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How should I start making a hydroponic garden?



Hi Ron,

We just put a hydroponic gardening system (tomatos peppers and basil) out on our deck and find that we are constantly putting in pH down every day. Is this what is to be expected all of the time or will the pH problem level off. Also, is the 90 day harvesting rate for tomatoes from seed to harvest?

I haven't a clue about the pH problem.
90 days is what it says on most tomato seed packages.



I am building a hydroponic garden for a science project, and i came up with a problem. I built a Ebb and Flow garden with pvc pipe, and i cut a long slot instead of separate holes. Now i am wondering what would be the best way to insert my groing medium, and how to do it. Thank you.



I am building a hydroponic garden for a science project, and i came up with a problem. I built a Ebb and Flow garden with pvc pipe, and i cut a long slot instead of separate holes. Now i am wondering what would be the best way to insert my growing medium, and how to do it. Thank you.



I am building a hydroponic garden for a science project, and i came up with a problem. I built a Ebb and Flow garden with pvc pipe, and i cut a long slot instead of separate holes. Now i am wondering what would be the best way to insert my growing medium, and how to do it. Thank you.



How much does a simple hydroponic garden cost to set up? I'm thinking about using hydroponic growing as a science project experiment.



see the worlds most efficient hydroponic garden on cbc. newsworld wensday sept. 26 4pm. or cbc. 6 oclock national news [canada now] also Wednesday, in the future now segment. the spot is about future home appliances. if you can,t wait check out www.omegagarden.com or searching for omega garden via google.com will yield even more interesting pics



I'm doing a project for school. 2 questions - what is hydroponics? Also, what are the benefits of hydroponics?

Hydroponics, from the Greek words (water-working). Hydroponics is a system of gardening without soil. In hydroponics, you provide all the hydroponic nutrients to your plants through a water/nutrient solution. There are lots of ways to apply hydroponics but, basically, all of them supply nutrient solution directly to the plant's root system. In most cases you mix nutrients into water and feed this solution directly to your plants. Soil doesn't make plants grow. It's just something for the plants to hold on to while they search with their roots for the food and water that's mixed into the soil. Since the food and water are randomly scattered about, plants have to use up energy growing ever-larger root systems to reach out in a constant search for these elements. In a hydroponic garden, a soil-less, inert growing medium is used and food and water are delivered directly to your plant's roots. Your plants grow quicker and harvest sooner because they can direct all their energy into the vegetation growing above the surface instead of the root system below it. Ron

Thanks for doing my report Ron, I got a B+ it would have been an A but I got some bbq sauce and koolaid on it.



Could any one tell me what the feeding cycle would be for a hydroponic garden. What i mean is how many times does the pump feed the plants in a 24 hr cycle. How many times and for how long of a duration do they stay on thx
Stuck in the mud.



how do pumpkins do in a hydroponic garden?



I made my VERY FIRST hydroponic garden yesterday thanks to this website! It's a very basic gurgle garden but it works great. I'm using perlite now but would like to try grow rocks. I'm using organic nutrients from MetaNaturals: http://bella-via.com/

Grow Rocks: Where can I buy them the cheapest? Are there any online sources?

FireCloud

Try to find them as close to you as possible because the shipping will hurt. 



Ron, I'm about to start my first hydroponic garden and I have a few questions

1. I want to grow roses and I would like to know which type of lights would be the best?

2. The set up I have right now is the cascade system is that good for roses?

thats it for now but I'll some more later for sure.



I'm in 8th grade, and I need to build a hydroponic garden for $25.00, or less, for my science fair project. I looked EVERYWHERE and found nothing for that price range. The garden isn't supposed to be the latest model, but it's supposed to GROW!!!!! If anyone has any information, or can donate, or lend something, PLEASE ANSWER. Leave your e-mail address, or something. THANKYOU FOR AT LEAST READING!!! Sincerly, I.M. Clueless



I am in Northern Maine, USA and I am interested in visiting a comercial or hobby hydroponic garden. Does anyone know of a place to visit near Camden, ME that would be willing to show me around? I am interested in starting an operation in the Republic of Panama. I will be in town till 2 October. Thanks I woulkd appreciate any response.



This is John White again. My science fair hypothesis says that plants in potting soil will grow better than in a hydroponic garden. I said this because I don't know about hydroponics yet and wanted to learn if it was just as good as growing in soil. After reading my research I learned that hydroponics gives plants the same nutrients as potting soil but in a different way. I was hoping you could comment on my hypothesis for my project by saying whether you think plants do better in hydroponics or just the same as in soil. Thank you for your time. I think hydroponics is cool! John White



I am a 11th grader in high school and I am considering doing a science project on the success of different nutrient solutions on hydroponically grown plants. is this at all possible? how much would it cost to set up a functioning hydroponic system?



