Hydroponic Gardening Today » hydroponics

How do I build a passive hydroponic vegetable gardening system?

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:15:16 +0000

The passive hydroponic vegetable gardening system is the simplest of the systems, as it requires minimal maintenance on the part of the gardener. The steps to build a passive system are fairly straightforward:
1.    A large container is obtained and filled with nutrient solution.
2.    The lid to the container is modified to allow the plastic planters to be suspended the in the container so that the base well within the solution.
3.    Airline stones and airline hose are placed so that the stones will be directly under the plastic planters.
4.    A planting medium is placed in the planters and the plants are planted into the medium.
5.    The roots of the plants are submerged completely with the nutrient solution
6.    An airpump is connected to the airline hose and bubbles are permitted to agitate the solution under the plants.
Since this method does not expose the roots of the plants to any air, oxygen must be introduced into the solution. The air stones underneath the plastic planters accomplish this.

This is the basic setup for the passive system. Once built, the other factors to consider are the pH of the nutrient solution, the temperature of the solution, and the quality of lighting that the system is receiving.
Check back for more information on hydroponic vegetable gardening.

How to measure hydroponic nutrient solutions?

admin — Sun, 11 May 2008 02:54:49 +0000

You may be wondering by now how you go about measuring the concentration of nutrient solution you are using for your hydroponic vegetable gardening. The concentration of nutrients in the solution is typically measured by the electrical conductivity of the dissolved minerals in the water. The measurements results are in parts per million (ppm). The drawback to this method is that it only measures the total conductivity of the solution, not the concentrations of the components in the solutions. This is why the solutions are sold in concentrated mixes of multiple parts instead of individual chemicals. Once you have the mixes adjusted correctly, its easy to add water to dilute the solution to achieve the correct conductivity that you’re after.
It is also important to measure the pH of the nutrient solution. Too base, ie the pH is too high, and you’ll burn the plants possibly even killing them. Too acidic, ie the pH is too low, and you also run the risk of killing the plants. The ideal pH of the nutrient solution should be between 5.5 and 6.5 for optimal plant uptake. pH can be adjusted downwards using a pH lowering solution, or even lemon juice in a pinch. pH can be adjusted upwards using a pH raising solution or sodium bicarbonate in a pinch. Neither of these solutions will be as good as a store bought chemical for adjusting the pH.

What is hydroponic vegetable gardening?

admin — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:27:50 +0000

Hydroponic vegetable gardening, the term stems from the original Greek words for hydro being water and ponos being labor, is a technique for growing vegetables, or other plants, based on growing in a mineral nutrient solution instead of using soil. The plants may be grown with their roots directly in a mineral nutrient solution, or even in an inactive medium, such as fiber, sand, stone gravel, etc. There are quite a few varieties of techniques for hydroponic gardening.
It was discovered in the 19th century that plants are capable of absorbing essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. While the soil acts as a nutrient reservoir, it is not essential for plant growth and so it is omitted in hydroponic gardening. The introduction of mineral nutrients into a plants water supply removes the need for soil for the plants to survive.
In addition to having a perfectly balanced diet, hydroponic gardening allows for the plants to have their food and water delivered directly to their roots. This allows for the energy that would be otherwise consumed to develop long roots to be applied directly to the growing of the plant, which proves to be a great benefit indeed!
While any plant will grow hydroponically, some plants do better than others. Its also incredibly easy to do, the activity can be undertaken as something to do with young children. Hydroponic Gardening is also a standard technique in biological research and teaching and is a popular hobby today.

Welcome

admin — Sat, 10 May 2008 02:26:42 +0000

Thanks for visiting the Hydroponic Vegetable Gardening guide. We have taken the time to organize and provide information that can help you to learn about hydroponic gardening. If you’re looking for information about hydroponic vegetable gardening, or just hydroponics in general, you have come to the right place.

If any of you would like more specific information on hydroponic vegetable gardening, please feel free to let us know. Thanks again for the visit and make sure to check back often to receive additional information.