Different plants need different proportions of nutrients for different times. Best hydroponic nutrients are sold in solutions with simple labels such as ‘grow’ or ‘bloom’ so that even a novice grower can pick up these solutions easily. Change the nutrients along with the growing cycle of your plants. Another reason to change the solution is that the depletion of the elements is subject to the growth stage of the plant. At certain times, certain important elements get depleted faster. Ideally you can change the solution every two weeks. Keep in mind that the proportion of nutrient solution and water remains consistent. If the fertilizer level increases due to evaporation of water, it could cause extensive root damage.

The hydroponic nutrient solutions available are typically sold in a concentrated form. The grower has to mix it according to the instructions and as per the requirement of the plant. For instance a weaker solution should be put for plants in poor growing conditions like overheated gardens, low lighting or just crowded plants. Even newly planted cuttings will benefit from a weaker solution.  For normally growing healthy plants, a normal or regular solution is correct. If your garden has the capability of handling high growth – such as good lighting and ventilation and carbon dioxide production & circulation, you could probably go in for a stronger solution. However, it is advisable to increase the concentration of the fertilizer gradually to save the plant from burning up.

Though the concentrate to water ratio is in the range of 150 – 600 parts per million, the level for most of the plants is 300 – 400 ppm. Keep in mind that these must be mixed with water and not with another part of nutrient solution.

Now that you are aware of the need for different nutrients, you need to know which ones to use. You can find out the various brands from the market. The essential thing is to know which nutrient to look for. You have to first and foremost decide on the growing medium such as stone wool, coco etc. for instance, if coco is the medium you are using, go in for specific nutrients like canna coco nutrients. In the crop stage, a vegetative nutrient formula is better suited for vegetative stage of the plant such as Super Veg A or Super Veg B.

The medium will determine the type of nutrient requirement. Basically the organic or best hydroponic nutrients are made up of different combinations of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen is important for leaf vegetative growth. Potassium helps in the process of cell production and phosphorus is responsible for root development and flowering.

This is what hydroponics can offer

Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants without soil. The medium is typically water. While there are other mediums used, water is by far the most common and is what we will concern ourselves with here.

But wait; is growing plants without soil even a possibility? After all, don't plants need soil for their nutrients and water needs? Not always.

Plants certainly need water. However, it need not necessarily come from the soil, although this is the most common method of gardening. Of course, in nature there are many plants which grow in gravel, sand or yes, even in water.

Plants also require energy, usually in the form of sunlight but also in heat. Sunlight warmed soil is not the only way for plants to get the energy they need – they can absorb this energy through their leaves, just as plants grown in soil do. As long as a plant is exposed to sunlight, it will still be able to perform the process of photosynthesis. Of course, there are always exceptions. There are plants which do fine with no light as all, but they still need energy to make their biochemical processes happen.

The vast majority of plants which are grown by home gardeners need physical support, which is usually accomplished by planting them in soil. Roots spread in the soil for this purpose, among others. Artificial supports can also be used, such as popsicle sticks, strings and others.

One of the biggest considerations for gardeners is giving your plants the proper nutrients. Phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen and many other trace elements are necessary for the growth of your plants. The way plants generally absorb these nutrients is through the soil; however, there is more than one way for plants to get these important nutrients.

Giving regular feedings of liquid nutrients to hydroponically grown plants is one method. Other hydroponically grown plants are kept in an enclosure which retains moisture; you can them spray the roots directly with a liquid nutrient solution. This is also done in the less common practice of aeroponics.

You can grow a lot of plants hydroponically – orchids, tomatoes, lettuce strawberries and many, many others. There are literally thousands of plants which grow well in a hydroponic setting, as long as they are given proper care. It can be fun and educational to grow plants hydroponically. You can grow pleasant looking and delicious plants without any of the problems presented by growing in soil.

First start by gathering your equipment. You can skip this step if you already have an established hydroponic system, but I thought it would be a good idea to cover what you will need just in case. Find an opaque 5-gallon plastic container with a lid. It is important that it be opaque so the inside stays dark. This limits algae growth. In addition to this, you will also need to find a growing medium. Oasis root cubes, which are growth medium compressed into easy to handle cubes work very well when growing lettuce. Simply stick your seeds in the cubes and place them in a dish of water. Make sure this does not dry up while you are waiting for your seeds to sprout.

