years, you are looking at the same general cost for covering and the difference comes in the amount spent on the framework. If you are unsure about how long you plan on maintaining a hydroponic garden, you may wish to go with the less initial outlay. 

Glass covering is the best choice for allowing sunlight to reach your plants. It allows more of the rays to reach your garden; however, you may need to look into some type of coating on the glass to help diffuse the sunlight and allow it to reach more of the leaves. For insulation against extreme temperatures, polyethylene film works better than glass. Polyethylene film, however, can “sweat”, dripping onto the plants inside and increasing the overall humidity level of the interior. Some of these films are now being made with a coating that helps alleviate this problem. 

Glass greenhouses last longer than those covered with polyethylene film. Glass can weather well for over twenty-five years. If you are planning a long-term venture, this may be your best choice. Keep in mind, however, that glass can’t stand impacts as well as polyethylene film and you may find yourself replacing panels more often. If you are merely leasing your property or are not sure how long you may continue with hydroponic gardening, you may consider polyethylene film coverings. Many inflatable structures are made of this and are easy to assemble or disassemble, making it easy to re-locate or eliminate the greenhouse. 

Finally, the greenhouse is only a starting point for a productive hydroponic garden. To help ensure your plants get the best nutrition possible, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter at http://www.advancednutrients.com/newsletter/. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere.

When I was young, I was like most kids and would not eat peas—until my mother came up with calling them “nice, green peas”. I ate them like there was no tomorrow. With hydroponics, you can turn all your peas into “nice, green peas” that are full of nutrition and taste unlike traditionally grown peas. 

Before setting up to grow your peas, you will need to select the variety you prefer, bush or vining. This will help determine how much space you will need, as well as whether or not some type of support will be necessary. Peas grow best in cooler temperatures and require growing material, such as perlite, that does not hold moisture too long. One of the most important things to monitor when you grow your peas is the pH balance, as pea plants are very sensitive to acidity levels. Finally, you will need some type of lighting to keep your peas healthy. 

Bush peas can be trimmed back when between six and eight inches high. By trimming the tip and first set of leaves, two branches will sprout. This encourages the plant to grow outward instead of just upward. For vining varieties of peas, you will need to have some type of support in place. An ideal solution to this is to have a rope hanging from one end of the growing area to the other. Each plant then has a string leading upward from the plant. This enables the pea plant to be wrapped around the rising line as it grows. This not only allows for less space being needed per plant, but also enables the available light to evenly fall on the upper and lower leaves. 

Temperatures in your hydroponic growing environment need to be on the rather cool side for growing peas. While peas can withstand temperatures as low as twenty-eight degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal growing temperature is between fifty-five and sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature falls too low, the flowers will become sterile. Acidity needs to be constantly monitored. Peas grow best when the pH level is between 6.0 and 7.0. If it falls below this level, calcium uptake by your peas will be jeopardized. 

Either high-pressure sodium light or low-pressure sodium light can be used as supplementary lighting in your hydroponic growing area. Make sure the lamps are positioned so that the lower parts of your pea plants receive an adequate amount of light. When there is insufficient light, the plants grow taller and spindlier, reducing their strength. 

Finally, to help ensure your peas get the best nutrition possible and become “nice, green peas” instead of plain old peas, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter at http://www.advancednutrients.com/newsletter/. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere. 

The debate rages on about what to do to slow down global warming and reduce carbon emissions. Proponents of hydroponic horticulture suggest growing your own food year round in specially built greenhouses, close to home. Heating the greenhouses in the winter does require energy, but this could be produced through solar or wind sources, as opposed to the fossil fuel method, which produces carbon dioxide. 

“Yes, but greenhouse hydroponics calls for generating additional CO2, which defeats the purpose,” says the argument. The truth is that most of the CO2 generated within the confines of a greenhouse is absorbed by the plants and transformed into sugars, water, and oxygen. What little escapes through the vents is negligible compared to the CO2 produced by the airplanes that fly in your mandarin oranges from Japan and your green peppers from Chile. Not to mention the diesel fumes spewed forth by the trucks brining in California lettuce. 