I am trying to grow a a 2-4 plant-hydroponic garden. I ordered the following unit, for $70,

from Harvest Moon Hydroponics.

here is the description The recently redesigned HomeGarden Hydroponic System is an outstanding unit for the beginning hydroponic gardener. The submerging the grow rocks. A full-length airstone and external air pump continuously supply oxygen to the reservoir. Capillary matting surrounds the grow rocks and keeps medium moist and helps deliver nutrient-rich water to the starter cubes on top of the system.

total cost is a factor (limited budget), my question is can someone rank in order from most important to get exactly what is listed on here and what items you can cut costs by purchasing something like what you need.

Example could be Lights or is what I already purchased really not needed ?

PLEASE HELP ME! thanks



We built your 11 plant hydroponic garden, but how do we put the plants in it? We saw the picture with a plastic cup in the bottle, but how does that work? Lathrop Adv. Tech. Class

Wash the dirt off the plant roots. 
Put a few rocks in the bottom of the solo cup. 
Place the plant in the cup and fill it up with rocks.

 About the little cups again: So plants go in the little cups and cups go in the 2-liter? And the roots are in the cup, or do they extend out? How big should the holes be? Thanks!

It's OK for the roots to grow outside of the solo cup but don't let the roots go down the pipes and plug up your garden. If you water the plants often enough the roots don't need to go looking for water. The holes in the solo cup should be small enough to keep the medium from going through.



Re: Hot Peppers

You must visit http://www.hotpepperclub.homestead.com

This site has info on how to build your own hydroponic garden just for hot peppers.

tailwheel



Does anyone know if the hydroponic garden in Naples, New York, called "The Living Wall" still exists? Robert A. Rowe robertarowe@prodigy.net



I am preparing to build a small indoor hydroponic garden.

I'm sure as I progress in this project I will have many questions, but 3 come to mind initially

First a little detail. I am planning this garden as a prototype for a future "off grid" garden. I will have electrical generating capability, but will have to be "careful" of electrical usage.

I want to be able to grow enough tomatoes for personal use 12 months out of the year. So the garden will be small, and needs to be energy efficient.

Q1. I have read that the primary growing mediums are various products that resemble small pebbles. How does the pumped nutrients rise up to the level of the small plants growing on top of the stomas (or do you pump the growing chamber so full of nutrients that the liquid reaches the top of the growing medium ?

Yes the water needs to rise high enough to wet the roots of the plants.

Q2. In order to minimize light requirements, is it appropriate to grow "arctic" varieties of tomatoes, or are they heavily compromised as to flavor and texture.

Hard to say. Some verities do taste better than others.

Q3. Since I want to minimize the use of electricity what would be the minimum wattage for an HPS grow lights (Or is there something better) light to bring 1 good tomato plant to good production during the winter?

I noticed Home Depot sells a 175 Watt HPS for $45.00. That would be my minimum for one tomato plant.

Thank you in advance for your time in helping out a beginner.

Regards, George Clay 1)



Ron,
You told me to mix my used rockwool in the compost pile. COMPOST? Do you actually grow anything in the ground anymore? Does the rockwool make your compost a nice consistency, how does it help composting.
New2Hydro Holly

Just consistency and oxygenation.
Just about all the plants I have planted in my yard came from my hydroponic systems when they got to large. That's why I love it here in Florida because you can grow plants all year round.



Dear Ron, Great site! But I've got a problem. I am trying to do a hydroponic garden on a very limited budget. Everything about hydroponics seems to be economical except lighting. The price of lighting is way, way, way out of my budget. Do you have any suggestions on cheap lighting? What about fluorescent lights? I have lots of 4 foot fixtures for free, I would only have to buy bulbs. What about the outside lights that come on at dark (street lights). I think they are HID. Any help would be great.

If they are Metal Halide or High Pressure Sodium or Low Pressure Sodium at any wattage would be more economical than fluorescents. I found 3 - 400 watt MH at my local flea market  for 30 bucks apiece that came out of a factory. I had to buy new bulbs but I saved a lot of money. They are out their.



what is the size of the reservoir and where can I get one. For the 11 Plant Hydroponic Garden.

11 gallons and at any Wall-Marts, K-Marts, est.



i am doing a major assignment at school and i am going to make a hydroponic garden and a soil garden and see which will grow faster and healthier, i know how to make the garden but i dont what chemicals you need and when to put them in, can you help me?



i am doing a major assignment at school and i am going to make a hydroponic garden and a soil garden and see which will grow faster and healthier, i know how to make the garden but i dont what chemicals you need and when to put them in, can you help me?