It should take about two weeks for your lettuce seedlings to sprout. While you are waiting, you can get the lid of that container we mentioned earlier ready for planting. Get some plastic planting cones and trace out their outlines onto the lid. You should be able to get 4 to 6 to fit on the lid, evenly spaced apart without getting too close to the edge. Cut out these circles and stick the cones through the holes you have just made.

Next comes the creation of the water nutrient solution. This solution will supply your plants all the nutrients they would ordinarily get from the soil, and it is the key ingredient in hydroponic gardening. Your best bet is probably to go with a premixed hydroponics solution, which you can find at your local hardware or garden supply store. This will be the base of your nutrient solution. For a 5-gallon container, use two teaspoons of premixed fertilizer solution, two teaspoons of calcium nitrate and one teaspoon of Epsom salts, aka magnesium sulfate. Let these ingredients dissolve into a cup of water, then pour that water into your container, one cup of water and ingredient at a time. Once you have all your nutrients in the container, fill it almost to the top with water.

When your baby lettuce plants have had about two weeks to grow, you can put them in the planters. To do this you should first put the lid with the planting cones in it on your container and strap it down with duct tape. Next, you can put the seedlings and root cubes down in said planting cones. Because lettuce needs a lot of sunlight, both direct and indirect, make sure you have your system set up near a window or under a good grow light. Keep an eye on your water level and top it up if it starts getting too low. Your plants should always be able to reach the water! Growth should take between four and five weeks, and then your lettuce plants will be ready to harvest.

Today, this technology is being employed in the farming of strawberries and that too for an extremely important reason. To control pests, insects, weeds, diseases, etc. in strawberry farms, the farmers use methyl bromide. While the compound is responsible for growing the best kind of strawberries, it is also a threat to Nature since it destroys the ozone layer. Therefore, it is banned all over the globe. Hydroponics in this case has proven to be eco friendly and it supports high production of strawberries. Consequently, farmers find it extremely convenient.

Throughout the world, farmers are taking up hydroponics in a big way. It has been proved that this method of production is high yielding and eco friendly. Farmers have found hydroponic strawberries to be a very convenient and high quality substitute.

Other than this, there are other benefits of growing hydroponic strawberries. Some of them are as follows:

1. Excellent taste- These strawberries taste great. You’ll never have enough of them.

2. High picking rate- They grow at a great altitude so the while the picking rate grows, it's simple and less laborious to cultivate.

3. High yields per plant- If you take into account the yield per plant given by hydroponic strawberries, you will see that these plants are far more productive than the ones grown in soil. Any kind of soil can be used since there is no pest or weed trouble.

4. Space utilization- Also, they can be grown in stacks so that the air space is used. In this way, you can make the garden reach great heights. This can be done as water can reach high levels.

5. No seasonal cultivation- These strawberries are not dependent on seasons. So you may grow them at any point of time.

Do you want to try out this exciting science at home? All you need to do is take care of certain points. The cultivation of the plants can be done anywhere: your home or the garden. You can use either solar energy or artificial light. The most important factor is that you need to be very careful when you buy the plants. Buy it from a reputed reliable nursery. Check whether the plants have undergone a virus test. If you take note of these factors, you will have a good deal of ripe nutritious fruits at home; enough for a family of at least four.

When cloning, or taking cuttings from a plant, it should go without saying that you should first make sure the mother plant is healthy, as any diseases or infestations on the source plant will likely be passed to the cuttings and thus the new plants. To start with, you will want to leach as much nitrogen from the mother plant as you can, by watering it with highly pH adjusted water (and no fertilizer). This helps the new plants to put out roots in search of that nitrogen.

Next, you will need to choose a growing medium. Many people use Rapid Rooters, Oasis foam or Rockwool. You can also fill a growing cup with standard loose growing medium, a perlite, and vermiculite mix or coconut fiber. Make sure your growing cups have holes cut in the bottom for drainage. Don’t use peat or normal soil as these hold too much moisture and can rot stems before they start to put out roots. Use pH balanced water to soak the growing medium before you get started. Distilled water works best but any quality source will do. Make holes in your growing medium roughly the same size as the stems of your cuttings. You do not want to have to shove your cuttings into the soil or medium.