So the hydroponic solution to global warming isn’t that far off the mark. Regardless of which hydroponic system is utilized, you have to keep in mind that plants need nourishment, just like any other living being. And absolutely the best food for plants is made by a Canadian company, Advanced Nutrients. Their complete line of organic and synthetic fertilizers, as well as all their additives, supplements, root colonizers, and bloom boosters help to superbly nurture all your plants, whether you practice hydroponic gardening or plant your seeds in soil, just like your ancestors did before you.

When it comes to hydroponic gardening, you can find a great deal of information available for reading. Often, however, there are tips that don’t warrant an entire article, yet they are of importance if you want to grow the best fruits, vegetables and flowers possible. Read on to learn of five important tips that can help make a difference in your hydroponic adventure. 

Tip #1 In the trickle irrigation system, you need to take special care in making sure your gravel is the correct size. Lateral movement of the solution along the roots is necessary. For this reason, any gravel that is larger than a quarter of an inch in diameter is not recommended, as it will inhibit this flow. The idea size of gravel is anywhere between one-eighth and one-fourth inch in diameter. 

Tip #2 If you are fairly new to hydroponic gardening you may still be searching for the growing method that suits your needs best. One method that does not get mentioned often is called “sack culture”. With this method, you poke holes in a thin bag made of polyethylene. This bag is approximately six inches. You fill this sack with a mixture of vermiculite and peat. Once the ends are sealed, the bag is hung up. Plants are placed in the evenly spaced holes you made previously. A hydroponic solution is introduced into the top of the bag and allowed to make its way down through the planting medium within the sack. Excess solution drains from the bottom. 

Tip #3 You may find it desirable to add calcium, nitrogen or sulfur to your hydroponic garden to help it produce better. Calcium nitrate will provide both calcium and nitrate nitrogen in the best forms for your fruits and vegetables. Products such as Sensi Cal Grow l are specially formulated to provide added calcium without damaging your plants. If you still need extra nitrogen, provide it through the use of potassium nitrate or potassium sulfate, which will also add any needed sulfur. Magnesium sulfate can also be used if necessary. 

Tip #4 Germination of seeds can be a tricky time in your hydroponic gardening experience. To help your seeds shed their shells during germination, you need to keep them moist. Using coarse vermiculite to cover the cubes you germinate your seeds in can do this. Use plain water until germination and then a diluted hydroponic nutrient solution until the leaves develop. It is then important to make sure your water is at the proper pH balance. This can be accomplished by using pH Up or pH Down depending on whether you need more or less pH. Pre-treating your water with hydrogen peroxide will help if Reverse Osmosis water is not readily available. 

Tip #5 Running your hydroponic solution through an ultraviolet sterilizer will help rid it of bacteria, fungi and some viruses that can damage your plants. Unfortunately, this can also harm chelates in your nutrient solution. What this means is that elements such as iron may end up being reduced. This will cause harm to your fruits, vegetables and flowers because they won’t be getting the complete nutrition they need. By adding specially formulated products that include the chelated nutrients, you will be able to combat this problem. 

With oriental cuisine becoming more and more popular, pak choi makes a wonderful addition to your hydroponic garden. This leafy plant, a type of Chinese cabbage, grows quickly, is fairly simple to keep happy and is not prone to insect infestations when grown in a greenhouse. Two of the most important components in pak choi production are light and ventilation. Read on to find out how you can successfully grow pak choi in your hydroponic garden.

Cilantro is a parsley-type herb. When grown for leaves only, it is called cilantro but if allowed to continue growing to seed, it becomes what is called coriander. In this article, we will discuss cilantro. Cilantro grown hydroponically does well with the drip irrigation method, somewhat less light than some other crops and a wide variety of pH conditions. This plant is easy to grow, takes up fairly little space and is often ready for harvest in six weeks time.

