Hydroponic Gardening Made Easy

By Simon Morris

Hydroponic gardening has become popular over the last few years because of its many benefits. Some of these are the lack of insects inside the house, you can grow 24 hours a day, the temperature can be kept perfectly stable, they do not take a lot of space and you can even keep the CO2 levels right where ya want them.

Hydroponics gardening does not use any dirt when growing the plants but there are many ways of doing this. The most common of these systems is the ebb and flow system. This system fills up and drains a try that the plants are sitting in every few hours. This keeps the roots nice and wet. The water then drains into a reservoir under the plant try and there waits to be reused. This water has the perfect PH and amount of nutrients necessary for the plants that you are growing. The strong light, perfect atmosphere and a perfect nutrient mix creates a perfect plant. You can grow amazing veggies with hydroponics peppers really come out great.

Hydroponics doesn't have to be done inside. People have outdoor systems too. Many of these systems have buckets filled with lava rock, a reservoir with the perfect nutrient water mixture all connected to a timer that lets the water flow in and out of the plant trays ever hour or so. There are many options for the growing medium in a hydroponics system. People use things like gravel, lava rocks, even rock wool cubes.

The hardest part of growing hydroponics is keep the correct PH level in the water. Like a jacuzzi there is one thing to raise PH and one thing to lower it but you still need to keep an eye on it frequently. The most popular way to check the PH is use the paper strips that turn color after sticking them in the water. You then match the color to a chart to determine the level. Another popular way is to use the digital PH meter which is the one i recommend because it reads much more accurately.

The type of system people pick is usually a personal choice. The three main types are the ebb and flow, the drip system and the Aeroponic system. These use the same concept for the most part. The fertilizer you use is the most important choice if you plan on growing any edible plants.
If you are planning on growing veggies or herbs using the hydro system make sure to ask questions so there is no chemicals or harmful ingredients in the mix. This is very important because some of the solutions are harmful for your health if they are consumed. The best bet for edible plats is to use some organic solution. They sell these at most hydro stores. The problem with these is the PH levels are much more unstable and require constant checking.

If this sounds like the thing for you then i suggest giving hydroponics gardening a chance because it can give you the very best plants.

Though there might be hundreds of Types of systems, Drip, Ebb and Flow, Water, Wick, Culutre, N.F.T Wick, Water Culture, Ebb and Flow, Drip, N.F.T., Aeroponic and more. There really are amny but these are the six basic types of these.

Simon Morris is a horticulture specialist with over 10 years experience in the field. For detailed information on Hydroponic gardening, click the link below:
http://www.ourgardensource.com/Container-Gardening/Hydroponic-Gardening.php

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Container Gardening 101

Container Gardening 101
By Victoria Rosendahl

Container gardening is a great way to grow flowers, herbs and even some vegetables in a small space. Containers come in all different shapes and sizes; they can be plastic, cement or ceramic; and they come in a variety of colors.

Here are some ideas I've used successfully in my container garden.

Bulbs and spring flowers

One of the nicest ways to utilize a container is to plant bulbs and spring flowers in the fall. Now, as I've said before, spring bulbs are really something that are the most effective in gardens that have winter temperatures that dip below freezing.

This is what I do with bulbs in my containers. In the fall, I'll take a variety of bulbs like daffodils and tulips and grape hyacinth and I'll plant them deep in the container. Check your bulb packet to see how deeply you should be planting them.

Then, to top off the container, I plant pansies. Pansies are a kind of flower that can easily go from fall to spring without having to re-plant.

Even if you live in the harshest winters, you can still plant pansies in the fall and throw a load of mulch over them for heavy winters. Your spring garden will overflow with pansies starting to bounce back and you'll have pretty color around your tall bulb stems.

If you love tulips and live in an area populated with moles, voles and squirrels, container planting is the answer. Interplant them with daffodils and hyacinth for a gorgeous display.

Herbs and Annual Flowers

Another terrific application for container gardening is to grow herbs and annuals in them.

I love to plant window and deck boxes with colorful varieties of annuals, herbs that I use frequently in cooking and bunches of trailing plants like licorice and ivy. Just remember that window and deck boxes will dry out much faster because they are more shallow than other containers. Use a good water retention potting mix and keep an eye on dryness in the heat of the summer. Water in the early morning for best retention.

Look for colors that not only go well together but complement your landscape..

Container Vegetable Gardening

I have grown vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce, peas and bush beans in containers and raised beds. Sometimes, I've even grown them in between flowers and bulbs and this gives your container some texture and makes things interesting as well as being useful.

If you'd like to grow tomatoes in a container and your space is limited, make sure you choose a container large enough to hold a couple of plants. Use tomato stakes and garden Velcro to keep everything upright and growing well. You can find tomato containers that are self-watering in home centers, catalogs and on the Net. They're great for a deck or patio.

And, when growing tomatoes in a container, spring for an extra one -- they're not pricey and should last many seasons -- so you can rotate your tomatoes year to year.

Victoria Rosendahl has been getting her hands dirty in the garden since she was 10. She writes a free monthly ezine, The Frugal Gardener, (http://www.myfrugalgardener.com) and has designed the ultimate raised garden bed, GardenRack, which allows you to garden without bending or kneeling. Check out her site at http://www.garden-rack.com or send her an email at info@garden-rack.com.

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