You’re not quite ready to start yet, you still need to do some prep work. First, you’re going to need to sterilize everything with rubbing alcohol, from your hands to your cutting implements to your cutting block. This is critical, as cuttings are extremely susceptible to diseases and fungus until they put out roots. Also, sterilize a cup and fill it with rooting solution. You will need this in a bit.

When choosing your cuttings be sure to cut stems with healthy leaves and no sign of disease or fungus. Stems should be about 5 inches long and make sure none of them show any sign of flowering. Flowers pull too much from the plant and will strangle the rooting process.

Ok, now you can get started. Use a razorblade to cut your clones from the main plant at roughly a 45-degree angle, leaving about 5 inches of stem. Remove any low hanging leaves that would be under the growing medium. The key here is to work quickly and get the cutting into the cup of rooting solution as soon as possible before the newly cut stem has a chance to interact with the air and close up. You have about ten seconds at most before this happens.

Let your cuttings soak in your hormone solution for about a minute. If you are using gel, just dip the cutting in the gel to seal the end. Then stick the cutting into the hole in your growing medium, gently packing the medium up around the cutting.

Place the cuttings under a grow light and mist with distilled water. Water them about twice a day, either from above or by soaking the growing trays with holes in the bottom in another set of trays without holes, filled with water for about 30 seconds. When your clones have established a root system, you are ready to transfer them to a hydroponic system.

Now, don’t go setting up your hydroponic system under your fluorescent kitchen lights and expect it to grow things well. You can’t use just any bulb for good growth and propagation, but you can use any old fixture. Many of these can be found at incredibly low prices at your local hardware or big box store.

You will however need to select the correct bulbs for your system. The most common fluorescent grow light is the high-density discharge lamp. These lights are not hard to use and are quite good at the job. These bulbs are good for both indoor and outdoor applications. High-density discharge lamps, or HID lamps produce more light than incandescent bulbs while creating very little waste heat, which may damage or even burn your plants. This means you can get the lights very close to your plants without causing any damage.

For those on a tighter budget and looking only to test the waters, you can get by with a standard ‘cool’ or ‘blue’ fluorescent bulb, as bulbs which veer more toward the blue end of the spectrum tend to give growing plants more of what they need than a standard bulb. Always try to look for bulbs labeled ‘high output’ or ‘plus’ as they will emit more light and be more efficient at growing your plants. Bear in mind however that these lights will often produce much smaller yields on fruiting plants than their higher end specialized cousins.

You can also use the newer compact fluorescent bulbs with a reflector to great effect. The reflector lets you capture more of the light from the bulb while the super efficient design saves you energy and space. Because fluorescent bulbs will not burn plants, you can have the lights as close as an inch away from the tops of your plants with no trouble at all.

A good idea is to put your lighting system, whatever you decide to use, on a timer so you don’t have to remember to turn it on and off during the day. This will ensure your plants are getting exactly the right amount of ‘sunlight’ they need.

Hydroponic gardening is a very efficient way to grow plants, as it is possible to grow an amazing array of plants in areas where gardening would be normally hindered. People living in cold climates can easily grow vegetables all year round in indoor gardens. Correct use of hydroponic systems could also mean your plants grow up to 50% faster than plants grown in soil.

As plants grown hydroponically are receiving their nutrients directly from the nutrient solution, it is possible to grow more plants in much smaller areas and in smaller containers.

It is possible to grow just about any plant with hydroponics systems. Vegetables and herbs respond well by offering much greater yields in much shorter growing times as compared to vegetables grown in soil.

Even though your plants will have access to the nutrients they need, plants still need to be stabilized and supported as they grow. This is why the majority of hydroponics systems promote the use of a growing medium to support the delicate root structure of the plant while it grows.

Growing Mediums

Typical growing mediums could include rockwool, sand, gravel, perlite, or vermiculite. Each of these mediums is inert and used simply to support the plant and assist with stopping the roots from being drowned by constant immersion in water or nutrient solution, while at the same time allowing the roots access to some level of oxygen.

The most effective types of growing mediums will not only support plants, but also to protect the roots from exposure to sunlight. Growing mediums should also allow plenty of oxygen to access the roots while still giving them access to the water and nutrients they need to survive and flourish.

