Growing Vegetables Indoors With Hydroponics

Text written by Andreas Johnson.

Can hydroponics growing systems be used by the home gardener?

Answer: Hydroponics was originally closely defined by Gericke as ‘crop growth in mineral nutrient solutions’; but it has grown into the modern age to become the possibility of growing fresh produce and plants without any soil at all. As a testament to its freewheeling success, NASA scientists have been investigating and experimenting with hydroponics – along with the Kennedy Space Center’s very own Ray Wheeler.

But what does it offer to those of us not living in the stars?

Benefits of Hydroponic Growth
There are a lot of benefits to growing crops and produce hydroponically; chief of all is the low intensity on resources and space. Due to the fact that these vegetables can be (and mostly are) grown within bottles filled with soluble nutrients, there isn’t a need for a garden or even a window box – this means that they can be grown in extremely cramped conditions.

The nutrition levels of the water that the plants are grown in can be observed better than if they were in the soil – due to this you can ensure that your plans obtain the right amount of nutrients and you can also limit the resources that you use on your plants whilst maintaining their health.

One of the most important aspects of hydroponics, in an eco-conscious society, is the lack of pesticides throughout the process. Grown indoors, it is extremely unlikely that greenery will suffer pests and diseases; and if your plants do become infected the mobility of the plants allows you to treat them with ease.

Suggestions and Advice
The core component of successful hydroponics is the condition of the water, along with the ratio of water molecules to nutrients. Specific details and procedures are necessary for growing different types of product – with vegetable growth varying wildly to plants and flowers.

It’s common knowledge that these plants are often grown in nutrient solutions, but did you know that your plants will grow much quicker and remain healthier if you flush them up to every three weeks? Products such as Clearex can be used to flush your plants and rid the water of built up toxins – you should also add an enzyme to the water that proves beneficial for the plants such as Cannazym, Hygrozyme or Senizym.

When you are growing your plants hydroponically ensure that the pH of the water mimics that of the replaced soil – this means that the water should have a pH of between 6.2 and 7.2. By retaining the same pH the plants would encounter naturally you can establish stability and an increase in the growth rate.

One of the most important points is to keep the temperature of the water that the plants are growing in below 24°C. If the temperature begins to rise above this you should add a water cooler as an increase in temperature can make chemicals more volatile and will also increase the risk of essential enzymes becoming denatured, which may lead to the death of the plant.

If you keep these simple tips and tricks in mind whilst growing your produce you should find yourself with a large amount of healthy vegetables that are ready to harvest without encountering any hassle.

Author:Andreas Johnson is the blogger and marketing guru behind the team of ABC Selfstore. Working in the storage industry and always trying to squeeze that extra inch out of his units, hydroponics is a recent love for Andreas and he’s now running short on windowsill and radiator space for more bottles!

Image: Ildar Sagdeiev
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