What Do You Need to Grow Hydroponics?
- Most hydroponic gardens are enclosed in a tank or trough built from a concrete or wooden frame. Larger tanks typically measure 6 to 18 inches long and 2 to 3 feet wide. Smaller tanks or frames come from glass jars or earthenware and metal containers. Wooden frames should have no knots and sealed with tar and creosote-free asphalt. Metal container gardens should also be painted with asphalt on the inside. Some asphalt leaves an oily residue on the water surface, so consult your nursery to ensure you get the right kind. The tank or bed floor also needs a support system, like mesh hardware cloth, covering it or a plastic or polystyrene insulation.
- Water and crops are two of the most important materials in hydroponic gardening. You need enough water to fill your container or tank, leaving room for a polystyrene bed to sit at the top and partially submerge plant roots. Total immersion may prevent aeration and drown the roots. In the cool season, leafy crops like kale, lettuce varieties and mustard greens grow well. Warm season crops include tomatoes, basil, cucumber and sunflowers or zinnias. Different crops thrive in certain climates. Consult your local nursery or agricultural extension for advice on the best bets for your region.
- Hydroponic gardens get their nutrients from additions to the water and "litter", a mixture of organic material layering the floor. Wood shavings, organic material, excelsior or peat moss are typical choices. Nutrient solution provides additional nourishment. Gardeners hand-feed it or install a gravity feed system, depending on the garden's size. The hotter the weather and the faster the evaporation rate, the more nutrient solution your plants need, sometimes daily. The concentration of nutrient solution to water varies, but it typically is 2 tsp. of fertilizer for each gallon of water.
- Net pots or foam coffee cups are commonly used to hold seedlings in place. Gardeners may use drills or knives to cut holes in the polystyrene bed for plants to sit in and for aeration. A gardener may also use perlite, vermiculite or hydroponic media helps create airspace around the plants and can boost health and production. Certain crops like tomatoes and peppers are difficult to grow in a hydroponic system and need supplemental nutrients, like calcium.