As much as we’d like to depend completely on the sun to provide all the necessary light for our hydroponic gardens, that is not possible. The majority of hydroponic gardens are inside, whether inside a greenhouse or our homes. Greenhouses offer more light than having your hydroponic garden in your home, but this is often still not enough to produce adequate light for growing fruits, vegetables and flowers. This lack of natural sunlight makes it necessary to supplement with grow lights. There are many types of grow lights available to hydroponic gardeners, but let’s focus on LED lights for now.

LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode. This is one of the most popular types of grow lights. The heat given off by these is not as intense as with other types of grow lights. There is also the ability to provide different color of lights with LED lighting, which is helpful for increasing growth at various stages of a plant’s life. Younger seedlings do better with blue light. More mature plants prefer red or orange. 

With LED lighting, it is easy to change the light color to accommodate whichever growing stage your garden plants are currently in. Additional benefits of LED grow lights are the decrease in power consumption, less heat is produced and bulbs often last longer than other types of grow lights. In addition, light can be focused on a smaller area because of the reduced heat. This allows gardeners to provide extra light where it may be needed without producing too much light for other plants in the area. 

LED lights require an increased initial investment, but they are less expensive in the long run. LED lights are energy efficient, using less power to run than standard bulbs. These bulbs also tend to last for a longer period of time, making it unnecessary to replace the bulbs as frequently as other types of grow lights. The added length of time can amount to seven to ten years under the right circumstances. 

If you are switching to LED grow lights from another method, you may need to make some adjustments in other factors of your growing environment. The lower heat output of these lights makes it unnecessary to use air-cooling equipment as much as other lights. In addition, the cooler environment will cause less evaporation and will lower the amount of water and hydroponic nutrient you require. This in itself will help lower production costs. 

Finally, to help insure your plants get the best chance to grow to their maximum potential, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere.

Gerberas are quickly becoming a popular flower in the hydroponic garden. These large, daisy-like flowers are easy to grow and come in a variety of colors, In order to start growing your own gerberas, you will need to gather together some type of growing medium, a hydroponic system that can deliver nutrients once a day and provide drainage, your plants and a wish to see results. 

Temperatures during the day should remain around seventy degrees Fahrenheit, while night temperatures can be lowered to sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Gerberas do not need a great deal of light. If the greenhouse is positioned so that the plants receive four or five hours of sunlight each day then that will be sufficient for their growth. You will want to increase the light at flowering time to twelve hours a day, as this stimulates the blooming process. Since it is impossible to rely on getting twelve hours of sunlight you will want to visit a hydroponic supply store to purchase gro lights. Lack of light will cause your plants to wither and die. 

Hydroponic nutrient can be bought a hydroponic supply shop. Mix your solution with the instructed amount of water and it then needs to be administered to your gerberas once a day, preferably in the morning. This timing is best because the roots need time to dry a bit and not become water logged. When setting up your system, make certain to provide adequate drainage, as sitting in liquid will cause root rot. The drip system has been found to work best with gerberas. There do not seem to be many, if any, natural enemies in the way of pests for the gerbera grown in a greenhouse. You will not need to be concerned about this issue as long as you have normal pest control measures in place for your hydroponic garden.

When choosing a growing medium, the two best choices are rock wool and coconut coir. Rock wool seems to produce stronger gerbera, but those grown in coconut coir are healthy. When choosing, you need to compare output versus cost. Coconut coir costs less, but it does not seem to produce as many blooms or as strong of stems as the rock wool. Both hydroponic growing mediums, however, produce healthy plants. It is mainly a matter of what the intended purpose of your hydroponic garden is. Home use gardeners may want to go with the less expensive method and those in the hydroponic garden business may opt for the rock wool. One other point you may consider is that rock wool is not biodegradable, but coconut coir is. This may make a difference to those who want to consider the impact on their environment. (Hint: the best possible plant nutrient for coco coir is Advanced Nutrients Monkey Juice!) 

