Home Hydroponics—Vitamin Supplements
vitamins keep hydroponics plants healthy
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.
Home Hydroponics–Deep Water Culture
home hydroponics is the wave of the future!
I came across this excellent summation of the advantages of growing in hydro, as opposed to soil. It was in a blog posted by Anne Harvester, and I’m taking the liberty of sampling it here:
“• 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.
• Hydroponics uses only a small fraction of the water a soil garden requires. There is no water wasted or stolen by weeds.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
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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.”
Hydroponic Gardening—Soybeans
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 at http://www.advancednutrients.com/newsletter/. Advanced Nutrients is the world’s foremost supplier of hydroponic nutrients to discriminating growers everywhere.
Hydroponic Gardening – Leeks
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.
Hydroponic Greenhouses — Glass versus polyethylene
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.
Hydroponic Gardening–Dwarf Avocado Trees
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large majority of the population has tried to grow an avocado from seed at one point in their life. Many have failed and others have been disappointed when the tree took too long to fruit, or never did. Recent years have seen an increase in the number of people, however, who have been successful growing dwarf avocado trees using a hydroponic gardening method. Read on to see how you too could be the proud owner of your very own dwarf avocado tree.
The first thing you must take into account is that an avocado is a tropical plant. That being said, you will need to insure the growing area is warm, fairly humid and has a great deal of available light. All three of these are necessary to help your hydroponically grown dwarf avocado grow strong. The origin of your dwarf avocado will determine just how warm you must keep your growing area. The Mexican variety is hardiest and most preferable for areas outside the tropics. The exception to the heat is when it becomes time for your tree to flower. At this time, the tree needs cooler temperatures or flowers will not bloom.
If you hope to bear fruit on your dwarf avocado tree, you must keep in mind that the avocado comes in two types where pollination is concerned. Type A sheds pollen in the afternoon, but is receptive to pollen in the mornings. Type B, on the other hand is just the opposite, shedding pollen in the morning and being receptive to pollen in the afternoon. It is possible to manually pollinate your dwarf avocado tree, but you will need to know which type you are growing. For best results, it is preferable to grow two dwarf avocados, one from each group.
The dwarf avocado needs a growing medium that will drain well. For this purpose, vermiculite or perlite will work well. To keep your dwarf avocado shorter, and fuller, pinching is necessary from an early age. What you do is pinch out the terminal bud. This “wakes up” dormant buds along the branch, causing the dwarf avocado to develop additional branches outward instead of upward.
Two other things you need to keep an eye on when growing a dwarf avocado tree is the acidity and salt contents of your growing medium. Avocados prefer a pH level of between six and seven for optimal growth. Salt content must remain as low as possible as dwarf avocado trees cannot stand a high salt content. A deep irrigation every so often will help keep the salt level low.
Finally, to help ensure your dwarf avocado gets 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.