Light

Plants require light in order to photosynthesize, so if your hydroponic garden is an indoor garden then you may consider using artificial light. A regular light bulb will not be any good in this situation. You will need to consider artificial light that mimics the correct spectrum and intensity as sunlight in order for the plants to receive any benefit.

Nutrients

Correct nutrients are vital to successful hydroponic growth. The types and levels of nutrients required will vary greatly depending on the types of plants you’re growing, so be sure to check the requirements of your intended plants.

The nutrients and minerals are dissolved in water and fed through the hydroponic system to the root systems. Always be sure to check the pH levels in your nutrient solution.

Aeration

Plants still need oxygen and carbon dioxide to live. Adequate aeration of the root system will not only prevent the roots from drowning by too much exposure to water or nutrient solutions, but also allows the plant to ‘breathe’.

Ebb and Flow Systems

Ebb and flow systems are excellent for small-scale hydroponic gardens. Essentially a flood and drain system, nutrients are pumped up to the roots and drained back down to the reservoir. This allows plenty of aeration.

Drip System

Drip systems are thought to be the most commonly used hydroponic systems. Nutrients are pumped in timed intervals up to the plants and then dripped onto the base of each plant using a small drip line. Some systems will have a nutrient reservoir to collect and re-use any excess nutrients that have run off.

Nutrient Film Technique

The nutrient film technique hydroponics system works a little differently in that the plant roots are partially exposed to the air and partially submerged in a mobile nutrient solution.

The nutrients and water are pumped up to the plants and then run back down to the reservoir. It is possible that a nutrient film system may hinder the growth of some plants, as the roots aren’t able to aerate fully, which may cause damage to the root structure.

This effect can be counteracted by introducing an ebb and flow system or by using a growing medium.

The plant itself is one of the most important aspects of a hydroponic garden. Either you can start your garden from a pre-existing plant or you can start it from a seed. With the proper care, just about any plant in existence can be grown hydroponically. Water is the most commonly used medium for this type of gardening however, it is not able to support a growing plant against the effects of gravity. As a result, there are a number of different methods that are used instead.

Tomatoes are the most common starters for these types of gardens and they make a good example of the need for support. A small container works well in this instance. The supports for the stems can vary depending on the type of plant you are growing. It can be anything from plastic straws, ice cream sticks; you can even use stiff wire. You will want a container that is going to provide enough room for the plant to grow but not be so large that it is difficult to care for or manage. Smaller plants should be placed in smaller containers while plants that get larger or even several plants as once can be placed in larger containers.

When you are starting out it is a good idea to consider getting containers slightly larger than you will think you need. Overestimating in this instance is better than underestimating. You can also consider transplantation however; this is a more advanced aspect of hydroponic gardening. In order to begin on your hydroponic garden after you have obtained the containers is to fill the containers with water.

To begin with, keep your hydroponics to the simplest method possible using only water rather than mixing water with perlite or rockwool. The water should be clean but it does not have to be distilled water. In fact, you actually want to have minerals in your water, as these will help to provide nutrients to the plant. IT should however be free of organisms so you will want to sterilize it by boiling or microwave the water first then allow it to cool back to room temperature.

You will need some way to aerate the water. This means some way to get air into the water on a regular basis not only to keep the water moving but also to provide oxygen to the plants themselves. A pump and filter such as those used for fish tanks works but they do have these items designed specifically for hydroponics. These would be the best for this application.

You will also need some way to provide light to your plants. While some plants do not need to obtain energy through photosynthesis most plants, do so you will need to provide adequate lighting for your plant. It is best to provide between 8-10 hours a day of natural light but you can use artificial lights. There are lights that are made for use in hydroponic gardening that can provide an adequate replacement. In addition to light plants, also need nutrients.

You are going to want a good supply of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, a normal fertilizer is going to have these nutrients in it but they may not be suitable for hydroponics. The formula needs to be fairly precise. This is to prevent the nitrogen from burning the plant. This means premixed is usually better and it should contain the following nutrients in per 25 gallons of solution. In teaspoons one of potassium phosphate, four of potassium nitrate, seven of calcium nitrate, four of magnesium sulfate, half of a teaspoon of copper sulfate. In half pints boric acid, manganese chloride and iron sulfate.

Test the water first to see how much of these are already present in the water before getting the fertilizer. Finally, use a thermometer to make sure the temperature of the water is kept constant. These materials can help you on the way to hydroponic gardening.

There’s more than one hydroponic method you can adopt but the most popular is the ebb and flow system. It’s popular because it’s simple and easy to use.

This is how it works. The growing tray is placed higher than the reservoir containing nutrient solution. The growing medium placed in the former are from amongst rockwool, grow rocks, perlite/vermiculite mix or coconut fiber. The medium needs water. It’s periodically flooded with water using a small timer-fitted pump that automatically shuts off when overflowing occurs and an overflow drain keeps the nutrient fill height steady.

Here’s a ready reckoner telling you about the items you need for your ebb and flow system.

Growing Tray

You need a tray that doesn’t allow light to shine through so that roots are protected. Wood or metal are obvious choices but plastic is a better option because it’s lighter and more durable from the maintenance point of view. Check the tray well to ensure it's smooth and therefore, won’t allow pools or puddles to accumulate. When you want water to drain back into the reservoir below, all of it should go.

Plant Pots

Pots should be non-metallic with drainage holes.

Growing Medium

Grow rocks, also called clay pebbles, are best. Because of the flooding cycles being frequent, you don't want your growing medium to keep a lot of water in it. Clay pebbles have this attribute.

Supports

You need something sturdy and firm capable of carrying the weight of the growing tray. A table is good enough or a milk crate. It depends on your choice of indoor garden configuration. But do remember, please, the tray will get heavier as the plants grow. Once the tray has full size plants changing its configuration is very difficult.

Reservoir

Use a plastic or rubber-made tub, even a garbage can. Metal is strictly no-no owing to the rust factor.

Drains

You need two drains: the fill drain and the overflow drain. The latter is important because it helps keep the water level constant in your garden system. The fill pipe is also the drain pipe, which allows the water to go back the same way it came.

Water pump

Use an aquarium pump; usually it’s good enough for your need. If the design you’ve chosen involves a relatively higher distance between the two trays, you’ll need a slightly more powerful pump. Either way, these pumps are easily available.

Timer

A cheap timer works fine for a single time schedule. For large-scale ebb and flow, you need a sophisticated timer.

Unlike the normal incandescent bulb that is still so popular, an LED has no filament. An LED or Light-Emitting-Diode is a semiconductor diode that produces light when electricity is passed through its LED circuit. A diode usually has two terminals and allows current to pass unidirectional only. The light produced is a narrow spectrum light, more like electroluminescence hence it isn’t very coherent.

If you brush up your knowledge of physics and chemistry, you’ll be reminded that sunlight is made up of millions of photons, a unit of light. Sunlight is produced when these photons, contained by the atoms, move around or change electron positions. A continuous process produces sunlight. However, LED lamps work with the help of electricity that flows unidirectional. This one-way flow of the current prompts a change of movement of the electrons, where the positively-charged electrons move away from the negatively-charged ones. The electrons leave gaps in its chain, which become the positively charged points on the semiconductor. This movement of electricity over the semiconductor, from negative areas to the gaps on its surface, helps emit light.

LED grow light systems come in different colors, depending on type of grow lamp it is and the size of the gap in the electron chain. You must be wondering how a gap in the chain can result in a change in the color of the light? Well, you see, the gap alters the frequency of the photons and this difference ends up in a change of color. However, the light produced is infrared, so it’s invisible to human eyes! LED lamps are available in visible and ultraviolet too.

Do you want to grow plants indoors? First of all, categorize your plants under seedlings, fruit bearing and flowering and then look for the grow lights that’ll help maintain your young plants’ health! Seedlings usually need blue LED lamps to grow. Fruit bearing plants need orange grow lights, and flowering plants need red lights to ensure their ability to bear fruits and flowers. Once you know what you’ll need it’ll be easier to get hold of the particular grow lights. Now you can watch your plants thrive!

Other advantages of having LED lamps are that they are long lasting since there isn’t a filament in it, and that they don’t become overheated when in constant use. Just let it shine and watch the magic unfold!