All in all, gerberas are easy to grow in either the greenhouse or an indoor garden in your living quarters. Temperature and sunlight needs mirror that of the average human. Nutritional needs of the hydroponic gerbera can be taken care of easily and pest are virtually non-existent. This all adds up to a delightful experience in your hydroponic gardening project. 

Finally, if you want to harvest robust, abundant fruits and vegetables you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics at http://www.advancednutrients.com/freereport. Advanced Nutrients is the world's foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere. 

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is necessary for plants to enable photosynthesis. Without CO2, or without enough, plants will not be able to thrive. Many hydroponic gardeners find it helps plant growth to provide an extra amount of CO2. This can be done in a variety of different ways. The two most common ways to increase the amount of CO2 in your hydroponic garden is by utilizing bottled CO2 or by purchasing a CO2 generator. 

The most popular method of introducing added CO2 is the bottled CO2 method. This involves a system that includes a CO2 tank, a flow meter, a pressure gauge and a valve. The tank itself holds the CO2 gas. This gas is released through the valve, which must have some type of timer attached to it to help regulate the use of the CO2. Both the flow meter and pressure gauges help the hydroponic gardener judge whether the level of CO2 is appropriate for his or her needs. It is important to note here that, while increasing CO2 levels can help plants grow, allowing too much CO2 into the growing environment will have the opposite effect and your plants will perish. Hydroponic gardeners need to research in advance to see what level of CO2 is recommended for the crop being grown. 

Using a CO2 generator is more cost effective and somewhat easier. However, this method also has the added element of increased heat that will need to be taken into account and compensated for by including an air-cooling system of some type in your growing environment. CO2 generators work to produce CO2 by burning either propane or natural gas. Most systems are placed on a timer that releases the burned fuel at a regulated time. The biggest hazard possible with a CO2 generator is that it is essential you keep it in perfect working order. Defective units will produce carbon monoxide instead of CO2 if they are not working properly. This will not only kill your plants, but may very well kill any humans who enter the growing environment. 

One more expensive way of producing additional carbon dioxide in your greenhouse is by the use of dry ice. Dry ice is actually a solid form of CO2. When allowed to “melt” it returns to its gaseous state. This method should really only be used in a pinch. There is almost no control over the amount of gas released into the air or at what rate the dry ice will become gas. There is a lot of room for potential danger to plants using this method. 

Adding extra CO2 will not, however, help increase plant growth unless light and temperature are also at optimum levels. Proper nutrition and water are also essential factors in optimal growth. All these factors must be strong and be working together for best results. To help ensure your plants get the best nutrition possible, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere.

Lettuce is one of the easiest crops to grow in a hydroponic vegetable garden. Once seeds are germinated, lettuce does extremely well having a constant flow of nutrients on its roots. Temperature and humidity do not play as large a role in lettuce production as it does in many other hydroponic crops and lettuce grown inside a greenhouse will see very little to no infestations of insects. Lettuce also can be grown in a smaller area than many greenhouse crops such as tomatoes and sweet peppers. All these factors come together to translate into a high yielding crop in little space for minimal work.

One of the most common crops found grown in hydroponic gardens are herbs. This is often the first choice of beginner hydroponic gardeners because, with the exception of lavender and rosemary, herbs are easy to grow if they are germinated and spaced in the proper manner, given proper nutrition at an acceptable rate and kept at an ideal temperature. Growing the plants in a greenhouse will make it easier to control the important conditions of temperature and humidity. Let’s explore these three essential areas further.

Hydroponic gardeners often find it necessary to supplement the available light in their growing area. This is especially true when the growing area is inside the home. Greenhouses offer more light, but this is not always enough to produce healthy fruits, vegetables or flowers. Grow lights take care of this need for added light. It can be difficult for hydroponic gardeners to decide between the many options available in the way of grow lights. Let’s explore HID lights here and see what they have to offer. 