I have set up a floating hydroponic garden for a science project, but only one seed has germinated in 10 days, and it is growing slower than the same plants in soil. WHY ARE MY SEEDS NOt GeRMinating???? This is a big problem... Should I take some plants out of the soil setup and transplant them into the rockwool cubes that I used to germinate the seeds? PLease HELp!



Can I use well water to feed my hydroponic garden?? Or do i need a water softner. I also notice that I have slow plant growth could this be from me using well water???



I am planning a hydroponic garden, 4 meters x 8 meters, and am planning to cover it with shade cloth. I am living in Thailand, where it is very sunny, and can be very hot in the afternoon. I am not sure what color shade cloth I should use. We can buy both Black and green. second question is that I am planning to plant a variety of veggies and herbs, namely Tomatoes, Peppers, Spinach, lettuce, Chinese cabbage , and some beans. I do not want to have two separate nutrient systems, and would like to know the best nutrient for all plants mentioned.



For the Gurgling Bucket. Turn the tee that's in the reservoir 90 deg so that the air in is going into the single end and suspend it so the liquid will enter the bottom and the air bubbles will push the nutrient up the line. Other words put the tee section as the input and one end as the pump output. Exchange the to lines and rotate 90 degrees. I hope this is clear.

I built it and now I'm not clear. Send me a drawing. Here is another Air Powered Hydroponic Garden (103 KB) that I got off the internet. You can modify this garden and use grow rocks or other medium instead of rockwool.



I'm doing a project for school. 2 questions - what is hydroponics? Also, what are the benefits of hydroponics?


Hydroponics, from the Greek words (water-working).   Hydroponics is a system of gardening without soil. 
In hydroponics, you provide all the nutrients to your plants through a water/nutrient solution.
There are lots of ways to apply hydroponics but, basically, all of them supply nutrient solution directly to the plant's root system. In most cases you mix nutrients into water and feed this solution directly to your plants.
Soil doesn't make plants grow. It's just something for the plants to hold on to while they search with their roots for
the food and water that's mixed into the soil. 
Since the food and water are randomly scattered about, plants have to use up energy growing ever-larger root systems to reach out in a constant search for these elements. 
In a hydroponic garden, a soil-less, inert growing medium is used and food and water are delivered directly to your
plant's roots. 
Your plants grow quicker and harvest sooner because they can direct all their energy into the vegetation growing above the surface instead of the root system below it
.
Ron



Can I get a paragraph on hydroponics?

Hydroponics, from the Greek words (water-working).   Hydroponics is a system of gardening without soil. In hydroponics,
you provide all the nutrients to your plants through a water/nutrient solution. There are lots of ways to apply
hydroponics but, basically, all of them supply nutrient solution directly to the plant's root system. In most cases you mix nutrients into water and feed this solution directly to your plants.
Soil doesn't make plants grow. It's just something for the plants to hold on to while they search with their roots for
the food and water that's mixed into the soil. Since the food and water are randomly scattered about, plants have to
use up energy growing ever-larger root systems to reach out in a constant search for these elements. In a
hydroponic garden, a soil-less, inert growing medium is used and food and water are delivered directly to your
plants' roots. Your plants grow quicker and harvest sooner because they can direct all their energy into the
vegetation growing above the surface instead of the root system below it
.
Ron



I am interested in starting a hydroponic garden. Who is the cheapest online retailer where I can purchase my equipment?

probably not from me right now 



In the 11 plant hydroponic garden, what type of timer is available to create an ebb and flow on a regular basis? The regular timers I have only have an "off" time and "on" time once in a 24 hour cycle. Also, what medium is used for the original starters in the halved plastic 1 liter bottle plant holders? Thank you very much, Bobby

They are hard to find but they are timers out their that have 48 pins that gives you 30 minutes on time and 30 minutes off time for 24 hours. Keep looking. I use nothing but grow rocks in the 2 liter garden.



What is hydropontics?

Do you mean hydroponics: 
Hydroponics, from the Greek words (water-working).   Hydroponics is a system of gardening without soil. 
In hydroponics, you provide all the nutrients to your plants through a water/nutrient solution.
There are lots of ways to apply hydroponics but, basically, all of them supply nutrient solution directly to the plant's root system. In most cases you mix nutrients into water and feed this solution directly to your plants.
Soil doesn't make plants grow. It's just something for the plants to hold on to while they search with their roots for
the food and water that's mixed into the soil. 
Since the food and water are randomly scattered about, plants have to use up energy growing ever-larger root systems to reach out in a constant search for these elements. 
In a hydroponic garden, a soil-less, inert growing medium is used and food and water are delivered directly to your
plants' roots. 
Your plants grow quicker and harvest sooner because they can direct all their energy into the vegetation growing above the surface instead of the root system below it
.
Ron



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