The letters HID stands for “high intensity discharge”. These lights operate with a properly matched transformer, capacitor and lamp, which consist of an inner arc tube possessing a chemical mixture. Working together, these elements help provide a very long-lasting grow light for any hydroponic garden. There are two kinds of HID lights that I’d like to talk about today. These are sodium and metal halide. These two offer different benefits to the hydroponic gardener. 

Metal halide HID lights emit a wider spectrum of light and include more of the blue and violet rays needed by plants that do not get enough sunlight. These lights are most useful during the vegetative stage of growth. Plants grown under metal halide HID lights tend to grow shorter and stockier, this makes for a stronger plant. Metal halide lights are also used more frequently in foliage-only growing. An added advantage of the wider light spectrum is that gardeners growing crops such as flowers are more likely to use metal halide lights because the resulting colors of the flowers appear more natural in the less harsh light. 

Sodium HID lights emit more red, orange and yellow rays, which, when used alone can cause plants to grow tall and spindly. These lights are used mainly when there is enough natural sunlight present to produce the necessary blue and violet rays needed by plants. Many hydroponic gardeners do prefer sodium lamps to metal halide because sodium lights are more energy efficient and often last longer. 

Many growers use Metal Halide (MH) for vegetative growth, and High Pressure Sodium (HPS) for budding and flowering. Only rich growers can afford to run the two systems with their own shades and ballasts, independently. Most growers use conversion bulbs, which very conveniently use the corresponding system’s fixtures. So if you have a Metal Halide system, use it for vegging, then put in HPS conversion bulbs into the same system, for flowering. 

What often works best in regards to healthier fruits, vegetables and flowers is to use some combination of metal halide and sodium HID lights. The combination provides adequate amounts of both red and blue spectrum colors, both of which are needed for healthy plant growth. Using a combination of the two will provide your hydroponic garden with the best that both have to over. This will translate into healthier plants and a more productive growing season. 

Lights alone won’t guarantee bumper crops, but work in conjunction with factors such as temperature and nutrition. With this in mind, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere. 

While many plants thrive in high temperatures, there is a limit to the amount of heat any particular plant can tolerate before it begins to wilt and die. The very nature of hydroponic gardening, from grow lights to enclosed greenhouses, makes it necessary to provide a system of air-cooling for your fruits, vegetables or flowers. Let’s explore what can raise the temperatures in your growing area and how to effectively initiate air-cooling. 

The very structure of a greenhouse allows for heat to build up. The sun coming through glass or plastic can heat an enclosed area quickly. By providing vents throughout the greenhouse, and fans that blow the heat toward the vents, you can help cool the air inside. Warm air rises, so having vents placed near the roof on either end of the greenhouse will

Help alleviate excessive heat. 

The use of CO2 can increase both the heat and the humidity within the greenhouse. The best way to help combat this is to set up vent fans. Placing these on a timer will enable the hydroponic gardener to periodically blow out hot, humid air, allowing fresh, cooler air to take its place. Adding a dehumidifier to the growing area will additionally help with the high humidity that often accompanies the use of CO2. 

The biggest heat creators, by far, are grow lights. The heat given off by the grow lights can cause damage to plants if it is not decreased considerably. Many lights used in hydroponic gardening come with a fan system meant for air-cooling already incorporated in their design. If you are using a lighting system that does not come with such fans, it is advisable to set up some fans to help keep the air around the plants circulating and cooler. One powerful enough to cause the plants to move slightly is preferable, as this will also help prevent light landing only on one spot of the plant leaves, causing them to burn.

There are many systems available solely for the purpose of air-cooling in your hydroponic growing area. Some of these consist of fans and vents; others include a cooling pad and baffles. Baffles are installed to help keep cooler air at plant level. These are not essential, but are nice to have to help keep your fruits, vegetables and flowers cool and happy. 

Once you have taken care that your plants are cool enough to grow well, you will want to do all you can to keep your hydroponic garden healthy. With this goal in mind, you should check out the seven best-kept secrets of hydroponics and subscribe to the Advanced Nutrients newsletter. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere.